“Yes, Professor Kang? You were saying?” Tang Bochuan was unwilling to delay the revelation even for a second.
Professor Kang turned around and stared at the man oddly. “Well… This capsule… The substance contained inside this capsule is nothing special. It’s just… Amoxicillin.”
“Huh?” Tang Bochuan lost control over his temper. The man lunged forward and grabbed Professor Kang’s collar. He spat, “That’s impossible! Tell me you’re wrong!”
“Bochuan, calm down. The analyser’s results shouldn’t be wrong.” Professor Kang explained, “Actually, I noticed something was amiss when I opened it. I smelled Amoxicillin and true to my expectations, it really is Amoxicillin.”
“That bastard!” Tang Bochuan threw Professor Kang to the side roughly.
Professor Kang lost his balance and fell onto the ground.
With a raged wave of his arm, Tang Bochuan swept the analysis machine off the table and stormed off.
“Bochuan, where are you going?!” Zhang Yumei anxiously trailed behind him.
As soon as the mother-son duo left, Tang Yunhai exploded. He growled and slammed his crutch onto the study table. The table trembled under the force and shattered!
“How dare he not take us seriously! How dare he deceive us in our own house! Hmph!” Tang Yunhai too stormed off.
Tang Tianlong immediately tailed after his father.
Before long, Tang Bochuan had arrived at the front of Tang Yuyan’s room. He didn’t bother to knock, opting to kick the door open unceremoniously. Zhang Yumei had wanted to stop him but before she could even say anything, her son had already kicked the door open.
In the room, Tang Yuyan was seated nicely near the headboard while Xia Lei was busy braiding her hair. The couple hadn’t even bothered to spare the two intruders a single glance. They regarded their existence as mere air.
Tang Yunhai and Tang Tianlong too finally made it to the door. Yet, Xia Lei opted to ignore their existences completely. He was focused on braiding Tang Yuyan’s hair but the man was evidently unskilled at it. Xia Lei was attempting to braid her hair into buns.
“Xia Lei. You…” Tang Bochuan had arrived in this room with seething anger but as soon as he spotted a relaxed Xia Lei, he did not dare to unleash his wrath.
What kind of a person was Xia Lei?
Well, he was someone who could casually phone up the higher authority for special marriage permits any time he wished. His Thunder Horse Organization was also the pride and glory of the country. The organization’s role in the country’s strategic interest was irreplaceable and sought after. With that background, who in the whole of China would’ve dared to offend Xia Lei?
Xia Lei at this moment was like Zhuge Liang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, sitting calmly in the tower whilst strumming his instrument. All while Sima Yi had rushed over with his gigantic army but still helpless in the grand scheme of things.
However, the weirdly wholesome scene was eventually disrupted.
While the Tang family did not dare to direct their anger towards Xia Lei, they were able to do so to Tang Yuyan.
“Yuyan!” Tang Bochuan yelled, “Come out! We need to talk!”
Tang Yuyan ignored him and said nothing. But the woman was visibly tense.
“Yuyan!” Tang Yunhai too screamed. “Come out!”
Tang Yuyan instinctively turned around to look at Xia Lei.
Instead, the man adjusted her head back to position. “Don’t move. If you move around, I won’t be able to finish this for you.”
“Xia Lei, what the hell?” Tang Tianlong too finally spoke, “Yuyan is our daughter. We need to talk to her and you have no right to interfere!”
“Talk?” Xia Lei chuckled. “You’ve come to vent your frustrations on her because the capsule isn’t the correct one, right?”
Their expressions darkened.
“Tang Yuyan! Come out here!” Tang Yunhai roared. “You’re a member of the Tang family! Xia Lei can’t protect you!”
“I…” Tang Yuyan’s anxiety intensified.
“Don’t move, I’m almost done,” said Xia Lei. He continued to arrange her hair. Under his manipulation, Tang Yuyan’s long wispy hair was braided into cute buns. She looked as adorable as an elementary school girl. A school uniform would’ve increased her beauty tenfold.
Seeing that he was once again ignored by Xia Lei, Tang Yunhai could no longer control his fury. He strode over and whipped his crutch towards Tang Yuyan’s calf.
Xia Lei, who was kneeling atop the mattress with fingers in her hair, quickly lifted her waist and dragged her out of danger.
Bang!
Tang Yunhai’s crutch came in contact with one of the bed frame’s legs. With a snap, the leg broke and the bed trembled before slanting towards the broken leg.
Tears escaped Tang Yuyan’s eyes. She could not believe that her grandfather would’ve tried to hurt her that way. If it wasn’t for Xia Lei, her leg would’ve been fractured!
While her leg was fine, her heart was in pieces. This one hit from Tang Yunhai’s crutch had dissolved away the slightest bit of hope she harboured in her heart.
“Come with me!” Tang Yunhai reached over and grabbed on Tang Yuyan’s arm.
Xia Lei pulled her behind and stepped forward to act as her shield. He swept away Tang Yunhai’s grip.
“You dare to challenge me in my own house?” Tang Yunhai was beyond angry. The older man raised his crutch in a bid to threaten the younger man.
Unexpectedly, Xia Lei did not even blink. Coldly, he warned, “Tang Yunhai, one more strike and we’re going to be enemies!”
The statement was enough to freeze the atmosphere.
One more strike and we’re going to be enemies.
The Tang family had its fair share of enemies and opponents. But none of them was as high-profile as Xia Lei. With Xia Lei’s current capabilities, it was a piece of cake for him to topple the Tang family over and destroy it. As long as he was willing, the man was bound to get what he wanted. That, the Tang family was painfully aware of.
