Chapter Eighty: Jiang Ying’s Threat

“This useless fool is causing chaos now, did you hear the nonsense he spouted?”

“Our Lin family has raised a traitor!”

“Don’t pay any mind to the empty threats of a failure; treat his words as meaningless, like passing gas…”

After the call ended, the hall was plunged into silence for ten seconds, broken gradually by complaints and curses. Yet Lin Meimei and Lin Huihuang, who usually found amusement in mocking Hong Chen, were unusually silent, their expressions dark and grim.

They had already heard from their social circles about what transpired that night at the King’s Club: Lin Yufei’s boyfriend had his limbs broken, and that woman named Lu Ke’er was blinded in front of everyone. As for Chen Feiyang, his fate was uncertain; he hadn’t been reachable for days.

These grim examples forced them to take Hong Chen’s warning seriously. This was not a game of cards with wins and losses—money lost could be earned again, but losing one’s sight meant a lifetime in darkness, a pain few could bear.

Lin Yuxin returned to her seat, the anger gone from her face. She swept her gaze indifferently across the gathering, then fixed it on the old matriarch. Her voice was cool: “Grandmother, I have only one request—I hope you will judge fairly. Of course, if you decide I must hand over thirty-five percent of the shares for nothing, I will not refuse.”

Lin Yufei tried to speak, but Lin Yuxin pulled her back to her seat, shaking her head to silence her.

The old lady’s face was sour. Had Lin Yuxin adopted this attitude earlier, she would have made a swift decision, but now she had to be cautious, for her grandchildren’s safety hung in the balance.

Once, the worthless son-in-law, whom she had deemed less than a servant, now, with just a few words, made her, the head of the Lin family, hesitant and uncertain. It sounded like a joke, yet it was the truth.

She had learned that Lin Yufei’s debt issue was resolved solely because Hong Chen persuaded his boss to intervene. Whether it was a chance to confront the Wang family or a genuine desire to help Hong Chen, it was undeniable that in this matter, Hong Chen’s will could sway events. The Hongcheng Group, flourishing as it was, was not something the declining Lin family could oppose.

“Yuan Gui, come with me,” she said after a long pause, finally giving her verdict by summoning Lin Yuan Gui to the study.

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yuan Gui returned to the hall, his expression heavy. Without greeting anyone, he called Lin Yuxin out to the garden. Lin Yufei wanted to follow, but Lin Yuan Gui halted her with a rare stern look.

They reached a secluded spot in the garden. Lin Yuan Gui lit a cigarette, smoked half of it, and finally spoke with difficulty. He asked Lin Yuxin to hand over thirty-five percent of her shares unconditionally for the family to manage. The reason was simple: the original twenty million deal had been credited to her by the old master, granting her ten percent of Lin’s shares and thirty-five percent of Lin Feng Trading’s shares. The old lady knew, but never mentioned it—now she merely demanded the return of what belonged to the Lin family.

Lin Yuxin was silent for a long time, her face expressionless. “Dad, Lin Huihuang and Lin Meimei plotted against Yufei, nearly destroying our family. Not pursuing them is enough to account for the past. We owe Lin family nothing, so why should I hand over my shares?”

Lin Yuan Gui forced a bitter smile, shame deep in his eyes. Before he could reply, Lin Yuxin shifted her tone abruptly: “You’re telling me your decision, which means you’ve agreed with Grandmother. Fine, I’ll do as you ask—just this once. From now on, our family owes nothing to the Lin family, and I’ll never be manipulated by anyone from Lin again… Dad, I won’t stay for dinner; I’m leaving.”

She turned and walked out of the estate.

Watching his daughter’s solitary figure in the chilly breeze, Lin Yuan Gui’s guilt grew, and he sighed, shaking his head…

Saturday.

Shortly after one o’clock in the afternoon, Hong Chen received a call from Jiang Tao inviting him out. He got up reluctantly; he had played online games late into the night, and the dawn was already creeping over the window when he finally went to bed.

After a brief wash, Hong Chen dressed in comfortable casual clothes and left, driving his GTR with a stylish reverse drift out of the garden before speeding away.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the Asian Crown Racetrack in the suburbs. He called Jiang Tao, handed his phone to the gate guard, and after confirming his identity, was allowed in. The GTR stopped in an open area near the inner stands.

