These people simply failed to recognize their proper standing. Their families still relied on the Lan family for support, yet behind closed doors, they had the audacity to sneer and mock Lanting.
If the original body hadn’t been too mild-tempered and kept it all from the family, there was no way any of these households would still be in business with the Lans.
Seeing that the crowd was intimidated and cringing, visibly terrified of him, Lanting stopped while he was ahead. He put on his headphones, pulled up the navigation system, and sent a message to his older brother.
Which young master said what, and how many times they said it, Lanting had heard every single word crystal clear when he remained silent earlier.
He was inherently a person who exacted immediate revenge. Whoever provoked him had better be prepared to lose a layer of skin.
Ignoring the people left inside the private room, Lanting watched as the club manager quickly arrived with a doctor to treat the injuries on Gu Guixi’s hand.
After being scalded, the skin on Gu Guixi’s hand was already extremely delicate, only to be stepped on and ground down further by Lanting.
The fragile skin had ruptured and festered under the sole of the shoe, embedded with dirt from the floor, making for a truly shocking sight.
As the doctor tended to the wound, Gu Guixi twisted his face in agony, letting out suppressed groans of pain.
“Hiss!”
Hearing him, the doctor didn’t stop, simply saying, “The wound is severe. To prevent infection, it has to be treated immediately. Please bear with it, sir.”
Gu Guixi gritted his teeth. “Okay, ugh!”
The surrounding onlookers hadn’t expected the injuries to be this severe, and this realization deepened their dread of Lanting.
Who could have guessed that someone usually so easy to bully would turn out to be terrifying when angered.
“Lanting!” A shout rang out from the doorway, and Mu Chun quickly pushed the door open, striding into the private room looking ready to throw punches if anything was amiss.
Lanting raised an eyebrow upon seeing him, glanced at his phone’s chat interface, and understood.
So Lan Lin was the one who had worried about him being bullied and specifically sent Mu Chun over?
Storming in angrily, Mu Chun found the atmosphere throughout the entire private room bizarrely subdued.
That group of usually chatterbox elites hadn’t uttered a single word, as if their mouths had been locked with chains.
Still, that suited him just fine; not having to listen to their nonsense was wonderful.
Passing by Gu Guixi, Mu Chun caught sight of his horrifying hand, blinked, and plopped down right beside Lanting.
“Did he get what was coming to him?” Mu Chun leaned over to ask Lanting in a low voice, sounding somewhat gloating.
Lanting didn’t elaborate. “Perhaps.”
“Serves him right,” Mu Chun grumbled.
“Compared to the injuries you suffered, this is the mildest thing possible. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even let a doctor treat him.”
Of course, Mu Chun knew treating him was inevitable; he was just venting his frustration.
Mu Chun was a non-stop chatterbox, so Lanting simply let him ramble while picking up the teacup on the table, taking small sips to soothe his throat.
Just speaking those few sentences earlier, slightly louder than usual, had caused a coppery taste of blood to rise in his throat.
Within barely two minutes, Bai Heng was no longer the center of attention in the room. Everyone looked pale, casting nervous glances over at Lanting from time to time.
Ignored by the crowd, Bai Heng’s fair face grew increasingly gloomy in the dim lighting.
Catching sight of him out of the corner of his eye while sipping tea, the corners of Lanting’s lips curved upward behind the teacup, dripping with sarcasm.
Whether Bai Heng noticed or not, the air in the shadows seemed to grow even colder.
“I am going to the restroom.”
After a long while, Lanting slowly stood up, said this to Mu Chun, set down his teacup, and walked slowly out of the private room.
Crushing an opponent all at once was too boring. Giving them an opening was far better to see what tricks the rats hiding in the sewer still had up their sleeves.
The youth’s silhouette was slender and fragile, wrapped in a bulky winter coat that made him look even more delicate.
Stepping outside, Lanting occasionally put on an act, reaching out to gently feel along walls or railings, tapping the floor with his blind cane like a prop, drawing admiring and sympathetic gazes from passersby.
Before long, Lanting noticed footsteps echoing behind him.
He finally came to a halt right at the corner before the restroom, tucked safely out of direct line of sight from the outside.
As Lanting stopped, the footsteps behind him ceased as well.
The youth turned around, and the other person frowned first, speaking up. “Can you see me?”
“Hah.” Lanting’s tone carried a hint of a smile. “Footsteps are pretty obvious. I’m not deaf.”
Bai Heng: “What are you acting so arrogant for?”
He had intended to establish dominance tonight, only to get his face slapped instead. The mere thought of those people bowing and scraping to Lanting made Bai Heng’s eyes blaze with fury.
