Lu Chengwen turned his head and glared at Jiang Shihan, who immediately stifled her laughter.
"Enough!"
Chen Qingbin slammed the table. "My daughter will not marry you, so put that idea to rest now before things get ugly between our families!"
Lu Chengwen forced a smile. "Got it. Actually, I came today to—"
"I don't care why you're here. Just know your place and understand your family's standing. Don't think just because my father likes you, you can do whatever you want. Do I need to spell out what kind of trash you are?"
"Uncle Chen, I'm here to discuss business with you—"
"Our families barely have any overlapping business interests, just a few minor contracts here and there. Your subordinates can handle those with Mengyun's team. There's no need for us to meet."
"You've spent all this time yelling at me—can't you spare a few minutes to look at this—"
"My time is precious. I have a lot of—"
"Will you shut the hell up already?!"
Lu Chengwen suddenly roared. "When Mengyun and I saw you and Auntie in the living room the other day, you weren't like this!"
Chen Qingbin looked stunned. "What did you just say? Did you just curse at me?"
"Yeah, are your ears stuffed with chicken feathers or something?"
Chen Qingbin trembled with anger. "That day, I was putting on a front in front of my daughter and wife—playing the role of a family man, a hands-off leader, a generous and tolerant figure! That doesn't mean I approve of you!"
Lu Chengwen shot back, "Take a good look at this contract. I'm offering your family a 12-billion-yuan investment guarantee! This has nothing to do with your daughter! I have zero interest in her! None whatsoever!"
Chen Qingbin was furious. "You—how dare you—"
"Of course I dare!" Lu Chengwen snapped. "I'm the eldest son of the Lu family, and right now, the Lu family's assets far surpass yours. I've been standing here for minutes listening to your nonsense, and you haven't even offered me a cup of tea! Who else should I yell at if not you?!"
"You—!"
"You what?!" Lu Chengwen retorted. "I came here with good intentions, offering you a solid contract, and you really think the Lu family can't survive without you Chen family? Nobility? What's nobility worth? Can you eat it? Were your ancestors born rich? You're just a privileged heir, while my dad built everything from scratch. What the hell are you so proud of?!"
"I—"
"Go reread the Four Books and Five Classics and hang 'Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trustworthiness' in your living room. The contract's right here. Sign it or don't—your call. But once the offer's gone, it's gone! Zhao Gang, Shihan, let's go!"
"Hey, you—"
Lu Chengwen turned back just as he was about to leave. "Listen up, Chen Er-gouzi! The only reason I'm offering this contract is out of respect for my past with your daughter and my friendship with your son. Otherwise, I'd rather tear it up than give it to you! Your daughter might be precious to you, but I couldn't care less about her. Keep her under control—stop letting her follow me around. Push me too far, and I'll knock her up and send her back to you. Let's see how you handle that!"
Chen Qingbin was utterly dumbfounded.
In all his years, he had never seen someone as crude, aggressive, and outright disrespectful as Lu Chengwen was right now.
Lu Chengwen jabbed a finger right between Chen Qingbin's eyebrows. "Keep your damn eyes open from now on!"
With that, Lu Chengwen and his entourage swaggered out.
Chen Qingbin stood there, completely shell-shocked.
The butler cautiously approached. "Master, that… that young man was incredibly rude."
Chen Qingbin nodded slowly. "Huh… you know what? The kid's got some fire in him, doesn't he?"
The butler thought to himself, *I don't know about fire, but you, Master, seem to have a bit of a masochistic streak.*
---
Leng Tianhao was on the verge of collapse.
Long Aotian had done decent work, and Leng Qingqiu wasn't bad either.
But!
The Leng family's cash flow had already been cut off!
Not "about to be"—it was already gone.
If Long Aotian took over now, he wouldn't have the funds to operate. If Leng Qingqiu stayed in charge, she had the money, but that would require re-signing contracts to ensure she remained for at least five more years!
Meanwhile, the Lu family's Lu Chengwen had swept hundreds of billions from the stock market with a single project, recouping his investment. But the Leng family had sunk 4.9 billion into it!
A full 4.9 billion!
And it was about to vanish into thin air.
Now, everyone was saying Lu Chengwen had played a brutal game.
Even if the slum redevelopment project lost money, it was impossible for him to lose all 50 billion. And with the hundreds of billions he'd made in the stock market, he'd at least break even!
Worse, given the current situation, Lu Chengwen had secured too many additional resources.
For the next few years, the Lu family would be the government's top-priority enterprise, with all the best opportunities funneled their way—possibly even orchestrated by Lu Chengwen himself.
And the mastermind behind it all was the supposedly penny-pinching, small-time schemer Lu Chengwen.
The bigger picture was this:
With this one project, the Lu family had tied up over 30 billion in liquid assets from the Xu and Chen families, effectively shackling their progress.
At the same time, the project was dragging the Leng family into ruin. The Lengs weren't just shackled—they were already bound and shoved into the incinerator by Lu Chengwen.
Meanwhile, the Lu family was winning on another front. In the coming years, the Chen and Xu families' competitiveness would be severely hampered, while the Leng family would be the first piece of meat devoured by the Lu family.
What pushed Leng Tianhao to the brink was the loss of that coveted land plot.
Yes, after finally securing loans from several banks to bid for that land, the Land Bureau informed him it had already been… gifted away.
Gifted?!
A plot worth over a billion, just given away?!
