The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

When everyone returned to the Li Manor, Chen Dong and Li Huiran were at the dinner table, both wearing dark expressions, looking like a resentful couple.

Li Huiran was angry with Chen Dong. Chen Dong, on the other hand, was furious at the sheer futility of it all.

For the first time in his life, Chen Dong felt true, powerless rage.

Li Qinghe and Li Jianwen had wanted to ask Chen Dong about the investment, but seeing this, they didn't dare bring it up.

Soon after, one after the other, the two went straight to their room to sleep. Stubbornly, neither of them said a word.

Watching this scene, Li Qinghe couldn't help but worry.

Xia Yi, however, was pleased. "They're definitely just having a little couple's spat," she said. "That just proves how close they are!"

Li Qinghe was baffled. 'How is this a sign of a good relationship?'

His late wife had always been gentle and agreeable, and she had passed away young. He couldn't for the life of him see how this was a good thing.

He only relaxed after Xia Yi repeatedly assured him that everything was fine.

Late at night, while the Li Family was sound asleep, a figure quietly made its way to the second floor.

Lu Yongxiu, still engrossed in contemplating the Divine Artifact, didn't notice a thing.

Chen Dong's eyes snapped open, and the corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile.

The figure silently opened Li Huiran's door and crept inside.

Seeing Li Huiran on the bed and Chen Dong on the floor, the intruder laughed maniacally to himself.

He moved to Chen Dong's side without a sound, preparing to incapacitate him.

As his finger descended for the strike, his eyes shot wide open, pupils dilating. His gaze was filled with pure terror.

He was completely paralyzed. He had come to incapacitate Chen Dong, but now he was the one who had been caught.

All the True Qi in his body had been forced back into his Dantian, and he couldn't circulate it no matter how hard he tried.

Chen Dong muttered, "Perfect. A punching bag has delivered itself to me."

Before the terrified man's eyes, Chen Dong grabbed him and dashed out of the manor.

He was thrown heavily to the ground. The moonlight revealed his face—it was Shen Gong.

Shen Gong discovered he could circulate his True Qi again, and a sliver of confidence returned.

Chen Dong grinned. "How would you like to die?"

Shen Gong wasn't stupid. On the contrary, he was quite clever. From the moment he was captured, he knew he was facing an expert playing the fool—someone far stronger than him. Even with his True Qi flowing again, he had no confidence he could defeat Chen Dong.

He immediately began to beg for his life. "Spare me! I'll agree to anything you ask!"

Chen Dong sneered. "We'll see. It depends on my mood." With that, his figure vanished, followed by a series of sonic booms.

All Shen Gong could see were afterimages as waves of excruciating pain washed over him. He was completely unable to dodge.

A mighty Grandmaster, beaten punch after punch. None of the blows contained True Qi; it was all pure physical strength. The damage wasn't severe, but the humiliation was off the charts.

Shen Gong clenched his jaw, refusing to cry out in pain, as if trying to preserve his last shred of dignity.

It was as if the force of every punch was precisely calculated—never enough to be fatal, but just enough to inflict immense pain all over his body.

Soon, Shen Gong collapsed. Even a Grandmaster's physique couldn't withstand such a torrential storm of fists.

Chen Dong looked down at him with cold eyes. "Get up."

The killing intent in that single command was so palpable that Shen Gong didn't dare hesitate, scrambling back to his feet.

And just like before, the punches resumed, one after another.

Shen Gong couldn't take it anymore. "Stop hitting me!" he screamed in agony. "I was wrong! I shouldn't have gone after Li Huiran! I shouldn't have provoked you! I was wrong!"

Heh.

His only answer was a cold snort and another fist.

Shen Gong's entire body was a canvas of pain. Since begging for mercy didn't work, he began to beg for death. "Just kill me!"

The figure kept moving, and the fists kept flying.

Shen Gong roared, "Just kill me already! If you've got the guts, then kill me!"

Finally, he was reduced to pleading. "I'm begging you, please kill me! Stop hitting me! Waaaah! Stop!"

Chen Dong chuckled lightly. "Powerless rage."

The beating continued until dawn. By the time it was over, Shen Gong was lying on the ground, vomiting bile.

Chen Dong's voice was laced with chilling killing intent. "If you ever think about targeting the Li Family again, you die." With that, Chen Dong turned and walked away.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Shen Gong's eyes as he lay on the ground. He had survived. For hours, he had been trapped in a living hell, unable to live and unable to die. Every bone in his body felt fractured, and every inch of his flesh was a swollen, purple mess.

When Chen Dong returned to the manor, his mood had improved considerably. He decided he'd go beat Shen Gong up again the next time he felt down.

If Shen Gong knew the only reason he was left alive was to serve as a punching bag for next time, he'd probably despair and commit suicide.

After breakfast at the Li Manor, Li Huiran and Chen Dong still hadn't spoken a single word to each other. The silence continued all the way to the Li Group's headquarters.

It was time for the morning meeting in Conference Room 2.

Project Manager Xiaoye stood up, his expression grim. "General Manager, Liu Qi is refusing to sell us any materials!"

Li Huiran, sitting at the head of the table, frowned. "Didn't we already pay off our entire debt to him? Why is he refusing to sell to us?"

"He said they're his materials, and he'll sell them to whomever he pleases. He doesn't want to sell to us, so he won't." Xiaoye looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Li Huiran mulled it over for a moment. "Did someone from our side offend him?"

Xiaoye shook his head and offered his conclusion. "It's probably another one of the Sun Family's dirty tricks. The fact that he came with the five major banks to demand payment says it all. General Manager, we have to figure something out. Without materials, our project can't even break ground."

Li Huiran frowned and nodded.

'It's just one thing after another,' she thought.

Chen Dong found it all very troublesome, too. 'Maybe it's time I paid the Sun Family a visit.'

Xiaoye continued his report. "There's one more thing. There's a problem with the compensation funds the Group disbursed."

"What?" Chen Dong asked, alarmed.