With a loud "slap," the resounding slap was particularly jarring in the quiet atmosphere of this gathering of high society. Instantly, everyone's gaze turned in astonishment to the three people.
Zhang Jiayang, clutching his numb face, was equally stunned for a long moment before letting out a furious shout and pointing at Wang Xuewei, yelling, "You...you filthy bitch, how dare you hit me!"
Wang Xuewei glared at Zhang Jiayang hatefully, snorted coldly, and said, "You despicable and shameless scoundrel, I'm going to beat you up!"
Zhang Jiayang was truly enraged. He had been scolded by Young Master Li and Young Master Hong for two days, and he was already quite embarrassed. However, because of the special status of those two, even if Zhang Jiayang were a hundred times bolder, he wouldn't dare to do anything to them.
But now… in his eyes, Wang Xuewei, a woman from a well-off family in a small city, dared to slap him in public. How could Zhang Jiayang possibly save face? Although he had always harbored a sliver of hope for Wang Xuewei, now that it concerned a man's reputation, he naturally couldn't care less about anything else. With a roar, he pounced on her, intending to knock her to the ground first… Of course, since they had already crossed the line, taking advantage of the situation was inevitable.
However, just as Zhang Jiayang lunged at Wang Xuewei, before his fingers even touched the hem of her clothes, he suddenly felt a dark shadow attack from the side. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by a clear sense of immense force that sent his 150-pound body flying through the air. He crashed heavily into a pillar three meters away, letting out a miserable howl, then spat out a mouthful of blood before sliding down the pillar like a dead dog to the ground.
The banquet hall was deathly silent for a few seconds, then screams erupted one after another. Some timid women covered their eyes in fright, no longer daring to look at Zhang Jiayang's blood-spitting, critically injured and dying state.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the dozen or so bodyguards from Jinglong International Trading Company who had accompanied them suddenly shouted and rushed towards Wang Xuewei and Zhou Ziwei from several different directions.
Seeing things develop to this point, Zhou Ziwei could only shake his head helplessly.
His original intention was to take advantage of Zhang Jiayang's invitation to find an opportunity to teach Zhang Jiayang a lesson without leaving a trace, or even to use a dirty trick to turn him into an idiot—that would be an easy thing to do.
Zhou Ziwei hadn't expected Wang Xuewei to act so impulsively, actually slapping that guy across the face. Seeing that Wang Xuewei was about to be pounced on by Zhang Jiayang, Zhou Ziwei naturally couldn't stand it any longer. Helpless, he had no choice but to beat Zhang Jiayang down first.
Regardless, Wang Xuewei is still Zhou Ziwei's legal wife. This time, he, as her husband, accompanied her on a trip. As a man, Zhou Ziwei naturally wouldn't let his wife be bullied. Although beating up someone who seems to have some status in Beijing in public would inevitably cause some trouble, how could Zhou Ziwei back down for fear of such trouble?
A dozen menacing security guards rushed over, startling Wang Xuewei, who had just gotten into trouble.
She knew that if it weren't for her, Zhou Ziwei wouldn't have been able to defeat Zhang Jiayang directly. It could be said that she was the one who brought this trouble upon herself. Naturally, she didn't want to implicate Zhou Ziwei because of this. So, she immediately took a step forward and subtly protected Zhou Ziwei behind her. Although she knew that she couldn't possibly stop so many fierce security guards, at this moment, she was only thinking that even if both of them were to be defeated in the end, she had to fall down before Zhou Ziwei.
Wang Xuewei's small gesture warmed Zhou Ziwei's heart for no reason. For a moment, he just stared blankly at the graceful and slender figure blocking his way, as if he had completely forgotten that more than a dozen people were rushing towards them...
However, just as the dozen or so people were about to rush in front of the two, and the ones in front were reaching out to grab Wang Xuewei, Zhou Ziwei suddenly awoke like a sleeping lion. He raised his head abruptly, parted his lips slightly, and roared, "Get lost!"
The word "get lost" contained a strange fluctuation that no one else could detect. As the sound waves suddenly poured into the ears of the dozen or so security guards, it was as if a thunderclap had suddenly exploded in their minds. They were immediately stunned, their bodies trembled, and the few at the front involuntarily lost their legs and fell to the ground.
As for the few people behind them, they only took two steps back slightly and managed to steady themselves, but they were still all pale-faced. The loud word "get out" kept echoing in their minds, making them feel a deep fear from the depths of their souls.