Those people all had family businesses to run and had to make a living in Jinchuan. The Lan family wielded immense power, and because they were beholden to the Lans, they feared them.
Bai Heng was different, however. His backing was enough to make him fearless against any ordinary person.
Thinking of this, and looking back at the blind youth’s eyes, a surge of superiority welled up inside Bai Heng.
Lifting his chin, he sneered, “I hear the Lan family has been searching everywhere for a doctor to cure your eyes. Want to know how you went blind?”
Lanting tilted his head, ignoring the bait. “Not really.”
Bai Heng: “…”
Choking back his frustration, Bai Heng pressed on, his tone turning eerie. “There are actually many things in this world that science cannot explain.”
“For instance, people turn into ghosts after they die. What are you doing?”
Bai Heng was in the middle of talking, but instead of listening, Lanting had started fiddling with his phone. He instantly grew alert and frowned.
Lanting let out a soft hum, flipping his phone screen around openly to ensure Bai Heng could clearly see the active emergency call interface.
Bai Heng’s jaw dropped. “…”
Lanting ignored his reaction, pressed the phone back to his ear, and said, “Officer, I believe you heard that. This individual is attempting to propagate a cult and brainwash me. The location is Night Club, No. 49 East Third Street. I hope you can arrive as soon as possible.”
With that, Lanting hung up the phone and hooked the corner of his lips into a mocking curve right in front of Bai Heng.
“Good luck.”
Most people hearing such a thing wouldn’t believe it at first, but knowing what Lanting had been through, Bai Heng figured he would feel shaken, never expecting this kind of response.
Bai Heng’s face turned livid with anger.
There was a police station right at the corner of East Third Street, meaning the police could arrive in less than two minutes.
As the two stood in a standoff, the sound of police sirens drifted in from the entrance of the Night Club, and Bai Heng finally snapped into motion.
Hearing the commotion and fearing something might have happened, Mu Chun hurried out to look for Lanting.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Bai Heng shoving something into Lanting’s hand before turning on his heel and scurrying away in a panic.
Passing by Bai Heng, Mu Chun hurried to Lanting’s side and looked down at the item in his hand: a business card.
He immediately felt displeased. “That idiot still has the nerve to hand you his card? What is he trying to do, want you to come find him?”
Rolling up his sleeves, Mu Chun growled, “Let’s go, we’re going over to beat him up.”
Clearly having loathed Bai Heng for a long time, Mu Chun ranted through gritted teeth, “That guy might look decent, but he actually looks a bit like you, and it’s obvious he has a messy history with Gu Guixi.”
“Good grief, Gu Guixi doesn’t even own a mirror to see what kind of dog he is. Is he trying to pull off some disgusting substitute romance?”
Anyone with eyes could see through the sham. Lanting hadn’t brought it up earlier, and out of consideration for his mood, Mu Chun hadn’t pressed the issue.
Now that the guy was being arrogant right to their faces, Mu Chun’s short temper finally flared past his breaking point.
“No way, I can’t let this go. I’m going to punch him!”
With that, Mu Chun lunged forward with plenty of action, only to find himself spinning in place after taking a couple of steps.
Realizing what stopped him, Mu Chun looked back at Lanting in utter frustration. “What are you holding me back for?”
Releasing his grip, Lanting handed the business card straight to Mu Chun. “Throw it away.”
“Huh?” Mu Chun blinked. “Aren’t you going to beat him up?”
He had no idea what Bai Heng had muttered to Lanting right before leaving.
He had said, “You’ll die at Gu Guixi’s hands sooner or later. If you want to survive, come find me.”
Lanting lifted his eyelids, brushing away a speck of non-existent dust from his coat.
“Wanting me to seek him out so he can take the initiative and lead me by the nose. Hah.”
He only played the role of the chess master.
Lanting’s purpose in coming here was simply to teach them a brief lesson. Since that goal was achieved, there was no need to linger any longer.
“Let’s head back,” he said.
Mu Chun nodded. “I’ll call Brother Lan Lin to pick you up.”
Neither of them planned on returning to the private room to say goodbye, but they ran into everyone anyway right by the front entrance.
Lanting had provided the police with the recording and names, and the officers had arrived intent on hauling Bai Heng away. The young elites objected, leading to a standoff right at the doorway.
“You are obstructing official duties. This is your second warning. If I issue one more, I have the authority to subdue you!” The young police officer frowned, standing his ground against the group of rich kids.
