Chapter 43 Fight

Chapter 43: Taking Action

Yan Zhoubai wanted Ji Yangwen to leave immediately and spoke without reservation. He aimed to project his most caustic and intimidating demeanor to deter Ji Yangwen and the reporters. As for how the media would portray him on tomorrow's front page, he no longer cared.

The facts proved that Yan Zhoubai still lacked a clear understanding of himself. While the content of his harsh words was indeed cutting, his overall presence and aura completely failed to convey any genuine menace.

Many of the reporters present were encountering this Young Master Yan, a figure of unique status, up close for the first time; they had only heard rumors before. Seeing him in person, they were struck by his good looks and how distinctly different he was from the Yan family's biological brothers—especially in personality, where they were worlds apart.

Yet, this was hardly a threat. It was more akin to a well-mannered child, raised never to use foul language, who, pushed to his limit, tried to imitate dramatic lines from a TV show to scare people.

Ordering someone to kneel was an extremely offensive demand. Logically, everyone should have found the young master's words quite cruel, but no one seemed to notice this. His entire being, from appearance to temperament, projected such a low level of aggression that the impact of his words was significantly diminished.

If Yan Zhoubai knew that even after resorting to such a severe demand as making someone kneel, the collective internal judgment was merely "lacking bite," he would likely stew in frustration every night before bed.

These reporters didn't know Yan Zhoubai, but Ji Yangwen had known him since their school days. The old Yan Zhoubai would never have uttered such a command. However, it no longer seemed surprising that the current Yan Zhoubai could. After all, he had once shoved a lemon into Ji Yangwen's mouth mid-sentence.

Ji Yangwen chuckled. "How about I kneel for you first, and then you can decide whether to forgive me?"

Ji Yangwen had always been thick-skinned and a free spirit, unburdened by old notions like "a man's knees are worth gold." When he accepted the public apology as a solution, he had already cast aside any concerns about losing face.

Moreover, he genuinely believed he was in the wrong. Public apologies or even kneeling in public held no significance for him; he simply wanted Yan Zhoubai's forgiveness.

When Yan Zhoubai heard Ji Yangwen offer to kneel, his eyes widened in disbelief. How could this person be so utterly shameless? And why was it that the one who had committed the wrong and come to apologize appeared so relaxed, even somewhat flippant, while he, the victim, was the one feeling anxious?

"Is that alright? I'll kneel and apologize, but please open the gate, okay? I'll stay right outside; I can't afford to be charged with trespassing, and neither can they." Ji Yangwen glanced at the reporters standing beside him.

Although the Yan family villa's gate was intricately carved and openwork, allowing a view of those inside, it was still a physical barrier. Ji Yangwen felt it didn't meet his standard for a "face-to-face" apology.

Furthermore, the lower part of the gate wasn't openwork. If he were to kneel on the other side, from Yan Zhoubai's perspective, probably only his head and neck would be visible. Wouldn't that look utterly ridiculous?

Yan Zhoubai's face flushed with anger. He furiously unlocked the gate.

Just as Ji Yangwen thought he was making progress, he heard Yan Zhoubai suddenly call out, "Huihui!"

Then, from an unknown direction, a figure about half a person's height darted out. Before anyone could react, it pounced directly on Ji Yangwen, knocking him to the ground.

Normally, given Ji Yangwen's tall stature, his active nature since childhood, and his good physique, he should have been able to quickly recover after being caught off guard and tackled by Huihui. However, his leg was still injured and not fully healed. The impact of hitting the ground sent a sharp pain through his leg, making it impossible for him to stand.

Huihui, after all, was no small dog. Its sudden appearance and aggressive display instantly scattered all the reporters surrounding Ji Yangwen, sending them fleeing.

Ji Yangwen lay there in his suit, sprawled on his back on the ground in front of the Yan family villa. He couldn't get up for a moment, and no one around offered to help him.

"I don't want to participate in your public apology because I don't want to forgive you. What's the difference between you blocking my driveway now and bullying me all over again?"

The gate of the Yan family villa stood open. Yan Zhoubai stood in the doorway but didn't step out, looking down at Ji Yangwen. After tackling Ji Yangwen, Huihui immediately returned to Yan Zhoubai's side, sitting down and looking up at him as if expecting praise.

…

Meanwhile, at the live broadcast of the public apology taking place at the Yan Group, trouble had erupted, forcing an abrupt interruption.

Yan Anxuan had assaulted Dai Jian and Rong Qian, right in front of numerous media cameras.

The incident began when Dai Jian and Rong Qian arrived at the venue and also insisted on apologizing to Yan Zhoubai face-to-face. They declared they would wait if Yan Zhoubai himself didn't attend the public apology. The implication was clear: no Yan Zhoubai, no apology.

