Chapter 648: Prey, Self‑Disrupting the Formation

Lin Yuan pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear.

The moment the call connected, Le Xiao chen's furious and urgent howl...... came through the earpiece.

"Lin Yuan! You bastard! Release my daughter immediately! Whatever conditions you want, we can discuss them—just don't hurt a hair on her head, and I'll agree to anything!"

Le Wei'er's delicate body trembled slightly at the familiar sound of her father's voice over the phone.

A flicker of grievance and hope flashed in her eyes, barely noticeable.

Le Wei'er instinctively opened her mouth to call for help, but Lin Yuan harshly stopped her with a cold stare.

He lifted his chin, his eyes full of warning.

Le Wei'er gritted her teeth, ultimately suppressing the urge to call for help...

She merely clenched her fists tighter, her nails almost digging into her palms.

Lin Yuan's cold smile widened, his tone flat and unemotional as he slowly said, "Chairman Le, don't be nervous. To let your daughter go is possible, but you... must agree to one demand of mine."

On the phone, Le Xiao chen snapped, "What demand?"

Lin Yuan calmly replied, "I want you... to immediately abandon all alliances with the New Faction Group, defect to the Old Faction Group, and establish deep cooperation with the Goddess Group."

On the other end of the line, Le Xiao chen fell silent.

After a long while, Le Xiao chen's angry roar came through: "Lin Yuan, you're fucking crazy!"

Lin Yuan paused, then said calmly, "Only this way can I guarantee that your Le Tian Group will no longer target me, cut off a major backing of your Le Tian Financial, prevent you from joining forces against me again—this is the sole condition for releasing Le Wei'er."

On the earpiece, Le Xiao chen fell silent again.

Moments later came Le Xiao chen's cold, firm refusal.

Le Xiao chen's tone left no room for negotiation: "Impossible! I could never betray the New Faction Group Alliance! We've cooperated with the New Faction Group for years, our foundations are deep—telling me to abandon the alliance and join the Old Faction is pure fantasy!"

The negotiation instantly reached an impasse.

The air was thick with a suffocating smell of gunpowder.

Lin Yuan held the phone, the chill in his eyes deepening, with no intention to compromise;

Beside him, Le Wei'er's face paled further at her father's refusal.

The hope in Le Wei'er's eyes...... gradually faded, leaving only intense anxiety.

Yet she forced herself to stay calm, biting her lip hard and staying silent.

On the phone, Le Xiao chen remained obstinate; the two talked past each other, and the negotiation collapsed completely.

After a few seconds of stalemate, Le Xiao chen could no longer contain his temper.

Le Xiao chen's tone eased slightly, yet still carried a hint of condescending arrogance.

Le Xiao chen tried to tempt him with benefits: "Lin Yuan, the wise submit to the times; joining the Old Faction Group brings you no advantage. Name your price—I'll pay it, as long as you release my daughter, any amount is fine!"

Seeing Lin Yuan's silence, Le Xiao chen offered an even bigger bait.

On the phone, Le Xiao chen spoke with certainty: "Either way, you join my Le Tian Financial, and I'll give you the deputy general manager position, making you my group's second-in-command, holding real power, able to command wind and rain—far stronger than following the Phoenix God and relying on the Goddess Group. How about that?"

Lin Yuan heard this and suddenly laughed out loud.

His laughter was full of mockery and contempt.

Lin Yuan's tone was ice‑cold, without a shred of warmth:

"I, Lin Yuan, may not be a gentleman, but I will never ally with your deceitful, cunning criminals. Your New Faction Group's involvement with white powder—that is my bottom line."

Lin Yuan slowly said, "Le Xiao chen, the money and position you offer are worthless to me; I don't need this condition."

"You!" Le Xiao chen choked on Lin Yuan's words, unable to speak.

Le Xiao chen's suppressed anger instantly ignited, all his patience and willingness to compromise vanished.

On the phone, Le Xiao chen's tone turned menacingly threatening,

"Good! Good, you unyielding Lin Yuan! If you don't release my daughter, I'll dig three feet underground if I must and find you! Hangcheng is only so big—once I find you, I'll make you die a miserable death, crush your bones and scatter your ashes, making you pay a hundredfold!"

