Chapter 46: Retaliation

Just as Le Zhenglan had predicted, Song Tianxing was indeed released. But the angry scratches on his face and arms, combined with the fire burning in his eyes, made it clear he was anything but pleasant.

Without a word, he exited the police station and climbed into the car waiting for him.

“Young Master Song, your father is on the line,” the driver said, handing a phone to Song Tianxing, who had just slid into the back seat.

With a dark expression, Song Tianxing took the phone and answered cautiously, “Hello, Dad. It’s me.”

As the pampered heir of the Song family, the one person he truly feared was his father.

“Song Tianxing! What did I tell you about causing trouble? Look at the mess you’ve made. Now, explain what the hell happened?” his father’s scolding voice boomed from the other end.

“Dad, I didn’t stir up any real trouble. It was just some nobody who messed everything up,” he muttered.

“I don’t care who ruined what. Tell me straight. Did you offend Le Zhenglan?”

“No, no, definitely not!” Song Tianxing replied in panic. “I wouldn’t dare. I stayed far away from her. I swear!”

“Good. Then lie low for a while. Don’t get involved in anything stupid.”

“Yes, Dad. Got it. Don’t worry.”

After ending the call, Song Tianxing’s expression darkened, twisting into a hateful snarl. He had always feared his father since childhood, but the memory of the recent humiliation burned hotter than any reprimand.

Everything had been going perfectly until that bastard showed up and ruined everything.

Seething with rage, his mind spiraled into irrational hatred. Every time he recalled what had happened, the fury surged anew, choking out reason. In his eyes, only one solution remained—to make Lin Xiao pay. Painfully. Even killing him wouldn’t be enough to extinguish the fire burning inside.

“Stop the car, I want to get out!” Song Tianxing barked.

“Young Master Song, you—”

Before the driver could complete his sentence, Song Tianxing hurled the phone at the windshield with such force that it caused the glass to fracture in a spiderweb pattern.

“Stop the car!”

“Certainly, Young Master Song, I’m stopping at once.” The driver was taken aback by Song Tianxing’s outburst and hurriedly responded.

Upon alighting from the car, Song Tianxing didn’t go far. Instead, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a number, which was answered swiftly.

“Young Master Song, what can I do for you? Who do you need us to handle this time?” A nonchalant voice wafted from the other end of the phone.

Being a pampered heir, Song Tianxing often found himself in trouble and thus had formed ties with a group of streetwise individuals. The man on the phone was a member of these ruffians who frequently did his bidding.

“Do you have the guts to kill?” Song Tianxing asked, dispensing with formalities.

The recipient of the call was taken aback by Song Tianxing’s words. To them, roughing someone up was one thing, but murder was a whole different ballgame.

These street toughs were simply dabbling in low-level thuggery. Their misdeeds mostly amounted to minor brawls and rarely escalated to serious harm, such as breaking someone’s limbs. The notion of killing was inconceivable to them.

At that moment, another voice piped up from the other end, “Who do you want us to kill, Young Master Song?”

Song Tianxing’s eyebrows knitted into a slight frown. This was the voice of Brother Wang, the leader of the thugs who often executed tasks for him.

Unlike the street-level punks, Brother Wang was a true predator—ruthless, cunning, and firmly entrenched in the criminal underworld. Normally, Song Tianxing kept his distance from such men, knowing well the dangers of getting too close.

But now, with thoughts of Lin Xiao’s death consuming him, hearing Brother Wang’s voice on the other end of the line didn’t spark fear—it brought a twisted sense of relief.

“Just a lowlife loser,” he said. “I want you to take him out immediately.”

“How much are you willing to part with, Young Master Song?” Brother Wang asked.

“Is a million enough?” Song Tianxing declared, his eyes ablaze with malice.

Brother Wang chuckled, his voice dripping with veiled derision. “If this individual has riled up Master Song to this degree, he’s undoubtedly a tough nut to crack. One million seems…”

Although he left his sentence hanging, his tone heavily suggested that the offer was insufficient.

“Two million.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Song Tianxing doubled his offer.

“Haha, splendid. Given Young Master Song’s decisiveness, I won’t play coy either. I accept the job.” Brother Wang’s laughter boomed over the line.

He was highly pleased with the offer. Two million for a hit was a handsome amount. For an ordinary person’s life, half a million would suffice, and there would be no shortage of takers. Two million was quadruple the usual price. Knowing Song Tianxing’s deep pockets, he had aimed high, and surprisingly, it had paid off.

‘A fool and his money are soon parted,’ thought Wang, chuckling.

“Young Master Song, I need you to send me the basic intel on this guy. It’ll help me locate him. Also, could you please wire a deposit of one million to my account? The moment the money hits, I promise to have his body at your doorstep within six hours.”

“Alright, I’ll transfer the funds immediately. But if you renege on your word, don’t blame me for my lack of courtesy,” Song Tianxing said.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare to cross you, Young Master Song. You mentioned he’s just a worthless loser, after all. Do you really think I, Scarred Wang, can’t handle him?”

Wang laughed uproariously, clearly not seeing their target as a serious challenge.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Song Tianxing ended the call, letting out a long sigh. His simmering rage towards Lin Xiao finally felt a bit mollified as he imagined Lin Xiao bloodied, wounded, and beaten to death. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the thought.

“Dare to compete with me, worthless trash? Just die.”

However, his laughter abruptly ended as the pain from his facial injuries became excruciating, forcing him to grimace and howl in agony, making him look utterly ridiculous.

***

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao was casually strolling around. He was oblivious to Song Tianxing’s vindictive plans. He paused occasionally, taking in and observing his surroundings.

Though he had been in Jinghai City for a few days, he had been too preoccupied to take a look around. Now, having finally found some spare time, he naturally wanted to familiarize himself with the environment.

This was a fundamental skill from his military days: always understand your surroundings when you find yourself in a new place.

Just then, his phone rang. Lin Xiao glanced at the caller ID and picked up the call.

“Hello, President Wan, how may I assist you?”

“Where… where… are you now? Come… come… pick me up.”

The voice of Wan Caixuan was stammering, clearly disoriented.

“Where are you at the moment? I’ll come to pick you up right away.” Lin Xiao immediately understood that Wan Caixuan must be inebriated and responded quickly.

“I… I… am at… Jiangnan… Bar…”

“Alright, I’m on my way, President.”

However, before Lin Xiao could finish his sentence, the call was cut off. He looked at his phone and saw that the line had been disconnected.