Zhou Ziwei shook his head slightly. With the support of his powerful soul force, he could indeed use hypnosis to a level that ordinary hypnotists could hardly match. However, at this stage, it was still quite difficult for him to use hypnosis to attack more than a dozen people at once, and the results he could achieve were not satisfactory.
In fact, Zhou Ziwei's shout just now was no longer a simple hypnosis technique. It also contained a little bit of the technique of soul roaring. Otherwise, how could he have controlled these people's behavior instantly just by transmitting a sound?
Although Zhou Ziwei was not entirely satisfied with the effect of his shout, the scene genuinely frightened many people in the eyes of others.
With just a single shout, more than a dozen people were stunned. What terrifying power did that possess? Although Zhou Ziwei's roar was only directed at the dozen or so security guards, the strange spiritual energy mixed in with the sound waves was almost entirely poured into their heads. However, some guests who were closer were also caught in the crossfire. They were so frightened by the roar that their hands and feet went weak. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people dropped their wine glasses on the ground.
At this moment, Zhang Jiayang's uncle, Zhang Jinglong, was so frightened that his legs went weak. Fortunately, he was far away and was less affected by the sound waves, otherwise he would have made a fool of himself today.
Seeing that the dozen or so security guards were too scared to make a move, Zhang Jinglong knew that things were unlikely to end well today. He really had the urge to strangle his precious nephew.
Zhang Jinglong saw what happened just now. It was obvious that Zhang Jiayang was trying to seduce that girl. Otherwise, why would a girl slap him across the face in public? Isn't this just bad luck? Beijing is a place where hidden talents abound. Who knows where someone might suddenly appear—maybe a minister or some other high-ranking official. And all sorts of extraordinary people emerge endlessly. Even he, the boss of a large conglomerate, has to keep a low profile in Beijing. Why is someone like him, a low-level manager in a company relying on his elders' connections, acting so recklessly…?
In a different setting, even if he had really offended some formidable figure, as long as it wasn't someone with immense power, Zhang Jinglong might not necessarily be afraid of him.
But what kind of occasion is this...? All four young masters of the capital are here. If he accidentally hurts any of them, Zhang Jinglong will be in deep trouble.
Zhang Jiayang immediately signaled to one of his men to call the hotel's security department for help and to call the police.
After arranging everything, he finally mustered his courage and walked up to Zhou Ziwei with a beaming smile, saying, "Excuse me... sir, I wonder how my company's employees offended our distinguished guest just now? If we did anything wrong, I, Zhang Jinglong, apologize to you here, hehe... You see... today is a welcome banquet hosted by our Jinglong Trading Company, and foreign guests will be arriving soon. So... if there is any misunderstanding between us, could we perhaps discuss it elsewhere? Otherwise, if we disturb the foreign guests, that would be a disgrace to our country, and I'm afraid that's something you wouldn't want to see, sir?"
Zhou Ziwei snorted softly upon hearing this and said, "You're Zhang Jiayang's uncle, right? Heh... There's no misunderstanding, it's just that your nephew was trying to seduce my wife. He even tried to frame me by hiring a few prostitutes, but we exposed him, and he got angry and even tried to lay a hand on my wife... Tell me, doesn't your nephew deserve a beating?"
"Yes, yes, yes... This kid just needs discipline. I will definitely give you two an explanation later..." Zhang Jinglong was even more furious when he heard that things were as he had imagined. He really wished he could go over and kick that good-for-nothing a few more times right now.
Although Zhang Jinglong was very dissatisfied with his nephew, he was also full of resentment towards Zhou Ziwei. No matter what, Zhou Ziwei had made him lose face in front of countless people in the Beijing circle, especially the four young masters of Beijing. Of course, he would not let this matter go.
However, Zhang Jinglong was a cautious man. Before resorting to underhanded tactics, he first had to find out Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei's background before deciding how to regain their face.
If the other party is truly someone he can't afford to offend, then Zhang Jinglong has nothing to say and can only swallow his bitterness in silence.
But if the other party doesn't have any extraordinary background... then even if he really has some strange abilities, Zhang Jinglong isn't afraid.
And even if the other party really does have some extraordinary background, Zhang Jinglong might still have a way to deal with them. If he can't afford to offend someone, aren't there others here who can? The four young masters of the capital are all here. The waters of the capital are indeed deep, but in the eyes of the four young masters, there are really very few people in the capital whom even they can't afford to offend…
Thinking of this, Zhang Jinglong respectfully gestured to the two men, saying, "I will deal with my nephew's offense later. Since you two are already here, you are my guests. Why don't you two sit here for a while? I'll introduce you to some legendary figures from the capital. I imagine you are both talented young men, and you must be familiar with the Four Young Masters, who are famous throughout the capital?"
