164: Chapter 165 The Dragon King's Smile: Life and Death Uncertain!

The moment Qin Yan's body hit the floor hard, the noise in the banquet hall seemed to hit a pause button; Mother Qin's wailing, the relatives' panic, and Zhao Lei's excuses all froze in the air.

And Xiao Chen, who had been leaning against a pillar, finally moved.

He did not go to help his wife who had fallen to the ground, nor did he even glance at her; he simply stood up slowly, hands in his hoodie pockets, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

That smile was unlike his previous indifference; it carried an icy cruelty that made Zhang Fan mutter to himself, "Good grief, 'The Dragon King smiles, life and death become uncertain'—I could recite this line with my eyes closed. Even the writers of cheap short dramas wouldn't dare to follow such a cliché trope!"

Xiao Chen's footsteps were light, yet they felt like they were stepping on everyone's heartbeats.

He walked step by step toward the panicked Zhao Lei, his leather shoes crushing the screen of the phone that had been dropped earlier, emitting a faint "crunch" that made one's scalp tingle.

"Was it this hand you used to point at me just now?"

Xiao Chen's footsteps stopped abruptly, and when he stood before Zhao Lei, his whole person seemed wrapped in a layer of cold air.

He didn't look at Zhao Lei's face; his gaze was nailed to the right index finger that the other man still held frozen in mid-air, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.

Zhao Lei was intimidated by the sudden pressure and shrank back half a step, yet he still stiffened his neck to put up a front, his voice filled with blustering arrogance: "So... so what? You, a freeloader, still want to make a move? Let me tell you, my dad knows the leaders at the Municipal Bureau! If you dare to touch a single finger of mine, I'll make you..."

"Make me what?"

Xiao Chen lunged forward, his nose almost touching Zhao Lei's face, forcefully cutting him off.

That invisible pressure instantly enveloped Zhao Lei, as if a hand were gripping his throat—the rest of his threats were stuck in his throat, his complexion turned from deathly pale to grayish-blue, and his legs couldn't stop trembling uncontrollably.

The surrounding guests had long since held their breath, not daring to even exhale.

Just a moment ago, he seemed like a pushover, but now Xiao Chen appeared to have changed into a different person, the ruthlessness churning in his eyes sending chills down people's spines.

Qin Fei hid in the corner, staring at Xiao Chen's tall yet chilling back, a sense of hair-raising fear suddenly surging in her heart, and she even swallowed her continuous wailing back down.

"Speak up, make me what?" Xiao Chen's voice sank a few degrees further, every word like it was quenched in ice, as he pressed closer step by step.

Zhao Lei was completely panicked, his voice trembling: "No... nothing! We're all relatives, let's talk this over..." He tried hard to force a smile that looked worse than crying, hoping to make Xiao Chen let him go.

"Nothing?" Xiao Chen pulled at the corner of his mouth, a cold laugh filled with mockery.

Before the words had even faded, his right hand suddenly moved—so fast it left only an afterimage, reaching out like lightning to grab Zhao Lei's wrist.

No one could see the details of the movement, only hearing a crisp "crack," as clear as a dead branch being snapped in two.

The next second, a pig-like scream exploded, echoing throughout the banquet hall: "Ah—! My hand! My finger is broken!"

Zhao Lei clutched his right hand, rolling on the ground and wailing, blood seeping from between his fingers, staining his white shirt red.

His right index finger was bent at a grotesque angle, clearly snapped by force.

"Holy crap! This is fucking ruthless!" Gu Jingshen stood up abruptly from his chair, his voice trembling—although he was a second-generation rich kid who was used to business disputes and had even seen construction foremen fighting, this was the first time he had seen such viciousness where someone would break a finger without a second thought.

He instinctively pulled out his phone: "No, I have to call the police immediately! If it's any later, who knows what else might happen!"

"Don't be in such a rush, your girlfriend is already here." Zhang Fan pulled him back, signaling with his eyes for him to look toward the entrance of the banquet hall, where several sharp-eyed people in plain clothes were quietly approaching, one of whom was Qin Xue.

Gu Jingshen was stunned for a moment, and following Zhang Fan's gaze, he indeed saw Qin Xue's figure. He instantly felt relieved, yet he was full of confusion: "How did Xiaoxue get here? Isn't she supposed to be on duty at the Police Station?"

"Without the police here for this grand show, we might really end up paying the price today." Zhang Fan lowered his voice, his eyes fixed on Xiao Chen, "He is from the Tianming Group, and the subordinates he brought are all desperadoes; Qin Xue has already deployed people to monitor the situation, just waiting for him to expose himself."

Gu Jingshen finally realized, cold sweat breaking out on his back. So, Zhang Fan had known all along that Xiao Chen was not simple; his calmness earlier wasn't an act, but true confidence.

In the banquet hall, Qin Fei finally reacted, screaming as she threw herself beside Zhao Lei. Looking at his deformed finger, she cried heart-wrenchingly: "Husband! Your hand! Xiao Chen! You murderer! I'm going to call the police and have you arrested! I'll make you go to jail!"

Xiao Chen, however, acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. He pulled a pristine white silk handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe the fingers that had just touched Zhao Lei in a leisurely manner, as if he had touched something filthy.

He wiped them very carefully, covering every finger, his movements elegant yet exuding a suffocating arrogance.

After finishing, he casually threw the handkerchief on the ground, and it landed right in front of Zhao Lei.

Then, he slowly lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over the entire room, his cold voice sounding as if it had come from hell: "Noisy ants, now, can you be quiet and listen to me?"

Everyone was stunned by his ruthlessness; no one dared to speak, and even the crying became faint.

Mother Qin held the fainted Qin Yan, her body trembling as she looked at her son-in-law, who was both familiar and strange, her heart filled with fear.

She had never known that this young man, who hadn't said much in the three years he had been at home, actually had such a terrifying side.

Xiao Chen looked at the reaction of the crowd with satisfaction, the cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth once again.

He walked to the center of the banquet hall, picked up the microphone on the table, and tapped it lightly with his finger, creating a "thump-thump" sound, as if announcing the official opening of a "Return of the King" spectacle.

"Three years ago, for the sake of my grandfather's promise, I lowered myself to become the Qin Family's son-in-law, living every day watching your expressions and listening to your cold sarcasm."

Xiao Chen's voice carried through the microphone across the entire banquet hall, filled with condescending mockery, "You called me a loser, said I was a freeloader, said I wasn't good enough for Qin Yan... Now, it's time to let you see who the 'loser' you speak of really is."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Fan and Gu Jingshen in the corner, a trace of imperceptible vigilance in his eyes—when he broke Zhao Lei's finger just now, these two people's reactions were different from the others; they showed no fear, but rather a calmness like they were 'watching a show,' which made him somewhat displeased.

But he didn't think much of it; now, he just wanted to enjoy this long-overdue 'face-slapping.'

He raised his hand to check the watch on his wrist—19:28; there were two minutes left until the entrance of his planned 'Four Great Generals.'