Chapter 87: Obedience

At this moment, Huo Xiu was already pale, with sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead.

Lu Jianping and Yang Yiwen, meanwhile, were so shocked they couldn’t close their mouths. They couldn’t understand why Huo Yutong valued this young man so highly—just over a trivial matter, she had slapped her own cousin and fired him.

At that moment, Yeqi Meiyu had already come downstairs. She approached Lu Ming, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and said, “Sir.”

Lu Ming gave a brief acknowledgment, which counted as a greeting.

Not until Lu Ming had addressed her did Yeqi Meiyu straighten up.

This scene sent another chill through Huo Xiu’s heart.

Although he didn’t know Yeqi Meiyu personally, everyone in the Huo family knew that the founding of Jiamei Group was closely tied to this woman. She was the financial backer of the Huo family, and Huo Yutong held her in great respect.

Even she showed such deference—one could even call it reverence—to Lu Ming. Only now did Huo Xiu realize that this man was anything but insignificant; on the contrary, he was a person of tremendous power.

Yeqi Meiyu fixed Huo Xiu with a gaze as cold as frost. She had seen clearly when Huo Xiu blocked Lu Ming and provoked him. She revered her lord as a god; any disrespect toward him was utterly unforgivable. Yet, she knew her lord disliked unnecessary meddling, so she forced herself to stay out of it. Now that Huo Yutong had motioned for her, it was just as well—should Huo Yutong utter a single word, she would see to it that this man howled his life away.

Huo Xiu was now drenched in sweat. Yeqi Meiyu’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, sending chills down his spine. Seeing Huo Yutong’s icy expression, Huo Xiu knew that the matter was beyond redemption. Still, he was unwilling to give up; this was about his future and he couldn’t let it go so easily.

“Mr. Lu, please forgive me. I was wrong. I apologize to you,” Huo Xiu bowed his head and apologized to Lu Ming, abandoning his dignity in hopes of salvaging a sliver of hope.

Yet Lu Ming spoke slowly, “Talent without virtue is worthless, a petty man. Jiamei has no need for people like you.”

Hearing this, Huo Xiu seemed to lose all strength; his body went limp. Even after giving up his pride, he had not regained the slightest chance. In this matter, he was truly defeated.

He shook his head in despair and wandered out like a lost soul.

Once word of today’s events spread, no major company in China would dare hire him. His future was now shrouded in darkness.

After Huo Xiu left, Lu Ming glanced at Lu Jianping.

Lu Jianping shuddered all over. So much had happened in such a short time—he could hardly process it. But by now, he was certain that this Mr. Lu was a figure of immense stature.

“M-Mr. Lu, I apologize for earlier,” Lu Jianping stammered.

Lu Ming snorted coldly and ignored him. Instead, he turned to Huo Yutong and said, “If this man has any connection to Jiamei, end all cooperation immediately.”

“No problem,” Huo Yutong replied with a nod.

Lu Jianping panicked upon hearing this and rushed to plead, “Mr. Lu, I offended you just now. Please, be magnanimous and forgive me this once.”

He was nearly in tears. Jiamei was his lifeline—if they dropped his beer, his near-bankrupt business wouldn’t last a month.

Lu Ming looked at him and said slowly, “A man like you doesn’t deserve wealth. With a little money, you think you can do anything. On the plane, you brazenly harassed the flight attendants. If you ever struck it rich, who knows how many women would suffer because of you.”

“No, Mr. Lu, I was just drunk. Please forgive me,” Lu Jianping dropped to his knees before Lu Ming, begging desperately.

Lu Ming ignored him and glanced at Yang Yiwen, shaking his head before turning to Huo Yutong. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Huo Yutong nodded, and together with Yeqi Meiyu—one on each side—they escorted Lu Ming upstairs, leaving Lu Jianping collapsed on the floor.

