Chapter 117: Troubles at Ziyu Corporation

After the song ended, there was a full ten seconds of stunned silence in the audience before a thunderous round of applause erupted. Every judge, including Liu Yan, stood up to applaud Lin Wen.

The final score was self-evident. Although several other contestants had yet to perform, everyone knew who would be the champion tonight. Lin Wen returned backstage and saw Yang Jiekai smiling at her. For some reason, she was suddenly overcome by an urge to cry.

"How was that? My playing was decent enough, right?" Yang Jiekai asked with a grin.

Lin Wen opened her mouth to speak, but not knowing where to begin, she impulsively threw herself into Yang Jiekai’s arms and began to sob loudly.

"Silly girl, what are you crying for? You won the championship!" Yang Jiekai gently patted her back and comforted her with a smile, "I was worried I’d hold you back, but now there's no need to worry because... umph..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt two warm, soft lips press against his own.

"Brother Yang, thank you!"

After summoning the courage to give away her first kiss, Lin Wen’s cheeks were flushed. Looking at the embarrassed Yang Jiekai, she said, "Brother Yang, I know you’re already married, but I just couldn't help wanting to kiss you."

Yang Jiekai sighed softly and said, "Actually, about the marriage thing... how should I put it? Well, I’m actually quite open-minded in my thinking, it’s just that what just happened..."

"Brother Yang, you don't need to say anything. Don't worry, although that was my first kiss, I won't pester you to take responsibility for it."

After Lin Wen finished speaking with a serious expression, she added, "Brother Yang, wait for me at the entrance later. I’ll treat you to a late-night snack."

With that, she scurried away like a little bird, her face still bright red.

"Hey, hey... I haven't finished speaking yet!"

Watching her retreating figure, Yang Jiekai felt incredibly aggrieved. What he had actually wanted to say was that things like kissing could last a little longer; he had never said he didn't want her to pester him!

The remaining contestants took the stage, but perhaps because Lin Wen’s performance had been so stunning, the audience’s enthusiasm was noticeably dampened. The program slowly drew to a close after the predictable final results were announced.

"Brother Yang, wait for me at the entrance. I’m coming to find you now."

Having won the championship as expected, Lin Wen hugged her trophy and called Yang Jiekai after dealing with dozens of media interviews.

Yang Jiekai gave a bitter laugh, "Silly girl, you dare to come out the front entrance? The fans waiting for you here have almost crushed me flat. How about this: stay backstage, and I’ll have someone contact you to lead you out. I have experience with this kind of thing."

After hanging up, Yang Jiekai called Liu Yan and asked her to find a way to escort Lin Wen to a private room at a hotel where they could meet. Having been a star in China for many years, Liu Yan handled such matters with ease, quickly bringing Lin Wen safely out of the venue and to the address Yang Jiekai had sent.

"Brother Yang!"

Seeing him, Lin Wen ran over happily, "I didn't know you and Sister Liu Yan were good friends! Why didn't you tell me? Sister Liu Yan has always been my idol!"

Yang Jiekai and Liu Yan exchanged a resigned smile. After the three of them ate for a while, Liu Yan announced she would be taking Lin Wen away overnight, praising her natural talent and limitless potential.

"Hey, let me ask you something," Liu Yan suddenly said while Yang Jiekai was driving them to the airport.

"Go ahead."

"Are you interested in entering the entertainment industry?" Liu Yan asked seriously, looking at Yang Jiekai.

"What on earth?" Yang Jiekai nearly choked. He couldn't believe someone wanted him to join the entertainment world.

Liu Yan said sternly, "The piano piece you played earlier—it could stand out even in top international competitions. If..."

"Enough with the 'ifs'!" Knowing that Liu Yan was not only a celebrity but also ran her own talent agency, Yang Jiekai realized she was trying to poach him. He laughed helplessly, "I have no interest in that. Just take good care of my little sister here."

After seeing them off at the airport, Yang Jiekai let out a long sigh, stretched his limbs, and called Qin Feng, "How did it go?"

"Done," Qin Feng replied on the other end, "The guys are keeping him busy."

Yang Jiekai nodded in satisfaction, "Don't go too far. I'm on my way."

In a basement in the eastern suburbs, a handsome young man was being beaten by a group of people. They stopped as soon as Yang Jiekai entered.

Qin Feng looked at Yang Jiekai and asked, "Brother Yang, what’s the deal with this guy? He says he’s in music."

Yang Jiekai waved his hand, signaling the group to prop the young man up. He walked over and sneered, "Zhou Kai, right? So, how was the game of hiring hitmen?"

