Chapter 109: I’m Just Playing You

“Chairman Xu, what is the meaning of this?”

Xie Jiang wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He felt as though he had been fooled but still held onto a shred of hope.

“Nothing special. I just don’t want to cooperate with you. Is that clear enough?”

Xu Shaochen spread his hands, looking at Xie Jiang with a playful smile.

He wasn’t foolish enough to hand over a money-making opportunity to someone who had offended him.

“Slap!”

Xie Jiang suddenly slammed his hand on the desk and shouted hysterically at Xu Shaochen, “You’re fucking playing me!”

He had imitated a dog, kicked his girlfriend, and even accepted being slapped, trampling over his dignity and pride—all just to get Xu Shaochen to agree to a partnership.

Yet, Xu Shaochen had been playing him from the very beginning. The frustration and suppressed anger instantly surged within him.

“Bang!”

Almost at the same time as his outburst, Xu Shaochen grabbed the teacup from the desk and hurled it directly at Xie Jiang’s head, smashing it into pieces.

“Ah!”

Xie Jiang let out a terrible scream as blood streamed down his face from his forehead, and he collapsed backward onto the floor.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!”

Liu Rushuang and Xu Ling screamed in terror at the sight. After all, women tend to scream ‘Ah!’ whenever something happens.

“Do you think you can scare me by being loud? Yes, I’m playing you. What can you do about it?”

Xu Shaochen stood up, casually adjusted his collar, and looked at Xie Jiang on the floor with a disdainful sneer.

He never provokes others first. But if someone dares to provoke him, he’ll never hold back and certainly won’t forgive just because the other person backs down.

Everyone should pay the price for their mistakes.

“Xu, you’re pushing me too far!”

Xie Jiang clutched his wounded forehead, shakily getting to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with intense hatred.

“Pushing you too far? So what? What the hell can you do to me? Believe it or not, with just one word from me, you’ll disappear without a trace.”

Xu Shaochen unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, pointed at Xie Jiang, and grinned arrogantly, his eyes full of undisguised contempt and hubris.

Xie Jiang clenched his fists tightly, but he didn’t dare utter a single harsh word. He could only glare at Xu Shaochen with fiery eyes.

He was too frightened.

Getting rid of Xie Jiang would be as easy for Xu Shaochen as crushing an ant.

“Why are you still standing here? Are you waiting for me to invite you for dinner? Get out! And next time, keep your eyes open before showing off. If you cross me again, I’ll have someone feed you to the fish.”

As Xu Shaochen finished speaking, he grabbed a book from the desk and threw it at Xie Jiang.

Xie Jiang was burning with rage, but in the end, he could only leave helplessly, staggering away in utter humiliation.

Because, he didn’t even have the courage to strike back at Xu Shaochen.

“Why are you still here?”

Xu Shaochen looked over at Xu Ling, who was standing nearby, and asked.

“Shaochen… I’m still your cousin, after all. At worst, I’ll return the money I owed your family back then. There’s no need to go this far, right?”

Xu Ling forced a smile as she looked at Xu Shaochen. Now that he had money, she couldn’t just leave empty-handed. She would try to get something out of it too.

“Come here, Cousin, right? Come over here.”

Xu Shaochen smiled at Xu Ling and waved her over.

Xu Ling’s eyes immediately brightened with joy, and she eagerly walked toward Xu Shaochen.

Liu Rushuang, watching from the side, shook her head. This woman was both stupid and wicked. Did she really think Xu Shaochen could be fooled so easily?

“Shaochen, you called me?”

Xu Ling stood before Xu Shaochen, her face full of smiles.

“Smack—!”

Xu Shaochen slapped her three times in succession and then said, “Now you can leave. You know, your very presence disgusts me. You make me want to vomit.”

Back then, Xu Shaochen had seen Xu Ling’s family as his last hope. He thought that Xu Ling would at least lend some money to help his sick mother.

After all, before his mother fell ill, she had treated Xu Ling with utmost kindness, like her own daughter.

But what happened? Xu Shaochen didn’t expect Xu Ling to be the most despicable among all his relatives—a true heartless beast.

Not only did she refuse to lend even a single cent, but she also callously said that it would be better if his mother died sooner rather than wasting money hovering between life and death.

What kind of person says such things? If it weren’t for his concern for his mother’s feelings, Xu Shaochen would have already had her sold off to work in the mines in South Africa.

Feeling the stinging pain on her cheeks, half of Xu Ling’s face went numb. She never expected that Xu Shaochen would actually hit her, and with such force.

“You… You’ll regret this!”

Xu Ling spat out a threat before running out of the office, her eyes filled with seething hatred.

In her mind, she was determined to tell all the relatives about Xu Shaochen’s newfound wealth.

She didn’t believe that with so many people trying to take a share, Xu Shaochen could kick them all out.

If Xu Shaochen tried to drive out all the relatives, she would call the media to expose him, accusing him of turning his back on his family after becoming rich.

Let’s see how Xu Shaochen deals with public opinion then!

Xu Shaochen wasn’t wrong about her; she truly was vicious.

“Sigh, there are too many ungrateful people these days. Sorry you had to see that.”

Xu Shaochen sighed and glanced at Liu Rushuang with a self-deprecating smile.

Liu Rushuang didn’t say a word. She looked at Xu Shaochen with compassion, walked over, and hugged him tightly, whispering, “I understand. I know how it feels.”

After all, she and her sister had been in a similar situation. Their parents had died in a car accident, leaving behind a sizable compensation sum. Relatives, seeing their youth, had relentlessly tried to take a share, leaving them with only a fraction of what was rightfully theirs.

Indeed, the most treacherous thing in this world is the human heart; the most wicked thing is human nature.

Xu Shaochen could feel the sympathy in Liu Rushuang’s embrace, and he held her tightly. Gently, he said, “In the future, with me around, no one will ever dare to bully you.”

“What about my sister?” Liu Rushuang suddenly asked.

………

Xu Shaochen’s expression froze. He felt a wave of confusion rush through his mind.

This was a deadly question, and there was no good answer.

“Hehe, I was just messing with you! I’m off to work now. Bye-bye!”

Liu Rushuang quickly reverted to her carefree and spoiled attitude. She pushed Xu Shaochen away and skipped out of the office.

Looking at Liu Rushuang’s graceful figure, Xu Shaochen smiled. These days, people wear their emotions openly for others to see, but the real feelings are hidden deep within.

If it weren’t for Liu Rushuang’s emotional shift earlier, Xu Shaochen wouldn’t have realized that beneath her carefree exterior, she also harbored such a fragile, helpless side.

He shook his head, casting aside those complicated thoughts, and strode out of the office with long, confident strides.