Chapter 26: Guaranteed to Your Satisfaction

Gao Yi's ability to act so brazenly in the city was directly tied to Jiang Hong's patronage. Without Jiang Hong's help, he'd be a complete nobody.

If that blade were to hit Jiang Hong, how could Gao Yi possibly survive in the city?

"Drop the knife!" Gao Yi gritted his teeth against the pain and scrambled in front of the gangster, slapping his blade away.

CLANG. The gangster's knife hit the ground, startling the other thugs. They immediately drew their own weapons and closed in, staring hungrily at Jiang Hong and Mu Lin.

"Back off! All of you, back off!" Gao Yi furiously slapped the gangster at the front of the pack.

The slapped gangster cursed Gao Yi's entire family tree in his head. 'We brothers risked our necks to come back you up, and you slap me? This isn't how you treat people.'

Still, he obediently retreated. 'I'll put up with it for now. Just wait until I catch you alone, Gao Yi. We'll see who's boss then!'

Once the gangsters had backed off, Gao Yi approached Jiang Hong. "Boss, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Hong's hand shot up, and he delivered a resounding slap across Gao Yi's face. "Gao Yi, so you *do* remember I'm your boss? Weren't you about to have me killed?"

The blow aggravated Gao Yi's injuries, sending a searing pain through him, as if dozens of dull knives were being dragged across his face. Yet, he didn't dare entertain a single thought of resistance. Instead, he blurted out, "Kill you? I would never! Boss, you can't just say things like that!"

"Trying to kill Mr. Mu is the same as trying to kill me!" Jiang Hong bellowed, pointing at Gao Yi.

"Maybe starting tomorrow, I should just let you sign off on all the city's project approvals! I'll just pack my things and get ready to retire!"

'There's no way I can handle that kind of accusation,' Gao Yi thought, quickly softening his tone. "Boss, how can you say that? I would never dare. Everything I have, you gave to me. I wouldn't be where I am today without you!"

Jiang Hong gestured at the gangsters. "Then what are they still doing here? You feel like you can't even talk without a few blades in your hands, is that it?"

Gao Yi spun around. "Get lost! All of you! The farther the better!"

The thugs had never been treated with such disrespect. One of them was about to draw his knife and turn Gao Yi into a pincushion, to teach him a permanent lesson.

But ultimately, one of the thugs recognized Jiang Hong as the man in charge of the city's project approvals. He held a government post, however minor. Attacking him was suicide.

"Let's go, hurry!"

In a few moments, only Jiang Hong, Gao Yi, and Mu Lin remained in the hallway.

Jiang Hong looked imposing, but in reality, he was extremely nervous. His back was soaked through with sweat.

After all, Mu Lin was someone that Old Man Lin Tian himself had taken a shine to. If he said Mu Lin had immense potential, then he had immense potential. His future was boundless.

If anything were to happen to Mu Lin, and Lin Tian came looking for someone to blame, Jiang Hong knew his own life wouldn't be enough to atone for it.

This kid, Gao Yi, had been running amok behind his back, and now he had finally pissed off someone truly important.

"Get on your knees!" Jiang Hong roared. Gao Yi hesitated for a second, but then Jiang Hong shot out a foot and kicked him square in the back of the knee.

THUMP. Gao Yi crashed to his knees. The sudden movement tore at all his wounds, unleashing a pain like being sliced by knives. 'Even death by a thousand cuts in ancient times couldn't have been much more painful than this.'

"Younger Brother Mu, you asked me about Gao Yi earlier. What did he do to anger you? I'm his supervisor; I'll handle his punishment for you!"

Mu Lin gave Jiang Hong a long, hard look. 'Jiang Hong is putting on such a righteous act right now, but I bet deep down, he's cut from the same cloth as Gao Yi.'

'The only reason he's being so polite to me is because he wants to get on Lin Tian's good side.'

'As for offering to deal with Gao Yi himself... on one hand, it's to suck up to me. On the other, it's a way to protect Gao Yi and save his skin.'

But Mu Lin didn't care about any of that. As long as it got the job done, he was willing to make use of anyone.

"Him? He wanted to sleep with our President Li. He tricked her into Room 2022 of the Huangshanghuang Hotel and even bribed the chef to drug her food and drinks. The sick pervert even planned to record the whole thing. You tell me, is that going too far or what?"

"You know how I was a little late to meet you? It's because I was in the room next door, saving our President Li!"

The color drained from Jiang Hong's face. Gao Yi had committed such a heinous act. He knew there was no way he could shield him from this storm.