When he asked who it was given to, they refused to say.
But the Leng family had connections. After some digging, he found out—it was Lu Chengwen, again.
Leng Tianhao felt like he'd been plunged into an icy abyss.
Recalling everything that had happened, he suddenly realized how terrifying Lu Chengwen was.
His vision spun. Memories flashed through his mind—Lu Chengwen's strange behavior at the engagement banquet, Long Aotian's appearance and Lu Chengwen's rejection of the marriage alliance, Lu Chengwen claiming disinterest in the land and amusement park project when Leng Tianhao expressed enthusiasm…
And now, while pretending to help Leng Qingqiu, he'd led her straight into the slum project's death trap. Meanwhile, he'd quietly secured that land for himself—without spending a single cent.
Lu Chengwen had won on all fronts.
The Leng family's last-ditch effort to turn things around had been utterly crushed. Within six months, the entire Qianfeng Group would collapse, swallowed by Lu Chengwen's meticulously laid trap.
Remembering how he'd once dismissed Lu Chengwen, Leng Tianhao felt like a fool.
Back then, Lu Chengwen had seemed disinterested—probably laughing at him inside.
Who would've thought a seasoned veteran like him would be outmaneuvered by a kid in his twenties?
Now, he was facing total annihilation.
Just then, an attendant announced, "Young Master Lu Chengwen of the Lu family requests an audience."
Leng Tianhao's face darkened. "Let him in."
*I need to keep him calm… find a way to make him spare the Leng family.*
But why would he? He's already won. Why show mercy?
*Leng Qingqiu! Right, he likes Qingqiu! What if I offer her to him—no dowry, just let the Leng family survive?*
*But no… if he's already swallowing the family, wouldn't Qingqiu have to go to him anyway? Why would he spare us?*
*And if his approach to Qingqiu was just part of his scheme, how important is she really to him?*
*What do I do?!*
*What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!*
---
Lu Chengwen was fuming.
These old men were all the same—crafty, pretentious, and full of themselves!
They'd already handed over power, so why keep up the act?
Wasn't it just pointless posturing?
He was here to give them money, and they were treating him like garbage!
Every single one of them needed a verbal smackdown, especially Leng Tianhao—the worst of the bunch.
*If he dares to act high and mighty with me, I'll tear him apart! No guarantees, nothing!*
The doors swung open.
Lu Chengwen strode in with purpose, his footsteps heavy with anger.
"Ah, Chengwen, you're here—"
"Shut up!"
Lu Chengwen's eyes were bloodshot. He slammed a contract onto the table. "Read it! One more word, and I'll end you!"
"O-oh, okay."
Leng Tianhao began scanning the contract.
Lu Chengwen was breathing heavily. "Read every word. No useless chatter. I'm in a *really* bad mood today."
"Y-yes, let me look first."
When Leng Tianhao finished, he was baffled. He looked up at Lu Chengwen. "Chengwen… this… what does this mean?"
"Don't worry about what it means. Just tell me—are you signing or not? If you say no, I walk out right now, and we'll meet again as rivals. If you're signing, write your damn name and have your daughter stamp it later!"
Leng Tianhao felt utterly wronged.
*See this? When the drum's broken, everyone beats it.*
*He's set up his game, reduced us to having no say at all, and now he talks like he owns the place.*
After rereading the contract, Leng Tianhao looked at Lu Chengwen. "This contract… there's no trap. I… can sign."
Lu Chengwen said to Jiang Shihan, "Give him the pen."
Watching Leng Tianhao obediently sign, Lu Chengwen's anger cooled slightly. "Smart move."
Leng Tianhao forced a smile. "Chengwen, about what happened before… Uncle was wrong. Don't hold it against me."
Lu Chengwen paused, then nodded. "Oh… I, uh, might've been a bit harsh too. Don't take it personally, Uncle Leng. Honestly, I've been to three houses today. If someone brought me a contract like this, I'd kneel and kowtow in gratitude. But those two old men were so full of themselves—they wouldn't even look at the contract before lecturing me. Pissed me off."
"The Chen and Xu families… signed too?"
"Yeah."
Lu Chengwen sighed. "Got any water? I'm parched."
"Of course, of course."
Leng Tianhao hurriedly had someone bring mineral water.
Lu Chengwen took a sip. "That Xu Zhiyun—god! He was convinced I was after his daughter, that I was using 20 billion to buy her! Even if she was made of gold, she wouldn't be worth 20 billion!"
"Right, right."
"And Chen Qingbin was even worse! The moment I walked in, he started berating me, even insulted my dad, called us nouveau riche! Pushed me to my limit!"
"Oh, I see."
Lu Chengwen nodded. "At least you're level-headed."
Leng Tianhao sighed. "Chengwen, you've always been a good kid, kind-hearted since you were little."
Lu Chengwen slapped the armrest and said to Jiang Shihan, "He moved me! Really! My heart's all warm now!"
Leng Tianhao continued, "It's just… now that you've won, can the Leng family… survive?"
Lu Chengwen frowned. "Whether you live or die is your business. Why ask me? How's that my problem? Right now, I'm just looking out for myself and the Dasheng Group. What happens to your three families doesn't concern me! Once this contract's signed, we stick to the terms. No debts, no favors!"
Leng Tianhao pleaded, "I'm begging you, Uncle… give the Leng family a way out!"
Lu Chengwen's face twisted like he'd eaten something vile. "What the hell are you talking about?"