The massive commotion inside had already drawn the rest of the film crew over.
Anyone could tell at a glance that this arrogant young master looking for trouble was not someone to be trifled with. Whispers rippled through the crew as everyone speculated about who could possibly have offended such a formidable character.
To everyone’s absolute astonishment, however, Jin Yan, who usually seemed like the least likely person to cause trouble, stepped forward.
“Scumbag! You finally show your face!” The normally sweet-tempered and well-behaved young man transformed into a ferocious avenger the moment he identified the newcomer, leaping forward with the clear intent to beat him up.
Everyone around them froze, completely caught off guard. Not a single person reacted in time to grab him, save for Su Youqi, standing slightly further back, whose lightning-fast reflexes allowed him to dash forward and catch Jin Yan by the arm.
“Xiao Yan, do not be impulsive! Let us talk things through!”
By then, the others had recovered their senses, rushing forward to help restrain Jin Yan.
After all, they were a film crew working in the entertainment industry. Even though this wealthy young master had initiated the provocation, the situation remained murky. If someone from their crew threw the first punch, they would find themselves unable to reason their way out later.
If word got out and tabloid reporters exaggerated the details, it could spell absolute disaster for the production.
Yet Jin Yan struggled fiercely. Right at that moment, he looked completely devoid of reason, thrashing wildly in an attempt to break free and pulverize the arrogant young master.
Unsure of how to handle the chaos, the crowd turned their eyes toward the director as their ultimate backbone.
To everyone’s shock, the director took a deep breath and declared, “This is a private grudge. Everyone, let Jin Yan go and step outside.”
With those words, the director was essentially endorsing Jin Yan’s desire to beat up the wealthy young master!
Everyone was stunned by the director’s decision.
Yet an even greater shock followed immediately after.
The wealthy young master stared intently at Jin Yan for a long moment before exclaiming in sudden realization, “So it is you. After all these years, you still remember me. Your memory is quite good.”
The young master’s attitude toward Jin Yan was noticeably better than his demeanor toward the director. He even let out a casual whistle at Jin Yan, though what he said remained thoroughly punchable. “Still, I am not here for you today. You and him can go play off to the side somewhere.” As he spoke, the young master jerked his chin toward the director.
Finding two old acquaintances here took him by surprise, yet the young master clearly didn’t take the director or Jin Yan seriously. He leisurely swept his gaze across the gathered crowd before declaring with a dark sneer, “Who is Su Youqi? Step forward yourself.”
At the exact same instant, driven by overwhelming fury at Huang Linzhi’s arrogant attitude, Jin Yan managed to break free from the colleagues holding him back. He hurled a vicious right hook straight toward Huang Linzhi’s direction, roaring angrily as he threw the punch, “Huang Linzhi! I am going to avenge my brother!”
Su Youqi, who had assumed he was merely an innocent bystander eating melon seeds in the audience, found himself abruptly called out.
Nan Ke, watching the drama unfold from the sidelines, wondered what was happening.
It appeared his newly acquired junior partner came with quite an interesting backstory.
Even Su Youqi, whose reflexes were top-notch, was momentarily stunned, leaving no one else to hold Jin Yan back this time.
Coincidentally, Huang Linzhi’s bodyguards never expected Jin Yan to actually break free and charge forward to throw a punch. Caught off guard by their momentary lapse, they allowed Jin Yan to land the blow squarely on target.
With one successful punch under his belt, Jin Yan seized the momentary daze of the bodyguards to land a swift follow-up blow.
Fortunately, they were still professional bodyguards by trade. Though their reactions were a beat too slow, they managed to block Huang Linzhi from taking a third hit.
Even so, having taken two solid blows, Huang Linzhi flew into a rage. The moment he scrambled back up, he lashed out with a vicious kick at the bodyguard who had failed to protect him, cursing furiously, “You bunch of useless trash!”
The bodyguards had slipped up, but having been beaten and scolded, they dared not utter a single word in defense.
Huang Linzhi had lived his entire life accustomed to absolute privilege; when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
“They really do say barking dogs do not bite! I underestimated you, Jin Yan. Fine, then today I will take care of both you and Su Youqi together!” Enraged by the beating, Huang Linzhi barked a rough command to his bodyguards: “Clear everyone else out of here! Leave only Jin Yan and Su Youqi behind.”
Su Youqi, having watched the spectator gossip circle suddenly revolve entirely around himself, could only feel amused.
Based on the name Jin Yan had just roared out, Su Youqi had already pieced together who this individual was.
He truly was Huang Jie’s uncle; that overbearing style clearly ran in the bloodline.
Having been struck and cursed at, the bodyguards executed their orders with terrifying speed, rudely shoving people toward the exit.
With the backing of the powerful Huang family, they had no fear of these minor artists.
Since today’s shoot consisted primarily of supporting roles, the major headliners with real clout happened to be absent. The highest-ranking person present was a bottom-tier third-string actor, and several people immediately recognized Huang Linzhi’s identity. Once that information circulated, the crowd silently weighed the stakes and decided that, despite their simmering resentment, offending Huang Linzhi was simply not worth the risk.
The director clearly understood Huang Linzhi’s temperament. To prevent further escalation that could drag more innocent people down, he cooperated with the clearance of the crew. However, he stubbornly insisted on staying behind alongside Jin Yan and Su Youqi.
