Volume 1, Chapter 30: He is Your Mother's Admirer

She had always assumed Uncle Qi was merely a trusted subordinate of Tang Zhenguo; she never expected him to be so formidable in a fight. Just look at those punches and kicks—it was nothing short of heroic! If her memory served her correctly, Uncle Qi had to be in his fifties. At that age, to possess such agility and skill... Lin Jie silently elevated Uncle Qi to the status of her latest idol.

Uncle Qi’s speed was remarkable. In moments, only five people remained standing in the private room: Uncle Qi himself, Wang Chengzhu, his lackey, Tang Ruan, and Lin Jie.

"You... what exactly are you?" Having witnessed Uncle Qi’s prowess, the lackey’s voice trembled uncontrollably. He deliberately retreated two steps, terrified that Uncle Qi’s fist might land on his face in the next second. He had only had his nose done half a month ago; it wouldn't survive a single blow from Uncle Qi.

Uncle Qi ignored the lackey entirely and beckoned to Tang Ruan, "Miss, let’s go."

Tang Ruan nodded and walked toward Uncle Qi, pulling Lin Jie along with her. Ever since she was a child, she had always felt a sense of peace whenever Uncle Qi was around.

"Lin Jie!" Wang Chengzhu shouted. Lin Jie’s footsteps faltered, but she did not stop.

"Do you not want to save the Lin Corporation?" According to his investigation, Lin Jie had been begging many people for help to secure partnerships for the company lately, but given the current state of the Lin Corporation, few were willing to entertain her.

At this, Lin Jie stopped. She turned back, cast a cold glance at Wang Chengzhu, and said word by word, "I want to save the Lin Corporation, but if the condition is sacrificing myself, then I am not willing."

There had been a fleeting moment when she truly considered sacrificing herself to get Wang Chengzhu to help the Lin Corporation through its crisis. But then she realized: if someone had to be sacrificed to save the company, why did it have to be her? As far as she knew, the moment the Lin Corporation ran into trouble, many wealthy women had been throwing themselves at Lin Wen. Among those women, there were plenty capable of helping the company. The ultimate decision to sacrifice her was merely because Lin Wen did not want to sacrifice himself, the company did not want to sacrifice its future heir, and his parents did not want to sacrifice their precious son. Therefore, they chose to sacrifice her—a daughter of little consequence.

"Lin Jie, I genuinely like you!" If he didn't, he wouldn't have told the Lin family that as long as they let him marry Lin Jie, he would spare no effort to help them overcome their difficulties.

Lin Jie swept a indifferent gaze over him, her lips curling slightly. Her words were cold and detached, devoid of any emotion, "But I don’t like you." Just because he liked her, did she have to like him back? That made no sense.

"Ruan Ruan, let's go."

Turning back to Tang Ruan, Lin Jie regained her gentle demeanor. The two walked out hand in hand. Wang Chengzhu, unwilling to give up, chased after them, reaching out to grab them, "Lin Jie, you stand—"

In the next instant, Uncle Qi swung a back kick. Wang Chengzhu flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing to the ground. Clutching his chest, he vomited a mouthful of blood.

The commotion outside was so loud that Tang Zhenguo, who was in another room discussing business, could no longer sit still and came out to investigate. Although he had sent Uncle Qi, he couldn't help but worry when it concerned Tang Ruan.

Just as he stepped out, he heard Wang Chengzhu roaring threats, "Tang Ruan, just you wait! I won't let you off!" If it weren't for Tang Ruan repeatedly ruining his plans, he would have already obtained Lin Jie.

"Oh? And how exactly do you plan not to let her off?"

Seeing Tang Zhenguo, Wang Chengzhu gritted his teeth but ultimately remained silent. He understood that in his current state, clashing head-on with Tang Zhenguo was like an egg striking a rock. Avoiding the sharpness of his blade for now was the wisest course of action.

He remained silent, offering a wordless surrender, but Tang Zhenguo had no intention of letting it go. He stepped forward, standing before Wang Chengzhu, looking down at him from a height. His gaze was that of someone observing a meaningless ant.