There were over a dozen cars parked—sports cars and luxury sedans, none less than a million. The GTR was merely mid-range here, showing this racetrack was truly a high-end place.

Following Jiang Tao’s location, Hong Chen walked for two minutes to an inner observation area. Under a sunshade, Jiang Tao was chatting and drinking with several young people of similar age.

Seeing Hong Chen, Jiang Tao smiled and waved, introducing him: “This is my brother, Hong Chen. This is my cousin, Jiang Ying; her boyfriend, Cao Renjie; this is Young Master Qiao from the Qiao family, Qiao Chu, and his girlfriend, Feifei—the ultra-popular beauty…”

Hong Chen nodded to each, greeting them, then sat in the empty seat beside Jiang Tao. The waiter came to ask what he wanted to drink, but Hong Chen asked if there was any main course.

Noticing the surprised looks from everyone, Hong Chen smiled. “Jiang called me when I was still sleeping. I rushed here without eating.”

In the end, he ordered a steak meal and a fruit juice.

Before long, a group of men and women approached from the inner field. Their leader was a fair-skinned young man, about Jiang Tao’s age. Hong Chen didn’t know him, but recognized the youth beside him—it was Wang Shaokun.

Wang Shaokun also noticed Hong Chen, his eyes darkening briefly before he looked away.

“Mr. Wang, Mr. Lu.” Qiao Chu stood up to greet them, his manner a little ingratiating. Jiang Tao noticed but said nothing, lifting his eyelids to glance at the fair-skinned youth. “Lu Huarong, warmed up yet? How much are you planning to lose to me today?”

Lu Huarong smiled. “Jiang Tao, don’t be so confident. Haven’t you heard fortunes change?”

Jiang Tao smirked. “You sound pretty sure of yourself today. I heard your new horse, Flash, beat Liu Hao’s Wind Knight the other day—was there any trickery involved?”

“Why don’t you call Liu Hao and ask…”

Their exchange was casual, but sharp. Both addressed each other by name, clearly familiar yet not friendly, and their status in the circle seemed equal—which was true: Lu Huarong was the eldest son of one of the four great families, the Lu family.

“Enough talk, Jiang. We’ve finished warming up; shall we head to the track?” Wang Shaokun interjected, his gaze challenging. Jiang Tao drained his drink, gave Cao Renjie a slap on the shoulder. “Renjie, it’s on you.”

“Renjie, my brother cares about his reputation. Don’t let him lose face, or we’ll have no peace,” Jiang Ying teased, gently punching Cao Renjie’s chest, showing their intimacy.

Tall and slender, Cao Renjie was handsome, with an air of a refined gentleman. Dressed in white, he radiated charm. He glanced at Jiang Ying with a confident smile. “Don’t worry.”

He was a professional jockey, recently winning second place in a provincial equestrian competition.

Everyone prepared to head out. Just then, the waiter brought the steak. Another round of surprised looks; even Jiang Tao was bemused. Hong Chen glanced at them and smiled apologetically. “You all go ahead. I’ll join you soon.”

Naturally, no one waited for him, drifting off toward the inner field. Jiang Ying seemed to have forgotten something and returned.

“You’re the Lin family’s useless son-in-law?” Jiang Ying sat opposite Hong Chen, her voice cold. As Hong Chen cut a piece of steak, his hand paused midair. He looked up to see Jiang Ying’s face tense, eyes full of contempt and disgust.

“I don’t care how you managed to cozy up to my brother, but let me warn you—if you dare use my brother’s name to scam people, I’ll make you pay a price you cannot afford.” Without waiting for Hong Chen to reply, Jiang Ying continued icily, “Not just you—your wife and even your sister-in-law will suffer too.”

Earlier, when everyone sat together, Jiang Ying had spoken a few words to him—not friendly, but not hostile. Now, with Jiang Tao gone, her true nature emerged.

Hong Chen felt a mix of bewilderment and irritation. He put down his knife and fork, meeting Jiang Ying’s hostile gaze calmly. “You’re threatening me. Does your brother know?”

Jiang Ying sneered. “Using my brother as a shield? Useless. Yes, it’s a threat—don’t doubt my ability to deliver. Making you disappear from Qing City would take nothing more than a word.”

With that, she stood and left, her proud back turned to Hong Chen.