"The Four Young Masters of the Capital? Never heard of them!" Zhou Ziwei could tell that Zhang Jinglong was up to no good. Introducing him to the Four Young Masters of the Capital was probably not a good thing. He didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he waved his hand with a cold smile and said, "I've already beaten your nephew. If he doesn't want to be beaten again, just tell him not to bother me anymore. We're not in the mood for your banquet. You should go about your business!"
After saying this, Zhou Ziwei completely ignored Zhang Jinglong's seemingly enthusiastic attempt to persuade him to stay, turned around, grabbed Wang Xuewei's hand, and prepared to leave.
However, at this moment, a haughty and piercing snort suddenly came from behind, followed by a disdainful voice saying, "What are you anyway, kid? You don't even put the Four Young Masters of the Capital in your eyes!"
Volume 2: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 347: Arrogance
Hearing the disdainful and arrogant voice behind him, Zhou Ziwei simply shook his head and showed no intention of getting entangled with him. He then led Wang Xuewei straight out of the banquet hall.
The voice behind him was undoubtedly intimidated by Zhou Ziwei's earlier display of power, so he didn't act too recklessly. He just muttered a few words in a low voice to vent his dissatisfaction.
Another person nearby chimed in with a few words of advice, saying, "Why should Young Master Hong get angry with such a person? If he were from the capital, how could he not have heard of the Four Young Masters of the Capital? It's clear that this person is probably just a country bumpkin. It's really not worth it for Young Master Hong to bother with someone like this!"
Young Master Hong was probably just putting on a show to save face. Seeing someone trying to mediate, he readily agreed with a snort and said, "No wonder he's so arrogant... Country bumpkins really don't know any manners... I can't be bothered with him..."
However, at this moment, Zhou Ziwei, who had already reached the door, suddenly stopped, then slowly turned his head, his cold and sharp eyes seeming to pierce through the air, staring intently at Young Master Hong like a venomous snake.
Upon seeing this, Young Master Hong was slightly startled. He was about to say a few more polite words, but his mouth was immediately shut by fear, and he could not utter another word.
Zhou Ziwei sized up the young master Hong several times, his eyes increasingly revealing a fierce and murderous aura.
Even Wang Xuewei, who was standing next to him, sensed something was wrong. She hurriedly and gently shook his arm, whispering, "Ziwei, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing... I just ran into an acquaintance..." Zhou Ziwei said, gently shaking off Wang Xuewei's slender hand. Then, with a slight sway of his feet, he appeared like a streak of light in front of Young Master Hong in the midst of countless horrified gazes. He even grabbed Young Master Hong's collar with both hands.
"Ah...what are you doing? Let go...let go!"
The arrogant demeanor of the second young master Hong had vanished. Now, he was so frightened that his legs trembled, and he almost collapsed to his knees. But he still managed to force himself to say, "You...you must let me go! Do you know who I am? You haven't heard of me, the second young master Hong, but haven't you heard of my father? My father is Hong Gang, Hong Gang..."
Zhou Ziwei's lips twitched slightly, and he snorted coldly, saying, "I don't care if your father is called Hong Gang or Wine Jar, I'm only asking you if you know who I am?"
"You..." Young Master Hong looked Zhou Ziwei up and down with a puzzled expression, then shook his head and said, "I don't know him. We don't seem to have met before."
Zhou Ziwei sneered and said, "Yes... we have indeed never met, but I have long admired you, Young Master Hong, in spirit... Hehe... Just a month ago... didn't we have dealings in Kunming? What... Young Master Hong, you wouldn't be so eager, would you?"
"Ah...you...it's you..."
Reminded by Zhou Ziwei, the second young master Hong suddenly remembered the man's identity and immediately felt a chill run from his feet to his head.
Back then, when he was helping his brother in Kunming, he naturally knew that even though so many people had managed to get Zhou Ziwei into the underground research base, Zhou Ziwei had managed to destroy the base and escape unscathed, causing countless casualties among his brother's men.
Thus, it became clear how terrifying Zhou Ziwei's fighting prowess was.
However, since he had never actually met Zhou Ziwei, and although he had seen some of Zhou Ziwei's images and videos, he didn't have much of an impression of him. Most of his attention was focused on Liu Xiaofei, so he didn't have the time to care about what Zhou Ziwei looked like.