"Coming to Nancheng to threaten my daughter? Is that how your father taught you?" Wang Jizong’s bloodline was just as insufferable as he was!

Wang Chengzhu froze, "You know my father?"

"Know him? I know him all too well," Tang Zhenguo scoffed. "Back in the day, I beat him until he couldn't find his own teeth."

Thinking of Wang Chengzhu’s father, Wang Jizong, only one adjective came to Tang Zhenguo’s mind: a total sociopath. He didn't know how to pursue someone properly; instead, he had murdered the man's fiancé, destroyed the woman's entire family, and eventually crippled her legs to keep her imprisoned by his side. For a dancer with a bright future in China and across the globe to be crippled and caged was no different than killing her—perhaps even more vicious. Being liked by Wang Jizong was a misfortune of epic proportions.

At the time, he and Huo Qingjun were traveling together and passed through Nancheng, happening upon Wang Jizong surrounding Rong Min. Huo Qingjun recognized Rong Min as the young lady from the Rong family in Jiangcheng who had just returned from studying abroad, an internationally acclaimed dancer. Such a brilliant pearl on stage, reduced to such a pathetic state to escape Wang Jizong’s blockade. Out of sympathy, he and Huo Qingjun intervened, saved Rong Min, and gave Wang Jizong a brutal beating. Before leaving, they escorted Rong Min back to the Rong family and revealed their identities, warning Wang Jizong never to approach her again, or he would face dire consequences.

For a time after that, Wang Jizong did indeed behave himself. They thought he had learned his lesson, but he was only waiting for an opportunity—a chance to deliver a fatal blow. When he and Huo Qingjun heard the news again, it was that Rong Min’s fiancé had accidentally fallen into the sea, leaving no trace, and a massive fire had broken out at the Rong family home in the middle of the night, burying the whole family in flames, including Rong Min.

Long afterward, years after Rong Min had truly passed away, he finally uncovered some traces. Following the leads, he found the truth of that year. That night, Rong Min did not die. She was taken by Wang Jizong, her legs crippled, and she was imprisoned in a secret villa owned by the Wang family. She was even forced by Wang Jizong to bear a child.

By the time they knew this, Rong Min was already dead. They had each inherited their family businesses and had wives and children of their own; they could no longer be as impulsive as they were in their youth. Thinking of this, a sense of guilt welled up in Tang Zhenguo’s heart. Guilt toward Rong Min.

He looked at Wang Chengzhu, whose features bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Rong Min, and narrowed his eyes. "Today, for your mother’s sake, I will let you go. Never set foot in Nancheng for the rest of your life."

It was unclear which word triggered Wang Chengzhu, but his gaze toward Tang Zhenguo turned abruptly sinister, like a wolf lurking in the night. "On what grounds?"

Tang Zhenguo signaled to Uncle Qi. Uncle Qi stepped forward and stomped on Wang Chengzhu’s back. With a surge of force, Wang Chengzhu’s entire face was pressed firmly into the ground, unable to move.

"On what grounds do you ask? Simply because this is Nancheng, not Jiangcheng." Nancheng was not the Wang family’s territory! "A-Qi, send people to take him back to Jiangcheng. Deliver him personally to Wang Jizong and tell him: if he can't manage his son, don't blame me for settling old scores and new grievances all at once!"

—

Jiangcheng, Wang Family Estate.

Uncle Qi followed the vehicle personally to deliver Wang Chengzhu to the Wang residence and relayed Tang Zhenguo’s message. Upon hearing it, Wang Jizong’s expression turned remarkably ugly. He understood the threat in Tang Zhenguo’s words perfectly.

"Dad, what did Tang Zhenguo mean? Does he even know my mother?" And he seemed to have a good relationship with her, otherwise, he wouldn't have let him return.

Hearing this, Wang Jizong adjusted his expression, answering the latter question first, "He did know your mother."

"Then, he and my mother..."

Wang Jizong sighed, "He was one of your mother’s admirers."