“Please enjoy. If you have any questions, please call us.”
After setting the last dish on the round table, the waitress bows in a mannerly gesture. She turns around and walks away. She also didn’t forget to close the door to give the customers privacy.
Grandfather Ji sat without moving, but once the door closed, he raised his right hand to pick up the chopsticks in front of him.
“Enjoy the food.”
His words fell, and he began to eat. He carried himself as if he was enjoying his meal at home.
“General, if you do not mind. Can you let us know why you called for this meeting?”
Grandfather Ji had only taken a bite of his food when he heard Old Qin’s question. He glances at the middle-aged man and then calmly sets his chopsticks down to replace them with a napkin.
He wipes his mouth and observes the people in the room. The look on their faces was the same, eager for an answer.
“In that case, I will not continue to beat around the bush.”
He places the napkin on the table and looks directly at Madam Qin.
“Chief Ren informed me that you caused a scene in front of the police station. I’m surprised that the news did not reach the media.”
Madam Qin’s eyes shook when she felt the sharp gaze on her, as did the words that came out of the elderly man’s mouth.
She breathes a heavy sigh with nostrils flaring. She is not afraid to show her dislike for the way Grandfather Ji spoke to her.
“Yes, I did. I went there when I heard that the man responsible for endangering my daughter was there. I don’t know why Chief Ren allowed a hooligan like him to walk away or why your granddaughter is taking his side.”
As for why the news didn’t reach the media, she made sure to pay their mouths shut.
Grandfather Ji arches an eyebrow but doesn’t speak a word. He was well aware of the situation, as Chief Ren did not miss a detail during the phone call.
He slightly turns his head to the right and looks at the Chen family.
“And do you see it as the same since this involved your oldest son?”
Old Chen pondered for a long second, then parted his lips to answer but was abruptly cut off by his wife.
“Of course.”
Madam Chen shouted imperiously. Her chin is raised ever so slightly to show that she is not afraid of anyone, even Grandfather Ji.
“That hooligan harmed my Xincheng. The doctors say he will need at least three months to recover fully. He can’t even step out of the house because he is so afraid.”
Grandfather Ji stares at the woman with no emotions on his face. He knew she was exaggerating her words. He had already gathered a report indicating that Chen Xincheng is fully recovered and enjoying himself at nightclubs.
He couldn’t help but think Lin Hui should have done more damage. That way, these words Madam Chen was spitting out would be valid.
He reached for his cane and held it in front of him. His posture leans forward as his other hand rest over it to support his hand holding the cane.
“Lin Hui.”
His tone was tranquil, but the name perplexed everyone. They have never heard of the name, let alone know someone with that name.
Grandfather Ji acknowledged their expressions with a faint condescending sneer.
“His name is Lin Hui. Not hooligan.”
He looks at each individual, one by one, before stopping his eyes at Madam Qin.
“Instead of belittling him, you should be thanking him for stepping in to help your daughter.”
His attention shifts to Madam Chen, and he scoffs a laugh.
“As for your child, I guess three months must have passed since he seems to be enjoying the nightlife lately.”
Madam Chen’s face flushed a shade of red at the humiliation directed at her. She inhaled a deep breath that made her body tremble.
“General.”
She growls behind her clenched teeth and glares at the elderly man.
“My son was harmed while on a date with Qin Xue. He did not do anything to deserve such a beating from that hooligan.”
p
“It seems what I say appears to be falling on death’s ear.”
He looks at the people in the room and makes a faint smile.
“Let me be clear.”
The smile on his face remained, but the private room’s ambiance turned heavy and cold.
“Lin Hui is a part of my Ji family. Your disrespect towards him is disrespectful toward me. Choose your words wisely because if you don’t, I will not let it slide.”
He diverts his deadly gaze to Madam Qin, and his authoritative voice continues.
“You seem to have forgotten that your daughter would not be here today if it were not for my granddaughter. Instead of expressing your gratitude, you replaced it with violence.”
