Chapter 283: A World of Difference
Young Master Liu said as much, but in his heart, he thought, 'Next time, I'll definitely get more men to deal with Xiao Ye.'
'Today was only because his preparations had been lacking. If I'd known this guy was such a good fighter, I should've brought a few dozen more men!'
Xiao Ye walked up to Young Master Liu and slapped him across the face.
The blow made his head ring, and blood immediately gushed from his nose.
"I don't care how powerful your Liu Family is. From this day forward, don't you dare come looking for trouble with me again. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind making the Liu Family disappear!"
He didn't want to reveal his identity, nor did he want to go too far.
After all, this was Shanghai, the nation's economic center.
The Liu Family was connected to too many things, and Xiao Ye didn't have the energy to deal with all that right now.
He just wanted to solve the Golden Saber issue quickly, find the true mastermind, and get the real Golden Saber back!
Having said his piece, Xiao Ye turned and walked away.
The Liu Family members watched him go, not daring to step forward and stop him.
However, none of them took Xiao Ye's words to heart.
The Liu Family was a true behemoth in Shanghai. How could it just disappear on someone's say-so?
As far as they were concerned, it was just an empty threat from Xiao Ye.
Once they confirmed he had left and the villa's main gate was closed, Young Master Liu snarled through gritted teeth, "He dared to hit me! I want him dead!"
President Liu's heart ached seeing his nephew in this state.
He slapped the Yuan family member across the face. "Useless! Why didn't you tell me he was such a good fighter!"
"I… I didn't know."
"Then what good are you? Because of you, my Liu Family has lost so much face! If word of this gets out, we won't be able to show our faces in public anymore!"
Young Master Liu, having found an outlet for his anger, went up and kicked the Yuan family member to the ground. "It's your fault he got away!"
"You got me beaten! I'm going to kill you today!"
Seeing that the man was about to be beaten unconscious, President Liu finally stepped in. "He still has information on the Yuan Family. Let him live for now."
"Once we've dealt with the Yuan Family, you can have him. You can chop him to pieces for all I care."
"Fine! Then I'll spare him for today!"
President Liu turned and hauled the Yuan family member to his feet. "This is perfect. We can use this as a pretext to move against the Yuan Family directly!"
"The Yuan Family might not be on our level, but they're still a juicy prize, and their growth potential is excellent."
"If we can successfully absorb the Yuan Family, our Liu Family will definitely rise to a whole new level!"
Soon, news that the Liu Family was moving against the Yuan Family spread like wildfire.
This time, it wasn't just a baseless rumor—it was real.
The Liu Family began to openly attack the Yuan Clan, first by poaching their clients, then by headhunting their employees!
Yuan Clan Headquarters.
When Yuan Tiancheng saw the Liu Family making their move, he was concerned, but not afraid.
'He had Xiao Ye backing him, so what was there to fear?'
However, the thought that his lost phone had nearly put Xiao Ye in danger yesterday made him hesitant to contact him.
'Forget it,' he thought. 'I'll try to handle this on my own first.'
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the number on the screen, Yuan Tiancheng's expression immediately brightened into a smile. "Master Xiao."
"Yes. I already know about the Liu Family coming after you. Don't worry about it. Just carry on as you normally would."
"As for what comes next, leave it to me."
With those words, Yuan Tiancheng was completely at ease.
Staring at the ended call, he was suddenly filled with ambition!
'If something happened to the Liu Family this time, the Yuan Family would be the ones to benefit most!'
'Perhaps… the Yuan Family could use this opportunity to become a top-tier family!'
The business war raged for several days.
Throughout this period, the Liu Family was relentless in their attacks.
The Yuan Family, in turn, not only lost over a hundred million in capital, but even their stock price began to plummet.
If the founding shares hadn't all been in the hands of the Yuan Family, someone would have surely started a sell-off by now.
Even the media was pessimistic, reporting that the Yuan Family was merely putting up a futile resistance and would soon be forced to capitulate.
When that happened, the Yuan Family would likely have to pay a heavy price to get the Liu Family to back down.
Yuan Family.
The atmosphere was tense.
The Yuan family members were full of resentment.
"What is wrong with Yuan Tiancheng? Wasn't he always so smart? How could he offend the Liu Family for the sake of some outsider!"
"Clan elders, you must go and talk some sense into the Patriarch! If this continues, the Yuan Family is doomed!"
The clan elders, however, were not worried.
They already knew Xiao Ye's true identity. So what if it was the Liu Family?
In terms of real power, Shanghai was nothing compared to the Imperial City.
Even a top-tier family like the Liu Family was no match for a reclusive family like the Xiao Family. They weren't even in the same league.
The difference might seem like just one tier, but it was as vast as the one between the heavens and the earth!
"There's no need. Tiancheng is a man with a plan. He knows what he's doing."
"But the Yuan Family is on the brink of collapse! Do you know what the other families are saying?"
"They're all waiting to watch the show, to see when our Yuan Family will go bankrupt and be ruined!"
"This can't go on! We have to hand him over!"
The other families were indeed watching from the sidelines.
They were all speculating on when the Yuan Family would finally hand the person over.
The families on the same level as the Yuan Family were particularly regretful.
'Yuan Tiancheng had always seemed so clever. Why was he being so obstinate about this particular issue?'
'He was just an outsider. They should just hand him over.'
'So what if he was a friend? In this situation, even if he were a close relative, they should personally deliver him to the Liu Family.'
'Not only should they hand him over respectfully, but they should also let the Liu Family do as they please.'
'Whether he lived or died would be entirely up to the Liu Family!'
「Another two days passed.」
Yuan Tiancheng still refused to yield. He even sent out a public statement: "Handing him over is impossible! The Liu Family was the one in the wrong from the very beginning!"
"If the Liu Family insists on continuing down this path, then the Yuan Family will see it through to the bitter end!"
Seeing this, the media and the various families alike all gathered to watch the unfolding drama.
"When do you think the Yuan Family will fold?"
"Probably soon. Look what a mess the Liu Family has made of them. Several top executives poached, clients stolen."
"I hear the Yuan Family has lost at least four or five hundred million by now. No matter how rich they are, they can't afford to bleed money like that!"
"I just don't get why the Yuan Family won't hand him over. It seems Yuan Tiancheng is a good man in every respect, except he's too sentimental. That's a cardinal sin in the business world!"
Yuan Tiancheng, the man at the center of all the gossip, paid no mind to the rumors swirling outside.
He simply did as Xiao Ye had told him, carrying on with business as usual.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
His secretary entered, a grim expression on her face. "President Yuan… another resignation letter just came in. They're surely going to work for the Liu Family's company."
"How could they? The company treated them well. We run into a little trouble, and this is what they do? It's shameless!"