At the summit of Cloud Peak, Yang Chen had just finished showering when his phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up—it was Qin Xi. This was the first time she had ever called him.
Yang Chen quickly answered, "Xi—"
Before he could finish, Qin Xi's panicked voice cut in, "Yang Chen, Xiao Yi's been kidnapped! Please, you have to save her!"
After receiving the call from Sun Tian, Qin Xi had been at a complete loss. The first person who came to mind was Yang Chen.
"Don't panic. I'll go find her right now. Tell me everything you know."
As he spoke, Yang Chen swiftly dressed and walked out of the villa. Qin Xi relayed everything she had heard from Sun Tian without missing a single detail.
"Ma Chao, come with me!"
A black Volkswagen Phaeton roared out of the driveway. Ma Chao was behind the wheel while Yang Chen sat in the back seat, his expression icy.
Ma Chao, driving, couldn't help but shiver at the chilling aura. He spoke up, "Brother Chen, where are we heading?"
"The Qin family," Yang Chen replied coldly.
Meanwhile, in a VIP room at a large nightclub, a lecherous bald man eyed a drunken woman sprawled on the sofa with lustful anticipation.
The woman was Qin Yi, who had just been kidnapped. Sitting across from the bald man was a young man in his thirties.
"You're really a despicable bastard, even targeting your own cousin," the bald man said with a mix of disdain and amusement.
Qin Fei gritted his teeth. "She brought this on herself for being so stubborn. Once I get those compromising photos, she'll have no choice but to obey."
The bald man laughed. "Fine, fine. She's mine tonight."
Qin Fei's expression darkened. "Brother Xiong, I still need her. You can have her for just an hour. But once you've had your way with her, she'll be yours from then on, right?"
His plan was to use the photos to force Qin Yi into begging the Su family for mercy. If the bald man kept her all night, his efforts would be wasted.
"Kid, does this woman have some kind of background?" The bald man narrowed his eyes.
Qin Fei felt a pang of guilt. In his mind, Qin Yi was the woman the Su family had taken a liking to. He quickly shook his head. "Brother Xiong, don't worry. If she really had any connections, would our family patriarch have kicked her out?"
The bald man thought it over and nodded. "Fine. Now get out. Don't waste my time."
Qin Fei bowed obsequiously and left. "Brother Xiong, don't forget to take a video."
Once Qin Fei was gone, the bald man licked his lips and reached for Qin Yi. "Here I come, sweetheart!"
"Bleurgh—"
At that moment, Qin Yi suddenly vomited all over herself.
The stench of alcohol and half-digested food filled the room.
"Dammit!" The bald man cursed and immediately called for two female attendants. "Clean this up, now! Don't ruin my night!"
Back at the Qin residence, the Qin family patriarch sat alone in his room, brooding. After returning from Qin Xi's place, he had tried reaching out to old friends, but none would even see him.
"Is the Qin family really doomed?"
The old man's face twisted with resentment. "It's all because of that bitch Qin Yi! If she hadn't refused to beg the Su family, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Just then, a commotion erupted outside his room, sounding like a fight.
Furious, the patriarch stormed out. "What the hell is going on? Don't you know—"
His words died in his throat as he gaped at the scene before him.
A dozen of the family's elite bodyguards—hired at great expense from across the country—lay unconscious on the ground. Only two figures stood: one familiar, one unfamiliar.
"You worthless trash!" the patriarch spat, his face darkening.
Yang Chen strode toward him, while Ma Chao remained in place, keeping a vigilant eye on the fallen guards.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew past as Yang Chen appeared in front of the patriarch in an instant, gripping his throat.
The old man's face turned purple as he struggled to breathe.
"If anything happens to Qin Yi, I'll wipe out the entire Qin family," Yang Chen said with murderous intent.
With that, he flung the patriarch aside like a ragdoll. The old man crashed to the ground several meters away, coughing violently.
The Qin family members watched in stunned silence. Even the elderly weren't spared?
"Y-You dare lay hands on me?" the patriarch wheezed, his face contorted with rage.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Yang Chen walked toward him, then planted a foot on the old man's chest. "Lay hands on you? I'll kill you if I have to. Believe me?"
As Yang Chen spoke, he applied pressure, making the patriarch feel as though his ribs would cave in. For the first time, he realized Yang Chen truly meant it.
"Call Qin Fei now. Tell him to bring Qin Yi back. If I don't see her within ten minutes, prepare to collect his corpse." Yang Chen removed his foot.
As much as he wanted to kill the old man, he was still Qin Xi's grandfather.
"You piece of trash! If you dare lay a finger on my son—" a middle-aged woman shrieked.
Yang Chen's eyes narrowed. "Slap her."
Crack!
Before anyone could react, Ma Chao backhanded the woman so hard she spun and collapsed, unconscious.
Silence.
Yang Chen had just assaulted an elderly man, and now his subordinate had knocked out a woman without hesitation.
What they didn't know was that both Yang Chen and Ma Chao had held back significantly.
"Nine minutes left," Yang Chen said coldly, checking his watch.
The patriarch finally understood Yang Chen wasn't joking. Trembling, he dialed Qin Fei's number.
"What the hell did you do to Qin Yi? If you don't bring her back unharmed in nine minutes, you're dead!" the patriarch roared into the phone.
Qin Fei gritted his teeth. "Grandfather, I'm about to complete the mission you gave me. Qin Yi can't leave yet."
"You idiot! I order you to bring her back now!" the patriarch bellowed.
Though he didn't know the details, Qin Fei's words told him Qin Yi was in grave danger.
Yang Chen's actions had already surpassed his worst fears. If Qin Yi came to harm, not only would the Qin family be destroyed, but he himself might be killed.
A deep sense of dread settled over him. Was this really the same useless son-in-law he'd despised?
Qin Fei insisted, "Grandfather, Qin Yi is at First Mansion. Even by plane, it's impossible to get her back in nine minutes. The mission is almost complete. Just let me handle it—you'll be satisfied."
With that, he hung up.
"Hello? Hello!" The patriarch's shouts went unanswered.
"Seems your grandson has a death wish. Fine, I'll grant it," Yang Chen said, his voice laced with killing intent.
The patriarch paled. "No! Yang Chen, please spare him!"
He was truly desperate. Qin Fei was his only grandson—the sole male heir to the Qin bloodline. If he died, the family line would end.
He could tell Yang Chen wasn't bluffing.
"Then pray Qin Yi is unharmed." Yang Chen turned to leave.
"Wait!"
The patriarch suddenly remembered something. "Qin Fei said Qin Yi is at First Mansion. Normally, it's a twenty-minute drive, but at night with little traffic, you could make it in ten if you speed."
"Ma Chao, drive!" Yang Chen ordered.
The black Phaeton tore through the streets like a shadowy bolt of lightning.
An eight-minute drive later, the car screeched to a halt outside First Mansion.
The tires smoked as the car drifted to a perfect stop at the entrance.