Chapter 51: Tearing Off the Mask

“Bastard, what did you just say?” Iga Tengfei shot to his feet, bristling at Lin Feng’s insult.
“Watch your mouth,” snarled the man from the island delegation—the one Lin Feng had already noticed, his presence sharp as a blade.

Now that the other side had spoken, Lin Feng could no longer contain himself; he dropped all pretense. He stopped Xia Ruoxi, who was about to retort indignantly by his side, and stood up calmly, his own murderous intent radiating as he glared at the islanders with open hostility. “I knew you people were up to no good—you’re not here to negotiate at all. Was the lesson I taught you before not harsh enough? Do you think my property is something you can just lay hands on? This is China, not your little island country. Even if the great families here tried to take what’s mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to fight back with my blade—let alone some puny island company like yours. Do you really think I’d be afraid of you?”

“Bakayarou! Say that again if you dare!” Iga Tengfei shouted, dropping his own mask.

“I’ll say it a thousand times if I have to! What I hate most is being threatened. You lot think you can block my overseas sales? Fine! Hear this now: our Future Tech Corporation will never cooperate with your Amaterasu Group again. Isn’t there another company in your country called Nichiryo Group, about as powerful as you? I’ll make it public right now: Nichiryo is welcome to come to China and discuss cooperation instead!”

As soon as Lin Feng finished speaking, the sharp-eyed man from earlier challenged him, “So you admit you had a hand in our missing men?”

“Hmph. I stand by what I do. Not only were those two before taken care of by me, but from now on, any member of your island organizations who shows up in Zhanhai City—I’ll kill them, one after another. Come alone, I kill you. Come in pairs, I kill you both,” Lin Feng declared menacingly.

“Bakayarou! Are you set on making an enemy of our organization?” the man shouted, slamming his palm on the table.

Lin Feng didn’t bother to reply with words. Before the man could finish his sentence, Lin Feng struck, landing a slap so hard that several of the man’s front teeth flew from his mouth, leaving him too swollen to speak.

“Bakayarou! Is this how you Chinese treat your guests?” Iga Tengfei demanded, pounding the table and pointing a trembling finger at Lin Feng’s face.

“Huh! Put that finger down, or I’ll break it off! This is China—just because your country is small as an egg doesn’t mean you can act wild here!” Lin Feng fired back, deeply irritated at being pointed at.

“You…” Iga Tengfei choked on his fury, unable to form a coherent response.

“You what? Still not getting out of my company? Let me be clear: stay here any longer and I won’t guarantee the safety of your people in Zhanhai City!” Lin Feng shot back, his finger jabbing at Iga Tengfei.

“Bakayarou, are you threatening us?” Iga Tengfei sputtered in rage.

“So what if I am? You can threaten me, but I can’t threaten you? If you don’t believe me, just try lingering in Zhanhai a few more days—you’ll soon see if I mean what I say!” Lin Feng spat back.

“You—” Iga Tengfei tried to argue further, but the man who’d just been slapped quickly stopped him and signaled for the rest of the delegation to gather their things. Once they were ready, he forcibly pulled the furious Iga Tengfei out, eager to get their people out of here as fast as possible. This man was a member of the island’s organization, the same subordinate who’d reported to Iga Tengchun before. He’d accompanied Iga Tengfei to China under the pretense of negotiations, but his true aim was to investigate the disappearance of their associates. Now that Lin Feng had openly admitted responsibility, he knew he had to evacuate the delegation immediately. If they didn’t heed Lin Feng’s warning, he had no doubt the man would indeed resort to violence.

Watching the delegation being scolded out the door, Xia Ruoxi couldn’t help laughing as she stepped up to Lin Feng. “You really do live up to your reputation as Zhanhai’s number one young master—such dominance! I’m impressed.”

“If a tiger doesn’t bare its fangs, they really do take me for a sick cat,” Lin Feng grumbled, ignoring Ruoxi’s teasing, his anger still smoldering.

