Chapter 290

Dong Xinlei briefly described what he knew about Hongtian Group. After hearing this, Xie Wendong leaned on the table in deep thought, his fingers tapping gently against his head. He remained silent, and the others didn’t know what to say either. The room fell quiet, the atmosphere growing dull. Li Shuang blinked his eyes and looked around; seeing everyone with a grim expression, he joked, “What’s the big deal?! To take down Nanhongmen, we should start with Hongtian Group! Doesn’t Hongtian Group have some large shopping malls and plazas? If we set fire to a few of them, it might not cripple them, but it should give Xiang Wentian a good deal of pain!” “Hey!” Sanyan clapped his hands suddenly, his eyes gleaming. He reached out and held Li Shuang’s head, examining it up and down while muttering, “Good idea! Why are you so smart today? Let me see if there’s a tumor in your head…” “Dog’s mouth… die…” “Set fire?” Dong Xinlei began to think seriously, walking back and forth in the room, his mouth moving as if calculating something. His constant movement disrupted Xie Wendong’s thoughts. With a sigh, Xie Wendong said helplessly, “Lao Lei, can you sit down for a while? Walking around like this is making my eyes blurry.” Dong Xinlei stopped and clapped his hands sharply. “Bro Dong, Shuang’s idea is great. No matter how smart Xiang Wentian is, he’ll never expect us to target his legitimate business right after arriving in Shanghai. Setting fire—yes, it will catch him off guard.” Xie Wendong had the same idea, but he didn’t rush to express it. Instead, he turned to the others and asked, “What do you all think?” Ren Changfeng was the first to speak, saying cheerfully, “I fully agree. Although it’s a somewhat despicable method, it’s better than hiding at home.” As he spoke, he glanced at Dong Xinlei intentionally. The latter snorted and pretended not to see it. The others also said it was a good idea worth trying. Li Shuang was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling, shaking his head proudly. Seeing no objections, Xie Wendong slammed the table and said, “Alright, that’s settled. Everyone, get ready separately. Especially Lao Liu, find out as much as you can about all the companies under Hongtian Group—how many people are guarding them, how many entrances and exits there are, etc. In short, I want to know everything we can.”

Liu Bo nodded deeply and said, “Don’t worry, Dong Ge. Leave it to me.” “Also,” Xie Wendong added, “We killed or injured quite a few people from the Zhongyi Gang this time. According to Yu Xiaohuan, the Zhongyi Gang is quite powerful in this area, so I have to take precautions. Lao Sen, here it is for you!” “No problem!” Jiang Sen replied casually.

After saying everything, Xie Wendong stood up from behind the desk, stretched, and his joints cracked loudly. Checking his watch, he saw it was almost six o’clock. Looking slightly tired, he said, “You’ve all worked hard tonight. Go back and rest!” Everyone was indeed tired, so they got up and left one after another.

Xie Wendong returned to his room, a small space of less than 80 square meters, with only a bed inside—no room for anything else. When he first arrived in Shanghai, Dong Xinlei had prepared a hotel for him, but Xie Wendong insisted on staying elsewhere. He didn’t want to be treated specially. After all, he had just arrived in Shanghai under difficult conditions. He understood that only by sharing hardships with his subordinates could he win their loyalty better. He knew very well the importance of gaining people’s hearts, so he insisted on staying in a small room in a dilapidated office building.

Taking off his clothes and removing his protective gear, he could finally rest easily. Xie Wendong stretched out, leaned against the headboard, and looked out the window. It was already dawn. The sky over Shanghai was very blue—perhaps only that day, without a single cloud. He couldn’t help but think of Peng Ling. How was she doing? She must be in the United States by now. Was Peng Shulin out of danger? Sighing, annoyed, he closed his eyes and fell asleep unconsciously. Perhaps due to lack of proper sleep for days or sheer exhaustion, he slept deeply. In his drowsiness, he heard noisy disturbances outside. At first, he didn’t react. He turned over, pulled the blanket over his head, and ignored it. After a while, Xie Wendong suddenly sat up, reflexively jumped out from under the bed, grabbed a pistol from under the pillow, and listened quietly. The noise outside grew louder and louder. What was going on? Xie Wendong couldn’t figure it out. He quickly threw on a jacket and was about to go check when the door opened and Jiang Sen rushed in. Before Xie Wendong could ask anything, Jiang Sen said, “Dong Ge, Bai Yan is leading people outside making a scene. She insists you come out and give her an explanation. She says if you don’t come, she’ll break in to find you. Dong Ge, will you really use force?”

