Chapter 20

The taste of the cigarette burning from his mouth down to his throat was unbearable, but fortunately, it was extinguished by the gastric juices once it reached his stomach. It felt as if a small blade had sliced his throat from top to bottom, causing a burning pain. However, this pain was not unbearable and could be tolerated. The real torment would come in the short term when eating would become a form of torture.

Ning Lan and the long-legged beauty watched in shock, both unable to suppress a shudder.

As soon as Lin Zixian let go, Gao Yunliang immediately clutched his stomach and vomited, expelling a foul-smelling liquid along with the extinguished cigarette butt.

The dazed henchmen on the ground finally came to their senses, and someone shouted, "Save Brother Liang!"

Those who could stand up picked up their weapons and charged over.

A steel pipe flew over, and Lin Zixian casually grabbed it, snatching the pipe from the other person in the blink of an eye. He kicked out, and the sound of ribs breaking echoed. The man who charged in screamed and flew backward.

Lin Zixian's steel pipe quickly swept out, striking outstretched hands and legs. The sound of bones breaking filled the air, and the group who charged in all fell down. They lay on the ground, howling like ghosts, some clutching their arms and others their legs.

This clean and swift scene frightened Gao Yunliang so much that his face turned pale, and he stopped vomiting. He finally realized the gap between his gang of small-time hooligans and the other person, recognizing that they were not in the same league. Terrified, he took a step back.

Lin Zixian reached out and grabbed the rings in Gao Yunliang's ear, pulling him back. Blood immediately trickled down his ear.

"Ow..." Gao Yunliang clutched his ear, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.

"Who is Dong Jiaoyun to you?" Lin Zixian asked calmly, still holding Gao Yunliang's ear. The steel pipe in his other hand moved to Gao Yunliang's groin, as if ready to render him childless if his answer was unsatisfactory.

Gao Yunliang screamed in fear, "She's my mother, Dong Jiaoyun is my mother... I couldn't see the mountain for the trees, Brother, please let me off, I won't dare again..."

Lin Zixian nodded slightly, looking as if he had expected this, and said calmly, "Extend your left hand."

"Brother, I really won't dare again..." Gao Yunliang's legs trembled, and if not for Lin Zixian holding his ear, he would have knelt down to beg for mercy.

Lin Zixian raised an eyebrow, and the steel pipe moved between Gao Yunliang's legs. Gao Yunliang immediately cried out, "No!" and quickly extended his left hand.

The steel pipe whistled through the air and struck his wrist. Gao Yunliang screamed and fell to the ground, rolling and clutching his wrist.

Lin Zixian threw the steel pipe, walked to Gao Yunliang's car, and grabbed some tissues from the window to wipe the blood from his hands. He said slowly, "You all look so weak, you can't even stand. Instead of studying hard at school, you come out to play pretend. Since you haven't gone too far down the wrong path, I'll let you off with a light punishment today. If I catch you again, there will be no mercy."

After wiping his hands, he threw the blood-soaked tissues back into the car and shouted, "Get lost!"

The group struggled to their feet, some discovering their limbs were broken. Thinking of how they couldn't face their parents and families, they began to cry. They were just young men who usually bullied others and fought small battles, finding it glamorous. They had never seen real bloodshed and didn't have the ability to handle it.

This lesson left a deep impression on them, more so than any teacher, police officer, or even their parents could. From that day on, most of them turned their lives around for the better.

Lin Zixian had seen that these were just inexperienced young men and had only given them a light lesson. Otherwise, they would not have survived. For Lin Zixian, killing a dozen people was no big deal.

Soon, the group that had come with such bravado left behind their weapons and pools of blood, climbing into their cars with broken limbs. It was a testament to their determination that they managed to drive away.

The security guards of the Ivory Coast had arrived when Lin Zixian was forcing the cigarette into Gao Yunliang's mouth, but they had nothing to do by the time they got there, as the incident was already over.

Now that the matter was settled, the long-legged beauty glanced angrily at the mess on the ground, took out her phone to call the police, but Lin Zixian grabbed her hand and shook his head, saying, "Don't call the police!"

The long-legged beauty was puzzled. Ning Lan remembered that Lin Zixian had mentioned before that his identity made it inconvenient to deal with the police, so she also shook her head, signaling not to call.

The long-legged beauty, still confused, put away her phone and led the two into the elevator. Soon, she brought them to a luxurious suite on the upper floor. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see ships sailing on the sea at night, the night view was enchanting and beautiful.

With no outsiders around, the long-legged beauty took a good look at Lin Zixian, nudging Ning Lan and smiling, "Lanlan, who is this? Not bad, huh?"

