Chapter Four: Fair Trade, Honesty for All

"Ling Feng..." Chu Biyue's face paled in fright, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a confused light. Inwardly, she thought it was all over—Chen Mingsheng was not someone to cross lightly.

The Chu family, though fairly well-off in Jiangzhou, with assets worth tens of millions, and her two sisters both married well, could easily produce a few million at will. Yet compared with a local big shot like Chen Mingsheng, they were nothing. Ling Feng had truly caused a disaster this time.

"Who the hell is this idiot, daring to hit my men?" Chen Mingsheng cocked his head, looking over to Li Shishi and He Pianpian.

Li Shishi replied with a seductive smile, her voice charming as she said, "Ha, Mr. Chen, why not give him a chance? Do it for Biyue's sake. You might not know, but this guy is Biyue's live-in husband. If you were to kill him, wouldn't that affect your relationship with her? Besides, he's not even worthy of dying by your hand."

She then folded her arms, looked down at Ling Feng and tipped her chin at him. "It's fine, don't be afraid. Just go apologize. For the sake of your wife and me, Mr. Chen definitely won't pursue the matter. Go on, kneel before Mr. Chen and beg him properly."

"You really have no idea what you're getting into," Ling Feng said with a wry smile. Some people, even if you wanted to spare their lives, it wouldn't be easy.

"You... Mr. Chen, I wash my hands of this idiot. Do what you will," Li Shishi said, her expression changing, acting as if she had nothing to do with it.

"Haha, I thought he was some big shot, but turns out he's just a worthless country bumpkin. Kid, you're in luck—our boss has taken a fancy to your wife. From now on, you can bask in her glory. As long as she serves our boss well, you'll be eating and drinking well too," one of Chen Mingsheng's men jeered.

"Exactly. If your wife gets to sleep with our boss, that's an honor for your family. You can brag about it everywhere you go. Better thank our boss now," another chimed in, and the group burst into laughter.

"Oh? And how exactly do you want me to thank you?"

The mocking laughter abruptly stopped as the two who had just spoken suddenly screamed, their jaws dislocated, then both were slammed against the wall by a pair of large hands and slid down unconscious. On the surface, they only seemed knocked out, but they were already dead.

Ling Feng didn't want Chu Biyue to witness a gory scene, so he withdrew immediately. Otherwise, with his nature as a war god and killer, he would have exterminated these ants already.

"Uh!" Chen Mingsheng froze for a second, then grinned crookedly. He hadn't expected this useless son-in-law to have any skills at all. It had been days since he'd killed anyone, and he was feeling bored. This kid must have realized it and offered himself up as entertainment. He almost wanted to thank Ling Feng.

Sometimes, tormenting people was even more enjoyable than women.

"Seize him!" Chen Mingsheng said nonchalantly, crossing his legs.

At his command, seven or eight of his men surrounded Ling Feng, ready to make him beg for death. But Chen Mingsheng wasn't in a rush. He dragged a chair to the door, sat down, and watched Ling Feng with interest, as though he were a mouse under a cat's paw.

Sometimes, fear breaks a person more than death. Killing the weak outright is a reward. Forcing them to break down inch by inch in despair and terror, to wail and beg on their knees—that is the apex of bullying.

Yet as he watched, Chen Mingsheng suddenly grew angry. He leapt from his chair—damn it, this guy wasn't afraid at all! He even dared to meet his gaze, and worse, Chen Mingsheng realized he himself felt intimidated by those eyes... To be so "offended" by an ant—it was a humiliation beyond belief.

"I'm Chen Mingsheng of Jiangzhou—aren't you even the least bit afraid?"

"Master, allow me to..." Chen Mingsheng hadn't finished yelling before the box's door opened. Huo Du entered, holding two bottles of '82 wine, a polite smile on his face. The moment he saw the scene before him, his expression turned green.

"Are you all out of your damn minds, daring to lay hands on—"

"Exactly! This kid must have a death wish, daring to hit my men," Chen Mingsheng said, licking his lips. "Mr. Huo, you've come at just the right time. It's not that I, Chen Mingsheng, am stirring trouble in your place, but this kid struck my men first. Don't worry, I'll handle him for you."

Though Chen Mingsheng was cocky, he was only second-tier in Jiangzhou. He couldn't afford to offend someone like Huo Du, a member of Jiangdong's top family, so he hurried to shift all blame onto Ling Feng.

