Chapter 164 Settling Accounts

The Chen family's grand hall was utterly silent.

Everyone was waiting for the old master of the Chen family to respond.

The old master's face was flushed red with fury. Under normal circumstances, he would have already started cursing.

Yet, he knew that in the current situation, if he truly dared to curse, Hong Yu might spare him for Lin Shuyu's sake, but the top tycoons from Hannan were a different story entirely.

Even if they let him off due to his advanced age, he still had children, grandchildren, and relatives. These Hannan tycoons wouldn't even need to lift a finger; a single glance from them would be enough to plunge the Chen family into eternal damnation.

"Xiaoyu, this really cannot be blamed on your grandfather." At this moment, Chen Jianwei could no longer hold back and stepped forward to speak on behalf of the old master.

Hong Yu was stunned for a moment, then pointed at himself. "Are you talking to me?"

Chen Jianwei offered a bitter smile. "Of course."

"Heh." Hong Yu sneered coldly. "If I remember correctly, Uncle, this seems to be the first time you've ever addressed me like that."

"Don't think for a second that I am oblivious to everything."

"Haven't you all always assumed that I am nothing more than a worthless, live-in son-in-law, a mere bumpkin?"

"Insulting me was one thing, but you even thought that Shuyu lacked ambition and had degraded herself by marrying a good-for-nothing like me and refusing to divorce me."

"Perhaps, ever since we arrived in Huaizhou, you both felt that Shuyu and I had no business attending Grandfather's birthday banquet, and that our presence would only bring disgrace upon you, am I right?"

"Since that is the case, Shuyu and I will no longer linger here. You can all continue entertaining yourselves."

Having said that, Hong Yu spoke softly to Lin Shuyu, "Shuyu, wish Grandfather a happy birthday."

Lin Shuyu was momentarily dazed.

She had never heard Hong Yu speak in such a manner. Swept up by his emotion and righteous anger, she bowed slightly toward the old master without a second thought.

Hong Yu nodded, looked solemnly at the old master, and said, "Grandfather, I also wish you a happy birthday."

"This is the first, and also the last time, that I, Hong Yu, your granddaughter's husband, will offer you birthday greetings."

"From this day forward, I will never set foot in the Chen family residence again, lest I displease everyone."

"Take care."

Hong Yu's words were resonant and powerful, every syllable sharp as a blade, making the hair on the backs of everyone present stand on end.

True to his word, after finishing his piece, Hong Yu refused to stay a moment longer in the Chen family home, took Lin Shuyu by the hand, and turned to leave.

***

At this moment, Hong Yu radiated an overwhelming aura. Led away by the hand, Lin Shuyu followed him out of the Chen family estate without uttering a single word.

Back in the main hall, it was so quiet that the dropping of a needle could be heard.

Everyone, including the top tycoons from Hannan, stared in stunned silence at the departing figures of Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu.

The old master of the Chen family finally lost his last ounce of strength and collapsed heavily to the floor.

Dai Yanqiu and Chen Shufen, who had previously acted with such arrogant haughtiness, did not dare to make a sound, while Chen Jianwei wore a ghastly expression of fury, yet ultimately lacked the courage to speak.

They all knew that Hong Yu was truly enraged this time.

Indeed, putting oneself in his shoes, anyone else in Hong Yu's position would have been furious, and most likely would not have maintained their composure for nearly as long as he had.

From the very beginning—when the old master unreasoningly shielded Chen Shufen and insisted that she and Dai Yanqiu were the ones who had purchased the ginseng—the enmity had already been cast in stone.

Furthermore, as time went on, the members of the Chen family had only grown more outrageous.

Those insults were so vile that even the guests invited by the Chen family found them excessive. With so many incidents piling up together, even a clay Buddha would catch fire, let alone a living man like Hong Yu.

Yet, despite his immense anger, Hong Yu had still preserved a shred of dignity for the old master at the very end.

However, while Hong Yu showed restraint for Lin Shuyu's sake, the others had no intention of letting it go.

Those top tycoons from Hannan had been hanging on Hong Yu's every word.