“Hmm…” Xie Wendong felt a severe headache, his mind blurred. He suffered from low blood sugar, and after days of little sleep, he was irritable, exhausted, and too lazy to speak. He simply shook his head, brushed past Jiang Sen, and walked away. Jiang Sen was naturally aware of Xie Wendong’s condition. Just as he was about to ask more, he saw Xie Wendong’s blank gaze and pale face and shrank back in fear. When Brother Dong was in this state, he usually wasn’t in a good mood, so it was better to stay away.

Xie Wendong stepped out of the old building and arrived at the factory gate. Taking a look, he saw quite a crowd—some inside, some outside, facing each other with hostility. From afar, Bai Yan still wore a white dress that fit her perfectly, emphasizing her slender figure and striking beauty. But what happened next was different. She had one hand on her hip, fingers moving randomly in the air, her crimson lips moving as if shouting something. Opposite her stood Sanyan, Dong Xinlei, and others, all looking at her helplessly as she performed her one-woman show. Without Xie Wendong’s orders, they didn’t dare to interfere, as the Bai family’s influence couldn’t be underestimated. It wasn’t worth gaining another powerful enemy unless absolutely necessary. Last time, Xie Wendong had captured Bai Yan and used the opportunity to invite her brother, Bai Ziyi. Both sides knew each other’s identities well. Although Bai Ziyi knew Xie Wendong had deliberately captured his sister, he considered his status and chose to ally with him instead of reacting. Persuaded by her brother, Bai Yan stopped causing trouble. Everyone thought things were over, but unexpectedly, today she showed up with forty or fifty people.

Bai Yan paced back and forth in front of the door, stamping her feet and shouting. While San Yan and the others were hesitating whether to force her to leave, Xie Wendong appeared. He parted the crowd and stepped out slowly from inside the door. He moved very slowly, as if his feet were slightly unsteady, with his head slightly lowered. His messy, longer black hair covered his eyebrows, but it couldn’t hide the cold glint in his narrow, elongated eyes. His gaze was as icy as a blade that could freeze bones, piercing straight into Bai Yan’s chest. His every move exuded a terrifyingly feminine aura that was unmatched by anyone else and impossible to imitate. Bai Yan shuddered inexplicably, instinctively taking two steps back. Looking up, she saw Xie Wendong, with his expression utterly indifferent, walking toward her. She gritted her teeth and steadied herself, scolding herself for lacking courage. Although Xie Wendong was the leader of the North Hongmen, he was still just a young man in his early twenties. No matter how powerful he was, what could he really do? Bai Yan encouraged herself—she wasn’t actually much older than Xie Wendong.

As Xie Wendong moved closer, Bai Yan felt the pressure increasing. The air around her seemed to solidify, making it feel as though even the slightest movement required all her strength.

Of course, the air didn’t solidify—it was the killing intent emanating from Xie Wendong. When only about five steps separated them, Xie Wendong showed no sign of stopping. Unable to bear this overwhelming pressure, Bai Yan screamed loudly to shake herself up, trying to break free from the pressure he exerted. At the same time, she drew a combat sword that resembled Tangdao but was much thinner and swung it violently at Xie Wendong.

The blade was very thin, and it was swung at extreme speed, like a trembling piece of paper, making a harsh “shushing” sound in the air. She hadn’t initially intended to kill him; after being captured by Xie Wendong last time, her proud self-esteem had suffered great humiliation. Though she stopped attacking at her brother Bai Ziyi’s urging that day, upon returning home from Xie Wendong’s place, the bitterness only grew, and she resolved secretly to teach him a lesson. On the surface, she was cold, but inwardly she was proud and passionate—much like Xie Wendong, both of them poor at expressing themselves and better at hiding their true feelings. Concealing it from Bai Ziyi, she secretly gathered over fifty people and marched to the dilapidated factory. If only Xie Wendong would apologize so as to save face, she would let it go. But instead of apologizing, he appeared predatory. More importantly, Bai Yan was truly terrified of him, feeling that if she didn’t act, she would be killed in one strike, so she had no choice but to throw herself into a full-force attack.

Bai Yan’s martial skills were average, but her full-force strike still carried great momentum. A flash of silver light, like lightning, shot straight at Xie Wendong’s chest. Suddenly, everything blurred before her eyes—she couldn’t even see clearly—as Xie Wendong vanished right before her. Her strike only cut through air. “Ah!” Bai Yan screamed in alarm, realizing things had gone wrong. She tried to retract her blade and step back, but it was already too late. She felt heat in her ears and instinctively turned her head to see a pair of dazzlingly bright eyes. “You…” Before she could finish speaking, Xie Wendong moved like lightning, punching her in the abdomen. “Bang!” Bai Yan let out a muffled groan as numbness spread through her abdomen. All her strength vanished instantly, and she collapsed softly, falling right into Xie Wendong’s arms. He caught her with one arm, then grabbed her waist with his other hand, clamping his fingers around it as if lifting a chick, and carried her back. Everything happened so quickly—just moments ago, Bai Yan had been full of energy and confidence, but now she was nothing but his possession.

