Chapter 678: You Won’t Be Leaving Today

“Big Brother, there are some things that won’t stay hidden just because you refuse to admit them. It’s just the two of us here, so why bother?”

Ma Liang’s denial was expected by Ma Di, but as he said, some things can’t be ignored, no matter how much you deny them.

“Smack!”

Ma Liang slammed his palm onto the dining table, glaring at Ma Di with angry eyes. “Second Brother, what do you mean by that? If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have even known that Third Brother was dead!”

“He was bullied, and you, his Second Brother, stood by and did nothing. So it was up to me, his eldest brother, to send someone to help him!”

“I was far away in Macau. How far did things escalate? Was it something I could have controlled? Now you’re pinning Third Brother’s death on me. Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Help him?” Ma Di let out a mocking laugh as if he had heard a joke, his face turning into a sneer as he looked at Ma Liang. “Help him to die sooner, perhaps? Is that what you mean?”

“Hmph! No matter what you say, I have a clear conscience. It’s still better than just standing by and watching our flesh and blood get bullied.”

“I have business to take care of. I’ll be leaving now.”

With a cold snort, Ma Liang turned and headed towards the door of the restaurant.

Inside, he was already regretting attending this banquet.

He had originally thought that Ma Di wanted to discuss the Ma Family heirship with him, and he had intended to have that conversation as well.

But now things were spiraling beyond his control, and he felt uneasy. An urgent desire to leave this place took over.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Just as he took a few steps, two tall bodyguards blocked the door, stopping him in his tracks.

“Big Brother, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave today.”

At the same time, Ma Di’s calm and composed voice reached his ears.

Ma Liang’s expression shifted slightly. He turned to face Ma Di and shouted angrily, “Presumptuous! What are you trying to do? Are you planning to kill me? If I die, you’ll be the prime suspect!”

Deep down, he didn’t believe that Ma Di would dare to kill him, just as he wouldn’t dare to kill Ma Di.

But a sense of unease gnawed at him, making him nervous.

“Big Brother, is there any point in saying that now? Since I dared to act, I clearly have a plan to handle the aftermath. After tonight, the Ma Family will be mine, Ma Di’s Ma Family!”

Ma Di stood up, spreading his arms wide, his face flushed with a wild excitement.

“You’re insane! A madman! Father will never let a ruthless, brother-killing monster like you inherit the Ma Family!”

Ma Liang was in a full panic now. From the look in Ma Di’s eyes, he realized this was no bluff.

“Father’s words no longer matter. From now on, only what I say counts in the Ma Family!”

“Send him on his way!”

Ma Di’s cold voice echoed as he strode out of the restaurant without a backward glance.

“Thud!”

Ma Liang felt his legs give out beneath him, and he collapsed to his knees.

He knew that if Ma Di left now, he would be a dead man.

“Second Brother! Second Brother! I’m your Big Brother! We grew up together, went to school together, even skipped classes together! Please, Second Brother, spare me! I’ll leave the country right away, and I’ll never fight you again.”

Ma Liang tried to play the emotional Card, bawling his eyes out. But it wasn’t out of fond memories, just sheer terror.

“Shut up!”

Ma Di roared angrily. His cold gaze fixed on Ma Liang as he spoke. “Ma Liang, you’ve always been unpredictable. Do you think I’d believe anything you say? Do you think I’m as naive as Third Brother was?”

“Third Brother trusted you completely, and what was his end? Death! His death was your doing!”

“You wanted to kill Xu Shaochen, cut off my support, but you were too scared of retaliation. So you used Third Brother as a scapegoat! With all that, here you are talking about brotherly affection? Isn’t that laughable?”

“Let me tell you something. From now on, I, Ma Di, have no brothers! Only friends and enemies!”

With that, Ma Di walked straight out of the restaurant, ignoring Ma Liang’s desperate pleas behind him.

Some things, once the first step is taken, can never be undone. Looking back only leads to destruction; it would drag down everyone who supported him.

“Second Brother! Second Brother! Ma Di, you cold-blooded bastard! I curse you! I curse your entire family to die horrible deaths!”

Seeing that Ma Di truly had no intention of sparing him, Ma Liang unleashed a flurry of furious curses.

“Young Master, we’ll let you go out with dignity. Don’t make things harder for us.”

The two bodyguards slowly approached Ma Liang, their gazes ice-cold. One of them pulled out a rope.

“No! No! Please, don’t kill me! I’ll give you money, lots of money! Enough for you to live ten lifetimes!”

“Please, just let me go! I beg you!”

Ma Liang’s face was filled with terror as he backed away. Every second of impending death was sheer torture.

“Young Master, we do enjoy money, but one thing we know: some money isn’t worth taking. You need to stay alive to spend it.”

One of the bodyguards spoke in a calm tone, then signaled to his companion with a glance.

The other bodyguard leapt onto Ma Liang, holding him down. The one holding the rope stepped forward and looped it around Ma Liang’s neck, pulling hard with both hands.

“No… No…”

In a matter of moments, Ma Liang stopped struggling, his last breath escaping his body.

His eyes were wide open, filled with fear, resentment, and anger. Truly, he had died without peace.

The two bodyguards snapped a photo of the scene and sent it to Ma Di, then began to dispose of the body.

As expected, the news of the Ma Family’s eldest son dying in a Car accident would be the front-page story in all the major newspapers tomorrow.

………………

Meanwhile, at the Ma Family estate.

In the living room.

Ma Di’s father, Ma Zhaoyue, sat expressionless on the sofa, a cup of tea in front of him that had long since gone cold.

In every corner of the room, bodyguards clad in suits stood, keeping Ma Zhaoyue locked within the living room.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Footsteps sounded as Ma Di entered the room.

“Dad.”

Ma Di called out.

“Bang!”

Ma Zhaoyue grabbed the Teacup from the table and hurled it at him.

Ma Di didn’t dodge or flinch. The cup hit him square on the head, leaving a small gash from which blood trickled down his cheek.

“You bastard!”

The words were forced out through Ma Zhaoyue’s clenched teeth, his pale face and trembling hands betraying the intensity of his fury.

Ma Di licked his parched lips and spoke with a dry voice, “Dad, I didn’t want to do this either. But I had no choice. Big Brother pushed me into a corner. There didn’t have to be this outcome.”

In his original plan, after he inherited the Ma Family, he intended to send his brothers to Southeast Asia, where they could run businesses and live wealthy lives.

But plans never keep up with reality.