The moment they saw Hong Yu leave, the Hannan tycoons, led by Liang Zhanpeng, strode with grim, iron-colored faces toward the members of the Chen family.

Liang Zhanpeng sneered, "So you're the old master of the Chen family? Before I came here, I thought you were a kind-hearted elder. But look at you—tsk, tsk, what an utterly shameless face you have!"

"Mr. Hong condescending to marry your granddaughter is a blessing accumulated over eighteen generations of your humble lineage's ancestors."

"Yet you had no appreciation for it whatsoever, and even joined forces with the fools of your family to target Mr. Hong. I heard that not only did you insult him, but you also expected him to kneel and apologize in front of all these people?"

"Brilliant! What an almighty capability!"

"I, Liang Zhanpeng, am telling you right now: Mr. Hong has bestowed immense grace upon the Liang family. To humiliate him in this manner is to humiliate the Liang family!"

"Mr. Hong is merciful and benevolent enough to forgive you, but I, Liang Zhanpeng, certainly will not!"

Liang Zhanpeng suddenly turned to face the assembled guests of the Chen family and proclaimed in a booming voice, "Starting today, the Chen family shall not be allowed to retain even a single inch of footing in Huaizhou. Everyone, make sure my words are passed on."

This...

Liang Zhanpeng's declaration struck the Chen family like a thunderbolt from the blue. Their minds went utterly blank, and several people collapsed limply to the ground.

***

The faces of the old master and Chen Jianwei turned instantly pale.

Just who was Liang Zhanpeng? He was the absolute authority in Huaizhou whose word was law!

The moment he issued such a decree, it was equivalent to a death sentence for the Chen family, with immediate execution.

The Chen family still had numerous younger generations. If they were continuously targeted by Liang Zhanpeng, those youngsters' futures would be completely ruined for life.

Upon hearing Liang Zhanpeng's words, Chen Shufen and Dai Yanqiu breathed a silent sigh of relief.

It was true that they owned businesses in Huaizhou, but two years ago they had already shifted their operational focus. Neighboring cities were now the primary hubs of their development.

"Boss Liang, take a look at those two individuals over there." Shen Chong suddenly interjected.

Following the direction of Shen Chong's finger, Liang Zhanpeng's gaze landed upon Chen Shufen and Dai Yanqiu.

Catching Liang Zhanpeng's glare, the couple felt their hearts skip a beat, and they hurriedly lowered their heads.

"Boss Liang, those are the two culprits."

"As for that fellow, his primary backer is none other than the head butler of your own household."

"Earlier, they heaped every conceivable insult upon Mr. Hong. Relying on your butler as their backing, their arrogance was so boundless that even I found it hard to match."

Shen Chong chimed in with sarcastic tones. Liang Zhanpeng's face alternated between pale and flushed; he looked as though he were on the verge of vomiting blood from pure rage.

"Damnable wretches! Xiao Chen, I'll strip the skin right off his back the moment I get home!" Liang Zhanpeng cursed viciously, a flash of murderous coldness crossing his eyes.

Previously, he had also considered dealing with Butler Xiao immediately upon returning home.

However, Butler Xiao had served him faithfully for decades and was renowned for his loyalty. Liang Zhanpeng had originally intended only to mete out a minor punishment to provide an explanation to Hong Yu.

Afterwards, his feelings toward Butler Xiao were different from those he held for ordinary servants; hadn't he even set up the Pengzhan Restaurant for Butler Xiao's son, Xiao Sa?

With a voice trembling with fury, Liang Zhanpeng demanded, "How exactly did they humiliate Mr. Hong?"

Shen Chong chuckled coldly. "They claimed Mr. Hong was a good-for-nothing, a bumpkin, and a penniless pauper. Oh, and by the way, they even had that Butler Xiao summon thugs to deal with Mr. Hong."

"Fortunately, Mr. Hong possesses peerless martial arts prowess; otherwise, they truly would have succeeded in humiliating him today."

As Shen Chong's words reached the ears of Chen Shufen and Dai Yanqiu, the pair burst into tears on the spot.