Chapter 276: Murder and Heart‑Punishment! This Is the Real Dealer!

Guo Dongying's maniacal laugh was like a red‑hot branding iron, searing the nerves of everyone in the hall.

In that laugh there was no concealment at all, only the raw, savage pleasure of the most primal joy.

"Hahaha! Good! What a fine 'no longer selling'! Brother Lu Qingshan, well done!"

His shout completely shredded the last veneer of commercial etiquette in the room, turning the meticulously arranged auction into a public execution of the old king, a blood‑soaked coronation ceremony for the new king!

The laugh acted like a signal; the previously restrained reporters went berserk! Like sharks smelling blood, they surged forward, spears and pistols breaching security, scrambling toward the man with a shattered teacup, his face a steel‑blue hue.

Click! Click! Click!

Hundreds of shutters snapping together ceased to be crisp "clicks" and merged into a harsh, metallic‑storm roar! The burst of magnesium flashlights formed a sea of pallid light, washing Li Jiasheng's face of all color; the glare even heated the air. The shattered white porcelain teacup on his table, bathed in this light, looked like an artwork recording an outrageous humiliation—blinding and absurd.

Li Jiasheng.

He had spent his life navigating the commercial seas, with restraint, calculation, and scheming, mastering guile and patience to the extreme; he had never endured such a direct, naked, brutally unreasonable humiliation!

Lu Qingshan wasn't doing business with him at all, nor was he playing a game of wits.

He was using the most direct, most overbearing method, in front of everyone on Hong Kong Island, tearing Li Jiasheng's meticulously prepared script to pieces, throwing it on the ground, and stomping it hard several times!

Kill him, and also punish his heart!

Li Jiasheng slowly, inch by inch, placed the already shattered white porcelain teacup on the table.

The clash of ceramic shards against the cold marble table produced a "clack" that rang clearly in the dead silence of the hall, as if striking each person's heart. He could even feel the scalding tea seeping through the cracks, burning his fingertips; the sharp sting was nothing compared to the volcanic fury and humiliation raging inside him.

He stood up.

The moment he rose, the entire hall seemed to have its air sucked out; the raucous laughter, the reporters' roar, the guests' murmurs—all vanished instantly, plunging into a suffocating, reverent silence. It was like the instinctive hush of a hundred beasts in a tropical rainforest when the tiger king stands.

People wondered what he would say, what he would do—rage, retaliation, or simply brush off and leave?

Yet on Li Jiasheng's face, that grim, iron‑blue expression faded slowly at a visibly perceptible speed.

It was an extremely eerie sight, as if an invisible hand were repainting his face, smoothing the angry furrows, loosening the stiff muscles, and pressing the cold murderous intent back into his heart like venom.

In just two seconds, that trademark, mask‑like warm smile returned to his face.

He even straightened his collar, moving calmly as if brushing away nonexistent dust.

He did not look at the flamboyant Lu Qingshan on the stage, nor at the guffawing Guo Dongying beside him; his gaze swept over the crowd's faces, those reveling in misfortune or trembling in fear.

Finally, he gave a slight nod toward Li Fuying's direction, his smile revealing no trace of emotion.

"Chairman Li, everyone, I have something else to attend to, I'll step out first."

His voice was calm and gentle, as if none of what had just happened concerned him; he was merely a passerby who happened to need to leave early, an ordinary guest.

After speaking, he turned, and surrounded by a cluster of trusted bodyguards, walked toward the exit at an unhurried pace. The bodyguards beside him each bore knife‑sharp gazes, their palms instinctively resting on their waists, muscles taut, forming an invisible, murderous wall that blocked any prying eyes.

His silhouette stood perfectly straight, like a sword forced back into its sheath—its edge concealed, yet its chill intensified.

Yet everyone saw that at the moment he turned, his left hand at his side clenched into a fist, knuckles whitening from the strain, blue veins bulging on the back of his hand like coiled venomous snakes, even trembling slightly—an embodiment of the volcano‑like fury he was suppressing.

This silent exit, more than any harsh words, sent a chill to the depths of people's hearts.

The veteran veterans present all felt a shiver of dread. The few wealthy onlookers who had just been gloating now had their smiles frozen, their eyes filled only with deep apprehension.

Anyone who can forcibly swallow such a humiliating disgrace and still smile is either a saint or the most terrifying venomous snake. He withdrew today only to return next time, to bite his opponent's throat in an even deadlier way.

Only when Li Jiasheng's figure vanished completely at the banquet hall entrance did the atmosphere, suppressed to the extreme, explode and dissipate.

"Pah! Pretentious!" Guo Dongying spat on the ground, his face scornful, "I just can't stand his grinning tiger act! Brother Lu Qingshan, today's affair, you handled it satisfyingly!"

Li Fuying also let out a breath, walked to Lu Qingshan's side, patted his shoulder, his eyes full of approval and a hint of hidden worry: "Lu Qingshan, your move was truly grand. Yet it also completely offended that shark to death. He holds grudges and is extremely patient; you must be extremely careful in the future."

"He has never been our friend," Lu Qingshan stepped down from the stage, his expression calm as he stared toward Li Jiasheng's vanished direction, "Whether offended or not, he will bite. Rather than waiting for him to lurk in the shadows, better to force him into the open, and in front of everyone, snap off a few of his teeth."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the gathered Chinese Chamber of Commerce members, his voice clear and firm: "More importantly, I want all our friends to see clearly who the true insiders are and who are the hungry wolves wearing a Chinese skin. Mr. Li likes to play the fisherman, waiting patiently. I told him, this sea is now my Fish Pond. I set the rules of the Fish Pond."

Lu Qingjun, standing behind Lu Qingshan, only now felt himself come back to life, gulping breath after breath, his back already soaked with cold sweat. The scene just now made his heart feel like it would leap out of his throat. He looked at his brother's calm profile, his gaze filled with admiration and a near‑divine reverence.

This is the true power to turn clouds with a hand, to make rain with a flip!

Lu Qingshan concluded, his voice low yet resonant, striking each person's heart: "The sea of Hong Kong Island, from now on, will be decided by us. Anyone who tries to fish in the muddied waters beside us, whoever they are, has no right to board our ship."