However, Young Master Hong still had some impression of Zhou Ziwei. He hadn't remembered him just now because he hadn't subconsciously tried to recall the memory. But when he heard Zhou Ziwei mention Kunming, he immediately remembered everything.
The thought that this person was the one who single-handedly destroyed a huge and sturdy underground research base made it impossible for Young Master Hong to relax. His face turned deathly pale.
"Put the second young master down immediately!"
Given Young Master Hong's status, he naturally had several bodyguards around him. However, Zhou Ziwei's speed in rushing over was simply too fast, exceeding everyone's reaction time. As a result, Young Master Hong was caught off guard and fell into Zhou Ziwei's hands in an instant. Now, seeing that Young Master Hong seemed to still have some old grudges with Zhou Ziwei, the bodyguards became even more nervous, fearing that if Zhou Ziwei really hurt Young Master Hong, they would definitely be in deep trouble.
Therefore, although the group knew that Zhou Ziwei's skills were extremely terrifying, they did not dare not stand up for Young Master Hong. After shouting, they all reached out and grabbed at Zhou Ziwei at the same time.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei sneered slightly, and a loud shout rang out from his mouth—"Get out!" The loud voice was mixed with strange mental energy fluctuations, which directly attacked the minds of the bodyguards like rolling thunder. They were all stunned for a moment, and a look of pain appeared on their faces.
However, the bodyguards around Young Master Hong were far superior to the ordinary security guards of Jinglong International Trading Company. Each of them had received highly professional training, and their ability to withstand blows, both mentally and physically, was extraordinary. Although they were attacked by Zhou Ziwei's hypnosis, they were only slightly dazed for a moment before they bit their tongues and quickly regained their senses.
Then, these men became even more wary of Zhou Ziwei. The first few bit their tongues tightly to prevent Zhou Ziwei from taking over their minds again. They quickly took a few steps back to create some distance between themselves and Zhou Ziwei, while simultaneously pulling out concealed guns from under their bodies.
Although the Hong family holds a high position, and their bodyguards have all obtained legal gun licenses through various channels, they dare not use real guns in this important city of Beijing unless absolutely necessary. After all, firing a gun is no small matter. Even a high-ranking police officer has to write a complete written report after firing a gun, let alone these unofficial people.
Of course... if this weren't a public place, they wouldn't have any reservations. It would just be a matter of expending some bullets, a trivial matter that wouldn't be difficult for the Hong family. But this was a large hotel with a complex environment. If they hadn't discovered how terrifying the person who had kidnapped Young Master Hong was, and if Young Master Hong's life wasn't clearly in danger in his hands, they wouldn't have dared to use their guns so easily.
However, in their minds, no matter how skilled this person was, he couldn't outmatch the guns in the hands of several people. Judging from Zhou Ziwei's appearance, he didn't seem to be wearing a bulletproof vest.
Moreover, at this moment, the distance is so close, and these people are all top-notch sharpshooters. If they dare to fire, they can easily get headshots with every shot. Even if Zhou Ziwei is wearing a bulletproof vest, it will be completely useless.
Holding their weapons, the bodyguards felt a surge of confidence and pointed their pistols at Zhou Ziwei's head, shouting, "Put down the second young master now, or... don't blame us for being impolite."
Zhou Ziwei smiled and shook his head, ignoring the bodyguards and the dark muzzles of guns. He simply grabbed Young Master Hong by the collar, stretched out one hand, and slapped Young Master Hong hard across the face, saying in a cold voice, "Tell me... where is your fourth brother?"
"Ah...you...how did you know...I have...a fourth brother!"
This revelation shocked Young Master Hong once again. The matter concerning the fourth son of the Hong family was a closely guarded secret, unknown even to ordinary members of the Hong family. Yet Zhou Ziwei had revealed this secret so readily. How could Young Master Hong not be astonished?
Zhou Ziwei curled his lip and said, "Isn't your fourth brother the so-called Dr. Hong? Didn't you help him deal with me last time? Hmph... If you were just an ordinary accomplice, I wouldn't bother with you, but... you actually dared to make a move on my girlfriend, almost ruining her reputation with your hands. Tell me... how should we settle this score?"
"Ah...I...I..." Young Master Hong completely collapsed at this point, realizing that Zhou Ziwei was genuinely determined to punish him this time. He was so terrified that his whole body went limp, but he was unwilling to show weakness. He gritted his teeth and roared, "You have guts, but what can you do to me? My father is Hong Gang. If you really hurt me here, I...I guarantee you will never leave Beijing alive!"