Each word of the threat in the earpiece pierced to the bone, yet Lin Yuan remained composed.

Lin Yuan's expression unchanged, his eyes showing no trace of fear,

he instead raised a faint, dismissive sneer.

Lin Yuan held the phone and replied lightly, "Fine, then I'll wait for you to find me and we'll talk then."

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't give Le Xiao chen a chance to shout again.

Lin Yuan lightly pressed his fingertip and promptly hung up.

The phone screen suddenly darkened, making the cold depth in his eyes appear even more intense.

Beside her, Le Wei'er held her breath and focused, hearing every word of the conversation at both ends clearly.

Her father's decisive refusal, the failed enticement of benefits%

And that final hysterical yet somewhat pale threat...

These exchanges were like icy daggers, viciously stabbing into her heart.

The lingering hope and stubbornness in Le Wei'er's eyes...

at this moment, were completely swallowed by despair.

Le Wei'er's whole body trembled slightly, her pretty face ashen as paper.

Even her lips lost color, her heart like dead ash.

She retained not a glimmer of light.

She knew her father would not relent, Lin Yuan was immovable, she was trapped here with no chance of escape.

Yet within despair, a spark of unwillingness still lingered.

Le Wei'er suddenly lifted her gaze, her beautiful eyes...... surging with reckless abandon.

She seized the moment while Lin Yuan put away his phone and his expression eased slightly.

Le Wei'er summoned all her remaining strength and broke the iron chains binding her.

She suddenly broke free of the shackles binding her whole body.

She staggered...... rushing toward the basement stairwell......

Le Wei'er's clothes snapped, her hair in disarray.

Only the obsession in her eyes sustained her wish to escape this cramped prison.

Lin Yuan's expression grew slightly stern, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

He never expected this woman to be so unreasonable.

Lin Yuan smirked coldly, his body still, his wrist darting out.

He seized the long hair spilling over Le Wei'er's shoulders with precision.

Lin Yuan exerted a slight force with his fingertips, ruthlessly pulling her back just as she was about to reach the stairwell.

"Mmm......" A piercing pain shot through Le Wei'er's scalp.

Le Wei'er let out a muffled groan, her body unsteady, she crashed hard into Lin Yuan's arms.

The madness in her eyes did not fade; instead, it flared into even greater viciousness.

At the moment she was pulled back, Le Wei'er ignored the intense pain in her neck wound, turned and lunged fiercely at Lin Yuan.

Her jade-like fingertips...... clutched desperately at Lin Yuan's arm.

Le Wei'er sank her teeth fiercely into Lin Yuan's arm.

Her eyes brimmed with a resolve to perish together.

She summoned all her strength to strike back, to break free of his grasp.

The impatience in Lin Yuan's eyes instantly turned cold and harsh, his aura suddenly sinking.

Lin Yuan backhanded seized her wrist, his force so great it nearly crushed her bones.

Then Lin Yuan raised his hand!

Smack! Smack! Smack!!

Several sharp slaps echoed one after another in the spacious wine cellar!

Each of Lin Yuan's slaps landed with full force, devoid of mercy.

His slaps all landed on Le Wei'er's delicate face.

In moments, several distinct red and swollen palm prints appeared on Le Wei'er's fair, smooth cheeks......

The vivid red prints formed a stark contrast against her pallid skin.

Le Wei'er's originally delicate brows and eyes also twisted together from the intense pain.

Lin Yuan's consecutive slaps not only shattered her stubbornness, but also crushed her last shred of unwillingness......

Le Wei'er's tears could no longer be contained, streaming wildly down her cheeks.

Her tears, mixed with the humiliation and despair in her eyes, dripped onto the cold concrete floor, blooming into specks of wetness......

Le Wei'er choked, her voice broken and desperate.

At this moment, she retained none of the former aloofness and pride of the Le Tian heiress.

Lin Yuan slowly released his grip on her wrist, his tone icy cold, devoid of warmth.

