Chapter 643: You dare lay a hand on my daughter?

The thugs' faces changed abruptly.

You look at me, I look at you……

Each thug showed hesitation, no one dared to step forward lightly, nor did anyone dare to retreat on their own.

Everyone gripped the machetes in their hands, staring fixedly at the gun in Lin Yuan's hand.

They feared that if they were careless and Le Wei'er came to harm, they would have no way to answer to Le Xiao chen.

After a few seconds of standoff, in the end no one dared to gamble Le Wei'er's life.

The thugs all retreated backward, their steps dragging.

Soon, a group of thugs retreated to over fifty meters away, surrounding from afar, yet still dared not disperse.

Lin Yuan saw this, and a cold smile curled the corner of his mouth.

He pulled Le Wei'er slightly forward in front of him, the muzzle still firmly pressed against her neck.

The icy metal sensation made Le Wei'er involuntarily shiver.

The two were extremely close; Lin Yuan's nose…… unintentionally brushed her long hair, a faint cool fragrance mixed with the crisp scent of cedar drifting into his nostrils.

Lin Yuan's brow twitched imperceptibly.

"Go." Lin Yuan uttered only one word, his tone flat.

He tightened his grip on Le Wei'er's neck slightly, signaling her to walk forward.

Le Wei'er's delicate body trembled; forced to follow his steps, she walked step by step into the interior of Le Tian Jin Rong Da Sha……

The thugs behind watched helplessly, but could only follow from a distance.

No one dared to step forward even half a step; they could only let Lin Yuan hold their miss hostage and openly march deep into the building.

In the corridor, the light cast their overlapping shadows.

Le Wei'er bit her lip; the panic in her beautiful eyes gradually faded, replaced by intense resentment and contempt.

She turned her head and, in a voice only the two could hear, sneered: "You think holding me lets you swagger about? Dare to step into this building, you're nothing but a lamb walking into a tiger's den, purely seeking death."

Lin Yuan heard this, and the corner of his mouth curled into an extremely faint sneer.

He did not turn back, nor give any extra response, merely tightening his grip on her hand a bit more.

Lin Yuan's steps did not pause in the slightest.

To him, let alone just the Le Tian Financial building; even if it were a veritable dragon's pool and tiger's den, as long as he could find Qian Shoude, he would dare to charge in all the same.

The two walked forward; along the way, the few thugs they encountered either scrambled to hide in fright or clutched their weapons, afraid to step forward.

All out of concern for Le Wei'er's safety.

Everyone could only watch helplessly as Lin Yuan, holding her, walked unimpeded to the elevator entrance.

Lin Yuan raised his hand, aimed the gun muzzle at the elevator buttons, and pressed the top-floor button.

The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out all the noise outside and the thugs' gazes.

In the cramped elevator space, only the two of their breathing remained.

"Ding……

The elevator doors slowly opened, revealing the top-floor corridor before their eyes.

Along both sides of the walls, thugs stood packed tightly.

The thugs formed a dark mass, each burly, wielding long swords and firearms, their expressions grim, eyes fixed on the elevator entrance.

Lin Yuan showed no panic whatsoever, holding Le Wei'er as he slowly stepped out of the elevator.

His steps were steady as he stepped into the corridor.

The thugs in the corridor instantly tensed, gripping their weapons tighter and stepping forward half a step.

"Move aside." Lin Yuan's tone was flat, yet carried an extremely penetrating pressure.

He held Le Wei'er and walked step by step toward the Chairman's Office at the end of the corridor; the thugs along the way instinctively retreated to the sides, making a narrow passage.

Upon reaching the Chairman's Office door, Lin Yuan halted his steps.

Lin Yuan did not knock; instead, he slightly turned his head and leaned close to Le Wei'er's ear.

He shouted, word by word, in a voice loud enough for all the thugs in the corridor to hear:

"Le Xiao chen, I know Qian Shoude is with you. Bring him out to see me immediately, or I will kill your daughter on the spot. You should know I mean what I say."

As his words fell, the corridor fell into dead silence at once, save for the thugs' heavy breathing.

And Lin Yuan's steady yet oppressive aura.

Le Wei'er sneered: "Lin Yuan, don't waste your effort! My father will not succumb to your threats!"

The Chairman's Office door was shut, with no response whatsoever.

The silence lasted several minutes.

The Chairman's Office door was suddenly pushed open gently.

A female secretary in a professional suit, her face competent, poked her head out.

The female secretary glanced apprehensively at the scene in the corridor, then quickly lowered her head and pushed the whole door open sideways.

The female secretary whispered: "Mr. Lin, please come in."

Lin Yuan lifted his gaze……

The office was spacious and luxurious; on the central leather sofa sat Le Xiao chen upright and proper.

Le Xiao chen wore a dark suit…… which gave him a steady presence.

He sat on the sofa, his fingertips gripping a purple-clay teapot as boiling water slowly poured into the white porcelain cup before him.

The steaming heat blurred the expression in his eyes.

From beginning to end, Le Xiao chen never glanced at the thugs at the door.

It seemed as if the clamor and confrontation outside had nothing to do with him.

Only when Lin Yuan's gaze fell on him did Le Xiao chen slowly lift his eyes.

Le Xiao chen's gaze…… calmly swept over Lin Yuan.

He again glanced briefly at the hostage daughter, Le Wei'er.

