Ye Feng's words caused Zhang Ling's expression to instantly freeze.
Zhang Lin had never dreamed that Ye Feng would reject her so bluntly, with no regard for her face.
Lin Shiyu thought to herself that she hadn't expected Ye Feng's character to ever satisfy her.
Zhang Lin raged, "Bastard, think it over. Being with me, you'd gain both fame and wealth. Following Lin Shiyu, you'll have nothing. Are you sure you want to reject me?"
Ye Feng simply shook his head, "You're not worthy…"
"Kid, you're asking for death!" roared a burly young bodyguard behind Zhang Lin, as he stood up and glared at Ye Feng.
In an instant, the bodyguard's gaze met Ye Feng's.
Beneath Ye Feng's calm eyes, there was an indescribable ferocity, like a blade forged from a myriad of malevolent spirits, stabbing straight into the heart of the bodyguard.
The bodyguard trembled, feeling a tingling scalp, as an inexplicable fear welled up from within.
He instinctively stepped back three paces, eyeing Ye Feng warily.
At the same time, he was furious with himself for being intimidated by the gaze of a pretty boy, feeling a great humiliation: "Kid, what's with that look? Believe it or not, I'll gouge out your eyes!"
Zhang Lin also angrily shouted: "Da Xiong, kill this overreaching brat for me!"
Da Xiong launched at Ye Feng without hesitation, sending a punch hurtling towards Ye Feng's face.
"Whoosh whoosh~~~"
The punch roared through the air, looking set to hit Ye Feng, but he remained utterly calm, simply tilting his head to easily dodge the blow.
The next second, Ye Feng's hand swung out in a backhand slap, striking Da Xiong across the face.
The seemingly ordinary slap exploded with an incredibly fearsome power.
"Bang!" With a muffled sound, Da Xiong, who weighed nearly one hundred and eighty pounds, was sent flying backward and plunged into a nearby pool.
"What!" Zhang Lin was completely stunned by this scene, never expecting her carefully chosen bodyguard to be so utterly defeated by Ye Feng, an average-sized young man.
Lin Shiyu, on the other hand, was well accustomed to it, knowing even veteran special forces soldiers armed with guns were no match for Ye Feng, let alone a Da Xiong.
Zhang Lin quickly recovered and cursed: "Lin Shiyu, you bitch, how dare you incite your pretty boy to hurt people. I demand a reasonable explanation!"
"Slap!"
However, before she could finish speaking, Ye Feng slapped Zhang Lin across the face.
...
Zhang Lin stood there stunned, feeling the fiery sting on her face, which now bore a clear handprint.
"Cursing my woman? You're not qualified!"
Ye Feng's voice was resolute and loud.
Although Lin Shiyu was only Ye Feng's wife in name, she was not someone anyone could insult—his woman was above reproach!
Zhang Lin regained her composure: "Lin Shiyu, you still say he isn't your pretty boy, you truly are a deceitful…"
"Slap!" Before Zhang Lin could finish her sentence, Ye Feng's hand struck again, delivering a heavy slap.
"Are you asking for death?" Ye Feng's voice was utterly calm, like a chilling whisper from hell, silencing Zhang Lin completely with fear.
Even Lin Shiyu lost her composure for a moment.
It was just then that Lin Shiyu was momentarily captivated by Ye Feng's dominance, too preoccupied to scold Ye Feng for claiming her as his woman.
At that moment, three wealthy young heirs made their way from a distance toward the banquet hall. Seeing them, hope glittered in Zhang Lin's eyes, and she immediately rushed into the arms of one of them: "Young Master Li, I've been beaten, wuwuwu~~~"
Zhang Lin was well-known in the social circles, having some sort of relationship with many capable young men of influential families. Young Master Li, currently comforting Zhang Lin, was no exception.
Zhang Lin, acting like a damsel in distress, immediately incited fury in Young Master Li and his companions.