"Don't bother with pointless struggle; behave yourself, or next time it won't be just a few slaps."

Having said that, Lin Yuan bent over and took out an iron chain.

He ignored Le Wei'er's struggles and choked sobs, brutally binding her hands behind her back.

The knots were tied extremely tight,

Lin Yuan then firmly fastened one end of the iron chain to her ankle, the other end securely locked onto the sturdy iron ring of the wine barrel beside him,

The clanking of the iron chain emitted a cold 'clang-clang' sound, especially piercing in the spacious wine cellar.

Lin Yuan's binding this time was exceptionally cruel, completely cutting off any thought of escape.

After confirming the binding was secure and the iron chain tightly fastened, Lin Yuan slowly straightened up.

Lin Yuan looked down from above at Le Wei'er, slumped on the ground, her face streaked with tears and humiliation.

There was no longer a ripple in his eyes, no extra words of advice; he turned and walked toward the basement stairwell......

The iron door creaked open with a 'squeak', then slammed shut heavily.

Lin Yuan left the wine cellar.

Only Le Wei'er remained, bound by the iron chain in the cold corner......

Amid the wine cellar's dampness and silence, she sank into endless bewilderment and fear.

In the days that followed.

Hangcheng was completely plunged into a massive search operation.

Le Xiao chen was furious beyond restraint, mobilizing all the power of Le Tian Financial.

He mobilized the city's manpower and resources, carrying out a carpet‑search for Lin Yuan's whereabouts.

From the city's streets and alleys...... to the scattered villages in the suburbs, not a single place was missed.

Yet no matter how Le Xiao chen searched, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack; he found not a trace of Lin Yuan.

Even a single clue eluded capture.

Le Xiao chen never imagined that Lin Yuan would actually hide Le Wei'er in such a remote, desolate suburban wine cellar.

That place lay hidden deep in the mountains, rarely visited by humans; even locals seldom set foot there, let alone outsiders knowing of it.

As for Lin Yuan, he had already submitted a leave request to Su Monong several days earlier.

Lin Yuan claimed there were urgent family matters, requiring him to return to his hometown for a while, with no definite date of return.

At that time, Su Monong was busy with company affairs, gave it no further thought, and readily agreed.

Su Monong only reminded Lin Yuan to be careful in all matters, and to return as soon as he finished family affairs.

Regarding the matter of Lin Yuan confronting Le Tian Group, Su Monong knew nothing at all.

After all, she was merely a merchant, and knew little about Underworld affairs.

As for Lin Yuan, he had in fact never left Hangcheng even a step.

He had all along been guarding the wine cellar in the suburbs, while watching over the iron‑chain‑bound Le Wei'er and secretly keeping tabs on the movements of Hangcheng's business world.

Lin Yuan quietly awaited the turning point of Qian Shi Group and Le Tian Financial.

He was also waiting……

Waiting for Le Xiao chen to exhaust his patience completely and make concessions.

Just as the search reached an impasse, a shocking piece of bad news quietly spread throughout Hangcheng.

Qian Shoude died.

The head of Qian Shi Group passed away suddenly, and the vast Qian Shi Group instantly became leaderless, with internal personnel panicking.

The entire Qian Shi Group fell into chaos; the once glorious business empire plunged overnight into the brink of collapse.

Not long after, Qian Shi Group officially issued an urgent announcement, the wording vague yet the attitude clear:

Qian Shi Group's Chairman Qian Shoude and the young master Qian Renhao, father and son, suffered a sudden car accident recently; despite all‑out rescue efforts they unfortunately both perished.

As soon as the announcement came out, it instantly stirred a huge uproar in the Jiangnan business world, triggering an unprecedented shock.

Everyone was astonished; the Qian father and son had always acted cautiously, with tight security on their travels—how could they suddenly meet with a car accident??

And still end up with the fate of both perishing?

Rumors sprang up everywhere, discussions ran rife……

Yet no one could know the truth behind it.

Meanwhile, in the Su Group Chairman's office.

When Su Monong learned of this news, she was in the office handling official duties, and the document in her hand almost slipped.

