Feiji didn't say a single word.
Grabbing one end of the hemp rope, he walked toward the ceiling beam, looped it over a hook, and yanked down with brutal force.
Chen Tai-Long was hoisted upside down instantly.
Blood rushed to his head.
His vision darkened in waves.
"Fuck! You bastards dare touch me?!
Hung Thai will never let you off!"
He thrashed wildly, roaring curses, saliva dripping nonstop from his chin.
Feiji remained expressionless.
He picked up a rag from the table and shoved it straight into Chen Tai-Long's mouth, then pulled a black hood over his head, leaving only his nose exposed for air.
The next moment—
his fists slammed down mercilessly onto the hood.
If Brother Yao hadn't given strict instructions beforehand, Chen Tai-Long would have died on the spot.
Under the hood, Chen Tai-Long struggled desperately, reduced to muffled groans—
all traces of his former arrogance gone.
Elsewhere.
Lin Yao returned to Tianyao Film Company.
The moment he pushed open the office door, he saw Ah Heung sitting on the sofa, her gaze unfocused.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up.
The instant she saw Lin Yao, her eyes reddened, and she rushed into his arms.
Lin Yao instinctively wrapped an arm around her slender waist, sighing inwardly.
Such a woman…
Chen Tai-Long truly wasted heaven's gift.
"Things on Chen Tai-Long's side are settled," Lin Yao said calmly.
"He won't come looking for you again."
Ah Heung bit her lip, her voice trembling.
"Mr. Lin… thank you…
but I'm still scared…"
Before she could finish, tears streamed down her face.
She feared retaliation.
Even more, she feared a future where she could never escape a life of being beaten and controlled.
Lin Yao pulled a tissue from the desk and handed it to her.
"Don't worry. From now on, he won't be able to touch you."
Ah Heung wiped her tears and finally spoke what she'd been holding inside.
"Mr. Lin… I want to stay at the company.
I want to earn my own money.
I never want to look at Chen Tai-Long's face again."
The moment she finished speaking, her strength gave out, and she collapsed softly into Lin Yao's arms.
Lin Yao bent down and lifted her up in one smooth motion.
An office was still an office—
but some rules could be bent.
Meanwhile.
At Chen Mei's villa.
Ah Bu had already delivered the message:
Prepare ten million, or he would never see his son again.
Chen Mei immediately summoned Hung Thai's elders and lieutenants for a meeting.
Only the most powerful figure—Little Overlord—was absent.
Bang!
Chen Mei smashed the teacup in his hand onto the rosewood table, tea splashing everywhere.
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
"Over five hundred men, and Lin Yao still took Tai-Long right under your noses?!"
"Are you five hundred pigs?!"
Spit flew as he roared.
The elders and lieutenants below didn't dare utter a word.
Some stared at their shoes.
Some pretended to adjust their collars.
Even their breathing grew cautious.
Cough… cough…
Second-in-command Leopard Rong clutched his chest, his lung condition flaring up, unable to speak.
The room fell into deeper silence.
Everyone wore the same expression—
Not my problem.
"Speak!" Chen Mei gasped, sweeping his gaze across them.
"Tai-Long is still in Lin Yao's hands—do none of you have anything to say?!"
After a long silence, Leopard Rong finally forced out a few coughs and spoke carefully.
"Brother Mei… it's not that the brothers didn't try. It's just…"
Once he opened his mouth, the others immediately echoed him.
"Uncle Leopard's right, Brother Mei."
"If we completely turn against Lin Yao, Hung Thai might get wiped out."
"That kid Lin Yao is at his peak—like a newborn calf that fears no tiger…"
"Yeah, why did Brother Long have to provoke him?"
"Maybe… we should ask Uncle Deng to mediate?"
"Ask Uncle Deng?"
Chen Mei's gaze darkened.
These people weren't offering solutions—they were pushing responsibility onto him.
His chest felt weighed down by a stone, heavy and suffocating.
Back when Hung Thai was founded, these same men had followed him through life and death.
Now—
every single one had shrunk back.
He looked at the faces before him, once brothers sworn in blood, and forced a bitter smile.
"Fine. Then we'll ask Uncle Deng."
Only then did the atmosphere in the room ease slightly.
Chen Mei waved his hand wearily.
"Meeting's over. I'll inform you if there's news."
Everyone nodded quickly and left, not daring to linger or say another word.
Soon, the room was empty.
Chen Mei slumped back into his leather chair, fingers buried deep in his graying hair.
After several minutes of silence—
he suddenly stood up and yanked open the bottom drawer of his desk.
Inside lay an old address book, its cover worn, pages yellowed.
One of the few remaining connections he had accumulated over decades in the underworld.
His fingertip hovered over the rough paper.
Taking a deep breath, he stared at the number beside the name "Uncle Deng" and slowly pressed call.
Beep… beep…
Each ring struck his heart like a hammer, making his pulse race and sweat bead in his palm.
"Hello? Who is this?"
At last, Uncle Deng's calm yet authoritative voice came through.
Chen Mei quickly suppressed the rage and humiliation in his chest, softening his tone.
"Uncle Deng, it's me—Chen Mei of Hung Thai. I have an urgent matter and need your help."
"Chen Mei…" Uncle Deng replied slowly.
"This is about Tai-Long, isn't it? I've already heard about your clash with Lin Yao."
Chen Mei's heart tightened.
He hadn't expected the news to spread so fast.
"Uncle Deng!" he said urgently.
"That Lin Yao brat not only grabbed my son—he's demanding ten million!"
"This is extortion! There's no such thing in the jianghu!"
"Extortion?" Uncle Deng paused, then replied coolly.
"Chen Mei, isn't it your Hung Thai people who crossed the line first and touched Lin Yao's people?"
"By jianghu rules, if you cross the line, you pay the price. That's not wrong, is it?"
"I know the rules!" Chen Mei snapped, gripping the phone, before forcing his tone down.
"But ten million is too much, Uncle Deng. Could you talk to him for me—get him to lower the amount?"
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