"Damn! Who is it? Who dared to touch you? I just so happen to be full of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent. This bastard has just hit the barrel of the gun. Let's go, take us to see!"
Young Master Li was full of confidence.
From a distance, Zhang Lin pointed at Ye Feng. She knew they would certainly not dare to provoke Lin Shiyu.
But a pretty boy kept by Lin Shiyu? She didn't believe they couldn't handle him.
"It's that bastard; he slapped me twice!" Zhang Lin shouted loudly.
"Let's go!" commanded Young Master Li, and his entourage, along with Zhang Lin, marched threateningly towards Ye Feng and his company.
One of the wealthy heirs by Young Master Li's side frowned and whispered, "Young Master Li, this guy looks kind of familiar, and he's standing with Lin Shiyu…"
"Hm?" Young Master Li paused, "Now that you mention it, he does look familiar…"
Their quick steps began to slow, as if trudging through mud.
Soon after, the expressions of Young Master Li and his companions completely stiffened as they fully recognized Ye Feng's appearance.
Yet, Zhang Lin, full of arrogance, didn't notice their change in demeanor.
Zhang Lin approached Ye Feng, pointing at his nose and yelled, "You're dead, bastard. Today you must kneel and kowtow to apologize to me!"
Ye Feng chuckled, a hint of disdain on his face: "Apologize by kowtowing? On what grounds? Because of those three guys behind you?"
Zhang Lin was brimming with confidence. Any one of these three men alone might not be a match for Zhang Lin, but when all three joined forces, they were definitely not someone to be trifled with.
With her head up and chest out, Zhang Lin boasted proudly, "That's right! It's the three of them. All three are my close friends, and they won't stand idly by while I'm being bullied! They will certainly teach you a lesson!"
However, Zhang Lin completely failed to notice the expressions of astonishment on the faces of Young Master Li and the others. Even the usually ice-cold goddess couldn't help but reveal a trace of a smile.
Ye Feng shook his head and said indifferently, "Teach me a lesson… Ask them, do they dare?"
That calm tone was filled with threat and interrogation.
"Pfft," scoffed Zhang Lin before turning to look at Young Master Li and the others and said, "Young Master Li, this idiot actually said you guys wouldn't dare…"
But as soon as Zhang Lin turned around and saw the expressions on Young Master Li and the others, she realized something was amiss.
Young Master Li quickly spoke up, "We wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare at all. Mister is jesting. How could we, mere lackeys, be so bold as to show off in front of Mister? We won't disturb Miss Lin and the gentleman any longer. People are waiting for us in the banquet hall; we'll be leaving first!"
Before Zhang Lin could even respond, Young Master Li added quickly, "Zhang Lin, it seems you have some misunderstandings with Miss Lin. We will be heading in first. After all, it's a gathering initiated by President Wan, and it would be impolite to be late."
Without waiting for Zhang Lin to reply, Young Master Li and the others slinked away hurriedly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Only Zhang Lin was left standing there, unable to calm the tumultuous waves in her heart for a long time.
She couldn't understand how the usually arrogant and domineering Young Master Li and his crew could be as timid as mice upon seeing Ye Feng and the others.
Young Master Li and his friends were exactly the lackeys that had followed Zheng Xi that morning.
Not only had they been handled by Ye Feng that morning, but even when Zheng Yonggang, Zheng Xi's father, showed up, he was also deferential to Ye Feng. Ye Feng had long cast a shadow in their hearts.
It hadn't even been a day since the shadow had dispersed, and upon encountering Ye Feng again, they naturally kept as much distance as possible.
Ye Feng turned his attention away from Zhang Lin and looked towards Lin Shiyu, "Let's go…"
Lin Shiyu nodded and walked shoulder to shoulder with Ye Feng towards the banquet hall.
"Lin Shiyu, pretty boy, you better wait for me. This matter isn't over yet!" Zhang Lin roared behind them.
But Ye Feng simply ignored Zhang Lin and walked into the banquet hall.
