Wu Yangcheng woke up in another hotel, his head throbbing. His hand still ached, especially in the middle of the night.
Lately, he'd been taking medicine every day just to fall asleep.
The Wu Family's recent devastating blow had left him utterly exhausted.
Every time he looked in the mirror, he barely recognized the person staring back. The once proud and spirited man now had dark circles under his eyes, looking haggard and dispirited.
"Damn it!"
The first thing Wu Yangcheng did upon waking was grab his phone.
His already unpleasant expression darkened further.
The screen showed twenty-odd missed calls. None of them were likely to be good news—in fact, they might all be bad!
He quickly opened WeChat.
Numerous messages flooded his inbox.
It took him several minutes to read through them all, and none of the news was good.
Most were demands for repayment.
Before, when the Wu Family had 700 million to 7 billion yuan in assets, creditors had never worried about getting paid back. Now, with the family's precarious situation, everyone was clamoring for their money.
"I must secure the Song Family's support!"
"With the Song Family's support, we can withstand the pressure from that one faction, and all these problems will be resolved."
Wu Yangcheng splashed cold water on his face to clear his head.
"The number you have dialed is currently busy—"
Wu Yangcheng tried calling Song Shize again, but it still didn't connect. His face darkened. He had tried over a dozen times, and it was always the same.
One of those calls was even at midnight!
There was only one explanation for this: he had been blocked.
"Stay calm, stay calm."
"Once I see Song Shize, I'm sure I can convince him."
Wu Yangcheng took a deep breath and muttered to himself.
At ten o'clock, Wu Yangcheng, having tidied himself up, left the hotel.
Lin Chen, carrying Lin Xiaoxi and Xu Mengyao, also came downstairs.
Song Qingquan was too busy to pick them up personally today, but he had sent his driver to fetch them instead.
About twenty minutes later, the car approached the Song Family estate. Imperial City land was precious, yet the Song Family owned a sprawling estate of over ten *mu*.
Only those with invitations could enter today.
"Huh—"
Lin Chen spotted Wu Yangcheng.
Wu Yangcheng had been stopped by a guard, and he was arguing with the man.
Lin Chen channeled his inner energy into his ears and heard clearly: Wu Yangcheng was telling the guards blocking him to tell Song Shize that their close relationship would guarantee his entry.
The guards completely ignored him.
Song Shize had long given them a blacklist, and anyone on it was barred from entering. Wu Yangcheng was on that list.
"Interesting," Lin Chen mused. "The Wu Family is actually still placing their hopes in the Song Family."
"Third Master Song!"
Suddenly, Wu Yangcheng spotted the car they were in, recognizing it as Song Qingquan's exclusive vehicle. He shouted and waved them down.
As the third master of the Song Family, Song Qingquan's nod would naturally grant them entry to the birthday banquet.
"Hmm?"
The car drew closer, and Wu Yangcheng froze.
He saw Lin Chen sitting in the passenger seat.
Wu Yangcheng's mind went blank.
The Song Family had originally supported the Wu Family. He had wanted to bring his son out early to oppose the Xu Family and Lin Chen. How could Lin Chen be in Song Qingquan's car now?
"Could it be—"
A sudden thought struck Wu Yangcheng.
*Could the Song Family be the force targeting the Wu Family?*
"President Wu, you don't have an invitation?" Lin Chen rolled down his car window and asked with a smile.
Wu Yangcheng's mouth twitched. The invitation was irrelevant now. Even if the Song Family weren't the ones targeting the Wu Family, they were now allied with Lin Chen. Entering the manor would only be self-humiliation.
"President Wu, please step aside. Thank you," Lin Chen said politely.
Wu Yangcheng moved aside with a blank expression. Watching the car drive into the manor, his heart grew cold.
Lin Chen had become a guest of honor at the Song Family's, suggesting he had backing from forces as powerful as the Song Family. How could the Wu Family withstand such pressure?
*This situation might mean more than just five years in prison.*
*No, I need to flee the country immediately!* Wu Yangcheng thought desperately.
Five years would have been bearable. At his age, he'd be under sixty upon release. But if he was sentenced to ten years or more, he'd be over sixty, his life nearly over.
"To the airport," Wu Yangcheng said in a low voice after returning to his car. He quickly instructed his secretary to book a flight out of the country, planning to leave immediately upon arrival.
The moment his secretary bought the plane tickets, it triggered a warning.
His name was already in the alert system. Normally, it didn't affect him, but any international travel automatically set it off.
*Beep! Beep!*
Less than two minutes later, Wu Yangcheng's phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number. Wu Yangcheng didn't want to answer, but after he hung up, the caller dialed again.
"Who is it?" Wu Yangcheng answered, his voice low and stern.
The person on the other end said, "Are you Wu Yangcheng? You're involved in a case and need to cooperate. You won't be able to leave the country until the case is resolved."
"Please come to—"
After hanging up, Wu Yangcheng's face turned grim. His secretary sent a message: the plane tickets hadn't been successfully purchased.
Wu Yangcheng slumped in defeat.
Without plane tickets, he couldn't leave quickly. The train was too slow, and he'd need tickets for that too.
*Smuggling?* The thought crossed his mind.
But smuggling wasn't guaranteed to succeed, and it would be miserable—one wrong move and he could end up dead halfway through.
Someone could just toss him into the sea, leaving no trace of his bones.
*Sigh!*
Wu Yangcheng let out a long sigh.
In this situation, he could only await the judgment of the law, hoping for a lighter sentence.
"Lin Chen, we'll see."
"Flowers don't bloom for a hundred days. When you've lost all your support, I'll see what kind of end awaits you."
Wu Yangcheng gritted his teeth.
Even with his company's collapse, he still had substantial funds. When he was released from prison, he would still be far better off than the average person.
If Lin Chen were to fall, Wu Yangcheng would be able to trample him underfoot.
"Young Master Lin, President Xu, welcome, welcome!"
Song Shize greeted Lin Chen and his companions warmly.
Song Qingquan had told him not to address Lin Chen as "Grandmaster Lin," so he now followed Song Qingquan's example and called him "Young Master Lin."
"You're too kind, President Song," Lin Chen replied with a smile.
Song Qingquan: "Young Master Lin, please make yourselves at home. We have many guests today, so we hope you'll forgive any lapses in our hospitality."
Lin Chen nodded. "Don't worry about us, President Song. Focus on your guests."
Nearby onlookers cast curious glances at Lin Chen's group. Lin Chen was quite young, yet Song Qingquan was treating him with such deference.
After Song Qingquan left, Xu Mengyao leaned close to Lin Chen and whispered, "Honey, I think I saw a female classmate from my university days abroad. She might have seen me too."
"My relationship with her was just so-so."
"I heard she got married abroad and married well."
Lin Chen followed Xu Mengyao's gaze.
"She's coming over to see you," he said softly.
A beautiful woman about ten meters away was walking toward them.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)