Wen Yan’s expression changed as he stared at Chu Shangluo, wishing he could sew his mouth shut.

At that moment, the yacht docked, and Chu Shangluo, without hesitation, pushed Wen Yan aside and walked out. Wen Yan stumbled back a few steps, unable to swallow his frustration. Chen Ran, holding a glass of wine, draped his arm over Wen Yan’s shoulder and looked at Chu Shangluo with a cold gleam in his eyes. After a moment, he lowered his head and said to Wen Yan, “He’s nothing but a fallen phoenix right now, barely better than a chicken. Taking him down won’t be hard. He’s not worth getting so angry over.”

After saying this, Chen Ran suddenly turned and looked at Ren Jiaoming, who was standing behind them. “Right, Ren Jiaoming?”

Ren Jiaoming, with a cold expression, said nothing in response.

Chen Ran’s gaze grew darker. Compared to Chu Shangluo, Ren Jiaoming, who was tight-lipped and unreadable, was the one to truly be wary of.

The group entered the reception room, where a young man in a white scholar’s robe was standing at the door. Everyone in the room had seen him before; he was Song Yuchu, a prominent figure by the side of Yu’s company’s head, Shen Mingyu. Many people passing by Song Yuchu would stop to exchange a few words with him, whether out of politeness or flattery. Song Yuchu always had a smile on his face, performing well with his surface-level pleasantries. However, everyone in the room, seasoned in the business world, could see through his insincerity and aloofness.

But when Chu Shangluo passed by, Song Yuchu stopped smiling and, taking the initiative, spoke, “I’ve arranged a house for you by the sea,” knowing that Chu Shangluo liked the ocean.

However, Chu Shangluo had no intention of accepting the gesture. He continued walking without a second thought, not even giving Song Yuchu a moment of attention.

Song Yuchu’s face darkened as he watched Chu Shangluo’s retreating figure. The people around hadn’t heard what Song Yuchu said, but they knew he had addressed Chu Shangluo. The fact that Chu Shangluo had rejected him so bluntly made them envious and think that Chu Shangluo was ungrateful.

Wen Yan watched all this with a smile. He approached Song Yuchu and said, “Manager Song, my father recently gave Yu Company a small gift. If Yu Family liked it, we can bring more next time.”

Song Yuchu snapped out of his thoughts, distracted, and replied, “Yu Family really liked it, but there’s no need to trouble yourself further.”

Wen Yan maintained a polite smile as he walked inside. Once inside, the smile quickly faded from his face. He didn’t understand why everyone was treating Chu Shangluo like some prized possession.

By evening, as the host, Yu’s company naturally ensured that all their guests were well-treated. Regardless of whether the final deal was struck, fine wine, gourmet food, five-star accommodations, and all the island’s recreational facilities were freely available to everyone. This time, the meeting was with the company’s highly secretive young master. Each guest had a different meeting time with him, and Chu Shangluo was scheduled for 10 p.m.

With some time to kill, Chu Shangluo wandered around the island with Lin Zhi. At some point, Lin Zhi mentioned needing to use the restroom, so Chu Shangluo waited for him outside. It was then that he heard loud cheers coming from downstairs. Following the noise, he descended and found himself in front of a large boxing ring. Two men were fighting, their shirts off and fists flying, while a crowd of spectators cheered them on. Chu Shangluo moved closer, and one of the fighters on the stage caught his attention. It was Chen Ran.

Chen Ran’s muscles were firm, his eyes bloodshot, and he showed no mercy in beating his opponent to a pulp. The man he was fighting with was slender and clearly inexperienced, clutching his head as Chen Ran pummeled him, repeatedly begging for mercy.

However, Chen Ran showed no signs of stopping. He continued to land punch after punch, kick after kick, until the defenseless man collapsed, unconscious. Chen Ran twisted his face into a grin, took out a stack of money from his assistant’s bag, and threw it onto the man’s face. Then, he looked around the crowd below and shouted, “Who’s next? If you beat me, this stack of money is yours! Lose, and I’ll pay for your medical bills!”

Chu Shangluo frowned and muttered to himself, “Where did this lunatic come from?”

One of the young, rich onlookers, eager to explain, turned to Chu Shangluo. “Seems like you don’t play boxing, huh? What Chen Ran’s doing is hardcore. He’s got contracts with the fighters. If someone can beat him, they get a hundred thousand. The rich don’t want to go up against him, but not everyone’s rich, and there are always some poor guys eager to fight for that hundred thousand.”

Chu Shangluo asked, “What do you mean by contracts?”

“Death contracts,” the onlooker explained. “Basically, it’s a free-for-all. If something goes wrong, nobody’s held accountable. I think Chen Ran’s twisted. His background’s bad, being an illegitimate child who wasn’t valued. After years of enduring, he finally found his chance to get revenge, and now he doesn’t care anymore.”

At this moment, Chen Ran’s gaze also landed on Chu Shangluo. They had a history, and Chen Ran hadn’t forgotten who exposed his scandal. A fierce look gleamed in his eyes as he pointed at Chu Shangluo. “Mr. Chu, I’m sure you’re low on cash right now. How about a fight? I’ll give you a million if you win.”

