Ye Qiu raised his head to look at Zhang Qingyao, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.
He had been waiting for this eldest son of the Zhang family.
Before coming to the capital, Ye Qiu had thoroughly investigated the major families of the city, including the Zhang family, of course.
Zhang Qingyao, graduated from the finance department of Cambridge University at twenty-two, then worked as a fund manager on Wall Street for two years.
At twenty-four, he returned to China and founded a financial company.
Now, with assets exceeding ten billion, he was hailed as China’s “Buffett.” Recently, he had been named one of China’s Top Ten Outstanding Youths and was highly regarded by the Zhang family patriarch.
It was said that the old man of the Zhang family had even declared that after his passing, Zhang Qingyao would take charge of the family and become the next head of the Zhang household.
Naturally, such a person drew Ye Qiu’s attention.
After all, to know your enemy and yourself is to win a hundred battles.
Ye Qiu had reviewed some information about Zhang Qingyao and discovered one defining trait about him—ruthlessness!
Zhang Qingyao’s business rivals either ended up ruined and destitute or locked away in prison.
This man was not only ruthless to others but also to himself.
It was said that when Zhang Qingyao started his business, he didn’t reveal his identity. He approached a bank’s credit department director for a loan.
The director, a lecherous man, took a liking to Zhang Qingyao’s female assistant. He hinted that if Zhang Qingyao handed her over for a night, he’d approve the loan.
Zhang Qingyao refused, which infuriated the director. In front of everyone, the director pulled out six bottles of Maotai and said that if Zhang Qingyao drank them all, he’d approve the loan.
Zhang Qingyao actually downed all six bottles in one go, landing himself in the hospital with a stomach bleed, nearly dying.
This incident became widely known in the capital.
Some called Zhang Qingyao foolish—with his background, he could’ve flashed his family name, and any bank would’ve begged to lend him money. Yet he chose to suffer instead.
Little did they know, it was precisely this event that made the older generation of big shots in the capital take notice of him.
They admired his refusal to rely on his family’s influence, his self-reliance, and his backbone, predicting that the eldest son of the Zhang family would achieve great things.
Some outsiders assumed Zhang Qingyao would seek revenge on the credit director, but to everyone’s surprise, he didn’t. Instead, he became good friends with the man.
That is, until three years later.
The credit director was reported for crimes, with irrefutable evidence, and ended up sentenced to life in prison.
As for who reported him, no one knew.
Through his connections in the Underworld Palace, Ye Qiu discovered that the mastermind behind the report was none other than Zhang Qingyao. This showed that the man wasn’t just ruthless—he was also incredibly patient.
“If you want to save your brother, cripple one of your hands. Otherwise, I’ll send both of you brothers to meet King Yama.”
Ye Qiu looked at Zhang Qingyao, exuding an icy killing intent.
Zhang Qingyao narrowed his eyes and said, “I don’t know how my brother offended you, but I’m willing to compensate you. Name your price!”
“Ten billion!”
Ye Qiu opened with an outrageous demand, clearly toying with Zhang Qingyao.
Instead of getting angry, Zhang Qingyao smiled and said, “Brother, that’s not very sporting. I’m genuinely offering compensation. Name a real price.”
“Do I look like someone who needs money?” Ye Qiu said coldly.
Zhang Qingyao studied him for a moment, then shook his head. “No.”
“Then that settles it,” Ye Qiu said. “Money won’t resolve this matter today.”
“So what’s your point?”
“As I said, either you cripple one hand, or both you brothers leave your lives here.”
Zhang Qingyao’s face darkened. “Brother, do you know who I am?”
Ye Qiu replied, “I don’t care who you are. Either do as I say, or I’ll deal with you.”
Zhang Shao shouted, “Big brother, hurry and call for help! Get Grandpa’s bodyguards here—I don’t believe we can’t kill this punk…”
“Shut up!”
Zhang Qingyao shot a fierce glare at his useless brother, then looked deeply at Ye Qiu and asked gravely, “Brother, is this really the only way?”
“The only way.”
“No room for negotiation? I think we can talk this out.”
“There’s no talking about this.”
Ye Qiu sneered inwardly. Since this was about collecting interest, how could money settle it?
Zhang Qingyao hesitated for a few seconds, then raised his left hand, fingers spread.
Then, with his right hand, he grabbed his left pinky and snapped it hard.
Crack!
The left pinky broke instantly.
Yet Zhang Qingyao didn’t even flinch.
Next, he grabbed his left ring finger with his right hand and snapped it again.
Crack!
The ring finger broke.
“Enough?” Zhang Qingyao asked coldly.
The response was just two words.
“Not enough!”
Zhang Qingyao grabbed his left middle finger and snapped it with force.
Crack!
The middle finger broke.
“Enough?”
“Not enough.”
Crack!
The index finger broke.
“Is this enough?”
“Still not enough.”
Crack!
Zhang Qingyao snapped his left thumb as well, saying, “Now it’s enough, right?”
At this point, all five fingers on his left hand were broken, yet he hadn’t let out a single groan of pain or even furrowed his brow.
Ye Qiu sneered, “Seems you forgot—I didn’t ask for your five fingers, but your hand.”
“You bastard! If you’ve got the guts, come at me! What kind of skill is it to bully my big brother?”
Zhang Shao cursed at Ye Qiu loudly, then turned to Zhang Qingyao. “Big brother, get out of here! I don’t need you to save me.”
“At worst, I die. Eighteen years from now, I’ll be a hero again.”
“Shut up!”
Zhang Qingyao glared fiercely at Zhang Shao, then crouched down, placing his left hand on the ground. With his right hand, he picked up a baton from the floor.
He took a deep breath.
Then smashed it down hard.
“No—” Zhang Shao barely got the word out before a sharp “crack” rang through the air. Zhang Qingyao’s left hand was ruined!
“Brother—” Zhang Shao cried.
Zhang Qingyao clenched his teeth, the immense pain causing sweat to bead on his forehead. Ignoring Zhang Shao, he looked at Ye Qiu and said, “Now is it enough?”
“Enough.”
Thud!
Ye Qiu kicked Zhang Shao over to Zhang Qingyao, then hefted his Great Xia Dragon Sparrow and prepared to get into the car.
“Wait a moment,” Zhang Qingyao called out. “I still don’t know your name.”
“Planning revenge?” Ye Qiu gave a faint smile. “I’m Ye Qiu. Come find me anytime if you want payback.”
Ye Qiu?
Why did that name sound so familiar?
Suddenly, Zhang Qingyao’s pupils widened, a cold sweat breaking out down his back.
At that moment, Ye Qiu grabbed Qian Duoduo by the collar.
“You, what are you doing? Big brother, I’m a good guy! I’m really a good guy—please don’t kill me, okay?”
Qian Duoduo was so scared he nearly wet himself.
Earlier, he’d been counting on Zhang Qingyao to show up and give Ye Qiu a thorough thrashing. Who’d have thought Zhang Qingyao would end up being the one thrashed by Ye Qiu?
Ye Qiu tossed Qian Duoduo into the driver’s seat, then sat in the passenger side himself, saying, “Drive.”