Lin Zixian glanced at her short skirt, which was split to her buttocks, and replied casually, "Not bad at all."

The long-legged beauty followed his gaze and realized she had exposed herself, blushing and turning to cover the split side.

Ning Lan glanced at her, recalling the scene where her own skirt had been torn by someone, and said with a smile, "This is my kept man. What do you think, not bad, right?"

"Ah!" The long-legged beauty gasped, looking at Ning Lan in disbelief, "Your kept man, really?"

"Of course," Ning Lan said, unable to suppress a giggle.

Lin Zixian looked embarrassed and quickly extended his hand, saying, "Hello, I'm Lin Zixian, Deputy Director of the Security Department at Minghua Group, and Ning Lan's colleague."

"..." The long-legged beauty looked suspiciously between the two, shook his hand, and said, "Hello, I'm Meng Zidan, Lanlan's college classmate."

Ning Lan added, "She's also the General Manager of this six-star hotel, just like our General Manager Qiao, both are well-known businesswomen in Donghai."

"Stop it, you brat, teasing me. Qiao Yun manages the vast Minghua Group and is the top beauty in Donghai. How can I compare to her?" Meng Zidan playfully pushed Ning Lan, revealing their close relationship.

She then adjusted her skirt, feeling awkward, and said, "You two sit down, I'll go change." She then walked into the bedroom, limping slightly.

Lin Zixian sat on the sofa and asked curiously, "Qiao Yun is the top beauty in Donghai? Is that a thing?"

Ning Lan sat beside him and smiled faintly, "With so many people in Donghai, who can guarantee who is the top beauty? It's just something some bored people came up with. General Manager Qiao is indeed called the top beauty in Donghai, but in the national high society, she ranks third on the list of the top ten beauties. Of course, to make the list, one must have a certain family background. No matter how beautiful an ordinary person is, they don't have the qualifications to be on the list. Who knows who you are?"

"The top ten beauties list?" Lin Zixian chuckled, suddenly interested, and asked with bright eyes, "Tell me, who are the top ten beauties in the national high society?"

"What? Are you interested? I told you, you're already my kept man, no funny business," Ning Lan pouted, pretending to be upset.

"Uh..." Lin Zixian was speechless. Why did she keep bringing this up? He cleared his throat and said, "I was just curious, asking out of interest."

Ning Lan huffed and said, "Didn't you just meet one of them?"

Lin Zixian was taken aback and asked, "You mean your classmate Meng Zidan?"

"What? Don't you think she fits the description?" Ning Lan crossed her arms and said coldly, "Don't look at how Zidan manages the Ivory Coast, which is smaller than Minghua Group. She is the daughter of the Meng family in Beijing, a true aristocrat. The Meng family's assets are several times those of Minghua Group, and the Ivory Coast is just a branch of the Meng family. Zidan ranks seventh on the national top ten beauties list. Impressed, huh?"

"Don't listen to Lanlan's nonsense, it's just some bored people's pranks," Meng Zidan said, walking out of the bedroom in a simple white qipao. Her ample chest and the legs revealed by the qipao's slit were truly captivating, making Lin Zixian momentarily dazed.

Meng Zidan sat beside Ning Lan, exuding a fragrant aroma, and said with a smile, "Top ten beauties or not, one of the top ten handsome men is coming here for dinner later."

"Uh... There are top ten handsome men too?" Lin Zixian was surprised and asked, "Also from high society?"

Ning Lan nodded and turned to ask, "Who is coming for dinner?"

Meng Zidan looked at Ning Lan, her eyes twinkling, and said with a meaningful smile, "The sixth-ranked handsome man, Zheng Longqing!"

"It's him?" Ning Lan's face changed, and Meng Zidan nodded slightly, "He has a reservation for tonight, apparently to entertain some guests."

Lin Zixian was curious and asked, "Is there a problem with him?" Ning Lan's face darkened, and she clenched her teeth, "He's the president of Shengqing Group!"

Lin Zixian understood; it was the person with powerful backing who was causing trouble behind the scenes. No wonder Ning Lan reacted this way. Meng Zidan glanced at the two and said with a smile, "What happened in the underground parking lot? Why didn't you let me call the police?"

Ning Lan frowned and looked at Lin Zixian, asking, "How did you know they were related to Dong Jiaoyun?"

Lin Zixian leaned back on the sofa and chuckled, "I'm new here in Donghai and don't have many enemies. The only person I've offended is Dong Jiaoyun. Didn't you notice that the red-haired, green-eyed guy looks a lot like Dong Jiaoyun?"