Chapter 169: Just Try Harming a Single Hair on My Head?

"It seems I've convinced you?" William Ji said with a smile.

No matter how spirited a horse is, it can be tamed; no matter how stubborn a person is, they can be conquered—there are no exceptions.

William Ji was not afraid of Tang Chong falling into the trap. Had he not been thoroughly prepared, he would not have shown his hand to him so early. As long as he remained hidden behind the scenes, he could observe more and gather more evidence.

"You haven't convinced me," Tang Chong said. "The evidence you've produced can hardly be called evidence at all; it's just scraps that cannot be taken seriously. I'm simply a person who dislikes trouble, so I don't want to see you toss these things to the media and have them verify whether I am genuine or fake—"

"Indeed," William Ji sneered. "If our negotiation today doesn't go smoothly, I will forward these materials to every single media outlet I can reach. I imagine they couldn't care less whether these materials are real or fake—they need news. Besides, all it would take is for Tang Xin to make a couple of public appearances to dispel the rumor completely. The question is, would you folks let Tang Xin step forward? I truly look forward to seeing that."

"Whether we let her step forward or not is our own business," Tang Chong said with a smile. "If you are genuinely looking forward to it, I will refuse to give you an answer. Prying into people's privacy is a deeply obnoxious thing to do. Since you've made me uncomfortable, the least I can do is curse you out and rack my brains to do some petty, untraditional, and harmless little things to make you uncomfortable in return."

"Tang Chong," William Ji was thoroughly provoked by Tang Chong's rude and vulgar attitude. He said angrily, "If you don't want to talk terms, you can get the hell out right now—I don't mind tossing these things to the media and letting them verify the truth about Tang Xin. It won't cost me a thing."

Tang Chong did not get the hell out. Of course, he wasn't going to "get out."

"I know this costs you nothing," Tang Chong retorted with a smile. "Yet you've held onto this secret for so long without throwing it to the media, which proves you want something from me that is far more important to you—you're greedy, and you're smart. Instead of letting a moment of anger drive you to throw these things away, you want to use them as leverage to trade for what you actually want. Since I have something you desire, why shouldn't I act a bit arrogant?"

"But now I've changed my mind," William Ji said in a deep voice. "Suddenly, I don't want to trade with you anymore. I'd love to see the spectacle of Tang Xin's utter ruin—Tang Chong, Tang Xin, and you two look so much alike. Could it be that you are brothers and sisters, or siblings? Oh, it's entirely possible. There's no mention of an older or younger brother in Tang Xin's official files—the media would definitely be interested in this. And where has Tang Xin gone anyway? Sick? Pregnant? Or something else—will the entertainment industry buzz for a while because of what's in this bag?"

"You won't do that," Tang Chong said. "Because for any normal person with half a brain, when forced to choose between ruining a minor celebrity and inheriting the massive wealth of the Qiu family, they would choose the latter—William Ji, you are neither a good person nor a particularly mild-tempered one. When I cursed you out several times, you managed to force yourself to endure it without completely losing your temper, wasn't it precisely because you are far too obsessed with the latter? Short of absolute desperation, how could you possibly give it up?"

Was he actually probing him the entire time?

William Ji's expression stiffened, and then he burst into laughter.

He laughed until he was leaning back and forth, laughing with unbridled arrogance.

After a long while, the laughter finally subsided.

Staring at Tang Chong, William Ji said, "Tang Chong, you really are a fascinating person. Why didn't I notice it before?"

"I've always been fascinating, but your eyes were pointed up at the sky, so you failed to notice a nobody like me," Tang Chong replied with a smile.

"Fair enough. Since you already know what I'm after, I have no need to hide anything. I am indeed more interested in the Qiu family fortune," William Ji said candidly. "Although I have zero affection for you, I couldn't care less about the life of a minor celebrity—and I am quite interested in watching you continue to stand in that position and perform for everyone. Knowing the inside story will bring me even more pleasure. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand," Tang Chong nodded. "You view me as a monkey performing tricks."

"That's pretty much what I mean," William Ji said. "What I'm curious about is, why did you give up on Yihan Qiu just to take on a gig like this? Could it be that being the Qiu family's son-in-law is less glamorous than living the life of a minor celebrity?"

Tang Chong picked up the cup in front of him, poured himself a cup of sake, took a small sip, glanced sideways at William Ji through the corner of his eye, and said, "Is being the Qiu family's son-in-law really that easy?"

"You certainly possess self-awareness," William Ji chuckled, saying with deep empathy, "Being the Qiu family's son-in-law is no walk in the park. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this transaction today."

"Go on then. What do you want me to do?" Tang Chong asked.

"From what I know, Yihan Qiu holds a very high opinion of you," William Ji said solemnly.

At the mention of this, William Ji's heart twitched violently, as if someone had stabbed him fiercely with a knife, and the smile on his face became somewhat unnatural.

