Chapter 120: Forcing Through

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Hong Chen turned and walked away. Lin Yuxin had wanted to call him back, but Lin Yufei repeatedly signaled for her not to, shaking her head. In the end, she simply covered her sister’s mouth.

Only after Hong Chen had disappeared did Lin Yufei let go. Lin Yuxin frowned, looking displeased. “Yufei, stop making fun of Hong Chen. He’s already spent more than six thousand.”

Lin Yufei waved it off. “Sis, it wasn’t as if I forced him. He agreed to it himself.”

Lin Yuxin’s expression turned cold. “Back when he was unemployed, he could still come to me for money. Now that he has a job, even if I’m willing to give him some, he may not accept it. Men have their pride. Besides, he doesn’t live at home anymore. He has expenses for food, clothing, housing, and transportation.”

Seeing that her sister was becoming angry, Lin Yufei put away her careless expression. Her eyes turned, and she said, “Sis, I think perhaps you’re underestimating him.”

Lin Yuxin looked puzzled. A mysterious glint appeared in Lin Yufei’s eyes as she lowered her voice. “Let me tell you a secret. Yesterday, I went to West Plaza for a promotional event and made a point of asking around. At Hongcheng Group, only department directors and deputy directors are assigned company cars. Only vice presidents and above are assigned drivers. I also asked seven or eight official employees of Hongcheng Group, and not one of them had heard of Hong Chen.”

Lin Yuxin’s eyes flickered. “Didn’t you say you ran into Hong Chen outside Hongcheng Group on Friday afternoon, and personally saw him pick up his boss after work?”

Lin Yufei nodded, puzzled. “That’s exactly why I can’t figure it out. Anyway, I have a feeling Hong Chen is definitely hiding something from us.”

Lin Yuxin fell into thought. Lin Yufei, however, could not be bothered to dwell on it. She grabbed her sister and pulled her toward the elevators. “Sis, let’s go downstairs and look around. Whatever catches our eye, we’ll have him pay for it. We can treat it as a test. If he really pays, you can interrogate him afterward.”

This time, Lin Yuxin said nothing.

…

Hong Chen walked around the mall to the parking lot and tossed the pile of shopping bags into Jiang Ying’s BMW. After smoking a cigarette, he returned to the mall.

He called Lin Yuxin and learned that the sisters were at a Chanel boutique. Hong Chen walked along, looking from side to side. After a while, he finally spotted the eye-catching Chanel logo above the shop entrance.

“Sorry, but the store is currently limiting the number of customers. You can’t enter for the time being.”

Through the enormous glass windows, Hong Chen immediately saw the sisters inside. There were not many people in the boutique—fewer than twenty, including the staff—but when he reached the entrance, two men in black suits blocked his way.

Hong Chen was slightly surprised. He raised a hand and pointed toward Lin Yuxin inside. “My wife is in there.”

The two suited men shook their heads in unison and merely repeated, “Sorry.”

Hong Chen was annoyed, but he did not argue. He took out his phone and called Lin Yuxin again. When she answered, she turned to look toward the entrance. A woman who was clearly not a store employee immediately approached her. After exchanging a few words with Lin Yuxin, the woman walked over.

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“I’m an agent with Super Shadow Entertainment. Our company is preparing to produce a youth idol drama, and the appearances of these two young ladies are very suitable for some of the roles. The director and screenwriter are currently discussing things with them. It won’t take much longer. Why don’t you go look around and come back in fifteen minutes?”

The woman was in her thirties and somewhat attractive. Her tone was polite enough, but her eyes were distinctly cold.

Hong Chen found the idea absurd. He would never agree to Lin Yuxin and Lin Yufei entering show business. In his view, there were only two ways to rise in the entertainment industry: either one had a powerful background, or one found a powerful backer. The sisters obviously did not qualify as the former without Hong Chen’s approval. As for the latter, it was less a matter of finding a backer than exchanging one’s current circumstances for another. What one had to exchange, how one did it, and what the price would be required no explanation. Anyone with even a little worldly experience and common sense could figure it out…

“I can go in and listen, can’t I?”

Hong Chen did not want to make things unpleasant, so he did not openly object. But just as he was about to step forward, the woman raised a hand in a gesture forbidding him to enter.

“I’m sorry, sir. We’re working. Please understand.”

What the hell!

Hong Chen cursed inwardly. This was a Chanel boutique, not a film set, much less the headquarters of their entertainment company.

“This is a clothing store. I’m accompanying my wife to buy clothes. You’re saying I can’t go in?” Hong Chen frowned, his expression growing impatient.

