Chapter 486: Backing

Lin Xiao stood in place without moving an inch, both hands in his pockets. One leg shot out like lightning, kicking the young man who had rushed toward him!

That tall young man only saw a blur before his eyes, then a sharp pain in his abdomen, like being hit by a thousand-pound sledgehammer. His body was lifted off the ground uncontrollably and flung three to four meters backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

His face turned pale in an instant. Mouth agape, like a fish out of water, he struggled to breathe. Both hands clutched his stomach tightly, his body curled into a ball, rolling on the ground in pain.

Even though Lin Xiao didn’t use any internal energy, this kick alone, relying solely on his physical strength, nearly ruptured the young man’s intestines.

With an ordinary constitution, it was a miracle he didn’t pass out on the spot. This could already be considered great willpower.

The sudden turn of events frightened the other young men. They froze in place, stunned as they watched the person rolling on the ground, shock written all over their faces.

But Lin Xiao didn’t intend to show mercy just because of this. His legs swept out continuously, kicking the remaining young men to the ground.

A series of dull thuds. The rest of them turned into tumbling gourds, following the fate of the first young man.

In the blink of an eye, several people lay around Lin Xiao’s feet, all curled up and clutching their stomachs, groaning in waves. Two of them, with weaker wills, had even passed out from the pain.

“Uh…”

Director Zeng, who stood several meters away, stared in horror, momentarily forgetting the sharp pain in his wrist.

Lin Xiao cast him a cold glance. That indifferent gaze made Director Zeng shudder uncontrollably.

“You… what are you trying to do?” Director Zeng took a step back, his voice harsh but empty, “I’m warning you, I’m someone with status. If you dare touch me, be careful you won’t be able to handle the consequences.”

Lin Xiao had planned to let it go with a warning, but the other party’s words piqued his interest. After all, it had been a long time since someone dared to threaten him like this in Jinghai.

“Oh? What kind of status do you have? Go ahead, tell me.”

“I’m with the Wan family.” Director Zeng saw Lin Xiao wasn’t moving, thinking his threat had worked. His courage surged as he puffed out his chest and said coldly, “Kid, don’t think being able to fight makes you special. Compared to the Wan family, you’re nothing!”

“Wan family?” A strange look flashed in Lin Xiao’s eyes. “Which Wan family?”

Director Zeng’s face was full of arrogance, as if the name alone gave him limitless confidence. He raised his thumb upward, but forgot his wrist was injured. The motion made him suck in a sharp breath from the pain, looking utterly ridiculous.

“You probably don’t know since you’re just a hick, so I’ll be merciful and enlighten you. It’s the Wan family that owns Brilliant Tech Group, Brilliant Military Industry Group, Brilliant Pharmaceuticals, and even Jinghai’s renowned Brilliant Aya Limited. All are under the Wan family. I just came today to assume the role of Deputy General Manager at the Brilliant Aya. How about that, kid? Scared now?”

The surrounding murmurs suddenly rose in volume. Even ordinary people with no connections had heard of the famed Imperial Capital’s Wan family.

Brilliant Tech, Brilliant Department Store, Brilliant Pharmaceuticals—any one of these was a multibillion conglomerate. As for the Brilliant Aya Limited, locals were especially familiar with it. It was an absolute giant in Jinghai.

Its executives were powerful and influential. Now that Director Zeng claimed to be its new deputy general manager, to many, he was a big shot.

Director Zeng raised his chin proudly, looking sideways at Lin Xiao with renewed arrogance. His face practically glowed with smugness.

The words “Wan family of the Imperial Capital” gave him immense courage.

But Lin Xiao had spent time day and night with Wan Caixuan. He had even seen her body and had personally captured Wan Shixuan, the second young master of the Wan family. To him, the Wan family held no mystique at all.

However, to these narrow-sighted civilians, the Wan family, along with the Le and Tang families, were untouchable names—lofty and unreachable.

As for the so-called Director Zeng claiming to be the new Deputy Manager of the Brilliant Aya Group, Lin Xiao’s expression only grew stranger.

“Brilliant Aya Limited’s new Deputy Manager?”

Director Zeng snorted dismissively through his nose and jabbed his thumb at his own chest.

“That’s right, I’m the new Deputy Manager of Aya Limited. I just started today. And my sister married one of the Wan family’s heirs, I’m practically family.”

Director Zeng suddenly raised his voice, letting out a furious roar.

“Where did you get the guts to treat me like this, huh? I’m from the Wan family, do you even know that? If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, I’ll have the Wan family deal with you. To them, you’re nothing but an insignificant ant!”

His face flushed red, spittle flying as he shouted, his momentum hitting its peak.

“Oh? Such impressive backing. You want me to give you a satisfactory explanation? No problem.” Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of amusement curling at his lips. “I’ll give you an explanation right now.”

He pulled out his phone and dialed Wan Caixuan.

Seeing Lin Xiao make a call, Director Zeng sneered, “Now you think of calling for help? Too late, even the Emperor himself can’t save you now.”

Lin Xiao glanced at him and raised a finger to his lips, making a hushing gesture.

Director Zeng was about to mock him again, but Lin Xiao’s eyes held a strange force. The words came to his throat, then were swallowed back down.

The call quickly connected, and Wan Caixuan’s cold yet melodious voice came through, clear as falling jade.

“Lin Xiao?”

“Mm, it’s me,” Lin Xiao said in a low voice.

Standing beside him, Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing both perked up their ears, eavesdropping intently.

“You’re back in Jinghai?” Wan Caixuan’s seemingly calm tone carried a trace of hidden joy. “Why is it so noisy over there?”

“I’m back. At the station now. I’ll drop by the company later.” Lin Xiao said casually. “But I had a bit of a conflict. The other party seems to have ties with the Wan family and claims to be the new Aya Limited’s Deputy Manager.”

“Hmm?” Wan Caixuan made a questioning sound through her nose.

“A middle-aged guy named Zeng. Said his sister married some heir of the Wan family. I just wanted to confirm it with you.”

“There is someone like that,” Wan Caixuan recalled quickly, as the president, she was naturally well-versed in her senior staff. “But his sister only married a distant branch member, nowhere near our main family. As for this so-called new deputy general manager? We did appoint a new mid-level recently. It’s probably who you’re talking about. I don’t know him well. What happened between you two?”

“Nothing much. Just throwing around the Wan family’s name to try and scare me.” Lin Xiao said indifferently, “Since he has nothing to do with you, I know how to handle it. See you later.”