It turned out that before he started his life of crime, Li Hu used to be a bodyguard for the Zhou family. Back then, he was a nobody, but now he was pretending to be a big shot, acting like anyone could be his boss.
"Xiaohu, everyone in the Zhou family holds Mr. Ning in the highest regard. You better kneel and apologize to him immediately, or you won't escape death!" Zhou Fei was well aware of Ning Xingchen's approach to dealing with enemies—cutting weeds and eliminating roots to prevent future troubles.
Upon hearing this, Li Hu felt his vision go black and nearly fainted. He cursed Qin Chuan in his heart, this useless trash dragging him down into this mess. How unlucky was he to have befriended the Qin father and son?
With no other options, Li Hu had to admit his mistake. He crawled to Ning Xingchen's feet and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Mr. Ning, please consider me nothing more than a fart and spare me."
Qin Chuan, who had slid to the floor, looked on in disbelief. Even if one were to beg for mercy, was there really a need to be this lowly?
"It's useless; it's too late. You've already offended me. When you make a mistake, you have to pay the price. Let's start by removing some of your parts." Ning Xingchen's expression was almost playful, as if he were discussing something trivial.
Li Hu's heart began to race, fear causing him to tremble all over and choke up. Instinctively, he started to back away.
"Mr. Ning... can I do it myself?" Li Hu knew he couldn't blame Ning Xingchen for this; it was all Qin Chuan's fault for being so stupid and provoking Ning Xingchen. Did Qin Chuan think he had nine lives? Offending Ning Xingchen meant even ten heads wouldn't be enough to save him.
As he spoke, Li Hu grabbed a nearby steel chair and, using all his strength, smashed it against his own leg.
Bang! With a loud crash, Li Hu's leg bone shattered. He broke out in a cold sweat, his face turning deathly pale.
But one strike wasn't enough; he was still some distance from breaking his leg completely.
Seeing Ning Xingchen frown, Li Hu realized Mr. Ning wasn't satisfied yet. He needed to continue.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He continued to mutilate himself until finally, his eyes rolled back and he fainted from the pain, his leg a bloody mess. It was beyond saving, even if Hua Tuo were resurrected.
"Actually, I would have accepted it if you just broke a finger. Who would have thought you'd be so harsh on yourself?" Ning Xingchen shook his head and sighed.
If Li Hu could hear this, he would probably bleed from all seven orifices and die from rage. Luckily, he had fainted.
On the other hand, Li Hu felt fortunate that Ning Xingchen, whom even the Zhou family dared not offend, hadn't killed him. He considered himself lucky just to be alive.
Li Hu knew very well the power of the Zhou family in Donghai. Someone who could make the Zhou family bow and treat them with such respect could practically walk anywhere in Donghai unchallenged.
"Your turn!" Ning Xingchen turned and looked coldly at Qin Chuan lying on the ground.
"Ning... Ning Xingchen, stay away!" Seeing the blood gushing from Li Hu's leg had sobered Qin Chuan up considerably. The visual shock stripped him of his arrogance, and he began to tremble.
"Today's young people are so reckless. Who gave you the guts to provoke Mr. Ning? You must have lost your mind, offending Mr. Ning is like waging war against the Zhou family of Donghai!" Zhou Fei said coldly from the side.
...
The Zhou family of Donghai? Hearing those words, Qin Chuan was utterly despairing.
Ordinary people might not know, but Qin Chuan did. In the division of power within Donghai's high society, the Zhou family was one of the four overlords, with their enterprises valued at over a hundred billion yuan. They were a behemoth that could crush the Qin family, a small business, with a flick of their fingers.
Offending Ning Xingchen meant waging war against the Zhou family! The mere thought of this made Qin Chuan's scalp tingle. He had no idea that Ning Xingchen and the Zhou family were so close, to the point of backing him unconditionally.
Qin Chuan finally realized that angering Ning Xingchen was akin to courting death. All his previous mocking words now seemed like the laughable ravings of an idiot.
Like an ant scurrying for survival, Qin Chuan desperately sought a way out. However, the room was limited in space. Even if he fled to the ends of the earth, Ning Xingchen would ensure he paid dearly for his mistakes and received a harsh punishment.
"Xingchen, Xingchen, I was wrong. Please spare me. We are classmates, after all!" Qin Chuan began to wail, curling up in a corner, eyes full of fear.
"Heh, you remember we are classmates now? When you were trying to have me killed, did you remember our classmate bond? You can insult me, but you dared to insult Xun'er. That is unacceptable. Even if the King of Heaven himself offended Xun'er, I would make him kneel and apologize!" Ning Xingchen's love for Lin Xun'er was his reverse scale—anyone who touched it would face his wrath.
Qin Chuan was nothing more than an ant in Ning Xingchen's eyes, insignificant and overestimating his worth.
"Mr. Ning, only someone as handsome, suave, and charming as you deserves someone as beautiful and unparalleled as Lin Xun'er. Just consider me a fool who spoke nonsense. Please spare my life!" Qin Chuan slapped himself repeatedly, the sound echoing crisply in the room.
"Rest assured, I won't kill you." Ning Xingchen smiled faintly. Killing Qin Chuan would be effortless for him, like squashing a bug. After all, who would take a bug seriously?
"Thank you, Mr. Ning, thank you!" Qin Chuan's face lit up, grinning like a blooming chrysanthemum, grotesquely radiant under the light.
"But I want you bedridden for the rest of your life!" Ning Xingchen's voice turned icy.
"You... you can't!" Qin Chuan's expression changed from joy to anger, a venomous hatred flashing in his eyes.
"Will you do it yourself, or shall I? If I do it, I can't guarantee I won't go too far and send you to the afterlife."
"Damn you, Ning Xingchen, don't be so arrogant! Let me tell you, I already slept with Lin Xun'er when we were in school. Her body was so soft and sweet, something you could never experience." Qin Chuan suddenly lifted his head to face Ning Xingchen, sneering.
"Qin Chuan, you're lying!" Lin Xun'er was furious to the point of tears. Even at this moment, Qin Chuan was still slandering her.
Seeing Lin Xun'er's reddened eyes, Ning Xingchen felt a pang of heartache. He knew Lin Xun'er was innocent and that Qin Chuan was just trying to provoke him.
Ning Xingchen knew better than anyone how pure and kind Lin Xun'er was. She always maintained a distance from boys when she spoke to them.
"Qin Chuan, you really won't cry until you see the coffin. Your Qin family is finished; you will disappear from Donghai completely!" Ning Xingchen struggled to contain his fury.