"You... you bastard!"
Chen Mingyue was enraged, completely losing control, and lunged at Chen Xiao with even more desperation, her claws out, looking like a madwoman:
"I... I'll rip your mouth apart..."
But as she brushed past Wang Haoran, the bully who picked on the weak, Wang Haoran suddenly grabbed her, and then slapped her hard across the face:
"How dare you! Who allowed you to speak to Mr. Chen Xiao like that?"
Cupping her burning cheek, Chen Mingyue resentfully argued:
"Haoran, I'm standing up for you! Didn't you hear how unpleasant that Chen fellow was speaking?"
Suppressing his hatred for Chen Xiao, Wang Haoran said against his will:
"Mr. Chen... Chen Xiao didn't say anything wrong. I'm indeed old enough to be your father."
Before the unwilling Chen Mingyue could retort, he paused and then lowered his voice to persuade:
"Mingyue, let's stop here. That bastard Chen has Zheng Youen backing him. We can't fight him! If we continue to make trouble, your plan to get a permanent position will likely be ruined!"
"This..."
The more Chen Mingyue thought about it, the more fearful she became. After a slight hesitation, she reluctantly bowed her head to Chen Xiao:
"Chen... Chen Xiao... No, no, no! Cousin! My dear cousin! I... I know I was wrong. Please, please don't tell Miss Youen about tonight's misunderstanding. I've dreamed of being a flight attendant since I was little. If I fail to get the permanent position, my life will be ruined!"
Concerned about his daughter's future, Chen Xingwu quickly forced a smile that was more pathetic than crying, trying to appease Chen Xiao:
"Chen Xiao, you've already injured your eldest cousin. Can't you just let your cousin off the hook? Heh heh."
Even Yang Pinru, who had never given Chen Xiao a second glance, quickly brought him a stool:
"Good nephew, my good nephew, your grandmother is still recuperating in the back room. If she finds out our family is fighting like this..."
Chuckling, Chen Xiao coldly interrupted the Chen Mingyue family:
"Whose slap print is on my mother's face?"
"..."
The Chen Mingyue family exchanged glances, their eyes finally falling on Yang Pinru.
Yang Pinru's legs trembled uncontrollably, and she stammered incoherently:
"Chen... Chen Xiao, it's all my fault, your eldest aunt's fault. Please spare me. As long as you don't ruin Mingyue's permanent position, I can even swear that I won't pursue you for mortgaging the deed of Jishitang for a loan..."
Mentioning the deed of Jishitang, Chen Xiao's anger flared up even more. He slapped Yang Pinru hard across the face:
"First of all, I never did that. Even if I had, you have no right to question it, because the deed is in my and my mother's names!"
Supporting Yang Pinru, Chen Mingyue, with a grim expression, argued:
"But Jishitang was originally purchased by my grandfather when he was alive..."
Chen Xiao interrupted Chen Mingyue unceremoniously:
"Jishitang was indeed started by my maternal grandfather from scratch, but wasn't it lost by your gambling-addicted father? My grandfather fell ill and passed away because of it!
At that time, none of the uncles or aunts were willing to take over this mess. They all begged my mother, and my mother even gave up her opportunity to work at the central hospital because of it.
Now, more than ten years have passed. My mother has not only expanded Jishitang from less than twenty square meters to over five hundred square meters, but she also allocates eighty percent of the monthly earnings to support you all, without fail.
It's bad enough that you don't appreciate it, but you're also secretly plotting to seize or even sell Jishitang, resorting to any means necessary. You're worse than pigs and dogs, spit!"
By the end, Chen Xiao couldn't bear to look at the ugly faces of the Chen Mingyue family even for a moment longer. He spat fiercely and then drove away at full speed.
Rubbing the face Chen Xiao had slapped, Yang Pinru stomped her feet in anger and viciously took out her phone to call Chen Xiao's other uncles and aunts to sow discord:
"No matter what, Jishitang belongs to the old Chen family. I'd rather die than let that bastard, who doesn't even know who his biological father is, have it!"
While calling for emergency services for the unconscious Chen Mingxing, Chen Xingwu comforted Yang Pinru:
"Wife, don't be angry yet. My brothers and sisters are all united. We'll get the deed of Jishitang back sooner or later!"
Wang Haoran and Chen Mingyue, on the other hand, were doing their best to curry favor with the two bodyguards sent by Zheng Youen, offering them drinks and food, pouring tea and lighting cigarettes. The scantily clad Chen Mingyue even deliberately exposed herself several times, flashing seductive glances, much to the bodyguards' delight.
Once the atmosphere had eased, Chen Mingyue seized the opportunity to probe:
"Brother Long, Brother Hu, what exactly is Miss Youen's relationship with my cousin?"
Zhang Long spat without hesitation:
"Spit! One is the high and mighty Miss Zheng, and the other is a bastard that even his maternal relatives despise. What kind of relationship could they have? It's not like Miss Youen would be blind enough to fall for him, right?"
Chen Mingyue deliberately said with feigned worry:
"What if? Although my useless cousin is only fierce within the family, he is undeniably handsome! If Miss Youen is deceived by him, both financially and physically, or even gets pregnant, and Vice Chairman Zheng and Young Master Zheng find out that you two helped him, you two will be in deep trouble!"