It was only then that Huang Baiwan had time to look back at Chen Liuhe. Seeing the scene before him, he clearly paused, then quickly became excited, grinning: "Brother Six, I knew it! You're definitely a better fighter than me!"
Chen Liuhe smiled, noting the fresh blood seeping from Huang Baiwan's wounds. He frowned but said nothing.
Huang Baiwan dragged the terrified security captain to his feet and asked Chen Liuhe, "Brother Six, what now? Fight or run?"
Chen Liuhe looked at the pale-faced security captain with a smile. "Tell me, where is Qin Ruohan?"
"Don't... don't be reckless. If someone dies, no one will get off lightly," the security captain stammered.
Chen Liuhe shot Huang Baiwan a look. Huang Baiwan understood. He pressed the knife in his hand with a little more force, and a thin line of blood appeared on the security captain's neck. Huang Baiwan hissed, "Damn you! Answer what you're asked! One more word of nonsense, and I'll kill you! I'm a lowlife anyway, trading my life for yours is no loss!"
"Don't... don't be impulsive! I'll talk, I'll talk!" the security captain said, cold sweat pouring down his face. "CEO Qin is in her office on the fifth floor. But I advise you, she's talking business with a very important person right now. If you go up and disturb them, you'll die a very ugly death!"
"Lead the way!" Chen Liuhe said no more, turning towards the elevator. Huang Baiwan, still holding the security captain hostage, followed.
At this point, more waiters and security guards rushed over, drawn by the commotion. But seeing the situation, no one dared to act recklessly. They could only stand afar, watching nervously.
...
Tonight, Qin Ruohan once again experienced that feeling of helplessness and despair. It was a feeling she had known the day her father died, and now, facing the aggressive Zhou Yunkang, she felt it again.
Confronted by Zhou Yunkang's intimidation and vicious demeanor, Qin Ruohan utterly loathed Chen Liuhe. She had thought Chen Liuhe was no ordinary man. Even if he couldn't solve her immediate crisis, he could at least be her support, if only to bolster her courage.
But in the end, that damned scoundrel Chen Liuhe had never taken her situation seriously. He hadn't offered any help in the past two days, not even a basic courtesy, let alone a verbal promise to reassure her.
Qin Ruohan had given up all hope for Chen Liuhe. In this final critical moment, she was still facing Zhou Yunkang, who was like a wolf or a tiger, all alone.
In the spacious office, only Qin Ruohan and Zhou Yunkang remained. The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Qin Ruohan sat behind her desk, her face pale, her eyes filled not only with resentment and anger but also deep humiliation and despair.
Zhou Yunkang, in contrast, sat confidently on the leather sofa, crossing his legs, a Cuban cigar between his fingers. He exuded an air of smug self-assurance, looking very much the part of a powerful man.
His gaze towards Qin Ruohan, besides contempt, held a universally recognized fervor.
In his eyes, Qin Ruohan was a certain prey. He wanted not only her immense wealth but also her extraordinary beauty.
"Well, CEO Qin? Time's almost up. Have you made up your mind?" Zhou Yunkang asked, his tone calm.
"Zhou Yunkang, why are you so ruthless? You've already murdered my father; won't you let me go now?" Qin Ruohan struggled, unwilling to yield! Zhou Yunkang sneered. "CEO Qin, you need evidence. Your father died in a car accident; it was an accident." He paused. "As for being ruthless, that's an exaggeration. How could I be harsh on a beautiful woman like you, so talented and charming? Asking you to give up the club is for your own good."
"For my good? Humph, your 'good' is truly chilling!" Qin Ruohan glared at him.
"CEO Qin, more talk is useless. I hope you understand that when you're alive, money isn't the most important thing. Sometimes, too much money can be a burden. If you're dead, what good is all the money in the world?" Zhou Yunkang continued. "Our Black Dragon Group offering two million for your club is already showing extreme benevolence. You should realize this club can save your life!"
"You bunch of shameless scoundrels!" Qin Ruohan raged. "I will absolutely not let you succeed! This club is my father's life's work! You want me to give up the club? Not a chance! I want to see if you dare to kill me!" Qin Ruohan was a fierce little wildcat, refusing to submit.