Everyone knew Night Club was a playground for the wealthy, and veteran cops at the precinct usually avoided muddying these waters, assigning the task instead to newly appointed rookies.
Fresh out of the academy, the young officer was full of justice and didn’t care what kind of background the suspect had.
Annoyed to his wits’ end, the young officer glanced aside and happened to spot Lanting walking over.
His eyes lit up. “Mr. Lan.”
Lanting turned his gaze toward him. He didn’t recognize the man, but the officer spoke first.
“I’m handling the case involving the Lan family, and I caught a glimpse of you at the hospital last time.”
That voice rang a bell, prompting Lanting to give a distant, cool nod before turning his head away again.
The young elites had previously looked down on this rookie cop, but upon seeing Lanting, they mysteriously fell silent and stopped interfering with the police.
Especially when Lan Lin’s car pulled up to the entrance. The tailored-suit-wearing man stepped out, casting a single chilling glance their way that instantly made them realize what catastrophic trouble they had brought upon themselves.
For reasons unknown to the rookie cop, the mere exchange of greetings made every single one of those arrogant rich kids turn pale as ghosts.
Without asking further, he seized the opportunity and led Bai Heng away.
Lan Lin’s expression was grim. The mere thought of those fools bullying his younger brother behind his back made his blood boil with rage.
Yet turning to face Lanting, Lan Lin masked his emotions perfectly.
“Tired today? Get in the car. I’ll have the housekeeper make your favorite dishes when we get home, and you can rest.”
With the temperature dropping today, Lanting gave a couple of soft coughs as he climbed into the car, nodding. “Not really, not that tired.”
Glancing at Mu Chun, Lan Lin added, “Get in too. I’ll drop you off on the way.”
“Awesome, thanks, Brother Lan Lin!” Mu Chun accepted without standing on ceremony.
As Lan Lin drove up front, Lanting, who had been resting his eyes, happened to open them and noticed a smudge of dust on Lan Lin’s suit jacket.
It was faint, but for someone as meticulously groomed and appearance-conscious as Lan Lin, it counted as a major lapse in decorum.
It looked as though he had been rushing around to many places today.
“Brother.”
Keeping his eyes fixed on the road, Lan Lin glanced in the rearview mirror. “What is it?”
“Where did you go today?”
“Nowhere special.” Lan Lin’s tone sounded completely normal. “Just handling a few business meetings.”
Lanting gave him a look and didn’t press further.
Beside him, Mu Chun was glued to his phone reading messages when his eyes suddenly widened in shock.
He sneaked a peek at Lan Lin, quickly averted his gaze, and leaned close to Lanting to whisper in profound disbelief, “Holy shit.”
Lanting: “?”
Mu Chun: “Your brother suddenly went after several companies today. My social media feed is going crazy!”
That afternoon, Lan Lin had been working when his younger brother suddenly texted him to vent, listing out a detailed roster of everyone who had bullied him.
Lanting had methodically recounted each of their wrongdoings without missing a single detail, reporting the whole lot straight to Lan Lin.
In the past, the original body felt that since these people were Gu Guixi’s friends, he should tolerate them so as not to make things difficult for Gu Guixi.
Ever since Lanting took over, he couldn’t care less what these people said.
Initially, he figured it had nothing to do with him, but the last time Lan Lin brushed his hair, Lanting realized that regardless of anything else, he had taken over this body and could no longer remain detached.
Besides, pests hopping around too often became an eyesore.
Lanting’s description had been completely detached, not sounding like a victim at all, yet it had infuriated Lan Lin enough to snap the tip of his fountain pen on the spot.
Within two short hours, Lan Lin had visited the corporate headquarters of every single one of those young elites’ families.
The man in the sharp suit walked right in, tossed contracts down in front of their CEOs, and stated: “If you don’t know how to raise your juniors, it’s the elders’ fault.”
“As Lanting’s older brother, I am naturally his elder. Since it wouldn’t do for me to bicker with children, I came looking for you instead.”
“Slap your own faces, and make those fools show up at my house to apologize to my brother by tomorrow.”
Lan Lin’s posture remained aloof and absolute. “You can choose to save face, but our business partnership ends here, and court summons will follow shortly.”
“I am confident a judge will render a fair verdict regarding the extent of the defamation those idiots directed at my brother.”
Everyone turned pale with fright. In less than an hour, the news had swept through the entire upper-crust circle.
Mu Chun sighed in envy. “Why didn’t my dad give me an older brother like that?”
Lanting lowered his gaze, his peripheral vision catching the slightly tense expression on Lan Lin’s face in the rearview mirror.
After a long pause, he said, “Thank you, Brother.”