“Intent on playing the hero again?” Huang Linzhi shot the director a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Do not assume that because you have gained some standing in the industry now, you can go toe-to-toe with our Huang family. You were not qualified back then, and you are still not qualified today!”
Upon hearing this, the hot-tempered Jin Yan lunged forward again with the intent to attack, but this time the bodyguards, remaining on high alert, instantly intercepted and pinned him down.
The director’s chest heaved with suppressed rage. Just as he opened his mouth to retort, a sudden series of crisp clapping sounds echoed through the room.
“As expected of Huang Jie’s own uncle; Huang Jie’s current antics are a true testament to your teachings!” Su Youqi offered a light, unbothered smile. “Fortunately for him, he did not learn quite well enough to drive his classmates to suicide like you did. Otherwise, he would probably have to pay the exact same price for the sins you people have manufactured.”
Jin Yan’s violent reaction and the director’s protective stance had made it abundantly clear to Su Youqi that Huang Linzhi was the very same scum who had bullied Jin Yan’s older brother and driven him to jump to his death.
Huang Linzhi cast a sharp glance at Su Youqi, sneering, “Another barking dog who refused to make a peep until now. So you finally admit that my nephew’s fall was your handiwork?”
“People see what they want to see based on their own nature; a filthy mind finds filth in everything.” Su Youqi curled his lip, glanced down at the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, and remarked, “I already stated that Huang Jie’s ordeal was simply paying the bill for the sins you committed. Surely you understand what I mean, Eldest Young Master Huang, given the protective amulet you carry around?”
Su Youqi had zero interest in playing dumb with a vile creature like Huang Linzhi.
Even uttering a single extra word felt like a waste of breath.
Hearing the words protective amulet, Huang Linzhi’s expression shifted instantly, yet his conviction only grew stronger. “Xiao Jie’s accident was definitely your doing!”
Connecting the fact that Su Youqi and Jin Yan worked on the exact same film set, Huang Linzhi strongly suspected that the person who had snatched away Jin Yan’s brother’s ghost was none other than Su Youqi himself.
However, judging by Jin Yan and the director’s reactions, they remained completely oblivious to that side of things.
Since the matter touched upon supernatural dimensions, keeping ordinary people out of the loop was best. Huang Linzhi instructed his bodyguards to herd the director and Jin Yan out of the area together.
“Eldest Young Master Huang really is accustomed to playing the arrogant aristocrat, trying to chase people off on someone else’s turf. Hilarious.” Su Youqi shared the same desire to clear the room, though he certainly lacked Huang Linzhi’s shamelessness. “Let us find somewhere else to talk.”
“Xiao Su!”
“Brother Su!”
Both the director and Jin Yan knew all too well what kind of monster Huang Linzhi was, and neither of them wanted Su Youqi walking into danger with him, especially Jin Yan, who had encountered his brother’s killer after all these years and had zero intention of letting the matter slide.
In reality, however, neither the director nor Jin Yan possessed any leverage against Huang Linzhi; otherwise, Huang Linzhi wouldn’t have remained unpunished until now.
Therefore, Su Youqi intended to test the waters and probe Huang Linzhi’s bottom line by himself first.
“Huang Linzhi and I have a separate score to settle anyway. Let us resolve this first,” Su Youqi placated the two of them. “Do not worry. You know my skill set; I will not let myself suffer any losses. Besides, I already sent a message to Second Brother.”
Hearing that he had contacted Guan Hongyu offered the director a measure of reassurance.
While the Huang family possessed immense influence, they still fell short of the Guan family. If Guan Hongyu stepped in to shield someone, even Huang Linzhi would be forced to show respect.
After all, Guan Hongyu was the sole heir of the Guan family, whereas Huang Linzhi was not.
Jin Yan, however, remained adamantly opposed.
Left with no choice, Su Youqi leaned in close to Jin Yan’s ear and whispered, “Xiao Yan, I know some details regarding your brother. Wait until I finish talking with him, and I will fill you in, alright?”
Jin Yan couldn’t fathom how Su Youqi could possibly know secrets about his brother, but his deep-seated trust in Su Youqi ultimately made him relent.
“Let us move, Eldest Young Master Huang.”
Su Youqi took the lead, stepping out of the photography studio first.
Huang Linzhi let out a cold huff and followed behind with his bodyguards.
Before departing, Huang Linzhi didn’t forget to shoot Jin Yan a parting look loaded with a silent threat.
Jin Yan remained entirely unfazed, instantly countering with a sharp hook-punch gesture to his own chin in defiance.
The motion enraged Huang Linzhi so much that he nearly threw a tantrum on the spot, only holding back when Su Youqi casually dropped the phrase protective amulet once more, forcing him to exercise restraint and follow along.
Clearly aware from Huang Linzhi’s previous warnings that Su Youqi possessed exceptional physical combat skills, Huang Linzhi didn’t dare dismiss his bodyguards even when discussing metaphysics. Instead, he simply ordered them to pop in specialized earpieces that blocked out any external audio, ensuring they couldn’t overhear their conversation.
Su Youqi chuckled with mild amusement. “So schoolyard bullies actually know what it feels like to fear getting beaten up?”