Chapter 717 - Let You Handle This
After hearing what he had to say, Yang Chen sneered. “Edward, did you ever consider what would happen to your clan if they pissed me off? When that time comes, all the money in the world cannot save you. It will only end in your clan being six feet under.”
Amused, Edward broke into laughter on the other end of the phone. “You wouldn’t do that. If you really were to slaughter my clan over a simple matter like this, I wouldn’t have befriended you all those years ago. I can’t imagine your subordinates being too happy with your decision. An Zaihuan got himself into trouble. It was his own hand that forced his predicament. He overestimated his own abilities. You of all people should know better than anyone else about the law of the jungle.”
“What makes you think you’ll be safe if you sing my praises?”
“What is it you want? As your friend, I can try my best to make it up to you on the account of our relationship,” Edward said resignedly.
Yang Chen didn’t reply. Instead, he hung up the phone immediately.
Make it up to me? I don’t need anything. What can you make up to me? Yang Chen thought.
But Yang Chen knew that Edward was right about this. If not for his own greed, An Zaihuan wouldn’t have ended up in such a predicament.
“Even after I’ve let him take over the Liu clan, and helped him make the An clan the second largest clan in Zhonghai, his greed was still unsatiated.” Yang Chen scorned with despise.
An Xin who was seated next to him had a miserable look on her face. “I was too late. By the time I caught wind of the incident, he had already exported no less than a hundred ships of banned goods to the Philippines. He even had the guts to say that it would be fine as long as you were around. But the moment things went south, he couldn’t bring himself to face you. Instead, he asked me to approach you and ask for help on his behalf.”
“Hmph, at least he was smart enough not to come. If he really did appear before me, I wouldn’t even let him off just for you. I would’ve killed him where he stood.” A fierce look flashed across Yang Chen’s eyes.
An Xin didn’t know what to say. She asked desperately, “So what do we do now?”
“Those relatives of yours. Aren’t they anxious about dividing up the family wealth? Let’s settle those matters first,” Yang Chen said nonchalantly.
An Xin’s gaze was filled with hesitation and anxiety. But she was not in a position to voice her opinions. She could only nod her head meekly.
After the An clan took over the Liu clan, their power had soared immensely. They had shifted to a luxurious mansion in the countryside that offered picturesque sceneries. The geographical location of the estate was specifically chosen by a master of feng shui. It was to ensure their continued success for years to come.
By the time their car stopped before the An residence, more than ten luxury cars were already parked in the vicinity. In comparison, An Xin’s Porsche Cayenne had more in common with a layman’s car than it did with those of her relatives.
“Your relatives are all pretty rich,” Yang Chen mockingly said while scanning the cars.
An Xin’s eyebrows locked together. “Our An clan isn’t solely under my father’s control. I have other uncles who hold a significant amount of shares in the clan as well. Due to that reason, we were unable to stay united to further improve our clan together. Now that my father has been removed from the picture, I can almost guarantee that they are going to divide up the shares amongst themselves.”
“Aren’t the assets supposedly frozen? Knowing that, they’re still interested in fighting for it?” Yang Chen asked while walking into the mansion together with An Xin.
An Xin shook her head. “Although it’s frozen now, it will have to be unfrozen sooner or later. After all, our clan has several major ties with significant businesses in the region. If the country plans to swallow it, it would be too audacious of them. Not to mention the strike on their image. Also, the Rothschild clan’s investment into our clan is still valid. It wouldn’t be difficult to revive it. Hence, they’re taking the advantage to rob us of our assets. It’s not without reason.”
While Yang Chen and An Xin were still speaking, a few servants led them into the inner hall of the mansion.
Under the brightly lit chandelier stood dozens of arrogant-looking people in glamorous clothes. They were all drinking red wine or tea while seated on the sofas and chairs in the living room, waiting for An Xin’s return.
Needless to say, they were slightly baffled when An Xin walked into the room with an unknown man by her side. But in the end, they chose to ignore the matter. Instead, they all stood up after exchanging glances with each other.
A middle-aged man who looked somewhat like An Zaihuan approached them. But he was younger and taller than An Zaihuan. He displayed a gentleman’s smile under his mustache. Then he said to An Xin warmly, “An Xin, you’ve finally come back. I couldn’t believe that your dad would abandon you just like that. I’ve been so worried about you as your second uncle that I rushed over immediately just to see you. I’m glad that you’re alright.”
An Xin forced a smile. “Second Uncle, you worry too much. I’m fine. I am my own person.”
“Hey, child. There’s no need to act strongly in front of family.” A gorgeous woman walked forward. She had a look of pity in her eyes as she continued, “Oh, your dad. Out of all the things he could have done, why did he have to put himself against the country and leave his poor child behind? What a disgrace to our An clan! But An Xin, don’t be too sad. You still have us to support you. If you run into any difficulties in the future, feel free to contact me.”
An Xin bit her lips and nodded her head. “Thank you, Aunt. I’m really fine. You all have arrived very late into the night. You must be tired. Why don’t you rest? We have empty rooms here that you can stay in.”
The few elders exchanged glances. A middle-aged man said with a chilly smile, “My niece An Xin, we’re at such a critical period. There will always be time for rest later. Actually, the lot of us came with something in mind to discuss.”
“Please go ahead, Sixth Uncle,” An Xin said.
