Chapter 487: Pleading for Mercy

After clarifying the situation, Lin Xiao was about to hang up. Since he wasn’t familiar with Wan Caixuan, there was no need to show mercy.

The main reason he had made this call was simply to avoid any misunderstandings with her.

“Wait, if you can avoid using force, then don’t. You can’t always rely on violence to solve problems. Let me handle this,” said Wan Caixuan, knowing Lin Xiao’s temperament. She hastily spoke up before he could hang up. “I’ll make sure he personally apologizes to you.”

Lin Xiao was silent for a few seconds. “Fine.”

“Mm, hang up then. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.”

Lin Xiao set down the phone and then noticed Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing had been eavesdropping the whole time. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Big Brother Lin, who was that woman on the phone?” Huang Caixing asked sourly. “Her voice is quite nice to listen to.”

“My direct superior,” Lin Xiao said, pointing upwards.

Huang Caixing pouted. “Just a superior? The way she talked to you sounded very close. She even said she’d be waiting for you tomorrow.”

Lin Xiao flicked a finger lightly against Huang Caixing’s smooth forehead. “You eavesdropped on my call? You deserve a spanking.”

“Aiya! Don’t change the subject!” Huang Caixing covered her forehead, took two steps back, and feigned a pout. “Besides, YuYu was eavesdropping too. Why didn’t you flick her?”

“Because she doesn’t go around asking questions and overthinking like you.” Lin Xiao cast a praising glance at Yuan Yu and gently patted her head.

Yuan Yu smiled shyly and lowered her head.

“Hmph, fine, don’t say anything. I’ll find out the truth eventually,” Huang Caixing muttered, her large eyes turning playfully as she suddenly pulled Yuan Yu aside and whispered in her ear.

President Zeng, seeing that Lin Xiao no longer acknowledged him after finishing the call, was so angry he nearly exploded. Just as he was about to point at Lin Xiao and unleash a tirade, his phone rang from his coat.

Still fuming, he had no intention of answering—until he glanced at the screen.

Instantly, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him, extinguishing all his rage.

The caller ID was from the office line of Wan Caixuan, President of Brilliant Aya Limited, and heiress of the Wan family.

His hand trembled as he answered, body instinctively straightening, assuming a respectful and obedient posture.

“Pres… President Wan?”

It wasn’t strange that he was this nervous. Though he always claimed to be part of the Wan family, it was mere self-glorification. Compared to Wan Caixuan, a direct heir, the gap between them was like heaven and earth.

“You’re Zeng Zhilong?” came a pleasant voice from the other end of the line, though it carried a lofty indifference. “Deputy Manager of Internal Affairs?”

“Yes.” Zeng Zhilong’s voice was twelve degrees of respectful.

“Open your dog eyes and look carefully. The person standing in front of you is my friend. To face him is to face me.”

Wan Caixuan had no interest in wasting words on him. With her status, she would never have interacted with someone like Zeng Zhilong if not for Lin Xiao.

“If you can’t earn his forgiveness, then don’t bother showing up again. Understand?”

Zeng Zhilong began to tremble, his teeth chattering so much he could barely speak, “Un…understood…”

Before he could finish, Wan Caixuan hung up with a crisp click.

Lin Xiao looked at him with a half-smile. “Finished your call?”

“Yes, finished,” Zeng Zhilong said mechanically, still dazed from the shock.

“Are you satisfied with the way I handled things?” Lin Xiao said leisurely.

Zeng Zhilong shuddered all over. His once-vacant gaze regained some clarity. Suddenly, with speed that didn’t match his bulky frame, he rushed in front of Lin Xiao and dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

The onlookers stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

They couldn’t understand how the arrogant Zeng Zhilong had suddenly turned into such a sniveling coward.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

Zeng Zhilong used his free hand to viciously slap himself across the face several times until his pudgy cheeks swelled, tears and snot flowing down as he wailed.

“Brother, I didn’t recognize greatness when I saw it! I was blinded by pig oil! To think I dared to threaten you, how utterly foolish of me! Please, be magnanimous and spare this worthless life of mine!”

He was genuinely terrified, shaking to his core.

He knew well the influence of the Wan family and fully understood the weight of Wan Caixuan’s words.

When she said that if he couldn’t gain Lin Xiao’s forgiveness, he might as well disappear, Zeng Zhilong was chilled to the bone, nearly scared out of his wits.

“If you want me to spare you, that’s not impossible. But how do you plan to handle today’s incident?”

As soon as Lin Xiao finished speaking, Zeng Zhilong raised his hand again and slapped himself hard a few more times. He said with a flattering tone, “However you want to deal with it is how I’ll deal with it. My wrist, I broke it myself. And those subordinates of mine, they all just happened to get food poisoning. This has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

Lin Xiao raised a brow. “You sure about that?”

Zeng Zhilong nodded frantically, ignoring the pain in his wrist. Compared to his life, what was pain? “Absolutely sure! Completely, positively sure!”

“Fine. I’ll let you off today. But…” Lin Xiao’s eyes turned cold, his voice low, “If I ever find out you’re plotting revenge or abusing your power again, I’ll personally end you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Zeng Zhilong broke out in a cold sweat. He shook his head like a rattling drum. “No, never! I wouldn’t dare even if you gave me a hundred guts.”

He was close to tears. The very idea of retaliating against Lin Xiao now was laughable. All he wanted was forgiveness.

In just two minutes, Zeng Zhilong had gone from arrogant tyrant to groveling sycophant without a hint of awkwardness.

The crowd was stunned by the transformation, almost wanting to applaud. This fat man was a born actor. It was a waste he wasn’t in showbiz.

Lin Xiao couldn’t be bothered to waste more words on someone like him. For someone so spineless, even hitting him would dirty his hands.

He turned to Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing and said, “Let’s go.”

The two girls glanced at Zeng Zhilong with scorn, then nodded in unison.

Lin Xiao picked up the luggage, and the three of them walked side by side toward the station exit, quickly leaving the matter behind them.

“Big Brother Lin, hurry up. Camarade Xinyu is waiting just outside,” Huang Caixing tugged his hand, urging him forward.

“Auntie Xinyu is here too?”

“Yep, she drove us to the station. But there are a lot of pickpockets around here, so she stayed in the car.”

Huang Caixing bounced along happily, her mood light. “Big Brother Lin, let’s go to Hundred Flavors for dinner tonight to welcome you back. We were supposed to go last time, but didn’t get the chance.”

“Alright.”

Just as the three stepped out of the station, a crisp and energetic voice rang out behind them.

“Master!”