"The Dragon Palace of the East Sea can’t stay in Jinling anymore?"

Hearing this, the group of middle-aged men wore strange expressions, on the verge of laughter. The interests of the Dragon Palace of the East Sea involved far too many people! And now this young man, with his back to them, was declaring he would make it impossible for them to remain in Jinling? What a joke!

"Young man, ignorance isn’t a sin, but be careful the high winds don’t cut your tongue!" the middle-aged man who had aggressively demanded Ji Yi’s camera sneered.

But in the next moment—SMACK! A crisp slap echoed through the air.

As Chang Yuanyi turned, he swung his palm high and sent it flying toward the middle-aged man’s face!

"Forget my tongue, the high winds will rip your fucking jaw off! Shit, what is this trash? One of Chen Jinlong’s dogs, getting bolder by riding on your master’s coattails? Growing more and more arrogant, are you?"

After delivering the slap, Chang Yuanyi snarled with a cold, sinister fury.

Quick to curse, quick to resolve problems with violence. This was Chang Yuanyi; this was the bizarre side of Jinling’s top young master.

However, the middle-aged man who had been viciously slapped was struck dumb with terror the moment he saw Chang Yuanyi’s face.

"Y-Y-Young Master Chang!" the middle-aged men all stammered in unison upon seeing that face.

In Jinling, if anyone could truly make the Dragon Palace of the East Sea unable to continue its business, even a personage of Bao Qiudong’s standing would struggle. But Chang Yuanyi, whose status was just a notch below his, was fully qualified to make such a claim. He was the one-of-a-kind existence who could effortlessly ensure the Dragon Palace of the East Sea couldn’t remain in Jinling!

This wasn’t because Chang Yuanyi had a powerful father or a grandfather whose proteges were spread throughout the country. Rather, the rise of the Dragon Palace of the East Sea was inseparable from Chang Yuanyi. He was the most critical factor behind its powerful ascent in just a few short years!

Although this most crucial figure held no shares in the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, he controlled its dark, hidden side. Even Chen Jinlong, the big boss behind the scenes, had to meet with Chang Yuanyi privately at the end of every year and personally offer him New Year’s greetings at the start of the next. These two points alone were enough to show how sensitive an issue Chang Yuanyi’s existence was to Chen Jinlong!

If it came to toppling the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, Chang Yuanyi could do it without breaking a sweat.

They knew this. Almost everyone of note in Jinling knew this!

I just told him, ’ignorance isn’t a sin, but be careful the high winds don’t cut your tongue’... The thought alone made the middle-aged man break out in a cold sweat. If the big boss Chen Jinlong found out about this, it wouldn’t just be his career at the Dragon Palace of the East Sea that was over; there would be no place left for him in all of Jinling!

"Yo, so you do recognize me? Weren’t you the one telling me to be careful the high winds don’t cut my tongue? In all of Jinling, not even Chen Jinlong dares to speak to me like that. But now, a dog he raised dares to bark at me?" Chang Yuanyi laughed coldly.

In that instant, the aura of a top young master was on full display.

BANG!

As his scornful words fell, the middle-aged man fell heavily to his knees before Chang Yuanyi without a second thought.

His face was pale as he trembled in panic. "Young Master Chang, I was wrong! I beg you, be magnanimous and spare me!"

This act of kneeling immediately drew the attention of everyone present. Most were from Jinling’s elite circles, so how could they not recognize one another? Astonished, many began walking over to see what was happening.

"Young Master Chang, what is this?" a middle-aged man who had some dealings with Chang Yuanyi asked in confusion.

"Chen Jinlong’s wings have grown full. Even the dogs he raises dare to bark at me now! This piece of trash told me to be careful the high winds don’t cut my tongue! Haha—!" Chang Yuanyi laughed, shaking his head noncommittally.

For those who lived in their world, face was everything. Although the man hadn’t recognized him before speaking, the words had been said. There would be no mercy or forgiveness. If he let this slide and word got out, where would Chang Yuanyi’s reputation be? If even a dog raised by Chen Jinlong dared to warn him like that, what would that make of his authority?

Therefore, the moment the middle-aged man uttered those words, his fate was sealed. This was the way of the world, the rules of conduct among the upper echelons. It was cruel, but it reflected the hierarchical chain of this society.

"Young Master Chang, this has nothing to do with Lord Dragon! It has nothing to do with Lord Dragon!" Hearing Chang Yuanyi escalate the issue to Chen Jinlong’s level, the middle-aged man grew even more terrified.

Could a man of common birth who single-handedly founded the Dragon Palace of the East Sea and stood at the pinnacle of Jinling’s elite circles be a pushover? Could he possibly be a benevolent master? Impossible! If Chen Jinlong was dragged into this, the consequences would be far worse than simply being unable to survive in Jinling!

"He’s done for," the middle-aged man acquainted with Chang Yuanyi sighed and shook his head. "Young Master Chang, I won’t disturb you. Since it’s come to this, I expect old Chen will be making his appearance soon!"

"Let’s go. There’s nothing interesting to see here," Chang Yuanyi said indifferently, waving his hand at the influential figures who had gathered around. "This doesn’t concern you. Everyone, disperse!"

At Chang Yuanyi’s command, the crowd of elites didn’t linger. They had seen such dramas far too many times, to the point of numbness.

"Hey, buddy, what are you doing? Is all this really necessary?" Nearby, the naturally open-minded and bold Ji Yi furrowed her brows, looking puzzled. It was such a small matter that could have just been talked out. Did he really have to escalate it to this degree? What a show-off!

"Miss Ji, this isn’t a case where ignorance is an excuse. These are the rules of our circle. If you make a mistake, you pay the price. If you say the wrong thing, you have to pay for your words," a young wastrel from Beijing explained.

It was the same reason Wei Shihao had ended up in his current predicament. If he had known Ji Yi was connected to Qin Fan, he wouldn’t have dared to say what he did, not even if he had a hundred times the courage. But he spoke without knowing the situation, and now he was lying in an ICU.

"Hey, let them handle it. We can just watch the show," Qin Fan said with a broad, easygoing smile as he gently patted Ji Yi’s shoulder.

"Hehe, Miss Ji, what do you think we should do, then? Alright, today, I’ll let your esteemed self be the judge. Whatever you say, I, old Chang, will do it!" At that moment, the quick-witted Chang Yuanyi shot Ji Yi a fawning smile. He was more than happy to do her a favor by showing magnanimity—all she had to do was say the word.

However, before Ji Yi could respond, rushed footsteps approached—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! A middle-aged man in a traditional Tang suit appeared, his face a mask of sheer panic.