Lin Shiyu voiced her concern, "Ye Feng, you've offended Zhang Lin today. She won't let this go easily. I advise you to be careful. Who knows when she might stab you in the back!"
Ye Feng smiled faintly and shook his head, not taking it to heart in the slightest.
To Ye Feng, someone like Zhang Lin was nothing more than a joke.
At this point, the guests had almost all arrived in the banquet hall.
There were three tables in the banquet hall, and each was occupied by the tycoons of Lin Tian City, each worth at least hundreds of millions, to qualify to sit in this banquet hall.
"Mr. Lin, long time no see..."
The surrounding wealthy businessmen greeted Lin Shiyu one after another, and she returned their greetings with a polite smile.
Lin Shiyu and Ye Feng took their seats, waiting for the banquet to begin.
"President Wan is here!" Just then, everyone's gaze converged toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
A middle-aged man, dressed in traditional attire, about forty-seven or forty-eight years old, walked into the banquet hall, followed by a handsome young man with an air of nobility.
In a whisper, Lin Shiyu said to Ye Feng, "That man is Wan Tianhua, the president of our Lin Tian City Chamber of Commerce. Wanhua Manor is also his property, and the Wan Family is one of the top four elite families in Lin Tian City, on par with the Lin Family."
Ye Feng nodded, his face still showing no hint of emotion.
Wan Tianhua strode onto the podium, his distinguishing presence as a long-standing figure of authority becoming apparent, seemingly towering over the wealthy businessmen around him.
Wan Tianhua declared heartily, "Haha—Folks, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to grace today's gathering. The reason for inviting you all here today is, firstly, because you are all partners who have close business dealings with my Wan Family—I wanted to connect with everyone and strengthen our relationship.
Secondly, thanks to our collective efforts, Lin Tian City's GDP last year soared to new heights, growing by eighty percent compared to the previous year. This is a remarkable achievement. Today's gathering is a celebration I'm hosting in honor of everyone's hard work. Let me toast to you all. I'll drink first!"
"Toasting!" The crowd lifted their glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp.
Guests took turns toasting with Wan Tianhua, and soon it was Lin Shiyu's turn. She elegantly raised her glass, her smile enchanting, "Mr. Wan, my father is feeling slightly unwell today, so he sent me in his place. I hope you won't take offense."
Wan Tianhua shook his head, "Of course not. Please send my regards to your father."
Wan Tianhua's gaze then fell upon Ye Feng, sizing him up with a strange look in his eyes, "Shiyu, you're twenty-five now, and I've never seen you with a man by your side before. Could this gentleman possibly be your boyfriend? I wonder what kind of distinguished person has managed to connect with the pride of Lin Tian City. Won't you introduce him to us?"
"Lin Shiyu's boyfriend?"
Hearing Wan Tianhua's words, the surrounding people's gazes collectively focused on Ye Feng, their thoughts varying.
Some were envious, some disdainful, with a hint of hostility.
It was common knowledge among those present that quite a few had expressed their affection for Lin Shiyu.
But with her heart as cold as ice, Lin Shiyu kept everyone at a distance, and no one had ever breached her defenses.
Lin Shiyu hurriedly shook her head, "Mr. Wan jests. He is merely my bodyguard, named Ye Feng, not my boyfriend."
"Oh?" The crowd exhaled in relief, but they were still intrigued by Ye Feng.
Wan Tianhua inquired, "I've heard from your father before that he'd been looking to hire a bodyguard for you but hadn't found anyone that met your standards. Since this Ye Feng has become your bodyguard, he must be quite capable. May I ask what level of certification he has from the Martial Arts Alliance?"
Lin Shiyu shook her head, "He hasn't taken the Martial Arts Alliance assessment."
"Not a member of the Martial Arts Alliance!" The crowd looked at Ye Feng in amazement, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Even some whispered amongst themselves, "Not even a member of the Martial Arts Alliance and he's Lin Shiyu's personal bodyguard? I bet this young man has something going on with Lin Shiyu!"