Yang Yiwen’s face was deathly pale, drained of all color. When Lu Ming glanced at her a moment ago, her heart had skipped a beat. She never imagined that the young man she’d looked down upon possessed such influence.

The president of Jiamei Group had slapped her own cousin and fired him for his sake. With a single word, he could end all cooperation with Lu Jianping—her word was his command.

Likewise, Yang Yiwen had no doubt that if Lu Ming so much as spoke, she would be dismissed from Jiamei without a second thought.

But in the end, Lu Ming said nothing, which left her both fearful and relieved.

After all, for a recent graduate like her, landing a job at a major company like Jiamei was no easy feat. Jiamei offered excellent pay and benefits—being fired would be a real loss, especially since so many college graduates were struggling to find work.

At that moment, Fang Yating tugged at Yang Yiwen’s sleeve and whispered, “Let’s go—everyone’s watching.”

Yang Yiwen looked around and realized that the commotion had drawn the attention of the crowd. People were pointing and gossiping about the two of them.

Hurriedly, Yang Yiwen turned and left with Fang Yating.

She had just been singing Huo Xiu’s praises and speaking on his behalf, but in a blink, the young man she’d scorned had, with a single sentence, had Huo Xiu thrown out of Jiamei. She was so ashamed she couldn’t bear to stay.

After the two of them left, the guests began to talk even more loudly.

Everyone was speculating about the identity of that young man—how could President Huo regard him so highly?

After all, Huo Yutong was now worth tens of billions, a true heiress, and most importantly, she was single.

Countless people dreamed of winning Huo Yutong’s hand, thinking that with her, they could reach the pinnacle of life and save themselves decades of struggle.

The wealthy merchants present were already plotting to have their sons pursue Huo Yutong, hoping to form a powerful alliance and elevate their own enterprises to new heights.

The appearance of this young man and the scene just now left everyone astounded. Could it be that President Huo already had someone in mind?

Meanwhile, in a room on the second floor, Lu Ming sat on the sofa, rotating his neck.

Yeqi Meiyu, noticing this, immediately came behind him and began to massage his shoulders with her delicate hands.

Huo Yutong sat beside Lu Ming and said, “Brother Lu, don’t be angry. I apologize on behalf of that fool.”

Lu Ming smiled, “There’s nothing to be upset about. But your cousin really is a poor character—someone like that shouldn’t be among the upper management.”

Lu Ming recounted his encounter with Huo Xiu on the plane.

After hearing the story, Huo Yutong’s fair face flushed with anger. “That scoundrel should never have come to Jiamei in the first place.”

“All right now,” Lu Ming said. “This is your celebration banquet. Is there anything good to eat? I’m starving.”

He had no desire to dwell on unpleasant matters.

“Of course there is!” Huo Yutong beamed. “I hired a renowned chef from a famous Western restaurant to prepare a feast for everyone—just waiting for you to arrive.”

“Excellent. I’ve got quite the appetite—I hope you’re prepared,” Lu Ming laughed.

“Don’t worry, just eat to your heart’s content. I’ll go make arrangements,” Huo Yutong said, heading personally to the kitchen.

Lu Ming relaxed and enjoyed Yeqi Meiyu’s massage—it was surprisingly comfortable.

As he savored the moment, his thoughts drifted back to Qin Lan.

If he wanted Qin Lan to recover, there was only one way: a sacrifice. That old dragon had everything, but obtaining the required tribute would not be easy—this was troublesome indeed.

Just as Lu Ming was fretting over this, his phone rang.

It was Futu calling. Lu Ming answered.

“Mr. Lu,” Futu’s respectful voice came through the line.

“Yes? What is it?”

“I’ve just received some news that I thought might be useful to you.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s like this: I just heard that recently, a group of poachers found a gigantic beast deep in Mount Jiuhua. They tried to hunt it, but the creature was too fierce. Out of nine men, only one escaped with his life. Now word has spread in the martial world, and several groups have already gone there—many have been killed or injured.”