The crowd gasped. One million wasn’t a small sum, but even more intriguing than the money was whether Chu Shangluo would accept the challenge. If he did, this would surely be a spectacle worth watching.

As the center of attention, Chu Shangluo stared coldly at Chen Ran without immediately responding.

Chen Ran continued to provoke, “What, you scared? Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. It’s just for fun. Win, and you get a million. Lose, I’ll still give you a hundred thousand. No harm done, right?”

The crowd could clearly see Chen Ran’s intentions: he wanted to pay Chu Shangluo to fight. He was putting Chu Shangluo in an impossible situation—refusing would make him a coward, agreeing would mean fighting for money.

This kind of scenario was all too familiar to Chu Shangluo. The first time he came to Yu’s company, Su Ran had tried to get him to gamble. Now, Chen Ran was trying to drag him into a boxing match.

Chu Shangluo shrugged, realizing he had made plenty of enemies, and they were all the kind who would shamelessly challenge him in public. He stared at Chen Ran on the stage, knowing that if he wanted to break Chen Ran’s leg, there was no better opportunity than now.

With everyone’s eyes on him, Chu Shangluo walked toward the ring, shrugged off his suit and threw it on the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and said to the crazed Chen Ran, “I’ll pass on the money. Let’s just say I’m here to have some fun with Mr. Chen.”

The onlookers erupted in excitement. Chu Shangluo never failed to entertain them and always gave them a good show. Several young, rich spectators, sipping drinks, smoking, and eating seeds, looked at the fearless Chu Shangluo, now donning boxing gloves, and said, “Damn… am I imagining this? Chu Shangluo looks pretty handsome! He’s got that badass vibe!”

Another added, “It’s not just a feeling. He’s really handsome, such a man!”

A third person slowly exhaled smoke and sighed, “You guys just realized? I noticed it five years ago. I even tried to chase after him, but I didn’t succeed.”

On the ring, Chen Ran looked at Chu Shangluo, who appeared indifferent. He hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. But then again, it wasn’t too surprising. Chu Shangluo was competitive and never ran away from a fight.

As the coach blew the whistle, the crowd below fell silent, all eyes on the two men in the ring. Chu Shangluo also stopped feigning indifference, his expression gradually becoming serious. Chen Ran had been training in boxing for a long time, and it was certain that taking Chu Shangluo down would be easy for him. He relentlessly pressed the attack, pushing Chu Shangluo back step by step, but each time, Chu Shangluo managed to dodge his punches perfectly.

Chen Ran began to wonder if Chu Shangluo had some training, but his movements didn’t seem like it. As he hesitated, Chu Shangluo saw his moment and landed a powerful punch right to Chen Ran’s face. This punch had no mercy—if the opponent were weaker, it could have caused a concussion.

Chen Ran was momentarily stunned by the punch. When he came to his senses, his rage boiled over, and his eyes grew even more frantic.

Meanwhile, Wen Yan arrived at the underground boxing ring with Ren Jiaoming. The loud cheers in the ring were deafening. When Wen Yan saw the two men grappling on the stage, he couldn’t help but curse. Chen Ran had advised him to keep his cool, but what was Chen Ran doing now!? Chu Shangluo had trained in boxing—why was he embarrassing himself in front of so many people!?

Wen Yan turned to look for Ren Jiaoming, but he had already disappeared.

On the stage, the two fighters were both red-eyed and fiercely struggling. Chu Shangluo had a bruise on his cheek, while Chen Ran’s eyes and nose were swelling.

Chu Shangluo had agreed to fight Chen Ran because he had learned boxing during his university days. Though he hadn’t practiced much in recent years, he was confident he wouldn’t lose to Chen Ran. He had the upper hand in the first half, but in the second half, Chen Ran used dirty tricks to pin him to the ground and keep hitting him. Chu Shangluo didn’t hold back, throwing punches at Chen Ran’s face and kicking his legs in retaliation. Old grievances were being settled right there.

By now, both men were seeing red with fury. Chu Shangluo sat on top of Chen Ran, his chest heaving, breathing heavily, but his fists kept pounding Chen Ran’s head.

Chen Ran, disoriented from the punches, was now fighting with reckless abandon. He pulled a knife from his pocket, its blade gleaming, and aimed it at Chu Shangluo.

The crowd gasped as they realized how serious this was. Chu Shangluo couldn’t avoid the blade in time and could only watch the knife coming at him with cold sweat dripping down his face.

In the next moment, a figure quickly jumped onto the stage. Ren Jiaoming grabbed the knife, ignoring the sharp blade that cut into his palm. He pushed the still-angry Chu Shangluo aside, his face stern as he snatched the knife from Chen Ran’s hand and threw it on the ground.

“Mr. Chen, there is no bloodshed allowed on Yu’s territory,” Ren Jiaoming said coldly.