Yan Anxuan, who was present, was infuriated by this. His family had clearly informed these parties in advance that Yan Zhoubai would not be attending the public apology. The parents of all three boys had also agreed, understanding that the purpose of a public apology was to demonstrate remorse, present a united front to the media, and allow the Yan family to vent their anger.

For the parents of the Ji, Dai, and Rong families, the Yan family's acceptance of this settlement was a welcome outcome. While Yan Zhoubai's absence would undoubtedly cause them some loss of face, they couldn't afford to dwell on it. They were in the wrong; their sons had behaved disgracefully. If the Yan family wanted to see them humiliated to satisfy their anger, so be it. The priority was to preserve their business relationships.

However, these parents never anticipated such a turn of events at the venue, especially Ji Yangwen's parents, who had no idea their son would go to the Yan family home alone.

Yan Anxuan also hadn't expected a simple apology to escalate into such a chaotic situation. The moment he learned that Ji Yangwen had gone alone to the Yan residence, blocking the gate and demanding Yan Zhoubai come out to accept his apology in person, he couldn't control himself. He rushed forward and struck Dai Jian and Rong Qian, who were standing before him.

What kind of people were these? They used to bully Yan Zhoubai, then agreed to apologize, only to renege on their word and insist on forcing an unwilling Yan Zhoubai to appear. If this was how they behaved under the scrutiny of the media and everyone watching, it only highlighted how brazenly they must have bullied Yan Zhoubai before!

Yan Anxuan was not an impulsive person. He had been a director at the Yan Group for many years, and many perceived him as a meticulous elite from a prominent family. But today, many people's impressions of him were shattered. No one had expected Yan Anxuan to be such a skilled fighter.

He single-handedly beat up Dai Jian and Rong Qian. Crucially, Dai Jian and Rong Qian didn't appear to be weaklings; Rong Qian, in particular, looked like he had some training. Yet, they were utterly defenseless against Yan Anxuan.

This was the Yan family's territory. When the fight broke out, many wanted to intervene, but Yan Ren stood by without saying a word, so Dai Jian and Rong Qian truly received a thorough beating.

The emergency cut of the live broadcast was also requested by the Yan family. Many netizens following the live stream were asking online what had happened. Because the broadcast was cut abruptly, many speculations arose, including posts claiming someone saw Ji Yangwen heading alone to the Western Hills villa area.

In short, that night was very lively across major social platforms, with many netizens staying up past midnight waiting for the latest news. Everyone knew a major scandal was brewing.

However, when everyone woke up the next morning, they found that online information about yesterday's public apology had almost completely vanished. Simultaneously, the Yan Group announced the termination of cooperation with several enterprises for the second half of the year. Those who investigated quickly discovered these were companies affiliated with the Ji, Dai, and Rong families.

The incident had caused a huge stir yesterday. While the news of Yan Anxuan hitting Dai Jian and Rong Qian hadn't leaked due to the timely cut of the live broadcast, everything else had spread far and wide.

Zhan Jiayu, upon learning of the situation, immediately messaged Yan Zhoubai, telling him not to go out today. Their date could be postponed; it was crucial now to keep Yan Zhoubai out of the media's sight.

But he hadn't expected the Yan family to act so swiftly. Overnight, they had scrubbed the internet clean of related news and posts. They even had the audacity to directly announce the termination of cooperation with companies under the Dai, Ji, and Rong families the very next day.

Zhan Jiayu was well aware of the financial losses this series of actions would incur for the Yan family, which was why he was so surprised by their decisive moves.

"Boss, we received news that the Yan family’s eldest son beat up the ones from the Rong and Dai families at yesterday’s live apology session. That news has been completely suppressed today. Combined with removing trending topics and deleting posts last night, the Yan family must have spent a fortune on this operation."

Assistant Chen had been busy these past two days preparing for the ancestral worship trip to Jiang City. Finally having a moment free, he stumbled upon this massive scoop. Although he was professionally trained, a story of this magnitude was hard to ignore.

"Serves them right."

Zhan Jiayu only uttered those two words, because if it were him, those two wouldn’t have gotten off with just a beating—they’d be lucky to escape with their lives.

"Apparently, they're not seriously hurt, just superficial wounds. The Yan family’s eldest son probably held back. But neither family filed a police report; it seems it was settled privately," Assistant Chen added.

"The Yan family clearly wanted a direct confrontation this time. Yan Anxuan didn’t hit them that hard anyway. Filing a police report wouldn’t benefit either side," Zhan Jiayu reasoned, believing those families wouldn’t be foolish enough to go to the police.

"How is Young Master Yan doing? That Ji family member blocking his family’s gate and demanding he come out isn’t much different from bullying, is it?"

Assistant Chen, knowing the boss likely had feelings for Young Master Yan, occasionally brought him up—a little workplace survival tip to keep the boss happy.

Zhan Jiayu didn’t respond. He had asked about Yan Zhoubai’s condition at the same time he told him to stay in today, but a whole night had passed without a reply from Yan Zhoubai.