Chapter 81

081

The next morning, when Yang Chen arrived at the office with a large bag of breakfast, the office was much noisier than usual. A group of beautifully dressed, fragrantly scented office ladies gathered around the bulletin board, looking at a new announcement and chatting excitedly.

Yang Chen felt a bit down that no one came to welcome him with the breakfast, so he curiously walked over to take a look. It turned out to be an announcement about a team vacation.

Yulei International was known for its generous benefits, organizing annual trips for employees to various places. These trips were meant to relax the employees and promote team harmony.

Zhang Cai, her face flushed with excitement, saw Yang Chen approaching and patted his chest, laughing, "Yang Chen, look! There are so many choices for this year's trip. I can't decide where to go!"

Yang Chen carefully read the options on the announcement. They were indeed diverse, ranging from domestic routes like Yunnan, Northwest China, and the Pearl River Delta, to international destinations like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. The cost varied depending on the destination, so the trips were organized in batches with different financial adjustments. Any leftover funds from the trips would be given to employees as bonuses.

"What are you choosing?" Yang Chen asked.

"Of course, Japan! It's winter, and we can go to Hokkaido to see the snow. How romantic!" a young woman said excitedly.

"I want to go to South Korea! Maybe I'll meet a handsome celebrity."

"I bet you're going for plastic surgery! Haha..."

"Shut up..."

The group of women laughed and playfully teased each other.

Liu Mingyu smiled and asked with interest, "Yang Chen, where do you want to go? You have to choose, it's a team activity, and not participating will make you unpopular."

"Well..." Yang Chen hadn't planned to go. After all, he had only been back in the country for half a year and didn't feel like traveling abroad again. But hearing that it might upset the ladies, he awkwardly smiled and said, "Wherever you go, I'll go. I think domestic destinations are fine. There's no point in going far. Our country has the best scenery."

"Hmph," Zhao Hongyan wrinkled her nose, "You say that because you've been abroad. We rarely travel, and we don't even fly often."

"Exactly, exactly. Follow us and help us carry our bags," Zhang Cai said excitedly, clapping her hands and then happily running off to get breakfast.

Just as the office was buzzing with discussion, Mo Qianyi, dressed in a neat light gray suit, suddenly walked in. Her slender figure was accentuated by a short skirt and white stockings, and she carried a white lady's briefcase. Wearing silver-rimmed glasses, her face was cold and stern, exuding a strong aura of a powerful woman.

The office instantly fell silent, and the female employees timidly returned to their seats, quietly glancing at their boss.

Mo Qianyi walked in, her high heels clicking, and said slowly, "The vacation is in winter, and whether you get to go depends on your work performance. Don't say I didn't warn you..."

Only after Mo Qianyi entered the office did the ladies start whispering to each other.

"The minister seems to be in a bad mood lately."

"Maybe it's the work pressure. Being a vice president isn't easy."

"Could it be early menopause?"

"Shh... be careful they don't hear!"

Yang Chen was a bit surprised. It seemed Mo Qianyi had been visiting Lin Ruoxi less often lately, and today she hadn't even taken breakfast from his table. She must have a lot on her mind.

...

In the evening, just as the workday ended, Yang Chen was hesitating whether to visit the Lao Li family. He hadn't been in touch with them recently and missed Li Jingjing. He wondered if she had been harassed by Jiang Shuo at school. Before he could call, Aunt Wang called.

"Son-in-law, there are guests looking for you," Aunt Wang said on the phone.

"Guests? Who are they?" Yang Chen didn't remember knowing anyone who knew his address.

Aunt Wang hesitated, "I don't know, but they don't seem like bad people. They look quite respectable, but they speak a bit harshly."

"More than one person?" Yang Chen was even more puzzled.

"Son-in-law, you'd better come back and see for yourself," Aunt Wang clearly didn't know what was going on.

When Yang Chen drove home, he saw two black Passats parked at the villa's entrance. Notably, the license plates were 0007 and 0008, with red characters that stood out. Although Yang Chen wasn't very familiar with domestic departments, he knew these cars had official backgrounds.

Before Yang Chen could enter, several men in black suits came out of the house, their expressions stern and somewhat arrogant, with broad chests.

