Chapter 158 I'm a Civilized Man
"Haven't I already said it? Crying won't do you any good." Lin Wanrong, with a smile, handed a silk handkerchief to the young miss. But as he turned around, a flash of icy cold light swept through his eyes.
"What was your name again? Yu Pudgy, isn't it?" Lin Wanrong teased the chairman.
"I'm not fat—" Chairman Yu almost responded, caught off guard. Fortunately, he came to his senses in time, quickly rebuked, "Who are you? How dare you speak to me like this?"
"Chairman Tao, tell him who I am!" Lin Wanrong mocked, turning to Tao Dongcheng next to him.
Tao Dongcheng, an old acquaintance, was also unclear about Lin Wanrong's background. He hesitantly warned, "Lin San, what are you trying to do? This is the Jiangsu Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce. It's not your place to talk."
"Congratulations, Chairman Yu, you're about to become fatter." Lin Wanrong seemingly ignored Tao Dongcheng's words. His eyes shimmered with a gloomy light as he smiled and looked at Chairman Yu.
Feeling something was off, Chairman Yu hurriedly asked, "What are you trying to do?"
"I'm a civilized man." With these words, Lin Wanrong slammed the wooden stool he was carrying onto the table in front of him. The table completely collapsed amidst the loud sound and terrified screams.
Aiming at Chairman Yu's pudgy, pale face, Lin Wanrong swiftly delivered two heavy hooks with his left and right fists. With two thuds, they landed squarely on Chairman Yu's face.With a miserable scream, Chairman Yu tumbled to the ground, rolling several times, moaning weakly. He had lost the strength to get up, his face swelling like a bun, squeezing his already small eyes into slits.
"You, you're outrageous. Guards, guards, arrest this rascal!" Chairman Yu lay on the ground, continuously groaning, and weakly commanded.
Lin Wanrong chuckled, stepped forward, and slowly pressed his foot onto Chairman Yu's face. Yu Pudgy tried to dodge, but it seemed impossible to avoid that foot.
"You, you're too bullying—" Chairman Yu's face was flattened under the foot, he managed to gasp, and then loudly protested.
"Bullying?" Lin Wanrong sneered, "Did you consider these words when you were tormenting Miss Xiao just now?"
"Lin San, do you really think the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce has no one to stand up to you? Colleagues, our Chairman is being bullied like this, what are we waiting for?" Master Li, who had been the first to trouble the Eldest Miss, seeing the chairman being stepped on, immediately stood up and shouted.
"Chamber of Commerce? What a grand title." Lin Wanrong burst into laughter, "Such bullying and tyranny, forcing people into a corner, a chamber of your mother's commerce."
He stomped his right foot onto the chairman's face. Yu Pudgy let out a howl of misery and screamed loudly.
Lin Wanrong turned to face the merchants of the Jiangsu Chamber of Commerce, a fierce light flashed in his eyes as he angrily said, "The Xiao family is a member of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce. Today, she was bullied to this extent, and no one dared to speak up. What is the point of this Jinling Chamber of Commerce?"
Seeing Lin San's rage, the Eldest Miss was greatly frightened. When Lin San got angry, he was capable of anything. She quickly tugged at Lin San's sleeve, "Lin San, don't act rashly and hurt someone."
Lin Wanrong turned his gaze back to Xiao Yuruo and said, "Miss Xiao, when one can no longer endure, they should cease enduring. If the Xiao family continues to allow others to trample over us, it will only encourage them to push further."
Understanding the truth in Lin Wanrong's words, Eldest Miss Xiao clenched her teeth in silent agreement.
Chairman Yu, screaming like a slaughtered pig, bellowed, "Lin San, let me go! Do you dare act so boldly in my Hangzhou territory? Is there no justice, no law?"
"Ha! Now you talk about law and justice?" Lin Wanrong laughed heartily. "When you all bullied a defenseless young woman earlier, where was your talk of law and justice then? There's only one rule in this world: whoever holds the most power, they are justice."
Seeing Lin Wanrong behaving so barbarically and flouting the rules, Tao Dongcheng couldn't help but feel intimidated. Hastily, he warned, "Lin San, this is Zhejiang territory. You should not act so presumptuously."
Impulsive actions could lead to disaster, but there are times when one's blood is stirred, and they must act. Lin Wanrong, with his devil-may-care attitude, cared not for borders or jurisdictions. To continue to endure humiliation was worse than death itself.
He gave a smirk, stepping off Chairman Yu's body and slowly approached Tao Dongcheng. "Young Master Tao, Chairman Tao, this is Zhejiang territory, isn't it? But what about when we return to Jinling? Will the Xiao family still have to endure your bullying?"
"When did I ever bully the Xiao family? You should not spout nonsense," Tao Dongcheng defended himself. He knew that his shady deeds were concealed from Lin Wanrong's knowledge.
To such a hypocrite, reasoning was futile. Lin Wanrong, smirking, retorted, "You never bullied the Xiao family? That's strange. Just now, when Chairman Yu was harassing us relentlessly, who was aiding him in his wicked deeds? You dare call yourself the chairman of Jinling Chamber of Commerce. Even if you didn't bully the Xiao family, I will bully you today. You won't object, will you?"
Seeing Lin Wanrong defending her so fervently, Eldest Miss Xiao was both moved and worried. She stood by Lin Wanrong's side, tugging at his sleeve and softly said, "Don't harm yourself in your reckless fights."
