Oh!
The kick was fast and ruthless. Before Xie Zhetao could react, a sharp pain bloomed in his lower abdomen, sending him staggering back until he slammed into the corner of a table.
The others in the room stood frozen in shock, none of them daring to step forward. Xie Zhetao was completely dazed, and his vision swam for several seconds before he instinctively spat out a curse, “You fucking—”
“Hmm? I’m what?”
Xie Linxi stood where he was, taking a sip of the wine in his glass with lukewarm interest. He glanced at the crystal. Xie Zhetao enjoyed the finer things and cared deeply about appearances, so the wine he’d brought was of decent quality—at least palatable.
Once he had finished, he set the glass down on the table. The sound of glass meeting marble was a heavy, oppressive thud.
Xie Zhetao flinched instantly.
Xie Linxi looked down at him. Under the overhead lights, his eyes took on a cold, smoke-gray hue. With a faint, mocking smile, he said, “Speak up. What about me?”
Xie Zhetao was caught between rage and terror. He was in agonizing pain. Normally, he would have exploded in a fit of temper, but in front of Xie Linxi, he didn’t dare vent his fire.
He stammered, “No… nothing.”
The host of the party was huddled in the corner of the table, battered and bruised, while the accompanying trust-fund scions were equally terrified. None of them dared to interfere in Xie Linxi’s family matters. They huddled in a row like frightened quails, muttering sheepishly:
“Mr. Xie, please… don’t resort to violence. L-let’s talk this out.”
“Mr. Xie, surely there’s been some misunderstanding?”
“A misunderstanding?” Xie Linxi sneered. “You’ve certainly grown bold, Xie Zhetao. Do you take me for a blind man or a fool? You force-fed someone alcohol and slapped them across the face, and you’re claiming it’s because they seduced you? Filling this club with smoke and mirrors, surrounding yourself with boys and girls to drink and gamble… is this how you spend the Xie Family’s money? Hmm?”
Hearing this, Gu Qingyan, who had been standing silently by the sofa, lifted his gaze to look at Xie Linxi before quickly lowering it again.
“I…” Xie Zhetao gritted his teeth. He was fuming with resentment. His gaze swept over his friends, only to find the young men, women, and scions who usually flattered him were all cowering in the corner. Their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound. They looked as if they wished they could turn invisible.
He had no idea that many of these people had suffered under his temper before, so seeing him disciplined by Xie Linxi gave them a secret sense of satisfaction.
Xie Zhetao had been pampered since childhood. Having lost face in front of his lackeys, his heart burned with hatred. He used the table to haul himself up. Not daring to direct his anger at Xie Linxi, he stubbornly insisted, “There are plenty of low-life starlets who’d prostrate themselves for a role. There’s nothing they won’t do. They’re just trash. Hitting him was doing him a favor. I—”
Xie Linxi let out a soft laugh. “Heh.”
Before Xie Zhetao could grasp the meaning behind that laugh, Xie Linxi’s hand whipped out.
Slap!
The crisp sound of the blow sent Xie Zhetao’s head spinning to the side, leaving him slumped over the table.
Xie Linxi adjusted his slightly crooked cufflink and looked at him. “Do you know how to speak like a civilized person now?”
“…”
It took Xie Zhetao a long time to steady himself against the table. His fringe fell over his eyes, hiding his expression as he glared sideways at Xie Linxi and spat on the floor. He muttered something under his breath, but ultimately didn’t dare let Xie Linxi hear it.
Xie Linxi didn’t care what he was grumbling about. He simply said, “Stand up straight.”
Xie Zhetao shuddered and obeyed.
Xie Linxi, “Apologize.”
Xie Zhetao, “I—”
Xie Linxi, “Apologize to this man. Do you know how to do that?”
“…”
The room was deathly silent.
In Jiang City’s upper circles, Xie Linxi’s reputation had always been excellent. He was tall, handsome, and usually spoke with a hint of a smile. He has a gentle and approachable personality. But when that smile vanished, and his brow darkened, his calm tone alone was enough to send shivers down people’s spines.
Xie Zhetao’s lips trembled. “I’m… I’m sorry.”
Xie Linxi, “What’s the point of apologizing to the floor? Look him in the eye.”
Trembling again, Xie Zhetao was forced to meet Gu Qingyan’s gaze. He looked like a drowned rat.
“I’m sorry.”
Gu Qingyan’s dark, somber eyes flickered toward him briefly before dropping again. He had been pinned to the floor and beaten by Xie Zhetao just moments ago. His lip was split, his face was bruised, and two buttons had been torn from his shirt during the struggle, leaving his hem tattered. He buttoned what remained of his shirt and carefully smoothed the wrinkles of his clothes, managing to scrape together the most dignified appearance he could muster.
Gu Qingyan was always like this, acting as if appearing undignified in front of others would be the death of him.
After finishing with Xie Zhetao, Xie Linxi finally turned to look at Gu Qingyan. He remained stoic on the surface, his expression cold, but facing his arch-rival again after two lifetimes left him with a complicated mindset.
The man before him was the very person who had just caused Radiance Entertainment’s stock to plummet by ten billion.
Xie Linxi frowned slightly. “You…”
Gu Qingyan, “…Apologies. May I leave now?”
An unnatural flush stained his face. He clutched his ill-fitting suit jacket, his nails digging into his palms beneath the fabric. His arms were trembling slightly, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking the back of his shirt.