Su Monong's eyes were full of doubtful unease. She frowned tightly and muttered softly: "Qian Renhao and his father, how could they just die in a sudden car accident? This is too strange, isn't it?"

Previously Qian Renhao had been severely injured by Lin Yuan; although she had heard of it, she never expected Qian Shoude to also die suddenly.

Su Monong had moreover never imagined… that the father and son would perish together.

Such a coincidence truly beggars belief.

Although Su Monong harbored doubts, she did not dwell on them excessively.

After all, Qian Shi Group and Su Group have always been at odds like fire and water.

Over the years, Qian Shoude and his son have repeatedly schemed, employing every vile means, trying to annex Su Group and seize the core project in her hands……

For this purpose, Qian Shi Group also caused her countless troubles.

Now, the Qian father and son died suddenly……

Qian Shi Group was leaderless, beset by internal and external troubles.

This, precisely, was her best opportunity to strike back.

It was also the best chance for her to swallow Qian Shi Group and avenge past humiliation.

Thinking of this, Su Monong's doubtful look vanished instantly, replaced by icy resolve and a sharp edge.

Su Monong no longer hesitated; she immediately summoned the company's core backbone and swiftly devised an annexation plan!

Su Monong mobilized all available resources and means, pressing step by step.

She took advantage of Qian Shi Group's internal chaos and leaderless state to launch a thunderous offensive!

One week later, Su Monong finally forcibly annexed all of Qian Shi Group's industries and assets.

And what Su Monong cared about most was the X Vaccine project previously seized by Qian Shi Group.

This was the core project that Su Group had poured countless efforts into developing, and also the target that Qian Shoude and his son had long coveted, unwilling to spare any vile means to obtain it.

Now, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by annexing Qian Shi Group, Su Monong naturally reclaimed full control of the X Vaccine project.

Su Monong firmly grasped this core project in her own hands.

Su Monong, completely turned around the previously passive situation.

This also laid a more solid foundation for Su Group's future development.

……

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains' suburbs, inside the wine cellar.

Dim lamplight illuminated Lin Yuan's tranquil profile.

These past days, he has remained confined within this tiny prison, never stepping out of the wine cellar even a step.

In his leisure, Lin Yuan constantly held his phone, his eyes fixed on all sorts of Hangcheng business news.

Lin Yuan remained composed, watching developments in silence.

When he saw on the screen…… the headline news of Su Monong leading Su Group to forcefully annex Qian Shi Group and retake the X Vaccine project……

Lin Yuan's tense lips finally eased into a faint smile.

Lin Yuan murmured softly: "Not bad, not bad; I deliberately cleared obstacles for you and created such an excellent opportunity, and you have indeed seized it."

The downfall of Qian Shi Group was originally a step in Lin Yuan's plan.

Lin Yuan both sought to eradicate the roots and completely settle the grudge with the Qian family father and son.

He also aimed to clear the path for Su Group, giving Su Monong the chance to avenge past shame and strengthen her power.

Now, Su Monong seized the opportunity, advancing step by step, and fully achieved her goal.

This also let the great stone in Lin Yuan's heart settle a little.

Le Wei'er, bound by iron chains nearby, heard his expression and muttering clearly, her eyes welling with deep resentment and spite.

But Le Wei'er, restrained by her bonds and past lessons, dared not shout wildly anymore.

She could only bite her lips tightly, letting humiliation and despair spread in her heart, she was full of hatred.

Just as Lin Yuan suppressed the smile in his eyes, preparing to put down his phone.

A sudden burst of phone ringing once again shattered the silence of the wine cellar.

That ringtone echoed in the empty, damp basement, especially grating, clashing with the surrounding tranquility.

Lin Yuan's eyebrows rose slightly as he slowly picked up his phone and lowered his gaze to the screen...

When he saw...... the three characters 'Le Xiao chen' jumping on the screen.

The smile at Lin Yuan's lips vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, piercing sneer.

Heh, it seems this prey has finally lost patience and thrown its own formation into disarray.

Lin Yuan hesitated not at all, his fingertip lightly pressed, and he answered the phone again...