I'll Spare You This Once

Tang Guogang was terrified that Lin Chen would hold him jointly accountable, so he hastily tried to distance himself before adding:

"Still, I'm ashamed to say that after what happened before, I had wanted to find a time to apologize to you in person, Mr. Lin."

"But who would have thought something like this would happen again today?"

"Mr. Lin, I, Tang Guogang, have truly let you down. Please be magnanimous and forgive my incompetent management."

With that, Tang Guogang clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Lin Chen.

Though he had been able to stand and speak just moments ago, his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

His heart was pounding wildly in his chest.

If anyone looked closely, they would definitely notice that Tang Guogang's legs were trembling slightly without his control.

There was no other reason—he was simply too afraid.

The only reason he could remain composed and avoid collapsing to the ground was because of the experience he had accumulated over decades in Zhonghai.

Otherwise, an ordinary person would have long since been scared into collapsing and wetting himself on the spot.

"So that's why Xia Tiejun was so arrogant. Turns out you people were the backing behind him."

Although Lin Chen did not know Tang Guogang, the man had previously owned shares in the hospital, so his background naturally could not be insignificant.

That also explained why Xia Tiejun had acted so arrogantly and domineeringly, enough to make even the chairman of Shilin Guomao Group fear him.

Of course, Lin Chen had merely spoken from the heart. He only meant that he finally understood the reason behind Xia Tiejun's arrogance.

However, Tang Guogang and Zhang Bin understood those words in an entirely different way.

This is bad.

The instant they heard Lin Chen's words, that thought surfaced in both Tang Guogang's and Zhang Bin's minds.

At the same time, their bodies shuddered involuntarily.

Clearly, Lin Chen was extremely angry over what they had done. Otherwise, he would not still be dissatisfied after they had apologized again and again.

"Mr. Lin, I know I shouldn't have offended you."

"But since this has already happened, we will do everything we can to satisfy you."

"As long as you spare Zhang Bin and me, I, Tang Guogang, am willing to offer ninety percent of my family assets as compensation."

"I only hope that Mr. Lin can give me one chance—a chance to atone for my sins and turn over a new leaf."

"I beg you."

After saying that, Tang Guogang stepped forward and fell straight to his knees before Lin Chen.

Facing Lin Chen, he kowtowed deeply.

Zhang Bin, who had been feeling utterly helpless beside him, was deeply moved.

At the same time, he silently vowed that he would repay Tang Guogang with his life in the future.

Hiss—

When Tang Guogang knelt and kowtowed, everyone was dumbfounded.

A sharp intake of breath followed.

Tang Guogang's kneeling and kowtowing was no different from a nuclear bomb exploding in the minds of everyone present.

They had already been shocked by Lin Chen's background, yet they had still vastly underestimated him.

Someone capable of making Tang Guogang kneel and kowtow in apology—there was probably not a second person like that in all of Zhonghai.

"Just what kind of background does this major shareholder of our group have? This is too terrifying."

"Yeah. Tang Guogang is such a big name, yet he's nothing in front of Mr. Lin. It's simply unbelievable."

"I wonder how Shang Zhiyi got to know Mr. Lin. She's unbelievably lucky."

"Honestly, I regret it a little. If I had known Mr. Lin had such a terrifying background, I would have stepped forward to help her no matter what."

"Yeah, even if Xia Tiejun beat me senseless, I still would have gone up to help."

"Sigh, time can't be turned back. I'm so jealous of Yu Qian. She's just too lucky."

The Marketing Department employees discussed the matter one after another, all of them filled with regret over what had happened earlier.

Tap, tap, tap—

Xia Tiejun finally realized the severity of the situation.

He immediately scrambled and crawled toward Lin Chen, then began kowtowing furiously before him.

At the same time, he kept pleading, begging Lin Chen to spare him.

"Mr. Lin, it was all because I, Xia Tiejun, failed to recognize your greatness and offended you. Please spare my life, spare my life!"

"I beg you, Mr. Lin, I beg you..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of kowtowing rang through the Marketing Department, each strike delivered with all his strength.

Before long, Xia Tiejun's forehead was covered in blood.

Everyone held their breath and turned their eyes toward Lin Chen, waiting for him to make the final decision.

"What? Weren't you acting pretty arrogant just now?"

"Didn't you say you had someone backing you? Go call them!"

Bang!

The anger Lin Chen had only just managed to suppress surged back up the moment he heard Xia Tiejun's voice.

Unable to hold it back, he kicked Xia Tiejun.

He put all his strength into that kick, sending Xia Tiejun flipping backward onto the ground.

Yet Xia Tiejun did not feel the slightest bit angry. Instead, he quickly scrambled back up and continued kowtowing toward Lin Chen in apology.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound continued for several full minutes.

By then, Xia Tiejun's forehead was already a bloody mess, and his entire face was covered in blood.

"Mr. Lin, please spare my life, I'm begging you..."

The entire Marketing Department was silent. Only Xia Tiejun's kowtowing and pleading could be heard.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Chen did not know why, but the anger in his heart finally subsided somewhat.

Perhaps Xia Tiejun's state reminded him of his own past experiences.

Once, he seemed to have begged others like this as well, though what the two of them had done was entirely different.

"Enough. Stop being a fucking eyesore in front of me. If you want to beg, go beg the person you bullied."

"As long as she agrees, I'll spare you this once."

Lin Chen waved his hand impatiently.

Yet because of those words, Tang Guogang and Zhang Bin, who were still kneeling and had not known what to do, finally heaved a sigh of relief.

They knew that they had finally escaped this ordeal without disaster.

Of course, Xia Tiejun was the most excited of all.

The moment he heard Lin Chen's words, he immediately turned around and scrambled toward Shang Zhiyi behind him.

"Ms... Ms. Shang, every fault was mine, Xia Tiejun's. I shouldn't have coveted you, much less tried to force myself on you."

"Please spare my life, please spare my life..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After saying that, Xia Tiejun began kowtowing wildly again, the repeated impacts echoing through the Marketing Department.

"I..."

Although Shang Zhiyi was furious with Xia Tiejun, she was soft-hearted and kind by nature. Seeing him like this, she hesitated.

Especially when she saw that his entire face was covered in blood from kowtowing, the hatred in her heart ultimately faded considerably due to her soft heart.

"Will you dare to cause trouble for me again in the future?"

"No, no. From now on, I, Xia Tiejun, will never dare to cause trouble for you again."

What a joke. Because of this matter, Xia Tiejun had nearly lost his life. How could he possibly still dare to trouble Shang Zhiyi?

If he truly managed to survive today, not only would he never cause her trouble again, he would even volunteer to protect this living ancestor for Mr. Lin in the future.

"Then... then in that case, I'll forgive you."

"I hope you won't do such wicked things again in the future."