Hearing her concern, Lin Wanrong was delighted. The Eldest Miss was only advising him not to get hurt, but didn't ask him not to fight. She was certainly improving.
Seeing Eldest Miss Xiao and Lin Wanrong's close interaction, Tao Dongcheng felt a surge of jealousy and fear. He could not ascertain Lin Wanrong's background, and Lin Wanrong's unpredictable actions were unsettling.
He called out anxiously, "Lin San, you're very aggressive. Do you really think the Jinling Chamber of Commerce is afraid of you? The Xiao family still needs to establish themselves in Jinling, don't sabotage them!"
"Well said, Jinling Chamber of Commerce," Lin Wanrong scanned the room coldly. "The Xiao family is a member of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce. When we were being oppressed just now, apart from Sister Liu, who else stood up for us? It's natural for everyone to have their own interests, and I can't criticize that or expect anything from you. But today, this Chairman Tao has exploited the name of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce to oppress the Xiao family. It's time we got a good look at the true face of the Chairman of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce, isn't it?"
Liu Yue'er suddenly stood up and announced, "Lin Wanrong, I, Liu Yue'er, support you." She glared at the members of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce and angrily shouted, "Have all you men lost your spine? They're bullying Miss Xiao and all of us from Jinling like this, and you're all just hiding your heads like turtles. I can't believe your wives put up with you. If it were me, I would have given you the boot."
With Liu Yue'er's explosive temperament and sharp tongue, her words were as effective as a machine gun. The Jinling merchants present knew of her temperament. They also felt guilty and, therefore, no one dared to retort.
Eldest Miss Xiao tightly held Liu Yue'er's hand, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Sister Liu, for speaking up for me."
Seeing Lin Wanrong pushing him relentlessly, Tao Dongcheng hurriedly said, "Lin San, what are you trying to do?"
Lin Wanrong smiled darkly, "Young Master Tao, have you forgotten what I told you last time? Do not provoke me lightly. You didn't heed my warning, so now you must pay the price."
Seeing Lin Wanrong's aggressive approach, Tao Dongcheng tried to evade him. Just as Lin Wanrong's right fist was about to hit Tao Dongcheng's face, a pair of small hands blocked it. It was Tao Wanying. Miss Wanying, with her eyebrows furrowed, said, "Lin Wanrong, you mustn't bully my brother."
"I'm a civilized man, I specialize in beating dogs, not people," Lin Wanrong laughed wickedly. However, his left fist quickly swung up and hit Tao Dongcheng's face before anyone could react.
Although Tao Dongcheng had a strong body, he was no match for Lin Wanrong in a fight. Lin Wanrong's punch left him dazed, with one side of his face swollen like a bun and a black eye.
Seeing Lin Wanrong's surprise attack, Wanying was both surprised and angry. She rushed up at once. Lin Wanrong sidestepped her, but not without landing a kick in Tao Dongcheng's abdomen. Tao Dongcheng let out a painful cry and started rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach.
"Brother—" Wanying cried out in shock, quickly running over to help Tao Dongcheng. His face was pale, his forehead covered in sweat, and his eyes were filled with a venomous glare, all directed at Lin Wanrong.
After a round of punches and kicks, Lin Wanrong felt extremely satisfied, having vented his frustrations. He had fought all over Zhejiang and Jiangsu, leaving no Chairman unscathed. He realized that the power of a fist was the ultimate truth and this taught these bullies a good lesson.
He scanned the crowd and grunted, "Everyone does business in this world. Don't accuse anyone of bullying. The Xiao family has always been kind to others, but that doesn't mean we are weak. If anyone thinks the Xiao family is easy to bully, they are blinding their own dog eyes."
There was an eerie silence in the hall. The people present were all merchants who were all after profits. They all had their tricks and cunning ploys, but none of them had ever seen such brute force. None dared to look down on the Xiao family after this.
Seeing her brother's pale face, Wanying was both scared and angry. She said, "Lin San, I'll report you to Prefect Hou. You will pay for your crimes."
Lin Wanrong sneered dismissively, "Miss Tao, if you have the guts, then go ahead. It's not the first time we've crossed paths."
Eldest Miss Xiao stood by Lin Wanrong's side, her face serious and resolute. "Miss Wanying," she said, "everything that has happened to Lin Wanrong is because of me. If you want to report to the authorities, you can target me."
"It's him, it's him." Shopkeeper Li rushed forward with a group of soldiers, pointing at Lin Wanrong and saying, "It's him. He dared to assault our Chamber of Commerce's Chairman and Young Master Tao. Everyone here can bear witness."
The soldiers wanted to seize Lin Wanrong without further ado, but Eldest Miss Xiao held onto Lin Wanrong's sleeve tightly. "Lin Wanrong, I'm the one to blame for this," she confessed.
Lin Wanrong laughed, "Miss Xiao, fighting is what I do best. This has nothing to do with you."
Eldest Miss Xiao shook her head, her voice steady. "Don't be afraid. If they want to arrest you and bring you to court, if they want to put you in jail, I'll go with you."
Lin Wanrong was touched. ‘This girl really moved me for once,’ he thought. But before he could say anything, a loud announcement was heard from outside the door: "The chief Senior Scholar of the Hall of Literary Brilliance and the Minister of Revenue, Minister Xu Wei has arrived—"
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