Ruoxi’s jesting was only a ruse; seeing Lin Feng so upset, she’d hoped to lighten his mood and distract him from the day’s troubles. Sadly, Lin Feng didn’t catch her intent.

“Alright, they’re gone now. You really should let it go. I doubt they’ll let this slide, so in the future, I’ll have to be extra cautious in business, just in case they try something underhanded,” Ruoxi continued gently.

“That’s right. Keep a close eye on their commercial maneuvers—leave the rest to Longteng’s people. As for business, our products don’t overlap with theirs, so we’re not worried on that front. Politically, with the Lin family in Beijing backing us, we have nothing to fear from a small island nation,” Lin Feng said, unconcerned.

“I know. I’ll keep the company’s affairs under close watch,” Ruoxi replied with a confident smile.

“Heh, come on, let’s go talk in your office and have some water. I wasted all my breath on those fools. They got tea and I didn’t even get a drop,” Lin Feng grumbled.

Ruoxi shot him a speechless glance but led the way back to her office. Once there, she picked up her own mug, filled it halfway from the water dispenser, and handed it to Lin Feng.

He gulped it down eagerly, then licked his lips and said playfully, “You’re the only one who treats me well!”

Ruoxi ignored him, snatched the empty mug from his hand, and refilled it before speaking. “By the way, Zhang Wen has been in touch these past days with updates from the lab. Renovations have begun, but his plans are quite extensive, especially the security installations for the basement. Progress is slower than expected, so there’s no way the work will be finished before the new year.”

“That’s fine. Next time he contacts you, just make it clear: safety is the top priority. Zhang Wen has a background in national research institutes, so he knows what to do. Make sure he lays the best possible groundwork,” Lin Feng said, nodding his approval.

“Hmph, good for you—found yourself a genius to run things, so now you get to be a hands-off boss?” Ruoxi needled him, unimpressed by his satisfaction.

“Heh heh, it’s not like you say! By the way, how are Future Tech’s computers selling?” Lin Feng quickly changed the subject.

“Now you care about the company? Don’t worry, our computers are still selling like hotcakes. The assembly line is working overtime every day just to keep up with demand. So far, total sales have topped thirty billion, and our customers are overwhelmingly supportive—very few complaints, aside from the price,” Ruoxi reported.

“Good, as long as customers are happy! As for the price, there’s nothing we can do. We’re under pressure even as a high-end brand—if we tried to take the mid- and low-end markets as well, we’d be making enemies of the entire industry,” Lin Feng mused.

“There’s more. We’ve had inquiries from consumers in many foreign countries, especially those with large populations. They all want to know when our products will be available in their markets,” Ruoxi continued.

“Oh? That’s great news! So it’s not just Chinese consumers who love our products—the rest of the world wants them too!” Lin Feng replied, delighted.

“Yes. I had the marketing department do a survey targeting foreign consumers. Among those polled, when asked which brand they’d most like to buy, seventy percent chose Future Tech!” Ruoxi explained, her own pride evident.

“That’s excellent! Looks like our trip to Beijing will be even more important. We should try to finalize overseas distribution during the Spring Festival, and we’ll need to sort out the manufacturing side too—probably set up new production lines dedicated to international orders,” Lin Feng analyzed.

“Exactly. Even now our production lines are barely keeping up with domestic demand. If we launch abroad, we’ll have to add several more lines,” Ruoxi agreed.

“Good. Then keep a close watch on things before the new year. And this year, you’ll come with me to Beijing to spend the holiday with my family—let Grandpa and everyone meet you,” Lin Feng said, looking at her.

“Me? Go with you? Will your grandfather even approve of us? I know how these prominent families are about matching backgrounds, and I’m just…” Ruoxi replied, suddenly self-conscious.

“I don’t care about other families. My life is my own, and no one in the Lin family gets to interfere. Besides, who says you have no background? You’re the president of Future Tech—that’s more than impressive enough,” Lin Feng promised her.