"Ah, you little bastard! How dare you strike me? I'll kill you—I want you dead!"
Consumed by rage, Zhou Hao had completely lost his sanity. Fury had taken over his mind, and he once again charged at Su Luo in a fit of madness.
Hearing those words, Su Luo's gaze turned ice-cold. This time, he didn't just raise a hand to slap Zhou Hao; instead, he stepped forward, seized Zhou Hao by the throat, and effortlessly hoisted him into the air.
In an instant, Zhou Hao's legs kicked wildly, and his face turned a dark purplish shade.
"What... what are you doing? Let me go!"
Fear crept across Zhou Hao's face as he met Su Luo's gaze.
Those eyes were devoid of emotion, indifferent to everything, calm and unfeeling, giving off an eerie, bone-chilling vibe. It was not the look of a man but of a devil.
That terrifying gaze made fear bloom deep within Zhou Hao's very soul.
But following the fear came a wave of unbearable humiliation.
He had not only been beaten by Zhonghai's most well-known "loser," but now, even the man's mere stare had intimidated him.
At that moment, Lin Miaoyan, who had been frozen in shock, finally snapped back to reality. Seeing Su Luo gripping Zhou Hao's neck and holding him suspended in mid-air, her face turned pale, and she screamed desperately, "Su Luo, what are you doing? Who told you to hit him? Put him down right now! Do you want to drag the entire Lin family to ruin with your recklessness?"
She rushed to Su Luo's side, grabbing his arm in a panic, her beautiful face flushed with fear. She was terrified that Su Luo might actually kill Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao was no ordinary person—he was the heir to Taian Pharmaceutical Group, a behemoth in Zhonghai with connections that ran deep. If Su Luo killed Zhou Hao, the consequences would be fatal for him.
Su Luo's brows furrowed slightly. In his mind, removing Zhou Hao entirely would be the safest choice. Yet, when he saw Lin Miaoyan's pale, anxious face, he sighed and flung Zhou Hao aside.
"Get lost!" he commanded.
Zhou Hao cried out in pain, scrambling to his feet with a venomous glare directed at Su Luo and Lin Miaoyan. "You'll regret this! Mark my words! Today's humiliation won't go unpunished. And you, Lin Miaoyan—you're finished! I'll make sure every company in Zhonghai unites to crush you. You're doomed!"
With that, Zhou Hao stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
"It's over..." Lin Miaoyan whispered, her body trembling as despair washed over her.
Every company in Zhonghai was already waiting for Qinghuang Group to fail.
She had fought so hard to find a lifeline that could save the company from ruin, but now, it was all shattered. Qinghuang Group was finished.
With Taian Pharmaceutical's power and influence in Zhonghai, it would be a trivial task to destroy Qinghuang Group.
"Miaoyan, I..."
"This isn't your fault," Lin Miaoyan cut him off, her expression blank as she turned and walked away.
Su Luo watched her back, stunned for a moment, before hurrying after her.
The ride home was steeped in silence. Lin Miaoyan's face remained cold, and she did not speak a word. She didn't blame Su Luo because she knew that anyone in his position would have acted the same way.
Besides, even if Su Luo hadn't shown up, she never would have agreed to Zhou Hao's demands. She had her principles, and she would never yield.
It was just that Su Luo's reaction had taken things a step further.
When they reached home, they hadn't even exited the car when Lin Miaoyan's parents came storming out of the house, their faces twisted with fury. The news had already reached them: Su Luo had attacked Zhou Hao at the Blue Bay Hotel.
"Su Luo, you little wretch! How dare you come back here? Get out! Kneel at the door right now—do you hear me?" Lin Wuzhong, her father, roared, his rage overwhelming any semblance of civility.
"You bring disaster wherever you go, you useless good-for-nothing! You've ruined our entire family!" Lin Miaoyan's mother, Dai Shuwen, was equally livid, shouting, "Who do you think you are, attacking Zhou Hao? Do you even understand what you've done? Taian Pharmaceutical just announced they'd mobilize every company to destroy Qinghuang Group! You worthless scoundrel—you've destroyed us all!"
She glared at Su Luo, her resentment palpable. This freeloader had leeched off their family for three years, and now he'd dragged them into disaster. She cursed the day they ever let him into the Lin family.
Lin Miaoyan's body trembled, her lips tightly pressed together. "Dad, Mom, it's not his fault..."
"Miaoyan, are you still defending this loser?" Dai Shuwen's voice rose, full of rage. "I warned you from the start—he's trash! But you insisted on marrying him. Look what he's done in three years—nothing but freeloading off us! And now he's hit Zhou Hao, dragging us into ruin!"
"A divorce—that's the only solution! Then he can crawl on his knees to Taian Pharmaceutical and beg for forgiveness."
Their wealth and status all came from Qinghuang Group. Without it, they'd lose everything. Worse still, their place in the Lin family was already tenuous. If Qinghuang Group went under, they'd be kicked out.
"You worthless disaster! I should just beat you senseless!" Lin Wuzhong raised his hand, trembling with rage, as did Dai Shuwen, ready to strike Su Luo.
Su Luo stood motionless, his face stoic.
As their fists drew near, Lin Miaoyan couldn't hold back any longer. "Enough!" she shouted. "Can't you stop? I told you it's not his fault! Zhou Hao tried to assault me, and Su Luo saved me. He's not to blame."
"Miaoyan, you..." Her parents wanted to argue but fell silent under her icy stare.
"If there's nothing else, I'm going upstairs," Lin Miaoyan declared. Turning to Su Luo, she said, "Follow me. We need to talk."
Su Luo was surprised. In almost three years of marriage, Lin Miaoyan had never asked him to come upstairs. This was a first.
"Alright."
He knew she was trying to defuse the situation, so he complied.
Lin Wuzhong and Dai Shuwen glared at him with venomous hatred but kept quiet, seething with fury.
Upstairs, Lin Miaoyan paused and said, "Wait here. I need to get something." She turned and disappeared into her room.
Although they had been married for three years, Lin Miaoyan and Su Luo had never shared a room. Su Luo's quarters were in a small, secluded section of the villa, giving him privacy for his own activities.
Moments later, Lin Miaoyan returned, holding a bank card. "You hit Zhou Hao, and he won't let this go. But we're still married, and you saved me today. I can't just watch you suffer. Take this card—there's five million yuan in it. Leave Zhonghai and find a quiet place where no one knows you. It's enough for a comfortable life."
Handing him the card, she added, "Go as far as possible. If Zhou Hao catches up to you, he'll show no mercy."
Su Luo was taken aback. He never expected Lin Miaoyan to ask him to leave.
Staying would likely make Zhou Hao target him. If he left, the full brunt of Zhou Hao's vengeance would fall on Lin Miaoyan.
She knew that, yet she still wanted to protect him. Her selflessness was touching, foolish yet heart-wrenching.
"And what about you?" he asked, holding the card, his gaze intense.
Lin Miaoyan frowned slightly, visibly uncomfortable with his stare. "My affairs are not your concern. Just take the money and go. I don't want the police calling me to identify your body someday."
Before he could respond, she turned and shut the door firmly.
Su Luo looked at the bank card in his hand, feeling a rare warmth in his heart. He knew Lin Miaoyan was tough on the outside but soft within.
For three years, she had shielded him from being thrown out of the Lin family.
"You protected me for three years. Now, it's my turn," Su Luo whispered. His eyes gleamed with a determined light. Taian Pharmaceutical might be mighty in Zhonghai, but to him, it was insignificant—a force he could crush with ease.
He picked up his phone and dialed Sorens once more.