Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Revealing of the Dark Secrets

Don’t be fooled by the opulent appearance of the King’s Club; though it claims to be one of the most extravagant venues in the city, its annual net profit hovers around fifty million. While the stakes in the card rooms are high, the nature of the games resembles little more than mahjong; the club merely collects table fees. Some of the leisure services are priced several times higher than the market rate outside, but discounts are offered according to membership tier.

The Wang family’s primary strategy for the King’s Club is to network and polish the prestige of the “King” brand, radiating its influence over more than twenty other King-branded bars, nightclubs, and clubs. Hu Yidong’s proposal struck directly at the very foundation of the King’s Club—no, it threatened the entire King brand itself.

Three hundred million amounts to six years of net profit for the club—a staggering sum even for the Wang family. Once the club compensates all members, it would be tantamount to admitting that it had conspired to defraud its guests; the King’s Club’s reputation would be ruined, and its sister venues would inevitably be dragged down as well.

It would be the worst of all losses, a complete rout—losing both the family matriarch and half its army in the process.

“Hu Yidong, don’t go too far.” Bian Kang’s face was thunderous, contorted with rage. Hu Yidong remained unruffled, his demeanor serene. “Bian Kang, you and I have dealt with each other in this industry for years. You know my style—I never make unreasonable demands or set impossible terms...”

As he spoke, Bian Kang’s phone suddenly rang. He answered, listened for a few moments, and his expression changed dramatically. He gave a few hurried instructions to the caller and hung up. When he looked at Hu Yidong again, there was a flicker of panic in his eyes. Someone had begun spreading word of what had happened—in the card rooms, the restaurant, the dance floor, everywhere at once. Now, curious members were converging toward them.

“Hongcheng Group intends to seize tonight’s opportunity to declare open war on the Wang family,” Bian Kang calculated swiftly. As an industry executive and loyal servant to the Wang clan, he knew all too well that two tigers cannot share one mountain. Sooner or later, Hongcheng Group and the Wang family would have to settle the score. He had never imagined it would come so soon, nor that Hongcheng would make the first move—using the most prominent of all King’s venues as the fuse.

“Go inform Liuzi.” Bian Kang turned to the crew-cut man at his side and gave a low command. The man nodded and hurried off.

Within minutes, the crowd had doubled. Bian Kang recognized several familiar faces among them—most of whom held the highest-tier memberships, Purple Gold and Platinum. He said nothing. Hu Yidong had come well-prepared. In this situation, it was wiser to stay still and observe.

“Bian Kang, it seems you’re not inclined to accept my proposal. That’s understandable. Ultimately, it’s up to the victims themselves.” With a sly smile, Hu Yidong turned to Bian Kang, then took a recorder from someone behind him and handed it to Hong Chen. “Don’t worry. Don’t let this weigh on you. Hongcheng Group will support you to the end.”

Hong Chen nodded gratefully, then pressed play. The recorder’s volume was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear clearly.

Inside, a man and a woman’s voices recounted, point by point, the true events behind the incident.

Chen Feiyang had masterminded the scheme. To win the favor of Lin Yuxin, the beautiful president of Linfeng Trading, he had targeted her younger sister, bribed their cousin and her boyfriend, and lured Lin Yufei into a trap. Pitted against four professional cheaters, Lin Yufei lost over 1.4 million in a single night. Then, Chen arranged for Big Baldy and others to lend Lin Yufei money and forced her to sign a promissory note for three million.

But that wasn’t all. After calculating the Lin family’s total assets, Chen had Lin Yufei’s boyfriend stage a pitiful act and tricked her into signing an insurance policy for 880,000.

Thus, the debt totaled 3.88 million—enough to ruin Lin Yuxin’s family.

Behind the scenes, in addition to those directly involved, several senior executives of the King’s Club and their children were implicated. For instance, the young cheat whom Chen Feiyang negotiated with was connected to Deputy General Manager Luo. Chen had Lu Ke’er, acting on his behalf, reach out via the son of General Manager Mo, forming alliances with two other cheaters. Big Baldy himself was introduced to Chen Feiyang by Director Qin, who oversaw the card rooms...

Bian Kang listened in silence, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. Even with his strong nerves, he felt his heart might give out at any moment. A princeling’s plot to force a woman into submission had dragged so many skeletons from the closet, implicating so many in upper management. A sweep of his gaze revealed faces filled with anger and indignation—a sure sign the club had incurred the wrath of its members.

He was well aware of the consequences, and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to stop the recording, but Hu Yidong kept his gaze fixed on him—half smiling, half warning—making any intervention impossible.

After nearly ten minutes, the recording ended. A heavy silence blanketed the room, so oppressive that Bian Kang could hardly breathe.

But the silence didn’t mean indifference; everyone was waiting for him, as the club’s representative, to give an explanation.

