At that moment, in a restaurant inside the New World building.
Yang Chen wolfed down the delicious food in front of him.
He had to admit, the dishes were pretty tasty. No wonder they smelled so good.
The beautiful proprietress rested her chin on her hand, her graceful figure on display as she quietly watched Yang Chen.
Her big, lovely eyes held plenty of questions.
And a hint of curiosity!
She was curious. How could such a young Esper be so greedy for money?
A lowest-level Esper received a subsidy from Number 98 that amounted to tens of thousands a month.
And this young man wasn't any ordinary Esper!
So why would a mere hundred thousand be enough to get him involved?
Could it be...
The proprietress gently pressed her lips together, a rare trace of bashfulness appearing in her eyes.
She wasn't very old, probably in her twenties, but she was still single.
And Yang Chen wasn't very old either!
While the proprietress let her imagination run wild, Yang Chen finally finished the delicious meal in front of him, then gave a satisfied burp.
"Burp~"
"That hit the spot!"
Yang Chen leaned back in his chair, his face full of contentment.
It was his first time eating food this delicious and somewhat upscale. Even now that he'd finished, he still couldn't get enough of it!
"That was delicious!"
Yang Chen said with a smile.
The proprietress smiled charmingly, her gaze filled with alluring warmth as she looked at Yang Chen. "Little brother, are you talking about the food, or..."
Yang Chen froze for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Is there something else? Of course I'm talking about the food!"
The proprietress's expression stiffened, but she quickly recovered.
Yang Chen took a sip of water, then asked with interest, "By the way, I still haven't asked why they were giving you trouble."
The proprietress rolled her eyes at Yang Chen's lack of understanding, then said bitterly, "They're servants of my family. My presence threatens my eldest brother's position, so he's trying to get rid of me. But because my status is rather sensitive, they can only resort to this kind of underhanded tactic."
Yang Chen nodded. "I really don't know much about the affairs of your chaebols. But since you're paying, I'll take care of this for you."
Just now, the proprietress had given Yang Chen eighty thousand in cash, then handed him an anonymous bank card with another twenty thousand on it. Altogether, it came to a hundred thousand.
That was why Yang Chen was willing to help!
He'd gotten the money!
Why else would he stick around?
Besides, he wanted to try that A-Class spiritual energy infusion.
"Then thank you, little brother!"
The proprietress sighed, then smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
In the world as it was now, having an Esper's help made many things easy to resolve.
Take the Wang Family, for example. Though they were one of the top chaebols in Hancheng, they were nothing in front of Espers—especially powerful ones!
The world no longer belonged to businessmen. It belonged to Espers!
No matter how much money you had, you might not be able to hold on to it!
On the other hand, as long as you were strong enough, you could have as much wealth as you wanted!
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the restaurant.
Yang Chen's attention was drawn over. He saw a young man followed by more than ten burly men.
Those men were the same ones who had caused trouble in the restaurant earlier!
"They're here!"
The corner of Yang Chen's mouth curled slightly.
Good. Now that they were here, this would be easy to deal with, and he could finish up sooner!
Yang Chen was still waiting to get this over with and go home to sleep!
Oh, right. He hadn't checked in today!
Yang Chen rolled his neck, then stood up and moved in front of the proprietress, smiling as he looked at the newcomers.
At that moment, Wang Teng felt like he'd just eaten shit.
He knew the smiling young man before him all too well!
The guy who had defeated his master!
For a moment, Wang Teng wanted to kill all his underlings. Of all the people they could have offended, they'd picked this guy. Even if he put his own life on the line, he might not be able to settle this!
No—even his master might not be able to handle him!
Wang Teng's expression turned grim.
Now he knew why his eyelid had been twitching earlier. His ass really was about to get kicked!
There was no way he'd run into this guy and come out of it unscathed!
And now, a few of his subordinates actually spoke up.
"Kid, we gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't take it. If you kneel in front of me now, maybe I'll put in a good word for you with Young Master Wang!"
The burly man strode forward, sneering at Yang Chen.
In his view, Wang Teng had come in person. Anyone who was an Esper in Hancheng would know Wang Teng's reputation, and might even have met him.