His manager had drugged him, and then he was forced to drink by Xie Zhetao. The dull ache in his abdomen from the combined drug and alcohol, with the stifling smell of smoke in the room, Gu Qingyan was at the end of his rope.
The air conditioning was set to a comfortable temperature, yet he felt both burning hot and freezing cold. His breathing grew ragged under the influence of the drug; he had to exert immense control to keep from making a scene. Goosebumps erupted over his skin as nausea churned in his throat. If he stayed in this room any longer, he wouldn’t even be able to maintain this last shred of dignity.
Xie Linxi paused, then nodded. “Fine.”
He had originally intended to keep Gu Qingyan there to discuss compensation. Since Xie Zhetao had laid hands on him, it was only right for Xie Linxi to provide a sufficient payout. This was to partly avoid Gu Qingyan looking at him with resentment and sarcasm when they eventually met in the business world, acting as if Xie Linxi owed him a fortune.
But since Gu Qingyan wanted to leave, there was no rush. Gu Qingyan was still in the industry, and with Xie Linxi’s status, finding him would be as simple as a single phone call.
Gu Qingyan didn’t look back as he walked straight out. It seemed his leg had been injured during the struggle. He walked with a heavy limp, dragging himself to the door and disappearing into the hallway.
Xie Linxi turned back, his gaze falling once more on the pathetic Xie Zhetao. “Where is your phone?”
Xie Zhetao trembled and said nothing. Xie Linxi looked at another scion. “Where is Xie Zhetao’s phone?”
The man shakily pulled a phone out of the jacket hanging by the door and handed it to Xie Linxi with both hands. Xie Linxi used Xie Zhetao’s face to unlock it and went into the video storage. As expected, there was a mountain of recordings.
He didn’t click on them, but from the thumbnails alone, he could see face after face filled with terror and despair.
Xie Linxi pressed his fingers to his brow, leaning his head on one hand. He was so angry he almost wanted to laugh.
He had only recently taken over Radiance Entertainment. Several shareholders felt he was too young and could not manage the company, and they were constantly tripping him up in the shadows. He was juggling management while networking everywhere, drinking with famous directors and actors to secure projects. Meanwhile, Xie Zhetao was out here recording himself beating people?
In the silence, Xie Linxi called his secretary. “Zhang Chen, where are you?”
Zhang Chen, “I’m in the lobby, boss. I’ll be right there.”
Zhang Chen had been Xie Linxi’s secretary from the start. He was a bit flighty and sometimes careless, but he was a man of good character, so Xie Linxi had kept him on. Zhang Chen had been at the earlier dinner as well; since Xie Linxi had been drinking and couldn’t drive, Zhang Chen had dropped him off.
Five minutes later, Secretary Zhang appeared in the private room.
He was out of breath and whispered a complaint as he stood by Xie Linxi’s side. “Boss, why did you walk so fast? You vanished in the blink of an eye. I could barely keep up.”
The parking lot downstairs was almost full, and Zhang Chen had spent ages finding a spot. Meanwhile, Xie Linxi had been in a rush to stop the disaster, fearing his idiot brother had already beaten Gu Qingyan and caused Radiance Entertainment to form another blood feud. He had leaped out of the car and vanished around the corner in seconds, leaving Zhang Chen in the dust.
Xie Linxi tossed Xie Zhetao’s phone to him. “Call the police. Report an intentional assault.”
The room was hazy with the smoke of countless cigarettes. Feeling nauseated, Xie Linxi stood up, walked out into the corridor, and leaned against the railing.
“Ah? Against who?” Zhang Chen scrambled to catch the phone and reflexively opened a video. After two seconds, he hurriedly paused it, sucking in a breath. “Uh—”
He looked at his boss’s uncompromising back, then at the video. His eyes flickered over to Xie Zhetao, who was clutching his stomach with a contorted face near the table. Finally, he shuffled over to Xie Linxi’s side and whispered tentatively, “Mr. Xie, are we really calling the police? The Second Young Master… he’ll go to jail. I mean, it’s not just about the jail time, but some of the shareholders and Ji Yazhu… shouldn’t you reconsider?”
Ji Yazhu was Xie Linxi’s stepmother. She had helped manage company affairs for a while under Xie Linxi’s father. Though she was as useless as mud, she still had several allied shareholders. More importantly, Xie Zhetao was far easier to manipulate than Xie Linxi. Many shareholders secretly hoped the younger brother would take the throne. Xie Linxi’s current position wasn’t yet stable, and such a ruthless move could easily stir up a storm.
Xie Linxi, “Report it. Someone needs to discipline him before he causes an even bigger catastrophe.”
Jail time, Xie Linxi thought to himself, is better than being beaten into critical condition by Gu Qingyan on a cruise ship later.
Zhang Chen, “What about the shareholders’ meeting…”
Xie Linxi, “Just report it. I know what I’m doing.”
Zhang Chen, “Right, right. Understood. I’ll do as you say.”
Leaving his secretary to handle the aftermath, Xie Linxi didn’t bother with the other men and women in the room. He headed downstairs. Beside him, a small ball of light quietly materialized.
“H-Host…”
Xie Linxi’s display of kicking and slapping in the room had frightened Xiao Ba. The light ball floated in front of him, asking timidly in a soft voice, “H-Host… do you remember the… plot requirement? Gu Qingyan is supposed to have a ‘beautiful experience’ tonight. You… you let him go, and you beat Xie Zhetao senseless… what about our experience points?”
“…”
Xie Linxi’s footsteps came to a halt.
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