“Do not fear an opponent as formidable as a god; only fear an ally as foolish as a pig.” In this moment, Bian Kang truly understood the wisdom of this adage. Had the crew-cut man not shoved him to the forefront, he’d be monitoring this from the safety of the control room, calling for backup—instead, he now stood at the very eye of the storm.

“President Bian, you’re the club’s manager. Please give me—and everyone here—an explanation!” Suddenly, Hong Chen’s voice rang out. “The King’s Club claims to be the finest entertainment venue in the city, but who would have guessed such darkness lurked beneath its gilded surface? It’s nothing but a den of wolves lined with gold leaf, and every member is a fattened sheep, waiting to be devoured. The only difference is how plump you are—whether they kill you in one bite or tear off pieces first.”

He swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice rising, his face contorted with grief and anger. “Everyone, the misfortune that befell me began with a rich young heir coveting my wife, but in truth, this debt of 3.88 million will destroy my family. And where will most of this ill-gotten fortune go? Into the pockets of the club’s senior management and their children.”

Hong Chen’s voice rang out: “Today it’s me—tomorrow, could it be one of you? The answer is yes. A wolf’s appetite is never sated. Your backgrounds are more privileged, your fortunes greater—which only makes you fatter prey. As for whether the wolves dare take a bite, just ask yourselves: do your families have the strength to challenge the power behind this club? If you fall victim one day, can anyone bring you justice...”

Spurred on by Hong Chen’s words, the crowd’s expressions shifted. Bian Kang’s face grew ever more unsightly. He had hoped to remain silent until backup arrived, but the crew-cut man had been gone far too long, and reinforcements were nowhere in sight. Matters were spiraling out of control.

“Enough!” After much inner struggle, he finally steeled himself, glaring fiercely at Hong Chen. “You would slander the King’s Club on the basis of a single, possibly fabricated, recording—”

Hong Chen cut him off with a shout: “Bring in the witnesses!”

At his command, another group pushed forward—among them, Chen Feiyang, Lu Ke’er, and Li Yi.

Hong Chen pointed at Li Yi, introducing him loudly: “This is my sister-in-law’s boyfriend—Li Yi, a heartless, despicable man... Li Yi, repeat for everyone the part of the recording that concerns you!”

That afternoon, Li Yi had received a call from Tao Rui. Though she’d made the situation sound dire, he had no intention of showing up. But by evening, three men caught him outside his apartment block. The ensuing two hours had shattered his defenses completely.

Head down, resigned to his fate, Li Yi recited his portion of the recording word for word, like a student repeating a lesson—remarkably, not missing a single detail.

“What should be done with a traitor as vile as he?” Hong Chen demanded of the crowd, pointing at Li Yi. A woman’s voice rang out: “Break his limbs and throw him out—no need to sully our eyes any further.”

Hong Chen glanced up in surprise—it was Liu Xinyue, who had somehow slipped into the crowd. Her eyes blazed with righteous fury, plainly warning him of the consequences if her suggestion were ignored.

Hong Chen nodded slightly. Qiu darted to Li Yi’s side, her movements swift as lightning. In seconds, she had broken both his arms and legs. After a few screams, Li Yi fainted from the pain.

Hong Chen paid him no further heed. He turned to Lu Ke’er and continued, “This is my wife’s best friend, Lu Ke’er. She chose a life of vice, fell into debt, then became Chen Feiyang’s mistress. She’s always been jealous and spiteful toward my wife—a venomous heart... Lu Ke’er, repeat your part of the recording for everyone.”

Lu Ke’er, too, kept her head bowed and numbly recited her confession. As soon as she finished, Hong Chen declared, “For a woman as poisonous as you, blinded by jealousy and hatred, your eyes are already a surplus.”

At that, Qiu sprang into action once more. With a swift slash of her hand, blood arced through the air, followed by Lu Ke’er’s agonized screams—her eyes had been struck blind.

The crowd recoiled in shock. Breaking Li Yi’s limbs was one thing—such scenes were not uncommon on television or, occasionally, in real life. At most, they were surprised at how ruthlessly efficient Qiu was, despite her delicate appearance. But now, to see another beautiful, fragile woman have her sight taken—this was a far more visceral blow. Awe and fear colored every glance directed at Qiu.

Hong Chen’s gaze now turned to Chen Feiyang. With Li Yi and Lu Ke’er already implicated, Chen’s face was ashen, his legs buckling as he collapsed to the ground, shouting in terror, “Hong Chen, I admit I had thoughts about Lin Yuxin, but I never meant to scheme or plot! It was Mo Xiaosong who came up with the idea—Lu Ke’er carried out more than half of it!”

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he turned to glare at Bian Kang. “President Bian, your nephew was involved too! When Mo Xiaosong and I were drinking that night, Bian Cong was there—the plan was Mo Xiaosong’s, but at least half the details were added by Bian Cong!”