That will at least keep you alive.
Master Walter Wan spoke in a steady, unhurried voice. Seated there, he looked at the pale-faced Lily Zhong with nothing but disdain in his eyes.
"You’ve already been afflicted by my Bone-Melt Miasma. If you don’t get treatment, your bones will completely dissolve within seven days at most."
"By then, your whole body will become as soft as a snake—unable to stand, unable to sit. You’ll be nothing but a living cripple."
Sitting there, Master Walter Wan glanced at Lily Zhong, a cold smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Such a beautiful woman like you, Lily, if you end up ruined just for a mere company, that’d really be a waste."
Leo Li spoke in a leisurely tone, watching Lily Zhong with a hint of amusement.
Lily Zhong’s face changed sharply. She clenched her fists, her whole body trembling with rage.
"No need to resist. You stole our pill formula and made so much money. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones—as long as you turn over a new leaf from now on. That’s already giving you a huge favor."
"Don’t ruin yourself."
Master Walter Wan squinted, looking utterly confident.
"What proof do you have that the pill formula is yours? And have you even considered the consequences of what you’re doing?"
Lily Zhong’s face was pale. Inside, she could feel waves of stabbing pain radiating from her bones, the kind of agony that left her restless and frantic.
Still, Lily forced herself to stay upright, refusing to collapse.
"Come on, Lily, stop pretending you’re tough."
Before Master Walter Wan or Leo Li could speak, a man nearby chimed in, "Back when Angel Epoch first launched, I was really curious."
"How could something as miraculous as the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill end up in your hands?"
"It wasn’t until I learned about the Rejuvenation Beauty Pill in Hong Kong that I realized—they’re basically the same thing."
As he said this, the man slapped his thigh in sudden realization.
"Exactly! Only Grandmaster Victor Zhou from Hong Kong could create a pill as miraculous as the Rejuvenation Beauty Pill. Your Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill is obviously stolen from Master Zhou’s formula!" another person jumped in, eager to speak up.
"Grandmaster Victor Zhou, one of Hong Kong’s top three masters, has been famous for ages. His name is legendary over there!" someone declared, full of awe.
"Years ago, Grandmaster Victor Zhou visited the mainland and shocked everyone with his mystical techniques. Only a master of his level could create something as miraculous as the Rejuvenation Beauty Pill. But you, Angel Epoch, must have stolen his formula—and now his disciple, Master Walter Wan, is here to settle the score, and you’re still denying it?"
A woman looked at Lily Zhong with utter contempt. Everyone in the private room stared at Lily, their eyes full of hostility.
All of them sided with Leo Li. One by one, they treated Lily Zhong and her Angel Epoch as nothing but thieves stealing someone else’s property.
"Utter nonsense!"
Lily Zhong tried to protest.
"Alright, you can go now."
Leo Li waved his hand. "That’s it for today’s conversation."
"Lily, think carefully when you get home. Is admitting you’re wrong really so hard, or is your life more important?"
Leo Li gave a signal.
Gavin Zhao immediately opened the wooden door behind Lily Zhong.
Outside, several burly men were already waiting.
They strode forward, directly picked Lily Zhong up, and, right in front of everyone, carried her out of the room, out of Orchid Court Vegetarian, and tossed her rudely onto the pavement.
Crude treatment.
No class at all.
Lily Zhong fell to the ground, utterly disheveled, drawing stares from the crowd.
Her face was pale, barely able to stand. Eventually, the driver who brought her spotted her and helped her into the car to leave.
"You’re just going to let her leave like that?"
Inside the private room.
Gavin Zhao watched Lily Zhong leave from the window, a bit regretful. "Such a beautiful woman, and the chairwoman of a company as big as Angel Epoch—Leo Li, you never thought of enjoying her for yourself?"
"Is that all you ever think about?"
Leo Li chuckled at Gavin Zhao’s words. "No rush, no rush."
"I’m not the type to force people to do things. Letting her leave now is fine. In a few days, she’ll come crawling to me, begging for help."
"It’s way better when she comes to me on her own."
Leo Li’s words sparked laughter all around.
"But I’ve heard Angel Epoch has deep connections—ties to the Oceanport Zheng Clan, and supposedly to some guy called Master Lin from Seacrest."
A man at the table suddenly spoke up.
He was the chairman of a shopping mall, had rejected Lily Zhong’s Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill before, and even clashed with the Zheng Clan. Now, he was feeling pretty uneasy.
"With me here, what’s there to be afraid of?"
Master Walter Wan shot him a glance. "Even if my master isn’t here in person, the pill qi from my bronze censer alone is enough to wipe out that so-called Master Lin from Seacrest."
"Bottom line, whether it’s Master Lin from Seacrest or the Oceanport Zheng Clan, they’re just paper tigers—totally useless when real power shows up."
At this point, Master Walter Wan’s arrogance was on full display.
"Exactly. If anything unexpected happens, we’ll just invite Grandmaster Victor Zhou to show up in person."
Leo Li nodded. "You all know Grandmaster Zhou’s strength. In front of him, Master Lin from Seacrest and the Zheng Clan wouldn’t even have a chance to survive."
"Right, with Grandmaster Victor Zhou backing us, what’s there to fear?"
"Those Angel Epoch people are downright shameless—actually daring to use Grandmaster Zhou’s pills to scam money here!"
"This time, let’s show them what real power looks like. Best case, we swallow Angel Epoch whole—and grab all their shares in Harborview too!"
Inside the private room, drinks flowed and laughter filled the air.
Lily Zhong was sent home, lying in bed, phone in hand, wanting to call Evan Lin. But after hesitating, she put the phone down, curled up in bed, exhausted and in pain, bearing it all alone.
At Rivercrest State University, rumors about Tyler Tan kept spreading. Everyone was gossiping about how he acted like a clown on livestream, rambling nonsense all night.
As for Annie Shu, when she returned to campus the next day, students kept joking about Tyler’s embarrassing livestream. Annie felt a strange, complicated emotion welling up inside her.