Chapter 17

At this moment, Lin Yu stood up and said lazily, "My abilities require no proof. Since the Ma family does not trust me, I shall take my leave. In any case, I have kept the two-year agreement; it is you who were unwilling to let me act."

Lin Yu was about to leave, but Feng Yuanyuan blocked his path.

"You cannot leave!" she insisted, for to her, exposing Lin Yu had become the key to completing the financing.

Feng Yuanyuan grabbed Lin Yu's arm tightly and said to the people around them, "You deceived Zhang Zong for two whole years, and now you have come to the Ma family to swindle them. Isn't it just to sabotage the cooperation between the Zhang Clan and the Ma family? You aren't getting away today."

Zhang Yuru, standing to the side, wanted to step forward to stop her, but was quietly held back by Xu Chen.

Helpless, Zhang Yuru could only shout, "Yuanyuan, that's enough. Say no more."

But Feng Yuanyuan was determined to voice the dissatisfaction in her heart: "No, I will speak. Over these past two years, how much coldness and ridicule have you endured on the outside for Lin Yu's sake, while he stayed at home like a housewife, washing clothes and cooking? Do you know what she has been through?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuru could not help but freeze, tears welling up in her eyes.

Recalling these years, whenever she met with important clients, someone would always mention the relationship between her and Lin Yu, causing her to bear significant pressure.

However, these painful memories were things Zhang Yuru did not want others to know, so she pleaded, "Yuanyuan, he and I are already divorced. All of this is in the past."

"No, nothing is in the past yet," Feng Yuanyuan retorted stubbornly.

Feng Yuanyuan refused to give up, saying in a sharp voice, "Today, I must expose this swindler's true face..."

She sneered, knowing full well what Lin Yu cared about most.

To ensure the Zhang Clan could obtain the Ma family's investment, Feng Yuanyuan decided to stop at nothing.

"Lin Yu, did your sister go missing because of you?" she asked. As soon as the words fell, Zhang Yuru's face turned pale instantly, and she shouted in terror, "Yuanyuan, stop it, that's enough."

Lin Yu was stunned; he had not expected Feng Yuanyuan to expose the untouchable scar in his heart in front of everyone. Regarding his sister, even Zhang Yuru had never mentioned it lightly, unless Lin Yu himself was willing to speak of it.

"I will say it!" Feng Yuanyuan said firmly, preparing to provoke Lin Yu further. "In my opinion, your sister didn't go missing at all; you deliberately handed her over to bad people just to climb up the social ladder with the Zhang family, didn't you?"

These words were like sharp arrows piercing Lin Yu's heart; his expression turned icy, and his hands clenched into fists.

However, Feng Yuanyuan did not stop. She leaned in close to Lin Yu and said with a provocative smile, "You so-called Divine Doctor are nothing but a shameless wretch, a swindler, and a coward who would sacrifice his own sister for personal gain..."

"Shut up!" A roar interrupted Feng Yuanyuan, followed immediately by the sound of a loud slap echoing in the air.

Feng Yuanyuan's body flew backward from the impact and crashed heavily to the ground.

The scene suddenly became tense; except for Zhang Yuru, no one knew what Feng Yuanyuan had actually said.

Everyone only saw Master Lin angrily slap the seemingly fragile Feng Yuanyuan.

"Yuanyuan!" Zhang Yuru rushed over to help her up, seeing the clear finger marks on her face, filled with worry and anger.

At this moment, Feng Yuanyuan did not say another word, merely looking at Lin Yu with innocent eyes, then at the Ma family.

The red mark on her face made the Ma family even more convinced that Lin Yu was an out-and-out "thug" for actually laying a hand on a woman.

Zhang Yuru angrily questioned Lin Yu, "How could you do this, Lin Yu..."

"Enough!" Ma Yuanfeng suddenly barked, his face gloomy. "Zhang Zong, our Ma family will no longer consider investing in the Zhang Group. We will withdraw our capital as soon as possible. Please leave."

"What?" Zhang Yuru was astonished.

Hearing Ma Yuanfeng's words, Zhang Yuru felt a heavy weight in her heart. The hope for this financing seemed to be falling through once again.

Despite this, she was unwilling to give up easily. "Mr. Ma, please reconsider. The Zhang Group..."

"No need, Zhang Zong. You may leave," Ma Yuanfeng interrupted her coldly, clearly leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing this, Feng Yuanyuan was too shocked to speak, and finally could not help but cover her face and cry.

They had originally thought that by doing this, they could make Ma Yuanfeng re-evaluate his view of the Zhang Group, but they had not expected it to backfire.

The people of the Ma family were also deeply shocked.

The initial investment of one hundred million had allowed the Zhang Group to grow rapidly, and now was the perfect time to increase investment to reap even greater profits.

If they withdrew their capital now, although they had already earned quite a bit, they might lose out on even greater future gains—potentially billions or even tens of billions in returns.

Ma Yuancheng wanted to mediate: "Big brother, this isn't very appropriate..."

"Third brother, say no more. My decision is not to be questioned," Ma Yuanfeng said firmly.

"Big brother..." Ma Yuancheng wanted to say something more, but his throat suddenly felt itchy, and he began to cough.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuru lost control of her emotions. In her anger, she rushed toward Lin Yu and slapped him. The loud sound echoed in the room.

Lin Yu grabbed her wrist, his eyes cold, but he said nothing.

Zhang Yuru, due to her brother's encounter and the failed financing, completely exploded: "You've ruined everything! Are you happy now? Lin Yu, I really misjudged you."

Lin Yu sneered in response: "You messed things up yourselves, yet you want to blame me? Don't forget, you were the ones who attacked me first."

Feng Yuanyuan joined in as well, accusing Lin Yu: "Everything I said is the truth. You are just an incompetent person."

Lin Yu took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, and gave a bitter smile.

He knew that explaining was useless; those who held prejudices would not easily change their views.

He had always been a man of action, disdaining verbal arguments.

However, Lin Yu's silence made Ma Yuanfeng unable to help but speak up: "Master Lin, why not tell them that two years ago..."

Lin Yu interrupted him: "Mr. Ma, say no more. None of this matters anymore."

Zhang Yuru, with tears in her eyes, pulled her hand back from Lin Yu's grip and said firmly, "Indeed, it doesn't matter anymore. I have decided to terminate the cooperation between the Zhang Clan and the Ma family."

She helped Feng Yuanyuan up, looked straight at Ma Yuanfeng, and said, "The Zhang Group is currently thriving; we won't have trouble finding financial support. I will return the Ma family's investment."

Having said that, Zhang Yuru left with Feng Yuanyuan.

Zhang Yuru promised, "I will definitely return the Ma family's investment with interest."

Xu Chen, however, was very happy; this way, it would be impossible for Zhang Yuru and him to remarry.

However, Xu Chen still had his own agenda; he intended to stay here and continue to pressure Lin Yu until he completely crushed the other party, making him someone everyone would avoid.

Therefore, after seeing Zhang Yuru to the door and offering a few words of comfort, he returned to the banquet hall.

But Zhang Yuru was in pain, not understanding why Lin Yu had become like this.

Could it be that just because of the divorce, he wanted to destroy the Zhang Group?