Chapter 64: Yang Sixue's Transformation
Yang Sixue's face paled, and she clung tightly to Zhao Dong's sleeve. Unable to hold back, she stepped forward to shield Zhao Dong, her body trembling slightly.
The Zhang Family was one of the four great families of East Sea. They wouldn't give her any consideration, as she was merely a figure in the entertainment industry and not significant enough to confront a family with such a profound background.
Zhao Dong gave Yang Sixue a second glance. He hadn't expected her to actually stand in front of him, and his impression of her improved slightly.
Leading the group of newcomers was a sleazy-looking man named Zhang Wei, a junior member of the Zhang Family. He stormed in, bellowing, "Who hit my sister?"
When Zhang Meigui saw the group, she immediately ran to the man, crying, "Brother, I was hit! It was that bastard who hit me!"
She pointed at Zhao Dong, and Zhang Wei's gaze followed her finger. He immediately started cursing, "Who the hell is this little prick? Sister, don't worry, I'll break his damn legs today! And I'll snap off his paws!"
Yang Sixue's face turned deathly pale. "You dare!" she snapped at Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei sized up Yang Sixue, a smile suddenly spreading across his face. "Well, if it isn't the celebrity? What was her name again? Oh, right, Yang Sixue!"
Yang Sixue's body trembled slightly. "You people were clearly the ones who started bullying others, and now you have the nerve to use your numbers to gang up on the few. Is there no law in this world? If you dare touch my friend today, just you try it!"
Zhang Wei laughed loudly. "Big Star Yang, aren't you a bit too confident? You may be a star with status, but that's only relative to ordinary people. You're backed by capital, and our Zhang Family is capital. Do you believe our Zhang Family could join forces with the other major families to blacklist you?"
Yang Sixue bit her lip until it bled. A look of despair filled her eyes. She knew the Zhang Family could really do it.
"Step aside, Big Star Yang. I'm only going to deal with that guy behind you. I'll make an exception for you this once. If you block us again, don't blame us for getting rough!" Zhang Wei threatened.
Yang Sixue shook her head. "No... I won't step aside!"
"Are you sure? You're risking your own future and career. Are you really sure you want to oppose our Zhang Family?"
A bitter expression spread across Yang Sixue's face. Today's situation was completely beyond her expectations. How could she have known that Cheng Haoyuan had actually managed to forge a connection with the Zhang Family? Her voice took on a pleading tone. "Sir, I'm begging you. Please let my friend go, and I'll do one thing for you in return. How about it?"
Zhang Wei's eyes were ice-cold. "Get lost! You're not qualified to bargain with me. You're nothing but an entertainer! Who do you really think you are?"
A look of despair washed over Yang Sixue's face. She turned to Zhao Dong. "I can't protect you..."
With a cigarette hanging from his lips, Zhao Dong gave a faint smile and patted Yang Sixue's shoulder. "That's enough. I can see you're a good woman. Don't worry, no one can touch us today."
Before Yang Sixue could understand what he meant, a figure burst through the bar's entrance. The man was panting for air, so out of breath he could barely speak as he pushed through the crowd and rushed to Zhao Dong's side.
"Mr... Mr. Zhao, I'm... I'm not late, am I?" he gasped.
Zhang Meigui, Zhang Wei, and the others looked at the newcomer. The moment they recognized his face, they were terrified out of their wits.
"Patriarch?!!" Zhang Wei exclaimed, his face ashen. How could it be Zhang Longbo?
Zhang Meigui was so frightened she could hardly breathe, her body shivering uncontrollably as if she'd been electrocuted. "Patriarch, you... why are you here?"
Yang Sixue was also stunned. Staring at Zhang Longbo, she swallowed hard and looked at Zhao Dong with an indescribable expression, her voice trembling as she asked, "This... this is the Patriarch of the Zhang Family?"
Zhao Dong smiled. "I told you it was nothing to worry about. Do you believe me now?"
Yang Sixue was stunned. No, she was utterly shocked. In East Sea, the four great families were the very definition of top-tier power. And yet, the current Patriarch of the Zhang Family was bowing respectfully to Zhao Dong and even addressing him as "Mr. Zhao"?
This is insane!
Yang Sixue rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was dreaming.
My God, the man I looked down on... actually has this kind of power?
At that thought, Yang Sixue's face grew hot as she bitterly reflected on her previous opinions of Zhao Dong.
I was truly blind not to recognize a great man standing right before me!
Zhao Dong spoke to Zhang Longbo, "Stand up. I have something for you to do."
Zhang Longbo trembled. "Mr. Zhao, please, just give the order..."
Zhao Dong pointed at Zhang Wei and Zhang Meigui and said indifferently, "These two are from your Zhang Family, are they not? They wanted to cripple me. How do you propose we handle this?"
Zhang Longbo's face darkened as he glared at Zhang Wei and Zhang Meigui. The pair shrieked, their knees buckling as they fell to the floor.
"Patriarch, we... we didn't know he was Mr. Zhao! We were wrong! We were wrong!" Zhang Meigui cried, tears streaming down her face, while Zhang Wei kowtowed continuously. They knew Zhang Longbo's temperament—he was extremely vicious. They were scared, truly scared.
The veins on Zhang Longbo's forehead bulged. He swung his hand, slapping Zhang Meigui so hard across the face that he knocked out two of her front teeth.
Zhang Longbo roared, "You dare offend Mr. Zhao? Were your damn eyes eaten by a dog? Slap yourselves a thousand times! Slap! Slap harder!"
Instantly, a flurry of sharp SMACKS echoed as the two, thoroughly panicked, began to slap themselves.
Zhang Longbo turned to Zhao Dong and asked cautiously, "Mr. Zhao, are you satisfied?"
Zhao Dong shook his head. "Not satisfied. Beat them. Beat them until they're hospitalized."
"Yes!"
At Zhang Longbo's command, the men Zhang Wei had brought with him immediately rushed forward and started smashing their steel pipes and iron rods onto Zhang Wei and Zhang Meigui. Instantly, the bar was filled with their agonizing screams.
Zhao Dong looked at Yang Sixue. "Feel better now?"
Yang Sixue clenched her teeth, glaring bitterly at Cheng Haoyuan, who stood petrified to the side. "He's still fine. I'm not satisfied!"
Terrified, Cheng Haoyuan collapsed to the ground and began to beg for mercy. "Sixue, I was wrong! Please, forgive me! I was wrong!"
Zhao Dong gestured to Zhang Longbo, who pointed at Cheng Haoyuan without a second thought. "Get him! Beat him to death!"
Several men immediately grabbed steel rods and began savagely beating Cheng Haoyuan. Soon, he was screaming and crying, covered in his own blood.
Cheng Haoyuan kept wailing, "I was wrong, Sixue, Mr. Zhao! I was wrong! I'm begging you, please stop! I really was wrong..."
A complex mix of emotions flickered in Yang Sixue's eyes before they turned to ice. "Cheng Haoyuan, from this moment on, our ties are severed. Never appear in my life again. I have only my own blindness to blame!"
After saying this, Yang Sixue staggered toward the bar's exit.
Seeing that something was wrong with her, Zhao Dong followed.
Sometime while they were inside, a downpour had begun. Yang Sixue, however, walked straight into the torrent as if she didn't see it. Cars sped by on the road, but she paid them no mind.
Zhao Dong shouted from behind, "Have you lost your mind? Come back!"
Yang Sixue's steps didn't falter. A large truck, its driver's visibility poor in the downpour, sped towards her. The driver's face was a mask of terror. He saw Yang Sixue, but he couldn't stop in time!
In the next second, she would be struck, her fragile life snuffed out.