This sixth uncle appeared to be the spokesperson of the pack. “An Xin, you must be aware that all of our assets have been frozen. As business people ourselves, we find the matter quite unsettling for our future. Those businesses were passed down from our ancestors. How could we just sit by as it falls into ruins? That’s why, I, as your second uncle, and your third aunt have spoken to a number of leaders. They’ve said that as long as we can agree to their conditions, they’ll unfreeze our assets as soon as possible. This way, we will be to able to resume our businesses as soon as possible.”
A look of realization flashed across An Xin’s eyes, but still, she asked, “What conditions?”
The sixth uncle said with mixed feelings, “The leaders said that if the An clan’s main family, which is our eldest brother, can hand out his shares and give up his position as the chairman of the board, they will be so kind as to not associate the whole clan with the traitor.”
Yang Chen who had been listening to their conversation by the side all this while laughed in his sleeve after hearing his words. Even the An clan are scheming amongst each other. It seems like everything was premeditated. It was not the FBI’s fault that An Zaihuan’s actions were discovered by the National Defense Department, but someone from within the An clan must’ve tipped them off, Yang Chen thought.
An Xin, of course, had the same speculations. If not, how were these people able to procure a solution this quickly when An Zaihuan had only just been smuggled out of the country?
“My niece,” the second uncle said painstakingly, “Although we’re unwilling to do it, what other choices do we have? Big Brother is already so gravely steeped in crime now that we’re in no position to argue even if he were deprived of his political power and all his assets. We should be extremely grateful that the government has been merciful, leaving his assets to our An clan instead of confiscating them. And that’s why…”
An Xin let out a burst of soft laughter, scanning at everyone in the room. “That’s why as the first person in line to inherit his assets, all of you hope for me to relinquish my part of the shares so that An clan can gain the government’s trust, am I right?”
“An Xin, you’ve been smart since young. You always have the uncanny ability to pick up on things,” the second uncle complimented.
An Xin’s smile faded away. “What if I don’t agree to it?”
All of their expressions stiffened at the sudden change in her attitude.
There was an air of dead silence before the gorgeous woman chuckled and said, “Dear niece An Xin, although Aunt dotes on you very much, I can’t simply turn a blind eye to a matter like this. This is for the sake of our An clan. Whether you agree to it or not, you’ll have to give up the shares.”
As she said so, the woman clapped her hands, and a man in a suit came walking into the room with a briefcase in his hand. He placed a set of documents on the table and said to An Xin, “Miss An, I’m the legal consultant of the An clan. Here is a share transfer agreement. All you need to do is sign your name on it, and your portions of the shares received will be rationed out accordingly.”
“I’ve already said that I will not transfer my shares,” An Xin said coldly. “If everyone else came to discuss this issue, you may leave. Even if I become penniless one day, I will never give up my shares.”
With these words, everyone in the room turned silent.
“Hmph,” the woman sneered snobbishly. “You really think that you’re something huh. Your elders are being nice about this, yet you refuse to listen. Do you really think that we can’t do anything about you, little lass? Bring someone who will force her to it.”
Immediately, a few bodyguards walked towards An Xin, about to surround her. The two female bodyguards of hers were being held at the back, unable to move an inch.
An Xin consciously moved towards Yang Chen who was standing behind her. She dived into his arms and hugged him tightly. She leaned on his chest and raised her head, looking at him with innocent eyes. “Hubby, I’m very obedient this time. I’ll let you handle this.”
Yang Chen was amused. This little vixen is truly good at acting. But I like this plot, he thought.
The bodyguards surrounded them. Yang Chen was too lazy to move. He released a powerful ring of air from within his body, and immediately swept the burly bodyguards off their feet. The more advanced his cultivation, the less interest Yang Chen had in having any sort of bodily contact.
Despite knowing that Yang Chen was powerful, An Xin did not anticipate that her lover could get rid of them without moving an inch. She was so shocked and surprised that she planted a passionate kiss on his face. Then she chuckled and said, “Hubby, you’re amazing.”
She deliberately said it aloud so that all her uncles in the room could hear it. Clearly, she said it with an intention to spite them.
The simple attack was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the people in the room. They subconsciously took a few steps back. The second uncle, now looking ghastly pale, said in a hoarse voice, “Wh—who are you? Why are you interfering in our clan’s matters?”
“Is there something wrong with your brains? Or is there something wrong with your ears as well?” Yang Chen mocked. “Didn’t you hear my babe An Xin calling me ‘hubby’? Why do you think I’m interfering?”
Everyone was stunned. They had never met Yang Chen before, and they didn’t know that An Xin had such a formidable partner. Although they wanted the money, they were more interested in keeping their lives.
Although they were reluctant to let the situation go, they were forced to retreat. They signaled to each other with glances and nodded to each other.
“Hmph, what a good daughter of the An clan. You got an outsider to deal against us,” the woman said sarcastically. “You’ve got some nerve, but we’ll see. The An clan’s assets will continue to be frozen. Let’s see how long you can hold out for.”
As she finished her words, the few of them turned around and were about to leave.
Yang Chen shot a glance at An Xin, asking her whether she wanted them to stay or if she even wanted them alive. Their lives were insignificant to him. But An Xin shook her head. Although they were despicable human beings, they were still her relatives after all. Unless she had no other choice, she wouldn’t bring them any harm. They hadn’t even tried to kill her yet.
But just as the door of the mansion opened, a servant came running in from outside, panting badly while yelling, “This is bad, this is bad! Missy, there’s… there’s a unit from the Jiangnan military here to arrest people.”