"Younger Brother Mu, this President Li you mentioned... is she President Li Xue of the Li Group?"

A smile played on Mu Lin's lips as he retorted, "Is there any other President Li in the whole of Anhua City's Tian Wan District?"

The expression on Jiang Hong's face shifted repeatedly. His mind was buzzing, robbed of the ability to think.

'This is utterly vile! Tearing Gao Yi limb from limb and deep-frying the pieces would be too good for him!'

'No wonder Mu Lin was so hostile toward me during dinner. Of course, there was a reason, and the biggest reason was this bastard Gao Yi!'

"Younger Brother Mu, what he did... it's inhuman. But thank God nothing actually happened, and you've already taught him a lesson."

Hearing this, Mu Lin's expression turned icy. 'Was Jiang Hong trying to cover for Gao Yi?'

Jiang Hong shivered.

"I'll teach him a severe lesson, then hand him over to the Government! I guarantee you'll be satisfied! In our line of work, getting mixed up in something like this means your reputation is ruined. You're finished. It's no different from being dead."

Mu Lin didn't respond immediately, meeting his words with silence.

The silent darkness felt like a great mountain pressing down on Jiang Hong's shoulders, making him tremble with fear.

Gao Yi was dumbfounded. 'Mu Lin has this much clout? Enough to make my own boss so terrified? Everything Jiang Hong has said since he got here... he's been speaking like a servant.'

'He's not just acting subservient—he's genuinely terrified!'

'Could it be that this Mu Lin has some unfathomable background? Is he someone I absolutely can't afford to offend?'

The horrifying silence lasted for only half a minute, but to Jiang Hong, it felt longer than a decade.

He had never felt such pressure in his entire life.

Mu Lin finally spoke. "Since Mr. Jiang is showing such sincerity, of course I have to give you some face. He's your man, so how you deal with him is up to you. I have no objections. Handle it as you see fit."

"Handle it." "As you see fit." For any office worker, those phrases are the biggest headache imaginable—a form of invisible pressure.

Jiang Hong knew full well that Mu Lin's words didn't mean he could just let Gao Yi off the hook. If he did, he, Jiang Hong, would be the next one to suffer.

Gao Yi was finished in Anhua City. He was probably finished in the entire Nanjiang Province.

Mu Lin yawned. "Ah, I'm getting a little sleepy. I'm heading out. You go ahead and take care of him. I have high hopes for you!"

With that, Mu Lin walked off into the night.

"Brother Mu, let me walk you out!"

"Just focus on your own business," Mu Lin's words were exceptionally cold, freezing Jiang Hong in his tracks.

"Oh, right," Mu Lin added, "Mr. Jiang, be careful when you're dealing with him. It seems he has the shadow of the Yuelong Group behind him. Don't want to get burned playing with fire!"

Jiang Hong flinched violently. Seeing that Mu Lin's back was turned, he felt a small measure of relief that his loss of composure had gone unseen.

How could Jiang Hong not know who was backing Gao Yi?

But for Mu Lin to toss out that sentence so casually was a display of his terrifyingly vast connections.

Gao Yi was doomed. He couldn't be saved.

After Mu Lin left, Gao Yi shakily got to his feet and shuffled up behind Jiang Hong. "Boss..."

Jiang Hong spun and delivered another heavy slap. "I don't have an underling like you!" he roared, his voice thick with killing intent. "What did I teach you from the start? Keep your tail between your legs and lay low! But what do you do? You run wild, piss off someone you can't afford to, and nearly get me killed in the process!"

Gao Yi took the slap full-on, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Boss, he's just a dog working for the Li Group! We have Wu Long backing us, we don't have to be afraid of him!"

'Fuck!'

'What kind of fucking idiot have I been mentoring?'

Jiang Hong kicked Gao Yi again. "Wu? You think Wu can compare to Mu Lin? My God, what have you been doing all these years you've followed me? Do you know how much I want to beat you to death right here and now?"

Gao Yi rolled several times on the ground, screaming in pain. He struggled back to his feet and stared at his boss in disbelief.

"No way, Boss..."

Jiang Hong's face was cold, and he looked as if he wanted to be as far away from Gao Yi as possible.

"Don't come near me! Stupidity is contagious! From this moment on, I'm not your boss. You're fired. Whether you live or die from now on has nothing to do with me!"

After saying his piece, Jiang Hong ran off as if fleeing the plague.

Gao Yi got up to leave, only to find the group of thugs still watching him from a distance.