But Yang Chen's reaction left the burly man baffled.
Yang Chen looked at Wang Teng, a slight smile on his lips. He tilted his head and peered past the burly man at him. "Have we met before?"
Wang Teng gave an awkward smile and was just about to speak when a rude voice cut him off.
"What kind of attitude is that? My boss is talking to you!"
Someone behind the burly leader pointed at Yang Chen and shouted.
Wang Teng's expression instantly turned ugly.
"Shut up!"
Wang Teng clenched his fists and roared at the group of burly men.
"Young—Young Master Wang, what's wrong?"
The men were dumbfounded. They couldn't understand why Wang Teng, who ruled Hancheng, was reacting like this.
Even when he'd faced B-Class Espers, Wang Teng had never lost his composure like this!
So why was he acting this way now?
Wang Teng felt like killing his pack of thickheaded subordinates, but he held back.
Yang Chen was standing right there.
Wang Teng forced himself to smile, then addressed Yang Chen. "Sir, I didn't know you were here. If I'd known, you could've done whatever you liked with this establishment. It's all my fault for having these blind subordinates. They've caused you so much trouble!"
Wang Teng bowed as he walked up to Yang Chen, then continued, "Sir, rest assured. I'll deal with these people properly when I get back. They won't have to offend your eyes!"
Yang Chen smiled faintly and waved a hand. "Then handle it yourself. I'm protecting her. I don't want to hear that anything's happened to her. Understand?"
Wang Teng's expression shifted slightly, but he still lowered his head and said bitterly, "Understood, sir!"
Yang Chen's words were simple.
Not only could Wang Teng not lay a hand on the proprietress, he also had to ensure her safety. If anything happened to her, Wang Teng would be held responsible!
Wang Teng wasn't a fool. After all, he was Wild Wolf's apprentice and had managed to take control of such a large chaebol. He was naturally clever.
He understood the implication behind Yang Chen's words perfectly!
He just had no way to object!
Yang Chen was countless times stronger than he was!
Maybe he'd never reach Yang Chen's level in his entire life. Rather than get into a conflict with him, it was better to back down first.
At least that way, he wouldn't offend Yang Chen.
Besides, Yang Chen was far too young. He'd already surpassed Wang Teng's master at such a young age.
Wouldn't he become even more powerful in the future?
Yang Chen's name would surely be among Huaxia's top powerhouses!
Wang Teng was certain of that.
So even if he had to lose face today, he didn't care.
She was only a collateral relative. Once he took control of the Wang Family, she wouldn't matter anyway.
She wasn't part of his plans to begin with.
Yang Chen clapped his hands, then smiled at the proprietress. "All right, I've taken care of your problem. I've got my hundred thousand, so what happens from here on isn't my concern!"
With that, Yang Chen left without waiting for the proprietress to respond.
Wang Teng was a clever man, and he'd seen Yang Chen in action before.
If he still dared to do anything to the proprietress after this, he'd have to be an idiot.
The proprietress gently pressed her lips together as she watched Yang Chen walk away. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she kept it to herself.
Only after Yang Chen had left did Wang Teng's expression gradually turn cold.
He raised a hand. A surge of powerful energy instantly covered his arm, and he slapped the burly man who had spoken up.
Thud!
The terrifying force sent the man flying, his whole body slamming hard into the wall.
The others all jumped, then lowered their heads.
The burly leader's face turned deathly pale. He knew he'd been the loudest one earlier, and Wang Teng might come after him too!
But to his relief, Wang Teng merely shot him a cold glance before looking away.
The burly man finally let out a breath.
Wang Teng gradually turned his gaze to the woman, his expression dark. "I don't know what trick you used to get him here. You'll stay with the Wang Family from now on. If something happens to you, I'll have a hard time explaining myself!"
Wang Teng put particular emphasis on the words "something happens."
The woman raised her head slightly and looked at her brother, hoping to find some emotion in his eyes. Instead, she saw only deep coldness.
So this was what family affection meant among the chaebols!
The woman gave a bitter smile, raised her swanlike neck, and slowly walked out.
To be continued!
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