Chapter 7 A Swift and Decisive Strike!

"Ye Tianci! Drop the knife right now! Kneel and apologize to Mr. Gao!"

"If you want to die, go find somewhere else to do it! Don’t drag our Lin family down with you!"

"Mr. Gao, please don’t pay him any attention. Just go ahead, and when you see Young Master Wei, tell him that within twelve hours, we will definitely give him a satisfactory answer."

…

The members of the Lin family scolded him one after another.

Even Lin Qingqian tugged at Ye Tianci’s sleeve and whispered, "Ye Tianci, you’d better put the knife down. Gao Hongqiang is one of the Three Dragons of Shu City, a real overlord in the underworld. He’s extremely powerful!"

"We can’t afford to offend him. If you hurt him, not even Grandpa or I could protect you..."

Before Lin Qingqian could finish, Ye Tianci raised his hand and brought the knife down!

A cold flash split the air!

With a sickening crack, Gao Hongqiang’s right hand was severed!

He hadn’t even had time to dodge!

Blood spurted out like a fountain!

"Ahhh!" Gao Hongqiang clutched his stump and howled in agony, the mockery on his face replaced by terror and rage!

He had imagined a thousand possible outcomes, but never that Ye Tianci would really dare chop off his hand!

Lin Qingqian’s voice caught in her throat. She covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock.

The entire Lin family stood frozen in terror.

One of the infamous Three Dragons of Shu City, the ruthless Gao Hongqiang, had his hand cut off right in their home?

This was the end of the Lin family!

Chills ran through every heart.

With a thud, Lin Hao’s knees gave way and he knelt on the ground, sobbing, "Mr. Gao, our Lin family has nothing at all to do with this Ye Tianci!"

"That’s right, Mr. Gao, Ye Tianci isn’t related to us, not even a little. We have nothing to do with him; everything he did is his own responsibility!"

Lin Changren stammered, barely able to get his words out.

The rest of the Lin family all rushed to speak, anxious to distance themselves from Ye Tianci, begging Gao Hongqiang not to take his anger out on them.

"Kill that damn cripple for me!"

Gao Hongqiang roared.

His four men surged forward.

Ye Tianci spun the knife in his hand, a faint smile on his lips. "Are you sure you want to do that? If you make another move, I guarantee your other hand will be chopped off as well."

Seeing his harmless expression, a chill ran down Gao Hongqiang’s spine.

At that moment, Lin Hao, still kneeling, spoke up. "Mr. Gao, not only is this Ye fellow a cripple, I think he might be insane. There’s something wrong with his mind."

His words were a godsend. Gao Hongqiang gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn cripple, I’ll deal with you later!"

"Just wait—when I’m healed, I’ll make you pay!"

"Let's go!"

Gao Hongqiang snatched up his severed hand and hurried out with his men toward the hospital. If they were too late, his hand couldn’t be reattached.

Lin Weiwei rushed forward to help Lin Hao up and yelled at Ye Tianci, "You’ve ruined the Lin family!"

The rest of the family glared at him, eyes filled with fury.

Under the glare of a dozen pairs of eyes, Ye Tianci remained perfectly calm, turning to Lin Daonan with a serene expression. "Sir, since your family looks down on me, I’ll take my leave."

He turned to go, but Lin Changren stopped him.

"Stop! After chopping off Gao Hongqiang’s hand and putting the Lin family in danger, you think you can just walk away?"

"What do you want, then?" Ye Tianci looked at him coolly.

Lin Changren snorted and turned to Lin Daonan. "Father, no matter what, we must give the Liang family an explanation. I think Qingqian should go negotiate with Liang Wei tonight, and she should take Ye Tianci with her."

"Gao Hongqiang is Liang Wei’s lackey. Since Ye Tianci hurt him, let Liang Wei deal with him—it has nothing to do with us."

"As for whether we can keep the West Hill Resort, it all depends on Qingqian’s performance tonight."

Lin Changli, who had always been meek, suddenly protested, "Big brother, you know perfectly well what Liang Wei wants from Qingqian. Sending her to negotiate is like pushing her into the fire!"

"Third brother, that’s where you’re wrong!" Lin Changren’s eyes flashed. "The Lin family’s finances are hanging by a thread! Can you solve the problem? Can you save our West Hill Resort? Can you bring the family back from the edge?"

Lin Changli shook his head awkwardly.

"Then keep quiet!"

Lin Changren snapped.

Lin Qingqian’s delicate brows furrowed. "Uncle, how can you say that about my father?"

"As the eldest, I have every right to scold him! If you can’t help the family, then stay quiet!" Lin Changren declared with authority.

Lin Qingqian bit her lip, her eyes determined. "Since you put it that way, I’ll go negotiate with Liang Wei tonight!"

She turned to Ye Tianci. "You hurt Gao Hongqiang—if you come, you’ll be in danger. You’d better just leave."

With that, she took out her checkbook, quickly wrote a check, and handed it to Ye Tianci.

"This is compensation for you. The Lin family is in dire straits, so I can only give you one million now."

"If we survive this crisis, I’ll give you another million."

Ye Tianci hadn’t expected Lin Qingqian to worry about his safety at a time like this. His feelings for her deepened.

He didn’t take the check and said mildly, "I cut off Gao Hongqiang’s hand. I won’t let you face the danger alone. I’ll go with you tonight."

Lin Qingqian gazed into his eyes, seeing nothing but calm honesty.

"All right," she agreed, not pressing the matter, and turned to look after Lin Daonan.

Lin Daonan let out a sigh of relief and waved his hand. "Changli, Zheng Mei, as long as I live, Ye Tianci is my grandson-in-law! Your approval or disapproval makes no difference!"

"Take my grandson-in-law home with you. I’m tired."

With that, the old man closed his eyes.

Zheng Mei knew well how stubborn the old man was—once he set his mind on something, not even ten oxen could pull him back.

If she objected further, he’d definitely cut all ties.

"What are you all standing around for? Go home!"

She stormed out, fuming.

Lin Changli scurried after her.

Lin Qingqian glanced at Ye Tianci. "Come home with me for now."

Ten minutes later, Ye Tianci followed Lin Qingqian into her house.

As soon as they entered, Zheng Mei tossed a pair of shoe covers at his feet, arms folded, and snapped, "Put those on! I keep my floors spotless!"

Ye Tianci ignored her and went straight to the sofa.

A little red-haired toy poodle wagged its tail and trotted up to Zheng Mei, eager for attention.

Spotting a yellow puddle on the floor, Ye Tianci remarked, "Your poodle just peed on the floor."

Zheng Mei scooped up the little dog and kissed it on the mouth. "Good boy, didn’t I teach you to use the bathroom? Why did you pee on the floor again?"

Watching his wife and the dog kiss, Lin Changli looked disgusted but dared not utter a word.

Suddenly he noticed some earthy yellow residue in the middle of the puddle and said in confusion, "Huh, what’s this?"

Ye Tianci’s lips twitched. "That’s dog poop—your poodle didn’t finish eating it."

"Really?"

Lin Changli went up and touched it, then sniffed his fingers. The stench was overpowering!

He nearly vomited.

Fighting the nausea, Lin Changli forced a smile. "Honey, it’s just dirt. Tianci is joking."

He quickly wiped up the rest of the mess and cleaned the floor.

The poodle kept licking Zheng Mei’s face.

Zheng Mei glared coldly at Ye Tianci.

"Let me make this clear. Letting you into my home doesn’t mean you’re part of this family—it’s only because the old man said so."

"In this house, I make the rules. If you want to stay, you’ll have to abide by my conditions."

"Go ahead," Ye Tianci replied calmly.