Chapter 41: Negotiations Underway

Inside the intensive care unit, Su Rui was tidying up the remnants of lunch, while Su Yunting sat by the bedside, peeling an apple for Su Lei, who lay in the hospital bed receiving an IV drip.

"Grandfather, Second Brother, since Wang Bin has already agreed to lead his team in resigning, when do you plan to launch the attack on the Lin Group?" Su Lei asked, his face dark and sullen.

Su Yunting handed the peeled apple to Su Lei and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Xiao Lei. Grandfather will certainly avenge you and your father. However, destroying a massive entity like the Lin Group cannot be rushed. It must be done slowly, step by step, with steady progress."

Su Rui continued, "Big Brother, this afternoon, the Su Group's cybersecurity department will launch an offensive against the Lin Group. By dinnertime, Wu Feng will poison the food at the Lin Group's cafeteria. With these two prongs attacking simultaneously, the Lin Group will inevitably fall into chaos..."

Su Yunting’s plan was clear: by poaching Wang Bin and his team, the Su Group’s cybersecurity department could easily steal the Lin Group’s data. Once Wu Feng carried out the poisoning, the massive army of online trolls hired by the Su family would spin the incident into a major scandal, pushing the Lin Group into the eye of the storm. Subsequent plans would then cripple the company entirely, allowing the Su Group to acquire it for a pittance.

"What about that pig butcher? How do you plan to deal with him?" Su Lei asked. In truth, he held no hatred for the Lin family or the Lin Group; his true resentment was directed solely at Ye Huan.

"That butcher didn't just strike you and your father; he also beat Qi Meng. Tonight, I intend to visit Qi Meng's master in person and ask him to come out of retirement to deal with that butcher," Su Yunting replied.

At the mention of Qi Meng's master, Su Lei grew agitated, his expression turning vicious as he gnashed his teeth. "Qi Meng's master will definitely make short work of that butcher. But Grandfather, you must remind him to break both of that butcher's arms and legs. I want him to end up in this very ward so I can pass the time by slapping his face."

"Very well!" Su Yunting agreed readily.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a familiar voice drifted in from outside the door, causing Su Lei’s face to pale instantly and his entire body to tremble violently:

"This ward is too small to fit three people. I’ll leave it to you father and son; I won't move in to join the fun!"

Swish!

Su Lei, Su Yunting, and Su Rui all turned their heads toward the door in unison. Ye Huan and Lin Xi walked in.

"Lin Xi, what are you doing here?" Su Yunting glared at her.

Lin Xi remained silent. She wanted to observe Ye Huan's negotiation skills first; if he failed, it wouldn't be too late for her to intervene.

"We came to discuss some business with Elder Su!" Ye Huan said with a smile.

Su Yunting narrowed his eyes. "I am speaking to Lin Xi. Who asked you to interrupt? Get out!"

"It seems Elder Su doesn't recognize me," Ye Huan shrugged, looking at the shivering Su Lei on the bed. "Young Master Su, please introduce me to Elder Su."

Su Yunting and Su Rui looked at Su Lei and finally noticed that he was trembling uncontrollably, his face deathly pale, his eyes filled with sheer terror. There was no need for an introduction; they instantly realized who Ye Huan was.

"You are that pig butcher?" Su Rui asked, glaring coldly at Ye Huan.

*Slap!*

Ye Huan struck Su Rui across the face. "Try calling me a pig butcher one more time!"

Lin Xi’s face darkened. They had agreed to come here for negotiations, so why was he resorting to violence?

Su Rui was seething with rage but dared not utter a word. Ye Huan had already broken his father's limbs and his brother's legs; he had no doubt that if he provoked him further, his own legs would be next.

"Ye Huan, you are being insolent!" Su Yunting, unfazed, shouted with a cold face, "You dare strike my grandson in my presence? Do you really think I and the Su family are so easily bullied?"

"Perhaps Elder Su would like to try calling me a pig butcher as well?" Ye Huan said with a mocking grin.

Su Yunting did not dare. Instead, he ignored Ye Huan and looked at Lin Xi. "What is it you want to discuss with me?"

"Speak with Ye Huan first. I’m going to have an apple," Lin Xi said, helping herself to an apple and a fruit knife, then sitting on the adjacent bed to start peeling.

Su Yunting was incensed by her attitude but held his tongue, turning back to Ye Huan. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I heard Elder Su is quite an aficionado of the arts. I recorded a video this afternoon and brought it specifically for you to enjoy," Ye Huan said. He sat on the foot of Su Lei’s bed, pulled out his phone, found the video of Wu Feng’s confession, and handed it to Su Yunting. "Give me your critique, Elder. If you think my cinematography is up to par, I’ll head to Japan tomorrow to hire some actresses and shoot a few adult films."

Lin Xi, who was peeling the apple, nearly stabbed the knife into Ye Huan’s mouth. It was just a confession video; why was he making it sound like he was showing an adult film for critique?

Su Yunting was momentarily confused by Ye Huan’s game, so he took the phone and watched. His face changed drastically as he viewed it. Su Rui leaned in curiously, and upon seeing Wu Feng on the screen, he instantly panicked.

"Are you here to threaten me?" After watching the video, Su Yunting remained outwardly calm, staring coldly at Ye Huan. At the same time, he and Su Rui realized that Wu Feng hadn't failed to find an opportunity to poison the lunch; he had been caught in the act and forced by Ye Huan to send that text message to Su Rui.

"That's right," Ye Huan admitted candidly.

"Then you might as well call the police," Su Yunting said, handing the phone back to Ye Huan and urging him to do so.

Lin Xi paused, her brow furrowing. Su Yunting was so ruthless that he was willing to let Su Rui go to prison just to destroy the Lin Group!

"Elder Su misunderstands. I never intended to call the police," Ye Huan said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, and taking a deep drag. "To me, prison is a rather comfortable place. How could I let Su Rui go there to live such an easy life?"

Su Yunting couldn't read Ye Huan's intentions. "Then what is the meaning of filming this video and showing it to me?"

Ye Huan shrugged. "I plan to approach dozens of media outlets to release Wu Feng’s confession publicly, and then hire a massive army of online trolls to blow the story up across the internet."

Lin Xi’s eyes lit up. She silently praised Ye Huan’s brilliant strategy. If it were widely publicized that the Su family had hired a killer to poison the Lin Group’s cafeteria, the reputation of the Su family and the Su Group would be ruined. All of their connections and partners would cut ties to distance themselves and avoid being implicated. Before long, the Su Group would collapse.

Genius! Ye Huan’s move was truly ingenious!

Su Rui and Su Lei were frantic. They could foresee the consequences just as clearly as Lin Xi, and they were terrified.

"I won't give you that chance!" Su Yunting said, still appearing unbothered, though his voice carried a hint of cold, desperate defiance.