The ten kowtows are finished.
Justin Ruan's forehead was already bleeding.
His expression was grim, but not because of pain—more because of fear.
Just a few words from Allen Ju.
Had completely shattered his psychological defenses.
"Young Master Ju said, after ten kowtows, I should ask if you're satisfied..."
"If you're not satisfied, I can keep kowtowing until you are."
Justin Ruan's voice trembled, but he didn't hide anything.
He'd been following Allen Ju for a long time, and he'd suffered plenty before. Back when Allen was being suppressed, Justin never wavered.
And it was exactly because of that.
After Allen Ju became Third Young Master Ju again,
Justin Ruan used that chance to skyrocket, gaining his current status.
Even the entire Nine‑Pools Moon Pavilion was put under his management by Allen Ju.
Allen Ju has always been generous to his friends.
Justin Ruan had screwed up plenty of times before, but Allen would always step in, smooth things over, and just give him a warning—never really scolding him much.
Allen Ju always protects his own.
Everybody knows that.
But—
Just now, when Allen Ju called, his tone was calm as always...
But Justin could clearly feel Allen's anger.
What Justin Ruan didn't know was—
This whole thing wasn't supposed to be a big deal.
The real issue was, this was the first time Evan Lin called Allen Ju to help him sort something out.
And the key person in all this was Lynn Chen.
When Evan left Beijing, he asked Allen Ju to look after Lynn Chen.
Allen had been waiting for Lynn to run into trouble so he could help her out.
But this time, things were different.
Evan called, and it was about Lynn Chen again.
What did that mean?
It meant that if Evan hadn't made this call, and Lynn hadn't either, Allen Ju wouldn't have handled things properly.
"Ten is enough."
Evan looked at the terrified Justin Ruan, but wasn't planning to make things hard for him.
Since Allen Ju had already told Justin to kowtow and admit fault over the phone,
It was basically Allen's way of asking Evan to let Justin off this time.
To outsiders, Justin had lost all face.
But in reality, Allen Ju's move was actually helping Justin stay in Beijing.
Otherwise—
If Evan really got angry, Allen Ju definitely wouldn't offend Evan just for Justin.
Let alone—
The Master Lin from Seacrest who managed to defeat Blake Lin from the Upper‑Grade Lin Clan.
He'd been signaled by Azure Dragon, and recruited Master Lin from Seacrest into Moonview Pavilion.
With a prodigy like that, who would dare mess with him?
As long as Evan Lin wanted to,
Justin Ruan—and the entire Ruan family—could vanish from Beijing overnight!
"What about them?"
Justin glanced at Manager Li and Liu Zhaobo over there.
He hesitated, but couldn't say much—let alone beg for them.
"Those two run their mouths. Fifty thousand slaps each, trading blows."
Evan stood up and straightened his clothes: "When they're done slapping, they can leave."
"If they don't finish, they don't get out that door."
"You count for me."
Evan Lin's voice was calm.
Over there, Manager Leo Li and Zane Liu were already slumped in despair.
Five hundred thousand slaps!
That number alone made their hearts tremble.
"I won't miss a single count."
Justin Ruan quickly spoke up.
The rest of the group were already completely dumbfounded.
None of them dared say a word, just sat there trembling.
Evan couldn't even be bothered to look at them.
"Let's go."
Evan glanced at Lynn Chen and spoke.
Just as they were about to leave...
"Young Master Ju wants to know if you'd like something to eat. Heaven-Grade First Pavilion has already prepared a meal for you."
Justin Ruan suddenly remembered something and quickly spoke up.
Heaven-Grade First Pavilion.
Hearing that name, Maggie Sun felt her mind was spinning.
That kind of place—even her boss, her boss’s boss, or their friends—they’d never be allowed up there!
And now...
This teen right in front of her was actually being invited up for a meal?
"Are you hungry?"
Evan looked at Lynn Chen and asked.
"I..."
Lynn Chen wanted to say she wasn’t hungry.
But...
Grrr...
Her stomach growled right on cue.
Her face instantly turned red, totally embarrassed.
"Then let’s grab something to eat. No rush."
Evan nodded, and Justin Ruan arranged for someone to lead the way.
He stayed behind with his bodyguards in the room.
Once the door closed...
Justin Ruan sat on the sofa, his back soaked with cold sweat.
"Young Master Ruan... he's gone. Can we...?"
Manager Leo Li forced a flattering smile, looking at Justin Ruan with a pleading expression.
"Leave?"
Justin Ruan shot him a glance.
"Yeah, yeah, he's gone anyway, he won't know." Manager Leo Li had completely lost his nerve to keep causing trouble.
All he wanted now was to get out of here.
Zane Liu nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"We can slip out the back door, promise we won't cause you any trouble, Young Master Ruan!"
"Besides, that guy—he's obviously from some backwater like Seacrest. No way he knows any big shots! Maybe, maybe that call was fake, just someone he got to pretend!"
Zane Liu had a bold idea.
He blurted it out, eager as ever.
"Pretend?"
Justin Ruan shook his head, leaning back: "Young Master Ju already gave the order."
"Either you guys are done for, or I'm done for. Pick one."
"Which do you think I'll choose?"
As soon as he said that...
Manager Leo Li and Zane Liu's faces changed completely.
"Enough talking, I'm sick of it. Start slapping—five hundred thousand times!"
"You can do extra, but not less. If you fall short, I'll find people to help you make up the difference!"
Justin Ruan waved his hand.
Soon, cries of misery echoed from inside the box.
Outside the box...
Evan was led forward by the server.
The server smiled brightly, sneaking glances at Evan.
It was her first time serving guests at Heaven-Grade First Pavilion who were so repeatedly emphasized as needing flawless treatment.
Maggie Sun clung to Lynn Chen’s arm, walking beside Evan, floor after floor, all the way up to the ninth level.
The décor along the way made waves in her heart.
Every floor of Nine-Pools Moon Pavilion felt different—the higher you went, the more refined and exclusive it felt.
All the way up to the ninth floor.
From here, you could overlook the whole manor, all nine pools shining below.
No moon in sight, but it really made you feel like you’d climbed to the very top.
Upstairs, exquisite dishes were already laid out.
Maggie Sun kept guessing at Evan’s identity.
She was nervous and super curious.
But she didn’t dare ask.
At the table, Evan and Lynn didn’t talk much, just asked a bit about recent stuff.
Lynn didn’t mention what just happened, and Evan didn’t pry.
But Maggie Sun couldn’t hold back and finally asked:
"Are you really..."
Lynn’s boyfriend?