The woman’s tone hardened as well. “We’ve already spoken with the store manager. The boutique is temporarily closed.”

The more determined she was to keep him out, the more Hong Chen felt there was something suspicious going on. Even so, he kept his temper, took out his phone, and called Lin Yuxin again.

His gaze passed over the woman and the two men in black suits. He saw Lin Yuxin take out her phone. Just as she was about to answer, one of the men hurried over and said something to her. A series of disconnected beeps came through the phone.

Hong Chen put his phone away, his expression darkening. He stared at the woman. “I’ll make this perfectly clear. One of those two women is my wife, and the other is my sister-in-law. Neither of them is going into show business. I’m going inside now. If you try to stop me again, don’t blame me for forcing my way in.”

“Then go ahead and try.”

A trace of disdain flashed briefly in the woman’s eyes. She ordered the two men in black suits, “Don’t let any unauthorized people in.” Then she turned and walked back into the boutique.

The moment she turned around, Hong Chen stepped forward as well. Like two guards standing before a gate, the two men in black suits expressionlessly stretched out one arm each, forming an X in midair.

Crack.

Hong Chen ignored them and continued forward. One of the men reached out and shoved him in the chest. Hong Chen raised his hand, seized the man’s wrist, and twisted it ninety degrees. The man let out a muffled groan and was forced to turn his entire body around.

Seeing this, his companion immediately swung a punch at Hong Chen. Hong Chen raised his other hand and caught that man’s wrist with equal precision. What followed was exactly the same.

The woman had not gone far. Hearing the commotion, she turned around and saw Hong Chen restraining both men, one with each hand. Her expression instantly turned ugly.

“Try stopping me again, and don’t blame me for being rough.”

Hong Chen shoved the two men aside without further troubling them, then walked into the boutique beneath the woman’s hostile gaze.

The woman gritted her teeth and said nothing at first. But just as Hong Chen was about to pass her, she suddenly grabbed his sleeve and shouted harshly, “Who allowed you to come in? Get out!”

At the same time, the two men in black suits rushed over. They had clearly taken none of Hong Chen’s warning seriously. Without a word, they each threw a punch. Their blows were powerful and heavy, plainly driven by revenge.

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Hong Chen’s expression did not change. He suddenly bent down. The woman was stronger than she looked, and her grip was tight; with a sharp ripping sound, the sleeve of Hong Chen’s shirt tore open.

At the same time, one of the suited men’s fists sailed through empty air, while his companion failed to stop his momentum and struck the woman squarely across the bridge of the nose.

“Ah!”

The woman screamed and instantly let go, covering her nose as she crouched on the floor. Tears streamed down her face, while blood seeped through the gaps between her fingers.

Her scream drew everyone’s attention. The scene they saw was Hong Chen straightening up as the two men in black suits attacked him again. Hong Chen casually evaded their punches, then kicked once, striking both men in the stomach. One rolled across the floor twice, while the other was sent flying five meters into a metal rack.

Everyone’s expression changed. They hurried toward the commotion. When it became clear that Hong Chen had no intention of stopping and was walking toward the suited man who had rolled twice and was struggling unsteadily to stand, someone shouted, “Stop!”

Hong Chen ignored him and drove another kick into the suited man’s chest. The man let out a miserable howl and fell backward onto the floor.

A clatter rang out.

Moments later, the others arrived. Six or seven men surrounded Hong Chen, their faces grim and their fists clenched, looking ready to attack at any moment. The sisters’ expressions tightened. Lin Yuxin was just about to speak and urge them to stop when a frightened shout suddenly rang out:

“Don’t do anything!”

Everyone turned toward the voice. Among the people who had arrived last, a young man stared at Hong Chen as though he had seen something terrifying. His eyes were wide, and his face had gone pale. Ignoring everyone else, he hurried directly to Hong Chen and said in a trembling voice, “Brother Hong…”

Hong Chen found the young man vaguely familiar, but he could not remember where they had met.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I—I’m Lan Miao. We met at the racetrack last time, though we never spoke.”

Hong Chen suddenly remembered. He swept his gaze around the boutique and asked calmly, “You know people from Super Shadow Entertainment?”

Before Lan Miao could answer, the woman shrieked furiously, “Young Master Lan, he attacked our people for no reason! Please have someone take him to the security room first. I’ll make sure he’s properly dealt with later.”

Her nose throbbed painfully. She still clutched it tightly, unsure whether the bleeding had stopped. She had wiped away her tears, but her almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on Hong Chen with a fury that seemed capable of reducing him to dust.