Chen Ran gritted his teeth, furious at Ren Jiaoming for ruining his plans. However, before he could do anything, Chu Shangluo, filled with rage, shoved Ren Jiaoming away. He locked eyes with Chen Ran’s leg and kicked him with all his might. His voice was ice-cold as he said, “Chen Ran, you owe my assistant a leg! You’ll pay up today.”

Chen Ran groaned in pain, but Chu Shangluo was far from finished. Ren Jiaoming, worried, tried to restrain him. “Have you thought about the consequences of breaking his leg here?”

Chu Shangluo struggled in Ren Jiaoming’s hold, snarling, “None of your business! I’ll handle the consequences! I won’t drag you down!”

At that moment, Wen Yan had already reached the ring and was trying to help Chen Ran up. With his eyes bloodshot, Chen Ran cursed, “Chu Shangluo, your assistant’s leg is worth nothing. His life isn’t even worth anything! I should’ve run over him more when I had the chance, so you could be crying over his ashes now.”

“Dammit!” Chu Shangluo trembled with fury. How could he encounter such a shameless person? He was so angry that all he wanted to do was kill Chen Ran. A scumbag like him didn’t deserve to live in this world.

“Ren Jiaoming, let go of me!” Chu Shangluo gasped heavily, like a roaring lion. He was filled with unprecedented rage. The opportunity was right in front of him; he had signed an agreement with Chen Ran. He could legitimately take his frustration out on Chen Ran, but this bastard, Ren Jiaoming, was stopping him!

He threw a punch at Ren Jiaoming, his eyes burning with resentment, “You’re just a damn good lapdog for your master!” Ren Jiaoming, seeing the stubborn tears in Chu Shangluo’s eyes, closed his own briefly. Chu Shangluo was the first person to disrupt his plans. With a soft sigh, he released his grip on Chu Shangluo.

Just as Chu Shangluo was about to lunge at Chen Ran again, Ren Jiaoming pushed him back, causing him to stumble. At that moment, Chen Ran let out a heart-wrenching scream. The sound shocked everyone present, including Wen Yan, who had just helped Chen Ran up.

Ren Jiaoming lifted his foot from Chen Ran’s broken leg and looked down at him. Chen Ran, clutching his leg in agony, pale and sweating profusely, was unable to speak a word. Ren Jiaoming’s gaze was dark and intimidating, “Mr. Chen, it’s best to pay back what you owe.”

Wen Yan, shocked by the terrifying look in Ren Jiaoming’s eyes, inhaled deeply and asked in surprise, “Ren Ge, why…?”

Ren Jiaoming glanced at Chu Shangluo, whose fists were clenched. Chu Shangluo never expected that Ren Jiaoming would go so far as to cripple Chen Ran’s leg. After a brief moment of stunned silence, Chu Shangluo angrily left the ring. While it was satisfying to see Chen Ran’s leg broken, it wasn’t his doing, and he couldn’t bring himself to feel completely satisfied.

Ren Jiaoming, observing Chu Shangluo’s ungratefulness, felt a slight tremor in his right hand, and blood dropped onto the ring, forming a pool on the ground. The crowd below was still stunned, unsure of what to make of this chaotic situation.

Ren Jiaoming took out a tissue and bandaged his injured hand, then walked over to Chen Ran, helping him up. Chen Ran, weak, opened his mouth to curse Ren Jiaoming, but the pain was so intense he couldn’t speak. Ren Jiaoming said calmly, “Mr. Chen, you should save your strength for the hospital.”

On the way to the hospital, Chen Ran glared at Ren Jiaoming with eyes full of hatred but was too pained to say a word.

Wen Yan’s heart raced, and after a long silence, he asked, “Ren Ge, how can you be so calm after breaking Chen Ran’s leg and sitting in the same car with us?”

Ren Jiaoming looked out the window and replied lightly, “I’m helping Mr. Chen.”

Wen Yan, confused, asked, “How so?”

Ren Jiaoming explained, “There’s a rule in the Yu family’s arena: no dirty tricks in the fight. If someone tries to cheat, Yu family not only cancels all cooperation with them but also punishes the person who used dirty tricks by making them take three hits from their opponent. The Chen family wouldn’t want to lose such a big deal, so Mr. Chen had to lose. Also, Mr. Chen publicly admitted to running someone over with his car, so he needed a way to silence everyone. At that point, I couldn’t stop Chu Shangluo. If he had followed Yu family’s arena rule and given Mr. Chen three kicks, he would’ve spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. My kick, at least, will let Mr. Chen walk again.”

Chen Ran: “So, what the hell… am I supposed to thank you?”

Ren Jiaoming: “You’re welcome.”

Chen Ran: “Damn… So, I can just leave he island, and Yu family can’t stop me!”

Ren Jiaoming: “Yu family won’t let you leave this island, Mr. Chen. You can ask around about how Yu family made its fortune.”

Chen Ran: “…”

Wen Yan: “Ren Ge, next time, just tell me! You scared the hell out of me.”

Ren Jiaoming glanced at the knife in his hand, nonchalantly responding with a simple “Mm.”