The men she brought with her were momentarily stunned, standing there in shock. One of the minor leaders was the first to recover and suddenly cried out, “Quick! Save the young lady!” Everyone snapped out of their daze, horrified, and quickly grabbed their weapons, ready to rush forward to rescue her. Xie Wendong picked up Bai Yan’s battle knife, turned to face the dozen or so fierce men, remained calm, shook his head slightly, then lifted Bai Yan in his arms and tapped her forehead with the back of the knife. The message was clear: if they took another step forward, her life would be in danger. Bai Yan was weak but still conscious. Held aloft by Xie Wendong, her face turned red as blood, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, she gritted her teeth and asked, “What do you want to do to me?”
Xie Wendong tilted his head slightly, staring at her without blinking, saying nothing. Since he didn’t move, Bai Yan’s mendare not either make a move either. San Yan Dongxin Lei and the others exchanged glances, unsure of what Xie Wendong was planning. The situation remained tense—neither side could advance or retreat. As time passed, Bai Yan felt she could hardly breathe, her chest tight as if it might explode. When she looked up at Xie Wendong again, she saw that his face was as pale as paper, his eyes tightly closed, and he was swaying on his feet. Just as she was puzzled, Jiang Sen noticed something was wrong with Xie Wendong and rushed over anxiously, asking, “Brother Dong, are you okay?” He had fainted several times before due to low blood sugar, so Jiang Sen rushed over worried that something might happen to him. Xie Wendong forced a smile, slowly shook his head, relaxed his grip, and with a soft thud, Bai Yan fell to the ground. Now, Xie Wendong couldn’t even open his eyes. He had used the fighting style taught to him by Qu Qingting to easily dodge Bai Yan’s knife strike. Although he knocked her down with a punch, he himself suddenly felt dizzy. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he managed to hold on but eventually collapsed. Seeing Jiang Sen, he felt relieved, but his exhausted body could no longer sustain him. Everything went black before his eyes, and he fell to the ground. Fortunately, Bai Yan was underneath, so Xie Wendong landed heavily on her. “I’m sorry…” With a sense of softness beneath him, Xie Wendong mumbled faintly before losing consciousness. His unexpected apology left Bai Yan stunned as she stared blankly at him lying on top of her, momentarily forgetting everything else.

On her first close observation, she suddenly realized that Xie Wendong was a very “refined” man. His pale skin lacked color but was delicate, unlike the roughness of the men she was used to seeing. His almond-shaped eyes were tightly closed, allowing her to clearly see his long, thin eyelashes. As she studied Xie Wendong’s face intently, Jiang Sen promptly lifted him up, bowing his head “apologetically” at Bai Yan and saying, “I’m sorry. Though I really wanted you to ‘study’ him a bit longer, Brother Dong must go to the hospital now.” Hearing this, Bai Yan’s handsome face turned red with embarrassment as she quickly got up from the ground, feeling so awkward she wished she could sink into the ground. While brushing off the dust on her clothes, she tried to hide her extreme distress. Walking away, Jiang Sen said seriously, “There’s one thing I must remind Miss Bai about: the Bai family is indeed a powerful family in Shanghai, but it’s worlds apart compared to the Hongmen. I don’t want to meet again under such circumstances.” By the time Bai Yan regained her composure, Jiang Sen and the others had already loaded Xie Wendong into the car and were speeding to the hospital. Dong Xinlei didn’t go with them but stayed behind to watch over things. He glanced at Bai Yan and the people behind her and, thinking of how Brother Dong had fainted because of them, spoke rudely, “Miss Bai, are you satisfied now?!” Bai Yan couldn’t express what she was feeling—her mind was in chaos. She didn’t say anything more and silently led the others away. Curious, Bai Yan wondered why Xie Wendong, who seemed to have extraordinary martial skills, had fainted for no reason. Could he be injured? But that didn’t make sense either—his skills were far beyond ordinary people’s, and with those highly skilled subordinates at his side, who could hurt him?! Unable to figure it out, she sat in the car with furrowed brows. Unaware of it herself, she had begun to care about Xie Wendong.