Zhou Yunkang shook his head in disappointment, not in a hurry, but sneering. "It seems you really aren't afraid of death." He paused, then his tone shifted. "However, even if you don't care about your own safety, don't you care about your dear little brother?"
Before Qin Ruohan could speak, Zhou Yunkang continued, "I know you have a younger brother studying abroad. If anything were to happen to him, tsk tsk, then your Qin family would truly be without an heir!"
Hearing this, Qin Ruohan could no longer sit still. She sprang up, raging with both fear and hatred. "If you dare touch a single hair on my brother's head, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"
"Heh, no problem," Zhou Yunkang said, pushing a contract across the table. "Sign this transfer agreement, two million will immediately be in your account, and both you and your brother will be perfectly safe."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Qin Ruohan's graceful figure. "I believe that a woman, especially one as beautiful as you, shouldn't be out in the public eye. You need a man to shield you from the wind and rain. If you follow me, it would be a very good choice."
"Get lost! You beast, you shameless pervert!" Qin Ruohan collapsed onto her chair, her face contorted in pain and despair. She realized that against Zhou Yunkang, she truly couldn't struggle; she was too weak.
She knew she had no retreat. The moment Zhou Yunkang threatened her brother, she lost all room to fight.
She could face death without fear, but she couldn't let her only brother, the sole male heir of the Qin family, be harmed. She couldn't bear such a heavy blow.
"What a pathetic woman. Compromise. In front of us, you have no bargaining chips," Zhou Yunkang's eyes held no pity, only a hint of pleasure. He enjoyed manipulating others' destinies, like a drug that gave him a taste for it.
"If I sign this contract, will you let me and my brother go?" Qin Ruohan asked, her voice hoarse. She had made her decision.
"Of course," Zhou Yunkang said, sneering inwardly. How could he possibly ignore such a beauty right in front of him? That wasn't his style.
"Alright, I'll sign. I hope you'll keep your word!" Qin Ruohan stepped out from behind the desk.
Qin Ruohan wore a Chanel dress today, outlining her incredibly graceful figure. With her professional high heels, she exuded extraordinary elegance and peerless beauty!
Such beauty naturally stirred Zhou Yunkang's desires. However, he remained rational, knowing that all such thoughts had to wait until the woman signed the agreement.
Just as Qin Ruohan picked up the pen, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and was about to sign her name on the contract, a loud "BANG!" erupted. The tightly locked office door was suddenly kicked open.
The sudden turn of events startled both Zhou Yunkang and Qin Ruohan. They turned their heads to see two men, looking like migrant workers, stride into the doorway.
"Tsk, tsk, CEO Qin, your door quality isn't great, is it? How could it open so easily with just a gentle kick?" The two sudden arrivals were, of course, Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan.
Chen Liuhe was quite crude. He skipped the knocking altogether, directly kicking the door in. When he saw the situation inside the office, a slight relief washed over Chen Liuhe. It seemed he hadn't arrived too late.
"Chen Liuhe!" Qin Ruohan's face was filled with surprise and joy. She never expected that in her most desperate moment, when she had lost all hope in Chen Liuhe, this man would appear like a god descending from heaven.
For some reason, the instant Chen Liuhe appeared, a surge of confidence filled her heart.
"Who are you?" After a brief moment of shock, Zhou Yunkang quickly composed himself. He narrowed his eyes, studying Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan. He remained seated on the sofa, unmoved, clearly not taking the two men seriously.
"Who I am isn't important. What's important is that I'm here." Chen Liuhe chuckled softly. He swaggered over to the sofa and plopped down casually not far from Zhou Yunkang. He pulled out a Hongmei cigarette, tossed one to Huang Baiwan, and lit one for himself, pointedly ignoring Zhou Yunkang.
Of course, Zhou Yunkang probably wouldn't even glance at such a cheap cigarette in his entire life.
"The fact that you could break in here means you dealt with the people outside. That's not simple," Zhou Yunkang observed Chen Liuhe. He truly couldn't discern anything particularly special about Chen Liuhe.
"Who dares to climb Liangshan without real skills?" Chen Liuhe chuckled, tilting his head to look at Zhou Yunkang and exhaling a puff of acrid smoke. Then he picked up the contract on the coffee table, glanced at it dismissively, sneered, and tossed it into a nearby waste bin. He glared at Zhou Yunkang. "Big Brother Zhou, they say even thieves have their codes. But in this day and age, you're still robbing people when they're down?"