"Are you Mr. Yang?" a tall man asked, "Please come with us."

The tone was completely commanding, and Yang Chen naturally wasn't pleased. Commanding him? That kind of person hadn't existed in the world for ten years.

"Who are you, and where are you taking me? I'm not a child, and you can't kidnap me," Yang Chen said with a light smile.

The tall man coldly replied, "You don't need to ask these questions. Just do as we say. You have no right to question us."

"Since when did our country become a feudal or slave society? Don't you value personal freedom? Dragging me away without a reason is no different from kidnapping."

The tall man sneered, "Yang Chen, I'll ask you again, are you coming or not? Your nonsense is useless to us!"

At that moment, Aunt Wang came out of the house, seeing the scene and shouting in alarm, "How can you do this! My son-in-law isn't a criminal, why are you taking him away like this!?"

To Aunt Wang, Yang Chen was the man of the house and the pillar of support for her and Lin Ruoxi. Even if Lin Ruoxi didn't think so, Aunt Wang had long considered Yang Chen family. Seeing these people forcibly take Yang Chen away, she was naturally unwilling.

The tall man's eyes showed a hint of annoyance. He waved his hand, and one of the men in suits grabbed Aunt Wang's arms and dragged her back into the house, ignoring her cries of resistance.

Seeing this, Yang Chen's eyes narrowed. He didn't care about the background of these people or whether it would alert any hidden forces in the country. While it might cause trouble, it was far less unbearable than seeing Aunt Wang, a defenseless woman, being mistreated.

"You won't be going back today," Yang Chen said coldly, putting the car keys in his pocket.

The tall man understood Yang Chen's meaning and laughed wildly, "Yang Chen, we say 'please' because we respect you. Meeting the person who wants to see you is a great honor. To be honest, we could have arrested you as a suspect, but the person is generous and wants to meet you first. Don't be ungrateful. Just because you know a few moves doesn't make you special. To us, you're nothing!"

"You talk too much," Yang Chen said impatiently, walking toward the tall man.

The tall man's eyes flashed with anger, and he shouted, "Grab him!"

Several burly men in suits rushed at Yang Chen, trying to grab his arms with iron-like hands.

Yang Chen wouldn't let them succeed. Before their hands could touch his arms, he hooked his hands and lightly but firmly jabbed at the wrists of two of the men.

"Ouch!"

The two men couldn't react in time and felt a sharp pain in their wrists.

Before they could move again, Yang Chen spread his arms, hooked their necks, and pulled them together forcefully.

"Bang!"

Their heads collided, and they collapsed unconscious.

"Come all at once, I don't want to deal with you one by one," Yang Chen continued walking toward the tall man, his face cold but with a hint of madness.

These people had truly angered him, and the long-dormant fire in his blood was reigniting.

The tall man finally realized the situation wasn't simple. His expression turned serious, and his muscles tensed. He signaled to the others, and five or six people surrounded Yang Chen.

These men clearly had training in encirclement tactics and military martial arts, so their movements were swift and powerful, and they were highly focused and determined once in combat mode.

People often say that strength lies in numbers, but in the face of absolute power, everything is weak and powerless!

Before the encirclement was complete, Yang Chen reached out with one hand and grabbed the tall man's neck directly.

"You're thinking too simply!" The tall man, feeling insulted by Yang Chen's direct move, angrily turned and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Yang Chen's arm.

Yang Chen barely smiled, his arm not deviating at all. As he grabbed the tall man, his arm was hit by the man's shoe, but it didn't budge, still aiming for the tall man's neck.

The tall man was stunned. He knew how powerful his leg was; even a marble tile would have been broken by now!

This man! Made of iron!?

Yang Chen didn't give him time to think. In a flash, he grabbed the tall man's neck, squeezed it, and lifted him off the ground with ease, as if he were a small bird.

The other men, who were about to attack, were stunned into silence. They had expected the tall man to break Yang Chen's arm, but his powerful kick had no effect at all.

The tall man, lifted off the ground, seemed as light as a doll. He flailed his arms and legs, trying to hit Yang Chen, but Yang Chen tightened his grip, making the tall man's breathing difficult, his face pale and sweating, unable to resist any longer.

"I'll give you back that line. To me, you're nothing..."