This young man was indeed Zhou Kai. Immediately after the performance, Yang Jiekai had secretly called Qin Feng to have him abducted to the eastern suburbs. Yang Jiekai had no intention of letting the matter of Zhou Kai hiring hitmen to harm Liu Yan end so easily. Although he hadn't known her long, he found her to be a kind-hearted person and considered her a friend. If he didn't root this out, there was no telling what Zhou Kai might do next.

"Who are you!" Zhou Kai was beaten beyond recognition, but his tone remained defiant.

Yang Jiekai lit a cigarette unhurriedly and said, "Who I am doesn't matter. Just remember this: Liu Yan is my friend. Whoever dares to harm her will have to answer to me."

He continued, "I have gathered sufficient evidence of you hiring hitmen to harm her. If I hand this over to the police, you know the consequences as well as I do."

Zhou Kai scoffed, "I'm in your hands now, so do what you want. But one thing—you’d better kill me today, because otherwise, this isn't over!"

*Slap!*

Before Zhou Kai could finish, he received a heavy slap to the face. Qin Feng grabbed his chin and growled, "Kid, don't be arrogant. Don't think I don't dare take your life!"

Zhou Kai glared at Qin Feng and sneered, "You’re Qin Feng, right? I’ve got you memorized. You’d better not let me walk out of here today, because if you do, I will surely be your nightmare in the future!"

"Screw your mother!" Qin Feng, enraged, lunged forward and unleashed a flurry of punches.

Yang Jiekai waved for Qin Feng to stop and looked at Zhou Kai, "Zhou Kai, remember this: I’m letting you go today, but that doesn't mean I don't dare to kill you. If there’s a next time, I won't even give you the chance to regret it!"

After releasing Zhou Kai, Qin Feng asked in confusion, "The guy’s got such a foul mouth, why let him go so easily?"

Yang Jiekai exhaled a long cloud of smoke and said, "What else? Dig a hole and bury him alive?"

Yang Jiekai let Zhou Kai go because he simply didn't take him seriously; he felt a lesson was enough and there was no need to take a life. However, Yang Jiekai never expected that the man was right about one thing: years later, he would indeed become a nightmare for Yang Jiekai and his associates, and Yang Jiekai would nearly die at his hands. But those were stories for another time.

Back then, whenever Yang Jiekai chatted with people, he would often say, "I truly regret not finishing that kid off back then!"

Several days passed without any major waves, and life was as calm as water. Yang Jiekai spent his days living in leisure, feeling that life was incredibly blissful. One day, on a whim, he prepared a large table of his signature dishes, intending to treat his workaholic wife to a happy dinner.

However, he noticed that Han Ning was listless, not even touching her favorite stir-fried chicken with green peppers.

"Wife, what’s wrong? You seem unhappy."

Yang Jiekai picked up a piece of chicken and put it in her bowl, but Han Ning didn't pick up her chopsticks. She sighed deeply and headed upstairs without a word.

Her strange behavior left Yang Jiekai puzzled, so he asked her sister, Han Wei, who looked just as drained, "Little sister-in-law, what’s wrong with your sister? Did I offend her somehow?"

Han Wei listlessly poked at her rice and sighed, "It’s nothing to do with you. The company is in a bit of trouble."

"What kind of trouble could make her this anxious?" Yang Jiekai knew Han Ning well; running a company always brought challenges, but she was highly capable and usually handled problems with ease. He rarely saw her like this.

"The company launched a new website and invested a huge amount of capital, but shortly after it went live, it was attacked by someone with an unknown identity. The site is a complete mess now. If we can't solve this, all the hard work and money we've poured in will go down the drain..." Han Wei glanced at Yang Jiekai and sighed, "Ugh, why am I telling you this? You wouldn't understand anyway."

Yang Jiekai curled his lip in dissatisfaction, "What’s there to understand? It’s just that your website got hacked!"

"I suppose so!" Han Wei put down her chopsticks and stretched. "I’m not talking to you anymore; I need to go upstairs and discuss how to solve this with my sister."

"Wait!" Yang Jiekai suddenly called out to her as she reached the stairs, confused, "Why are you so miserable over something like that? Just hire a few hackers to handle it."

Han Wei gave him a listless glare, "If only it were that simple!"

With that, she headed upstairs. Yang Jiekai was completely baffled. Was a website hack really worth such misery? Couldn't they just use some technical measures to fix it?

After thinking for a moment, Yang Jiekai put down his chopsticks, "Mother Wang, I’m full."

"Sir, you’ve eaten so little. Have some more!" Mother Wang looked at Han Ning and Han Wei’s state with a heavy heart, unable to help.

Yang Jiekai saw her concern and smiled, "Don't worry, Mother Wang. My wife’s troubles are my own. I’m going upstairs to help her solve this."