He clicks his tongue with a shaking head.
“It’s a shame that you did not seek the truth before causing a scene. Lin Hui was nice enough to help your daughter from the Chen family’s oldest son’s peer pressure, but instead, you could not see the truth and blamed him.”
His eyes repositioned to the Chen family without moving his head.
“And here you are, wondering why I invited you all to this restaurant. If you had disciplined your child more, Miss Qin would not have been pressured, Lin Hui would not have intervened, my granddaughter would not have been involved, and I would not be sitting here.”
His tone of voice grew more tyrannizing with each word he spoke. However, before he can continue to talk, a loud bang echoes inside the room.
“This is outrageous!”
Madam Qin, annoyed by every word Grandfather Ji said, abruptly stood up and slammed her palm on the table. Her face turned red, and her breathing turned rapid.
“General. You have gone too far with your words. My Xue’er has lost face because of what happened during her date with Chen Xincheng. How do you expect that hooligan to compensate my Qin family? Can a good-for-nothing like him even afford to compensate us?”
Old Qin and Madam Chen nod their heads in agreement while Zhong Yang inhales a mouthful of air as he gasps at the woman standing. In all the years he has known Grandfather Ji, no one dared to cut his words mid-way. Those who did were…
His thoughts deepened, but when he saw the look on Grandfather Ji’s face, he knew that this was the end.
Grandfather Ji’s expression dimmed with the eyes of a predator. The corners of his mouth raised but did not reach his eyes.
“Madam Qin, his name is Lin Hui, and he is a very capable young man. You must have believed that he probably has no backing because he is not from a prominent family. Am I right?”
He looks at Madam Qin, and he sneers with ridicule.
“Well, you are wrong. I am his backing as well as my granddaughter.”
His dark eyes move away from the woman to the others sitting at the table.
“Let me remind you. If you had not been born into your family, I doubt any of you would have a quarter of Lin Hui’s potential. So don’t speak little of someone who has accomplished more in life than you ever had.”
Hearing the way Grandfather Ji belittled them, the four individuals at the table did not know what to say. He was right. If it had not been for their family name, they would not be able to enjoy a luxurious life.
Madam Qin clenched her fists, ignoring the pain of her nails digging into her skin. She wanted to retort at the elderly man, but her husband grabbed her wrist and forced her to sit back down.
He (Old Qin) smiles at Grandfather Ji and tries to calm down despite seething with rage on the inside.
“Please ignore my wife. She is just angry about everything that happened.”
Grandfather Ji stares at the man and then calmly rises from the chair. He stood like an almighty giant in the face of a couple of ants.
“It’s a pity that I have lost my appetite.”
He held his cane in one hand, and his other hand casually moved to settle on his back.
“To compensate involving my granddaughter and what Lin Hui has done, all transactions between Ji Corps and your companies will be terminated.”
The smile on his face widens, turning his eyes into upside-down crescents.
“However, that is not the end. If any news reaches my ear that you go after my granddaughter or Lin Hui, the consequences will be more severe.”
He gestures a polite nod and turns away for the door.
“Enjoy the rest of your meal.”
Zhong Yang scoffs a giggle, then flash a grin full of ridicule at the other people. He twirls around and walks after his boss as he has just received the best news in the world.
The private room was silent as the Qin and Chen families were pale as ghosts on their faces. No one was able to comprehend what had happened.
When they heard Grandfather Ji mention compensating them, they thought he was true to his words. However, the more they listened to him, they were rendered speechless.
He was never going to compensate them but ridicule them.
Madam Qin bit her bottom lip and then turned to look at the other woman in the room.
“What are we going to do now?”
Madam Chen’s chest heaves up and down as the veins on her forehead are on the verge of popping. She picks up the glass of water and downs it before slamming it on the table.
“I will not accept this.”
She looks at Madam Qin without moving her head and parts her lips.
“The marriage between our families will proceed as planned. Ji Corps and An Qing cannot do anything to us when that happens.”