Tang Yunhai’s crutch was now hovering in the air. He no longer dared to move another inch.
Xia Lei continued, “You’ve planned to steal my capsule. For the sake of Yuyan and for the sake of your family dynamics, I have chosen to overlook it. Now that you’ve gotten a hold of my capsule, what else do you want now?”
“That’s a fake!” Tang Bochuan hissed.
That earned a scoff from Xia Lei. “Don’t tell me you’re expecting me to compensate you with the real stuff?”
That was of course what Tang Bochuan had wished for. He wished to have everything Xia Lei possessed. Though so, things like that were difficult to admit.
Xia Lei produced a tray of Amoxicillin capsules from the pocket of his trousers. He tossed it at Tang Bochuan’s feet. “Take any that you fancy. I’m sure that’s generous enough of me, no?”
“You…” The blatant humiliation drove Tang Bochuan speechless. Now he was clear of where the fake capsule had come from because one capsule was already gone from the tray.
“Alright, now that everything has been revealed, I won’t push the matter further. However, I must make it clear that I’ve decided to forgo this only for the sake of Yuyan. If you continue to disturb her and me, please be reminded that I won’t be as courteous anymore,” said Xia Lei.
“You think the Tang family is yours to order around?” Tang Yunhai narrowed his eyes. Though his words were tough, the crutch in his grip was already placed down. The older man was merely trying to save himself some face at this point.
Xia Lei chuckled as he tapped on his multifunctional wristwatch lightly. “This watch has a camera feature. Everything you’ve said and done has been recorded. How about I call the chief now forward everything I’ve recorded to him? I’ll tell him that you’ve stolen my capsule and Thunder Horse’s bomber plane design plans, yeah?”
“You…” Cold sweat began to bead across the span of Tang Yunhai’s forehead.
In Xia Lei’s hands was the Tang family’s downfall. It was potent enough to annihilate the entire Tang family forever!
“Shall I prove that I’m capable of doing that by making a call?” Xia Lei produced his phone.
“No!” Zhang Yumei frantically stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. “My son. My wonderful son-in-law. Please take Yuyan into consideration and let us off the hook. You must not call him.”
The three Tang men were stunned. For the entire night, they thought they had full control over the situation. They’d neutralize Xia Lei through Tang Yuyan and then drug him. But the surprise factor was that their victim had been expecting this all along. Now with blackmail material in his possession, Xia Lei was holding the whole family at gunpoint. They were literally forced to beg for his mercy! The aftermath was too obvious. One call made by Xia Lei would be all it takes to plummet the Tang family into an endless abyss!
Xia Lei swept his gaze through the three Tang men. With nonchalance, he muttered, “Auntie, look at them. All three of them are still glaring at me. You’re really making this difficult for me, you know? It’s not like you don’t know how I function. My style has always been uprooting the source of my issues.”
The word ‘uprooting’ had sent chills down their spine.
Zhang Yumei panicked. “Yuyan, say something. Your… Your man is… Sob….” She began to cry.
Tang Yuyan continued to stay shielded behind Xia Lei’s back as she cried silently. All her mind could think of was Tang Yunhai’s merciless crutch. That one missed hit was enough to break her heart. How was she expected to recover so quickly? Plus, she believed that Xia Lei could handle the situation perfectly. All she had to do now was to remain behind him obediently. He would shield her from all the storms and cold and make sure she was safe. Most importantly, she was more willing to place faith in Xia Lei rather than her own family.
Realizing that Tang Yuyan was going to stay silent, Zhang Yumei stepped back to her husband’s side. “Say something! Come on!”
“I…” Shame, regret, anger and many other negative emotions were concentrated on Tang Tianlong’s face. It was a very complex sensation.
Xia Lei raised his phone.
And with that, Tang Tianlong’s last wall of defence came crumbling down. He forced out an apology. “Son, I… I apologize for what I’ve done. I’ve wronged you deeply. Please forgive me.”
Xia Lei then glared daggers at Tang Bochuan.
“Brother, I…” Tang Bochuan did not dare to meet his gaze. He lowered his head. “I’m sorry too. I’m terribly sorry. Please let this go on Yuyan’s behalf.”
Xia Lei then looked to Tang Yunhai.
Tang Yunhai was certain of what Xia Lei desired but for him to mutter out a single apology felt worse than death.
While the older man hesitated, Xia Lei brought Tang Yuyan out and placed her beside him. She trained her eyes on the floor, not willing to meet any of their eyes.
“Old Man Tang, it seems like you’re eager for me to make that call.” Xia Lei raised a brow.
Tang Yunhai finally gave in. “Xia Lei, and… Yuyan… We are to blame for whatever that took place tonight. Please forgive us. I can promise that this won’t happen again.”
Xia Lei’s lips curled into a smile. “Since you’ve apologized, I won’t be making the call. However, I won’t be deleting the video. If you continue to taunt her or do anything to harm me, I’ll send you to wherever you deserve to be. It’s better to not take my words lightly. I destroyed the American Seventh Fleet. I will do the same to your house if you press me.”
Xia Lei had shown them a never before seen side and this side was enough to send the Tang men shivering in their boots.
“Yuyan, let’s go.” Xia Lei tugged on Tang Yuyan’s arm and led her to the door.
She followed his lead obediently. Right before she stepped past the door, she turned around and spare her family one last glance. At that moment, it felt as if she was leaving behind bad memories of her past to start anew. And with her new-found freedom, Tang Yuyan smiled.