Admitting to one's rival in love that the woman he desires favors the other man is a challenging ordeal for any man—yet the proud William Ji managed to do it, proving he truly was a man of some character.

Still, he had no choice but to admit the reality.

He had watched the video of Yihan Qiu publicly apologizing and confessing her love to Tang Chong on stage. Ever since Tang Chong rejected her, she returned home that very night and fell violently ill. She even dropped out of South University because of it, refusing to ever step foot inside the campus again.

What shocked William Ji and Qiu's parents even more was that Yihan Qiu actually went to work, choosing to start from the absolute bottom of the ladder.

She refused to listen to anyone, and ignored every piece of advice. Speak to her softly, and she wouldn't listen; speak to her harshly, and she would simply wipe away her tears.

In the end, the Qiu family was completely helpless and could only let nature take its course.

For a well-behaved, obedient young girl to suddenly transform like this—if this wasn't love, what was?

He had grown up with her as childhood sweethearts, and prompted by their families, he had laid the groundwork with her from a very young age. After so many years of effort, his standing in Yihan Qiu's heart turned out to be inferior to a poor punk she had only known for a few days. How could William Ji not be angry? How could he not be furious?

Precisely because he knew how important Tang Chong was to Yihan Qiu, when he discovered the secret that Tang Chong was impersonating Tang Xin, he managed to suppress the urge to immediately expose the news to the media for revenge, opting instead to strike a deal with him—

With his help, perhaps things would go a bit smoother?

"Is that so?" Tang Chong's expression remained impassive as he sneered, "You want to play matchmaker for us star-crossed lovers?"

"Precisely," William Ji nodded.

This time, William Ji's answer truly caught Tang Chong off guard.

He had originally assumed that what William Ji wanted him to do was help him win Yihan Qiu's heart. When he previously suggested that William Ji wanted to "play matchmaker," it was meant sarcastically; he hadn't expected William Ji's answer to be affirmative.

Of course, Tang Chong didn't believe for a second that it was genuine.

Even if he really did help, there would undoubtedly be an ulterior motive.

"And then?" Tang Chong asked.

"You accept Yihan Qiu's affection," William Ji said expressionlessly, his voice turning ruthless. "And then you dump her."

"———"

Tang Chong understood.

This kid was truly vicious.

Because he believed Yihan Qiu harbored feelings for Tang Chong, he wanted Tang Chong to use that leverage to win her over.

Once he finished toying with her, he would kick her aside—

At that point, a deeply heartbroken and utterly disillusioned Yihan Qiu would be easy prey, allowing William Ji to smoothly step in with minimal effort.

He didn't care whether he was being cuckolded; all he cared about was becoming the Qiu family's son-in-law and successfully inheriting that massive fortune—he didn't want romance, he wanted a marriage of convenience.

Cruel indeed. And deeply realistic.

Such tactics weren't exclusive to women; men could employ them just as well.

Seeing Tang Chong sit in silence, William Ji continued, "As far as I know, Yihan Qiu is still a virgin—if the two of you actually go all the way, I'll pretend I never knew. How about it? This deal is quite fair, isn't it? You suffer no losses and even score a huge bargain. Besides, once it's done, I'll reward you handsomely."

Sure enough, Tang Chong's guess had been spot on. William Ji's words completely exposed his true intentions.

Tang Chong looked at William Ji and said, "On her birthday, when I saw how you acted, I actually thought you liked her."

"Of course I like her," William Ji said with a gloomy expression. "At the time, I genuinely liked her. As a wife, no one is more suited than her. Unfortunately, she chose you—"

"And then you stopped liking her?" Tang Chong asked.

"You're very smart, yet terribly naive," William Ji bypassed Tang Chong's question. "People in our circle would be laughed at if we constantly had romance on our lips."

"I really want to beat you up," Tang Chong said.

Knowing that Tang Chong was violent, William Ji showed no fear whatsoever as he sneered, "You'd better not do that. I don't suppose you know this, but Chunjiang Club is owned by my father, and I manage it now—everyone in this clubhouse works for me. To meet with you, I specifically brought along a few capable fighters. If you lay a hand on me, I guarantee you won't walk out of here alive."

"Of course, even if you do walk out, our deal falls through, and these documents will be delivered to every single media outlet—if you weren't worried about that, you wouldn't be sitting here drinking and chatting with me."

"Still, I'd really like to beat you up," Tang Chong said.

Hearing someone repeatedly declare their intention to beat him up, William Ji finally snapped, shouting in a low voice, "Just try touching a single hair on my head!"

And so, Tang Chong sprang into action, landing a punch straight across William Ji's eye socket.

Only an idiot would literally touch a single hair on his head.

*(PS: I wrote this so well, hurry up and praise me, praise me, praise me—please...)*