"That's scary!" Zhou Ziwei sneered, "So you're saying I really don't dare to do anything to you... Sigh... Fine! You have a powerful father, then... go do whatever you want!"
Zhou Ziwei knew that what the second young master Hong said was true. Given the status of the Hong family in Beijing, even if he had a Director Liu from the National Security Bureau who was willing to help, it would be absolutely impossible for him to openly take action against this direct descendant of the Hong family.
It's not that Zhou Ziwei didn't want to stay in China anymore; otherwise, even if the country valued his abilities, they would still have to punish him to appease the Hong family.
There's no need for Zhou Ziwei to kill people openly. He has far too many tricks up his sleeve. If someone is targeted by him and is just an ordinary person, killing them is a piece of cake for him.
He chuckled and didn't make things difficult for the young master Hong anymore. He gently released his hand, turned around and left... But before leaving, he subtly glanced at one of the men who had just pointed a gun at him for a few seconds.
A strange fluctuation flashed across Zhou Ziwei's eyes. The bodyguard was slightly taken aback, and a faint look of confusion flashed in his fierce eyes a moment later. However, this confusion quickly disappeared as Zhou Ziwei looked away.
Zhou Ziwei stopped arguing with Young Master Hong, released him, turned around, and strode towards the entrance of the banquet hall, completely ignoring the guns still pointed at his head behind him.
"Young Master, are you alright?" The bodyguards breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Young Master Hong had finally escaped the clutches of that man. Two of them quickly stepped forward to help Young Master Hong, who was almost collapsing to the ground, to his feet. Then, one of them looked at Zhou Ziwei's steady back and whispered in Young Master Hong's ear, "Young Master, what do you think... should we... shoot this guy right now?"
These bodyguards had been with Young Master Hong for quite some time, so they naturally knew his temperament well. They knew he was the type who cared a lot about his reputation. Today, he had been publicly humiliated and even slapped in the face. This had created a deep grudge. Now, the other party was right under their guns. Perhaps if they were bold enough, they could pull the trigger and eliminate Young Master Hong's biggest enemy.
As for the trouble that follows... I believe that with Young Master Hong's abilities, there is nothing he cannot resolve. As long as the other party's background is not too powerful, he can easily pin a charge of public armed assault on him, and then he can be killed without consequence. I don't think the police will investigate Young Master Hong too much for such a matter.
However, Young Master Hong knew a little about how terrifying Zhou Ziwei was. He knew that even though there were several guns pointed at the back of Zhou Ziwei's head, Zhou Ziwei had destroyed the underground research base, which was as solid as a copper wall, all by himself. Could these guns really hurt him?
Firing the gun now only angered Zhou Ziwei, and his days were likely to be numbered. Young Master Hong immediately slapped the bodyguard who had given him the bad idea hard, snorted angrily, and said, "You trying to get me killed, huh? Shoot...shoot your mother's gun!"
The bodyguard's attempt at flattery backfired spectacularly. He could only seethe with anger but dared not utter a word. He hastily covered his face and took a few steps back, and as he retreated, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes once again...
"Haha...this guy is really skilled!"
Just as Zhou Ziwei walked up to Wang Xuewei and was about to take her hand again and turn to leave, he heard a familiar voice behind him. Zhou Ziwei was slightly taken aback, not expecting that someone would dare to speak to him at a time like this.
Turning his head slightly in the direction of the sound, Zhou Ziwei saw a tall figure standing not far behind him, holding a glass of bright red wine, walking over with a grin on his face. Zhou Ziwei felt that this person was somewhat familiar.
After a moment's recollection, Zhou Ziwei immediately remembered that this person was none other than Young Master Li, whom he had met by chance at Huang Lianshu's Yunzhong International. At that time, Young Master Li had very warmly given Zhou Ziwei a business card and repeatedly told him to look for him after arriving in Beijing.
However, Zhou Ziwei appeared in a different guise at the time, so it's unlikely that Young Master Li would recognize him. But why did he suddenly step forward to strike up a conversation after Young Master Hong was publicly humiliated?
Zhou Ziwei was puzzled, but he neither showed any enthusiasm to Li Liang nor pretended not to see him and turned to leave. Instead, he pulled Wang Xuewei to the spot and coldly watched the young master Li walking towards him, wanting to see what he was up to.
Young Master Li seemed completely unfazed by Zhou Ziwei's murderous aura. He walked straight up to Zhou Ziwei, handed him a glass of red wine, and said with a faint smile, "I, Li Liang, love making friends. Brother, you suit my taste perfectly... Come, come... better to meet by chance than by invitation. How about we have a drink together?"