Chapter 888: Chapter 888

"What do you mean, ’arrive’? He never planned to come." Jiang Hao said irritably, "That bastard never intended to meet us and sent his trusted aide to honor the appointment instead. I see now that Zhao Zhengxiong is afraid to see you because he’s worried you’ll cause trouble for him."

"Hmph!" Nanrong Hao said with irritation, "Look, I knew it, Zhao Zhengxiong has already turned traitor and doesn’t even regard Chen anymore. That bastard thinks his wings have grown, so he wants to break away and establish his own faction. Chen, there’s nothing more to say about such betrayal and disregard for brotherhood. Let’s just go head-to-head with him and see whose fist is stronger."

Ling Chen thought for a moment and said, "Don’t get upset yet. Since Zhao Zhengxiong sent a representative, let’s talk with him and see what Zhao Zhengxiong means." With that, Ling Chen pushed open the private room door and strode inside.

The spacious and bright private room had a round table with six grand chairs around it, very courteous and luxurious.

Sitting in one of the grand chairs was a middle-aged man in a suit, with a leather bag beside him, impeccably dressed, showing no trace of a thug’s demeanor.

"Chen, he’s called Yan Tao, a confidant of Zhao Zhengxiong, and essentially the second in command," Jiang Hao whispered. Google seaʀᴄh 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩

Ling Chen nodded, sizing up Yan Tao, and walked over.

Seeing Ling Chen approach, Yan Tao quickly stood up from the grand chair, eagerly extending his hand, "You must be Chen. I’ve long admired Chen’s reputation but never had the chance to meet; today I finally see Chen in person, truly impressive."

Ling Chen said with a playful smile, "You are Zhao Zhengxiong’s second in command; I’m not sure if your skills match your eloquence."

Yan Tao was slightly taken aback but quickly understood Ling Chen’s meaning, smiling as he said, "Chen, you’re joking. Speaking of skills, how dare I compare myself with you? In simple terms, I’m just a working man trying to earn a living, but Chen, you’re an entrepreneur; the difference between the two is vast."

"Alright!" Ling Chen replied, "You don’t need to say those flattering words; I’m not interested in them. Guests are guests, have a seat."

"Alright." Yan Tao responded, waiting until Ling Chen and Jiang Hao were seated before slowly sitting down, very polite.

"There are no outsiders here; Zhao Zhengxiong sent you as his representative to meet me, so I assume a decision has been made. Tell me, what does he want?" Ling Chen wasted no time and got straight to the point.

Yan Tao smiled faintly, "Chen, Xiong didn’t refuse to come see you; he’s just caught up with some urgent matters and couldn’t make it, so he asked me to come for him. Hope you can understand."

"Is that so?" Ling Chen chuckled, "Xiong is quite a busy person; he used to hang out at nightclubs, very free, but now he’s so busy he can’t even spare time for a meal. Apparently, he’s handling quite a lot."

Then, not waiting for Yan Tao to speak further, Ling Chen leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on the table, "As I said, I don’t like beating around the bush. Do I have to forcefully teach you a lesson before you’ll speak honestly?"

Hearing this, Yan Tao’s face looked somewhat uncomfortable, but he still forced a smile, "Chen, I..."

Ling Chen interrupted Yan Tao, raising a finger, "Think carefully before you speak; I will only give you one chance."

"Well..." Yan Tao hesitated a bit before slowly speaking, "Chen, since you put it that way, I won’t beat around the bush. Xiong’s intention is clear; he wants to go solo in the future."

"Go solo?" Ling Chen tapped his fingers on the table, asking, "Then he should give me a reason."

"He feels that you don’t trust him. Regarding this matter, I don’t know much, but Xiong told me to say that you would understand what he means."

Ling Chen certainly understood Zhao Zhengxiong’s intention. When the research base was established, Ling Chen only told Nanrong Hao and Jiang Hao about the base, deliberately excluding Zhao Zhengxiong. Later, when Zhao Zhengxiong found out about this, he was surely uncomfortable.

When Ling Chen made this decision, he had his reasons. Nanrong Hao is his future brother-in-law, Jiang Hao is someone he personally trained; there’s no doubt that they are the people he trusts the most. In comparison, although Zhao Zhengxiong calls them brothers, Ling Chen felt he needed to be tested further to truly know if he was worth full trust.

Maybe he was being overly cautious, but as the old saying goes, it’s necessary to guard against others, and the importance of the research base is self-evident; a bit of caution does no harm.

Unfortunately, Ling Chen considered too much but overlooked Zhao Zhengxiong’s feelings. To be honest, he did bear some responsibility in this matter.

However, even if he was wrong, Zhao Zhengxiong should not have done such a thing.

Zhao Zhengxiong should think about who helped him originally and who took him in. Without Ling Chen’s help and support, Zhao Zhengxiong could not have reached where he is today.

As thoughts quickly shifted through his mind, Ling Chen spoke, "Yan Tao, go back and tell Zhao Zhengxiong that maybe I’ve done something wrong, but I’ve never harmed him, nor thought of taking away his territory and power. If he still considers us brothers, then let’s sit down and talk to clear up the misunderstanding. If he’s determined to go solo, I’ll say it upfront: East Sea City is my territory, and I won’t allow any rebellious forces to exist here. So, if he dares to do this, don’t blame me for not remembering old friendships."

Ling Chen waved his hand, interrupting Yan Tao.

"I’ve said all I need to say; you don’t need to waste your breath. One day, I give Zhao Zhengxiong one day to respond; if I don’t get his reply, then he doesn’t need to respond at all. At that point, he has two choices: leave East Sea City or go to war."

After finishing, Ling Chen stood up from the grand chair and walked straight out of the private room.

Upon exiting the room, Jiang Hao and Nanrong Hao followed closely behind Ling Chen, asking, "Chen, do you think Zhao Zhengxiong will compromise?"

Ling Chen shrugged and said, "I’m not him, how would I know what he’d choose." After a pause, Ling Chen continued, "Jiang Hao, better be prepared these couple of days, regardless of Zhao Zhengxiong’s choice, we must plan for the worst, and never let our guard down. Zhao Zhengxiong has been with us for years; he knows you all very well. Moreover, he clearly understands what tactics we have."

Jiang Hao nodded, "Chen, don’t worry, I know what to do."

"Chen, what about me?"

Ling Chen glanced at Nanrong Hao and said, "You don’t need to do anything, just go back to work at Hongyu Group honestly. Jiang Hao has our support; there shouldn’t be any problem."