Le Xiao chen's eyes showed no trace of panic, no fury, only the calm composure and nonchalance of a seasoned businessman.

Le Xiao chen's lips even curled into an extremely faint arc: "Come in, have a seat? Drink some tea, just brewed, the taste is just right."

Lin Yuan's gaze did not change, his arm tightened slightly.

He held Le Wei'er hostage…… stepping step by step into the office.

The muzzle of the gun in Lin Yuan's hand remained firmly pressed against Le Wei'er's neck, without the slightest slack.

Le Wei'er, pressed by him, instinctively glanced toward her father, Le Xiao chen, a flash of pleading in her eyes.

Le Xiao chen, seeing this, remained composed.

He lifted his hand, picked up the brewed tea cup, and gently pushed it onto the coffee table opposite the sofa, his movements unhurried, as if the person before him were not someone holding his daughter hostage but an ordinary guest.

Lin Yuan, not standing on ceremony either, sat down on the sofa while still holding Le Wei'er hostage.

Only his hand remained wrapped around Le Wei'er, the hostage posture unchanged.

At this moment, Le Wei'er was pressed close to Lin Yuan.

She could smell the herbal medicine on Lin Yuan's body, as well as the man's heavy breathing.

This made Le Wei'er both annoyed and resistant.

Le Xiao chen lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze once again falling on Lin Yuan.

Le Xiao chen's tone was flat, yet carried an intensely penetrating pressure: "Priest Lin Yuan, you're bold, daring to storm my Le Tian Group alone and even dare to seize my daughter?"

Lin Yuan said coldly: "I only want Qian Shoude. Hand him over, and I will naturally release your daughter, and we'll leave each other alone."

Upon hearing this, Le Xiao chen slowly lifted the tea cup before him and took a gentle sip.

Le Xiao chen's eyes…… flickered with a barely perceptible chill.

Le Xiao chen, however, kept his tone even: "Qian Shoude is my partner. Since he has come to me, I will protect him. If you move against him, you are denying face to both me, Le Xiao chen, and the Le Tian Group."

Le Xiao chen set down the tea cup, leaned forward slightly, and fixed his gaze on Lin Yuan.

Le Xiao chen's tone…… carried a hint of probing and an unquestionable air: "How about this: I'll have Qian Shoude apologize to you and compensate you with a sum of money to settle this grudge."

"You've already killed his son; grievances have heads and debts have owners—it's about time to settle this, isn't it? Release my daughter, and this matter will be closed."

"The grudge isn't over yet." Lin Yuan immediately cut him off, his voice icy.

A flash of sharp coldness crossed Lin Yuan's eyes: "Qian Shoude indulged his son's violent misdeeds, repeatedly targeted those around me, sent assassins after me multiple times, even colluded with the Thunder Tiger Sect to plot my death. This is between me and Qian Shoude alone, unrelated to outsiders, and certainly cannot be settled so easily."

Having said that, Lin Yuan paused.

Lin Yuan's eyes grew a bit more mocking as he added: "Besides, you're mistaken—his son Qian Renhao wasn't killed by me. He was killed by the mercenaries he hired; it was he himself who personally caused his son's death, and I had nothing to do with it."

Le Xiao chen's face finally sank slightly, the calm in his eyes replaced by chill.

Le Xiao chen's fingertips lightly tapped the coffee table, producing a "duk-duk-duk" sound.

The tapping was slow in rhythm, yet it made people feel uneasy.

After a moment, Le Xiao chen finally spoke, his tone laced with warning and impatience: "Must we tear things apart? Young man, think it through—tearing apart benefits neither of us."

Lin Yuan looked at Le Xiao chen.

Lin Yuan said slowly: "Whether we tear things apart depends entirely on your attitude, Chairman Le."

Le Xiao chen smiled, a smile tinged with amusement.

"It's been a long time since any youngster dared speak to me like this."

Le Xiao chen shook his head, his tone gaining a hint of condescending scrutiny, as if looking at an immature junior:

"Young man, you're still too young—you don't know what it means to act within your limits, nor when to stop while you're ahead."

As his words fell, Le Xiao chen's eyes instantly turned sharp: "I give you two choices: either release my daughter now and voluntarily leave the Le Tian Group, and I'll pretend nothing happened, not harming a single hair; or you die here today, and no one can save you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's lips curled into a cold sneer.

In the rain, his eyes held no trace of fear, his voice calm, he replied word for word:

"I also give you two options: either hand over Qian Shoude now, I'll take him away and let your daughter leave safely, after which I'll no longer trouble the Le Tian Group; or your daughter will die before your eyes."

Le Xiao chen, hearing this, suddenly let out a low laugh.

Le Xiao chen's laugh…… was full of contempt.

Le Xiao chen leaned back slightly into the leather sofa, arms crossed.

Le Xiao chen's gaze…… swept over Lin Yuan with contempt, his tone tinged with provocation:

"Oh? You dare to move against my daughter? Try it—I really don't believe you have the guts."

He knew all too well these so‑called "tough guys"……

Some tough guys, the louder they shout, the less they dare to act.

Moreover, Le Wei'er is Le Xiao chen's only daughter; harming her would mean completely cutting off his own retreat.

Thus, even if Lin Yuan were even more arrogant, he would never be foolish enough to invite disaster upon himself.