Chapter Sixty-Nine: Growing Liveliness

As Qiu was about to make her move, Hong Chen suddenly shifted two steps, blocking her path, and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Qiu’s action paused for a moment.

Without waiting for Gao Tianxiong’s command, Ah Le lunged forward, swinging a kick. Uncle Chen seemed prepared, decisively kicking back.

A loud bang echoed as their feet collided. Ah Le was jolted back several steps, while Uncle Chen merely slowed his advance, steadied himself, and prepared to move forward again. Just then, Er Hu rushed to his side. Uncle Chen had no choice but to slow once more, turning to slap with his palm as Er Hu launched a punch. The fist and palm struck, and again Er Hu was forced back several steps while Uncle Chen retreated just one.

At that moment, Gao Tianxiong darted forward, punching fiercely. Uncle Chen’s expression shifted; he didn’t take the blow head-on, instead dodging back several times to maintain a safe distance. He had only just entered the realm of inner strength and knew his skill was far below Gao Tianxiong’s. There was no reason to force a confrontation in such circumstances and risk losing face for the Wang family.

Gao Tianxiong glared at Wang Chenghu and his companions. “Is the Royal Club planning to kill someone to silence them?”

Wang Chenghu replied with an indifferent expression, “If someone ran to Hongcheng Group and spread rumors, I doubt President Gao would let them babble unchecked, right?”

“President Gao, I suggest you knock them out and take them away,” Hong Chen interjected. Gao Tianxiong immediately understood, turned, and strode over to Chen Feiyang. His hand struck like a blade, and Chen Feiyang felt a sudden pain at the back of his neck before losing consciousness.

“Second Uncle Wang, since you refuse to explain things publicly now, fine. Let the Royal Club investigate and announce the results to all members. The people I brought, I’ll take with me. Surely you won’t stop me?”

A sly smile flickered in Gao Tianxiong’s eyes. Chen Feiyang’s unexpected disruption was a pleasant surprise, turning him into a ticking time bomb for the Royal Club. No matter how powerful he truly was, the Club would never dare to gamble. This retreating strategy had forced Wang Chenghu and his men into a corner.

“Second Uncle, why waste time? Just seize them,” Wang Shaokun complained irritably. Wang Chenghu frowned at him, then glanced meaningfully around. Wang Shaokun got the hint, his face darkening. With so many eyes watching—and all Club members, no less—the matter had to be handled in a way that at least looked proper. Truth or falsehood, some justification was needed; they couldn’t act recklessly or their reputation and membership would suffer, affecting the whole Royal brand.

“But—” Wang Shaokun began, but Wang Chenghu waved him off, eyes fixed on Gao Tianxiong. “Some of your people need to cooperate with our investigation. Let’s set that aside for now. There’s another matter I need to address first.”

He turned, scanning the three troublemakers, and asked slowly, “Who attacked you?”

The bald-headed man and the fat woman pointed to Qiu, while the heavyset man indicated Hong Chen and his companion.

Wang Chenghu gave a casual “Oh,” then pointed at the wounded security guards who had stood up. He asked Bian Kang, “How did they get injured?”

Bian Kang immediately understood Wang Chenghu’s intent and beckoned to the crew-cut man who had returned to the lounge area but stood apart. The man jogged over, and Bian Kang said, “President Wang wants to know who attacked you earlier and the cause of the conflict.”

The crew-cut man quickly recounted the incident, including the fact that Hong Chen had kicked him hard enough to bruise his backside. As for the cause, it was Hong Chen and his companion assaulting the three troublemakers, and the guards being beaten when they tried to intervene.

Wang Chenghu nodded after hearing this, then pointed at Hong Chen and his companion, and said to Gao Tianxiong, “You heard it. These two ignored Club rules and started a private fight, injuring three people. When the guards intervened, they injured eight more. I’m going to deal with them publicly now. President Gao, you can’t defend them any longer.”

Gao Tianxiong was about to speak, but Hong Chen interjected, “We acted in self-defense. We didn’t start the fight.”

Wang Tianhu dismissed this, sweeping his gaze over the crowd and raising his voice, “Can anyone here testify that these two acted in self-defense?”

When the crew-cut man and others had attacked Hong Chen earlier, dozens had witnessed it. Hong Chen had even emphasized his self-defense to the crowd. But now, after a moment of mutual glances, everyone fell silent.

A cold smile appeared on Wang Chenghu’s lips; he had expected this outcome. In this world, people laugh at poverty, not at vice. Who would risk offending the Wang family when their own interests weren’t involved?

