Zhang Yunyi felt a surge of frustration, wishing he could punch the man square in the face. But he knew he couldn't, and he wouldn't be able to reach him.
The bodyguards' eyes were constantly fixed on him. Any slightest move would result in them taking him down.
In the past, as a mere programmer, he had been ignorant of the world's complexities. But as he encountered more people and witnessed greater wealth, he learned of the existence of martial artists.
It was simply that ordinary people didn't know. The existence of martial artists was a closely guarded secret among everyone except the common folk.
He suspected the opponent's bodyguards were martial artists. Now, he regretted refusing his Uncle Qian's suggestion to hire bodyguards, citing discomfort.
Zhao Yunhai's consecutive maneuvers had caught him off guard, but that was all. Once he was free, he would make Zhao Yunhai understand his power.
Money, to him, was merely a number.
With the black card, he was the person who lacked money the least in this world.
He could even use money to bribe people around the opponent to work for him. Money could move the gods; it would be even easier to influence martial artists.
"What? Not convinced?" Zhao Yunhai scoffed, seeing Zhang Yunyi's unyielding expression. "If you're not convinced, then just hold it in."
Zhang Yunyi couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. "You're just a bully relying on connections, playing with petty tricks. When the investigation results come out, you'll know what 'thunderous wrath' truly means."
"Do you know? In Jiuzhou, I don't allow anyone to be more formidable than me."
Zhao Yunhai patted Zhang Yunyi's shoulder and leaned in to whisper arrogantly in his ear, "So don't worry. When you get out, you'll find your Yunmi Company completely swallowed by me."
"By then, your so-called thunderous wrath might be something you can unleash in your dreams, or perhaps in the underworld."
Zhang Yunyi was a typical protagonist of the wealthy and influential type. Though Yunmi Company was small, it was well-equipped with many excellent employees. It was still in its nascent stage, but it already had the foundation to become a large corporation.
Zhao Yunhai was not sentimental. Taking it directly and using it was much more satisfying, wasn't it?
As for whether the employees would obey, that was not within Zhao Yunhai's consideration.
In this era, money was king.
Even if a few were disobedient, it wouldn't matter. Jiuzhou had no shortage of people.
Finally, Zhang Yunyi was directly taken into a car by Zhao Liguo's subordinates. Sitting in the car, Zhang Yunyi looked at Zhao Yunhai outside, a subtle realization dawning upon him.
There was indeed a vast gulf between him and rich young masters like Zhao Yunhai.
He was being framed. Everyone present knew it, yet no one spoke up for him. Even a business magnate like Uncle Qian could only watch him being taken away helplessly.
Why did Zhao Yunhai have so many people helping him? It was simply because he had a good father, a father who was the richest man in Jiuzhou, the head of the Tianyun Merchant Association. Furthermore, the Zhao family wasn't just involved in business.
Zhang Yunyi's thoughts raced, and he quickly understood many things. It seemed that after he got out, he needed to change his previous mindset of being a commoner.
"Brother Yunhai, what should we do next? Should we take action against Yunmi Company now?"
Seeing how effortlessly Brother Yunhai had temporarily subdued Zhang Yunyi, Yu Manlou's admiration for him grew even greater.
"Of course. From now on, you'll work for me. Hand over all matters concerning the Yu Corporation to others."
Zhao Yunhai spoke meaningfully, glancing at Yu Manlou's parents behind him, especially his father.
Indeed, upon hearing this, a subtle change appeared on Yu Manlou's father's face. But Zhao Yunhai was the heir of the Zhao family, and he had no room to resist.
Yu Manlou was not an only child. Knowing that Yu Manlou would ultimately not belong to the Yu family, Yu Manlou's father intended to extract as much value as possible from Yu Manlou while he was still part of the family.
"Young Master Zhao, my daughter is feeling unwell. We will take our leave."
Qian Yuanhui hadn't expected things to escalate to this point. If he had known, he would never have let Yunyi attend.
