123: Chapter 123 I Not Only Dare, I Also Want to Laugh
New York, Titan Center.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its glow onto the medium-rare Wellington steak in front of Chen Yuan.
"Boss, you still have the appetite to eat meat?"
Victor held a tablet, the fat on his face trembling with anxiety, sweat streaming down his temples. "Things back home have already exploded! Absolutely exploded!"
He shoved the screen in front of Chen Yuan.
"Take a look, this has been the number one trending topic for a full three hours—'Discarded Heir of a Wealthy Family Becomes a Demon, Imprisons Cousin to Feed the Dogs!'"
"That headline, it's fucking professional!"
On the screen, a carefully edited video was playing on a loop.
In the footage, there was only the miserable sight of Chen Yu huddled in a corner, wailing for his parents and covered in filth, followed by Chen Yuan's cold command: "Throw him in."
As for the context? Gone.
As for Chen Yu's previous arrogance and his face as he tried to seize the family assets? Edited out.
Even the shots of the Zombie Dog were heavily pixelated, and with the addition of somber background music, they had forcibly molded a spoiled brat into an innocent little bunny.
In the comment section, the insults were like a tidal wave.
"What a beast! That's his own cousin!"
"Does having money make you disown your own family? Does a person like this even deserve the surname Chen?"
"I suggest the country arrest him internationally! Such scum is simply a disgrace to all Chinese people!"
"This is the ugly face of a capitalist! This is what having no humanity looks like!"
Victor looked at those vicious curses, feeling his blood pressure skyrocketing.
"Boss, the PR department suggests we issue a statement to clarify immediately."
"Clarify my ass."
Chen Yuan cut off a piece of bloody beef, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
He looked at the indignant comments on the screen and suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Heh."
This laughter sounded particularly grating in the quiet office.
"Boss, you… what are you laughing at?" Victor was confused.
"I'm laughing at that old thing, Chen Tianba. The older he gets, the more useless he becomes."
Chen Yuan put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin, and elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth.
"Does he think this is a battle of public opinion? Does he think that by occupying the moral high ground, I will become like that helpless youth from back then, allowing them to manipulate me at will?"
Chen Yuan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
He looked at the bustling Manhattan outside, his eyes filled with a playful mockery that saw through everything.
"Victor, do you know what a 'boomerang' is?"
"Huh?"
"Chen Tianba's move, while seemingly ruthless, is actually hopelessly stupid."
Chen Yuan turned around, his fingers gently tapping on the table. "He wants to use public opinion to crush me, but he forgot the most important point."
"I am no longer the discarded heir who needs to depend on the Chen family's whims to survive."
"I am the boss of Umbrella."
"I am a capitalist who holds tens of billions of dollars in his hands, treads upon Wall Street, and makes even The Pentagon tread carefully…"
He walked over to Victor, took the tablet from his hands, and swiped it a couple of times.
"Look at these comments."
"The fiercer they curse, the higher the popularity goes."
"Chen Tianba thinks this is throwing dirty water on me, but in my eyes, he is paying to advertise for me."
"And…"
Chen Yuan's eyes instantly turned cold. The playful, cynical smile vanished, replaced by the cruelty of a hunter watching prey fall into a trap.
"He made such a big scene that he actually did me a huge favor."
"I was originally trying to think of an excuse to dig up the old scores from back then and settle them."
"Now, it's perfect."
Chen Yuan threw the tablet back to Victor. "Since he took the initiative to set up the stage and call all the audience here."
"Then wouldn't it be a disservice to his painstaking efforts if I didn't go up and perform this play?"
"Alice."
Chen Yuan called out to the air.
"Here, Boss."
Alice's figure appeared silently at the doorway, holding a freshly brewed cup of Dahongpao tea.
"Is that folder decrypted?"
"Ready, Boss."
Alice's voice remained devoid of inflection, but there seemed to be a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "That is the raw data Natasha sent back from Japan, along with the Red Queen's analysis of the Chen family residence's capital flow over the past twenty years."
"And… the proof of that woman Zhao Ya's true identity."
"Very good."
Chen Yuan took the teacup and blew on the steam.
He sat back down in that chair, which symbolized the pinnacle of power, crossing his legs with a wild, unrestrained posture.
"Chen Tianba wants to play tricks with me?"
"Then I'll let him see what a real… horror movie is."
Chen Yuan put down the teacup, his fingers hovering over the virtual keyboard of the holographic projection.
That red [SEND] button was flashing with a seductive light.
"Victor."
"Yes!"
"Go, contact those marketing accounts we acquired back home."
"Tell them, no need to whitewash, no need to explain."
The curve of Chen Yuan's mouth grew wider, and the light in his eyes grew brighter.
"Just send this file out exactly as it is."
"I've already thought of the headline."
"Let's call it—'The Truth About the Discarded Heir of the Chen Family: Who Turned a Wealthy Family into a Man-Eating Den?'"
"Boss, what's… in this file?"
Victor leaned in curiously and took a look at the size of that folder.
Good heavens. 50 GB!
This isn't just dirt; it's like digging up the Chen family's ancestral graves, isn't it?
"Nothing much," Chen Yuan said nonchalantly.
"Just how Zhao Ya got her face changed, how the old man 'was' stroked out, and how my dear uncle cooperated with outsiders to drive my mother to her death…"
"Of course, there's also the most spectacular part."
Chen Yuan pointed at Chen Yu, who was still wailing on the screen.
"Didn't Chen Tianba say I harmed my own kin?"
"Then I'll let everyone see the full version of the video showing how this pair of 'kin' took the Chen family's money, lost 50 million in Las Vegas, and then knelt on the ground begging me to save their lives."
"This time, no pixelation."
"I want everyone to see clearly just how sharp the Zombie Dog's teeth really are."
Victor gasped.
This move was too vicious. This was pulling down the Chen family's underwear and hanging it on the city wall for everyone to see!
"Boss, once this goes out, the Chen family… is probably finished."
"Finished?" Chen Yuan sneered and slammed his finger down on the Enter key.
"Clack!"
"This is just the beginning."
"This is just an appetizer."
Watching the [SEND SUCCESSFUL] message appear on the screen, Chen Yuan stood up and straightened his suit.
"The real main course is still to come."
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze seemingly piercing through mountains and rivers, looking toward that distant ancient Eastern country.
"Chen Tianba," Chen Yuan whispered, his voice carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
"Didn't you want to ruin my reputation?"
"Now. It's my turn."
"I hope your heart is sturdier than your brother's."
"After all, once this fig leaf is torn off…"
Chen Yuan turned back and flashed a brilliant smile at Victor and Alice. "The festering sores hidden underneath will splatter all over the world."
"Red Queen."
"Here."
"Max out the traffic for me."
"Tonight, I want the entire Chinese internet to… tremble for me."