Gao Tianxiong had used “the public” to keep him in check, but now it was Wang Chenghu’s turn to play a counter move.

But before his smile could widen, Hong Chen spoke loudly, “Can anyone here testify that we didn’t act in self-defense?”

Once again, the crowd exchanged glances and remained silent.

Wang Chenghu’s face grew slightly tense. He wasn’t naive enough to believe no one had witnessed what really happened. Silence meant the crowd was staying out of it, indirectly implying that Hongcheng Group and the Wang family were of similar weight, or at least not too far apart. No one wanted to offend either side without personal stakes.

“I wasn’t here at the time, but I trust President Wang’s judgment,” a languid voice suddenly sounded. Everyone turned to see a young man step forward, pointing at Hong Chen. “The infamous son-in-law of the Lin family—everyone’s heard of him, right? That’s Hong Chen. Nothing he says can be trusted.”

A hush fell over the crowd; faces shifted through a spectrum of reactions. The Lin family’s famed beauty had married a good-for-nothing, and everyone knew it, though Hong Chen had rarely appeared in their circles. Now he was pointed out publicly, and the effect was at least enough to stir their gossip.

More importantly, the young man who exposed and dismissed Hong Chen’s identity was Liu Hao, the eldest son of the renowned Liu family.

A useless son-in-law of a second-tier family, versus the direct heir of a first-tier family—the difference in status was vast. Liu Hao clearly had no liking for Hong Chen; otherwise, with his status, he wouldn’t need to curry favor with the Wang family.

“Brother, you didn’t witness the truth. How can you draw such a conclusion?” Liu Hao’s sudden intervention stunned Liu Xinyue for several seconds. Recovering, her face turned cold as she stepped forward from the crowd, speaking icily.

“Enough!” Liu Hao frowned. “Xinyue, I know exactly what I’m doing. Don’t meddle.”

Under Liu Hao’s warning gaze, Liu Xinyue’s lips twitched a few times, but ultimately she didn’t push back. The higher the status of the family, the more they valued rules and reputation, especially in public. Liu Hao was her elder brother and the eldest grandson. At home or among friends, she might act willful or rebellious, but to defy him here would be to embarrass Liu Hao and the family.

Liu Hao said no more, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. His cool voice rang out, “President Wang is always fair. Since he’s asking, anyone who saw the truth just now, don’t play dumb.”

Liu Hao’s stance was clearly in favor of the Wang family. Wang Shaokun, though unaware of all the details, wasn’t about to miss his chance and chimed in, “Young Master Liu is right. My second uncle is always fair. If you all stay silent, you’re disrespecting both of us.”

Both young men represented their families and together exerted considerable pressure on the crowd. The effect was immediate.

Soon, the first person spoke up, then the second, then the third... In the end, more than ten people stated that Hong Chen and his companion had violated club rules and deserved punishment.

Compared to two first-tier families, Hongcheng Group simply didn’t carry enough weight—especially since on one side was the Lin family’s useless son-in-law, an ordinary Hongcheng employee, little more than a pawn, and on the other, two influential heirs. The choice wasn’t difficult.

Gao Tianxiong’s face darkened—not because the crowd had twisted the truth to curry favor, but because Liu Hao’s intervention felt like a stab in the back. Recently, the Liu family had been negotiating a partnership with Hongcheng Group for the West District mall, and talks had reached the final pricing stage…

Hong Chen remained calm, seemingly unconcerned by the unfavorable turn of events. When no more voices joined in, he looked up at Liu Xinyue and said simply, “Miss Liu, I suggest you call your grandfather.”

Liu Xinyue stared for a moment, then gritted her teeth and turned away. Liu Hao didn’t stop her, his lips curled in a cold smile. Hong Chen was overestimating himself; as the eldest grandson, Liu Hao’s public stand was clear. No matter how much the old man valued Hong Chen, he would never change course for him now—it was a matter of family honor.

Less than half a minute after Liu Xinyue left, Hong Chen’s phone suddenly vibrated. He glanced at the caller, a strange look flickering in his eyes as he answered. Before he could speak, a loud, exaggerated voice came through, “Damn, Brother Hong, you cause more trouble than I do! I’m already at the door—hold out for three more minutes. Anyone who dares touch my brother must be blind! Anyway, I’m parking, let me get out—be right there…”

As the call abruptly ended, Hong Chen’s expression turned slightly odd. From the moment Chen Feiyang’s unexpected twist had thrown the evening off course, things had diverged from the original plan. Now, with Liu Hao’s sudden involvement and the Jiang family’s arrival to muddy the waters, tonight was becoming more and more lively.