Zhou Yunkang remained unperturbed, showing no signs of panic. He leaned back into the leather sofa, confidently saying, "This matter seems to be none of your business? A word of advice: 'hero saving the beauty' only happens on TV. In reality, you could easily lose your life."
"I never thought about 'hero saving the beauty' melodrama. My goal is actually quite similar to yours. You're after wealth and women; I'm after great fortune," Chen Liuhe said calmly.
"There are many paths to great fortune. You can steal, you can rob, or you can swindle. But if you try to lay your hands on us, I guarantee you, the risk will be greater than robbing an armored car!" Zhou Yunkang laughed. He paused. "Do you know who I am? You dare interfere with the Black Dragon Group? Even if you're a wolf or a tiger, I'll chop off your dog head!"
"It seems our negotiations are doomed to fail," Chen Liuhe shrugged. It was then he finally looked at Qin Ruohan, a playful smile on his lips. "What? Were you just about to compromise?"
Qin Ruohan glared at Zhou Yunkang, her face like frost, gritting her teeth. "He threatened my brother! If I don't sign the contract, they'll go after my brother!"
Chen Liuhe nodded, then sneered at Zhou Yunkang. "You truly are a bunch of shameless beasts in human clothing." He paused. "Alright, let's talk business. Big Brother Zhou, how about you give me some face, and we call this whole thing off?"
Zhou Yunkang was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, a laugh full of disdain. "Give you face?"
Zhou Yunkang laughed out loud. He looked Chen Liuhe up and down. "Who do you think you are? You dare ask the Black Dragon Group to give you face? How many heads do you have to lose?"
Chen Liuhe smiled. "I only have one head. I'm just afraid the Black Dragon Group won't be able to chop it off!"
Zhou Yunkang's smile grew even wider. He glanced between Chen Liuhe and Qin Ruohan, then said to Qin Ruohan, "CEO Qin, is this the help you called for? Quite interesting."
With that, Zhou Yunkang slid closer, sitting right next to Chen Liuhe. He clapped Chen Liuhe on the shoulder with a friendly smile. "Brother, I can see you're very bold. I admire that youthful fearlessness."
"But when you're a man, it's important to know your place! Trying to be a hero can come with a heavy price!"
Zhou Yunkang's face was filled with arrogance and contempt. "I know, you might be captivated by Qin Ruohan's beauty, wanting to act brave to win her over!"
"But have you considered? If you do this, you might just make things much worse?"
Zhou Yunkang stared at Chen Liuhe, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you anger me, I'm capable of anything! Including the things that would cause you the most despair and pain. I can do the worst things you can imagine! For example, making Qin Ruohan wish she were dead, enduring endless humiliation!"
Zhou Yunkang took a puff from his cigar, speaking unhurriedly, "Aren't you very angry and furious?"
He patted Chen Liuhe's shoulder again, and said meaningfully, "But you can't do anything about it, because you're not on the same level as us. In front of me, you're like an ant. With one hand, I can crush a whole bunch of you! You can only watch as I do whatever I want, ruthlessly bullying the woman you like!"
"So, brother, a kind word of advice: know your limits. Otherwise, you'll die a very ugly death." Zhou Yunkang exhaled a cloud of thick smoke directly into Chen Liuhe's face, his smile contemptuous and mocking!
Chen Liuhe frowned, quietly watching Zhou Yunkang, the expression in his eyes gradually turning cold...
Zhou Yunkang arrogantly flicked the ash from his cigar, the ash falling onto Chen Liuhe's shoe.
Zhou Yunkang said playfully, "Oops, I'm sorry. I dirtied your shoe. Let me clean it for you."
With that, Zhou Yunkang picked up the water glass from the table and poured the entire contents onto Chen Liuhe's shoe...
Chen Liuhe's entire shoe was soaked, and his face was now covered in a layer of icy frost.
Looking at the arrogant and mocking Zhou Yunkang, Chen Liuhe, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke: "I'm giving you a way out, but you're desperately pushing yourself onto a path of death..."