Li Shishi and He Pianpian were inwardly thrilled. Who in Jiangzhou hadn't heard of Huo Du? He was from the Huo family's side branch—an enormous figure. Even Sun Fu, the legendary Mr. Sun, was only his peer. And to think he personally came to serve Mr. Chen wine—what an honor!

Chen Mingsheng was thinking the same. He was a major client at this club, spending millions every year. So it wasn't impossible for Huo Du to serve him wine. After all, if not him, then who? That useless son-in-law? The thought made him feel even prouder—Mr. Huo was really giving him face today.

"To hell with your whole family!"

Who would have expected Huo Du to slap him hard across the face, then smash a bottle over his head, then another.

Those two bottles, each worth more than half a million, were shattered as mere weapons.

Chen Mingsheng was stunned by the beating, but didn't dare retaliate, clutching his bleeding head and stumbling back in terror. "Mr. Huo, why? I’m your best customer..."

"Customer my ass! You dare ask why? You almost got me killed! Do you even know whom you've offended? This is—"

"Oh, I'm Chen Heibai's driver," Ling Feng interrupted blandly, coughing and giving his wife, Chu Biyue, a slight smile.

She was completely bewildered. What? Chen Heibai's driver? Had Ling Feng lost his mind in the car accident? How could he possibly be the richest man in Jiangzhou’s driver? He'd only just woken up today!

Though she hadn't visited him in the hospital, she'd heard plenty from her mother, Lin Fang, and her two sisters about Ling Feng's condition. They all said he was faking it, but even so, there was no way he could have found such a good job so quickly—unless it was arranged before the accident.

But Chu Biyue had never heard of him having a driver's license! She’d known him three years, never seen him touch a steering wheel. Of course, the Chu family would never let him drive their cars anyway.

While she was lost in thought, a flash of terror passed through Huo Du's eyes. Damn, he’d almost revealed his master's identity. That was a capital offense according to the family rules. He hurried to swallow and play along, "Yes, exactly! He’s Mr. Chen’s personal driver. Is that someone you can afford to offend? Who do you think you are?"

Everyone knew Chen Heibai was the richest man in Jiangzhou, with a mysterious background. People like Chen Mingsheng weren't qualified to shine his shoes. So why did Huo Du’s words sound so odd?

What the hell!

Chen Heibai's driver—what kind of existence is that!

A mere driver—what the hell is that supposed to mean?

Seeing the look in Chen Mingsheng's eyes, even Huo Du felt a little awkward. "In any case, Mr. Ling is my most honored guest. If anyone offends him, I’ll never tolerate it."

What the hell! If you want to curry favor with Chen Heibai, this isn’t the way. Why flatter a driver? At least go for his female secretary!

Chen Mingsheng was furious but dared not speak, nearly fainting from rage.

A driver is just a driver, no matter whose it is.

"Mr. Huo, isn’t he just a broke driver? Aren’t you overreacting? You hit me over him? I’m still your best customer..."

"Customer my ass!" Huo Du had decided to cut all pretense, stepping up to Ling Feng and respectfully asking, "Mr. Ling, should I take care of Chen Mingsheng for you?"

Damn! Chen Mingsheng’s head spun. Had Huo Du lost his mind?

Ling Feng shook his head.

Huo Du pressed, "Then how would you like to deal with him?"

"Deal with him? Someone as impressive as Mr. Chen is beyond my reach. In fact, I just wanted to do some business with him. How about this, Mr. Chen—I’ll lend you one hundred million now. According to your own rules, I’ll deduct the interest up front and hand you five hundred yuan. No rush to pay me back; just give it to me by noon tomorrow. But by then, with tomorrow’s interest, you’ll owe me two hundred million. Isn’t this a fair deal?"

Ling Feng smiled calmly, pulled five wrinkled bills from his pocket, and slapped them onto Chen Mingsheng’s face. The cash fluttered to the floor. Chen Mingsheng clenched his teeth in fury, but in front of Huo Du, he dared not make a scene.

"Fair trade, honest business," Huo Du declared with a thumbs up. "Mr. Ling, I admire your character!"

"This five hundred..." Chu Biyue recognized it at once—it was the allowance she’d given Ling Feng that morning for the whole month.

He’d even been scolded by her mother for it, and then had his accident.