"Safe travels, President Qian." Zhao Yunhai had no intention of keeping them. Let them leave if they wanted, after all, the main target, Zhang Yunyi, had already been temporarily detained by him.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yunyi's ex-girlfriend, Wu Xiaoxiao, had disappeared from the scene at some point. As she left, she clutched a bank card with five hundred thousand yuan.
Five hundred thousand for a show. Wu Xiaoxiao thought she had struck it rich.
As the main actor exited the stage, the banquet soon dispersed.
Most of the guests had also secured the collaborations they desired and met business partners who would be beneficial for their companies' future development, leaving content.
As Zhao Yunhai had predicted, the employees of Yunmi Company had lost the will to work.
The news that their chairman, Zhang Yunyi, was being investigated for the source of funds was already a massive blow to the Yunmi Company employees.
Furthermore, Yunmi Company's partners began to delay shipments and payments under various pretexts.
Not to mention the scandal of Chairman Zhang Yunyi abandoning his pregnant girlfriend to pursue Qian Lin'er.
In the internet age, the speed at which information spread was unimaginable. With Zhao Yunhai fanning the flames, within a single night, the entire Haizhou, and then Jiuzhou, was aware of the news.
Wu Xiaoxiao was portrayed as the abandoned party, and Zhang Yunyi was branded a rare scumbag in history.
Women cursed him, and men scorned him.
The label of a modern Chen Shimei was etched onto Zhang Yunyi's forehead. Mention Zhang Yunyi, and people would associate him with the title of a modern Chen Shimei.
Even if Zhang Yunyi wanted to clear his name, the difficulty would be as immense as ascending to heaven.
Zhang Yunyi's phone had been forcibly shut down for the investigation. He had no idea that the outside world was abuzz with discussions, everyone condemning him as a detestable scumbag.
Qian Yuanhui, on the other hand, had no time to spare to help Zhang Yunyi escape quickly, because his daughter, Qian Lin'er, was one of the protagonists of this scandal that was known throughout Jiuzhou.
"Dad, what should I do?"
Qian Lin'er had never experienced such widespread cyber-bullying across Jiuzhou. She didn't even dare to look at her phone, curling up on the sofa and weeping uncontrollably.
"Don't go out for a while. The internet's memory is short; it will die down after some time."
Qian Yuanhui looked at his daughter with a splitting headache, gently admonishing her.
"But what about Brother Yunyi? Dad, please think of something else."
Qian Lin'er gradually stopped sobbing, her eyes red as she looked at her father.
"What else can I do? Yunyi is best at creating miracles. I hope this time will be no different."
Qian Yuanhui's greatest concern now was the Fu Yun Merchant Association. Several members had already reported to him that they had been secretly sabotaged, with losses reaching tens of millions.
How far would that Young Master Zhao go before he stopped?
Qian Yuanhui sighed in his heart.
"I will not stop. We do things thoroughly. Since the Fu Yun Merchant Association chose Zhang Yunyi, they will be buried with him."
"I will personally discuss this with my father and have the merchant association under his control take action. We won't need to worry about it."
Inside the villa, Zhao Yunhai sat on the sofa, legs crossed, a cigar in his mouth, and said to Yu Manlou with a smile, "Within a week, you will completely suppress Yunmi Company, now that Zhang Yunyi is no longer in charge, and acquire the entire Yunmi Company at the lowest possible price."
"Then the company name will be changed to 'Tiangong' (Heavenly Palace), as I enjoy the feeling of having absolute control."
"I am eagerly awaiting the day Zhang Yunyi gets out and sees that Yunmi has become Tiangong. I wonder what kind of feeling that will be."
The black card Zhao Yunhai held now contained three times the initial funds of Zhang Yunyi.
Money, to Zhao Yunhai, was just a series of numbers. However, Zhao Yunhai would convert these numbers into his strength.