Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

"You bastard, you dare to scheme against me?" Li Zekai's voice trembled slightly due to extreme repression, each word carrying the overwhelming hatred he had accumulated when he smashed the antiques in the penthouse apartment.

Lu Yang straightened his cuffs, the faint, indifferent smile on his lips unchanged, as if the other party had only asked an unimportant question.

He tilted his head slightly and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, clearly and calmly uttered two words:
"Stupid."

These two seemingly insignificant words were like boiling oil poured into a raging fire.

The string of "reason" in Li Zekai's mind snapped completely with a "bang".

The violent urge to smash vases and break cell phones in the penthouse apartment surged to his head in an instant. His face turned a deep purplish-red, his eyes bulging with bloodshot rage, and his fingers almost poked Lu Yang's nose: "Who are you calling a bumpkin? Dare to say it again?"

He deliberately used the highly offensive term "country bumpkin" in an attempt to regain some ground verbally.

Lu Yang's smile deepened, but his eyes were as sharp as ice blades.

He slowly adjusted his posture, watching the "little superman" in front of him, who had completely lost his composure, as if he were watching a clumsy performance.

Then, in an almost reciting tone, he repeated with perfect clarity:
"Idiot idi ...."

He finished speaking in one breath, even pausing deliberately as if he were counting.

Then, facing Li Zekai's ferocious expression, which seemed ready to devour anyone, Lu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone filled with deliberate provocation and mockery:

"Okay, I've said it 10 times, so what?"

The air around him seemed to freeze.

Although the two deliberately lowered their voices, the tense atmosphere and body language had already attracted the attention of many political and business figures in the vicinity.

The reporters' telephoto lenses were also keenly focused on this side, capturing this unusual "exchange".

Li Zekai felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his blood was roaring, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his knuckles turned white.

He was almost about to throw a punch at that hateful face without thinking!

“You…” he growled like a wild beast.

Lu Yang, however, seemed oblivious to Li Zekai's impending outburst of anger. Instead, he took a half-step forward, his posture relaxed, but his voice clearly reached Li Zekai's ears, carrying an even stronger sense of provocation:
"What do you mean 'you'? Get your hands dirty. Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. Didn't I say it again? I've said it ten times already. Now try doing it yourself."

Fighting in public!?
Lu Yang's blatant, almost rogue-like provocation was like the last straw, completely igniting Li Zekai's powder keg.

He was almost losing his mind!
However, just as his fist was about to be thrown, Li Zekai's bloodshot, almost crazed eyes suddenly scanned his surroundings.

The spotlight is flashing!

Reporters excitedly adjusted their angles, afraid of missing any details of the two giants' "intimate interaction."

The probing gazes of Hong Kong government officials and business tycoons felt like countless needles pricking him.

In the distance, one of Li Ka-shing's trusted advisors was watching this scene thoughtfully...

A chill instantly extinguished Li Zekai's boiling anger, making him shiver.

as a result of!

He suddenly woke up.

Putting aside his slender build, Lu Yang's well-tailored suit clearly revealed a muscular physique honed through years of training. If Lu Yang rushed at him, he would most likely only humiliate himself.

Even if... even if he manages to gain the upper hand today, and a full-blown brawl breaks out at this high-profile, media-focused government celebration banquet?

This is absolutely going to be the biggest headline scandal in Hong Kong tomorrow, no, tonight!
How would you write the title?
"Li Family's Second Son Loses Control at Victory Celebration Banquet, Gets into Fight with Mainland Tycoon!"

Following the Cyberport debacle, Li Zekai, enraged, engaged in a public brawl!

The Li family has lost face, and the "Little Superman" persona has collapsed!

Once this happens, it will spread like a plague throughout Hong Kong Island and the Southeast Asian business community. In the end, it will inevitably reach the ears of his father, Li Ka-shing, who values ​​the family's reputation above all else.

Thinking of his father's disappointed, furious, and even cold gaze, and the possibility that his elder brother might take this opportunity to kick his father while he was down, Li Zekai felt a deeper chill rise from his spine, instantly freezing all his impulses.

He had already sacrificed too much for the Cyberport project and lost too many core interests, and his standing in his father's eyes was already precarious. If such a disgraceful incident were to occur again... he dared not think about it.

"Hoo..." Li Zekai forcibly suppressed the raging anger and humiliation churning in his chest, took a deep breath, and his breath trembled and was heavy, like the last pull of an old bellows.

He loosened his clenched fist, straightened his expensive tie which had become slightly crooked from his excitement, and his facial muscles twitched stiffly a few times as he tried to put his hypocritical mask back on, but the resentment deep in his eyes was so thick that it couldn't be dissolved.

He stared intently at Lu Yang, straining with all his might to make his voice sound less hysterical; each word seemed to be forced out from between his teeth, carrying a venomous curse:
"You little bastard, you just wait, this isn't over."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Lu Yang and completely ignored the curious gazes and flashing cameras around him. He turned around abruptly and walked stiffly and hurriedly through the crowd. His back view was full of the dishevelment of fleeing in panic and the extreme anger suppressed to the extreme.

It's definitely not over yet.

Lu Yang gazed at Li Zekai's back, which was almost blending into the shadows, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Where is this?
He sneered inwardly.

The pain and losses that Li Zekai is experiencing now are just the tip of the iceberg.

Without the immense wealth brought by Cyberport, the "golden heart," and the huge leverage effect of subsequent land appreciation, PCCW's foundation has been shaken by Lu Yangsheng.

In his past life, Li Zekai relied on the huge success of the Cyberport project to accumulate astonishing capital and prestige, which enabled him to complete the globally shocking "David and Goliath" deal a few years later. With the mere size of PCCW, he leveraged his acquisition of Hong Kong Telecom (HKT), which was several times larger and had a market value of US$38 billion. This created one of the largest M&A deals in Asia at the time, expanding the Li family's empire in the telecommunications industry to its peak.

Now, Lu Yang has forcibly taken away Cyberport, the most crucial springboard, and PCCW has lost its most important source of initial capital and fulcrum for capital expansion.

Without the nourishment of this "astronomical fortune," does Li Zekai, this "little superman," still imagine completing that astonishing $38 billion "snake swallowing an elephant" in the near future, just like in his previous life?
That's tough!

Lu Yang could almost foresee that Yingke's future development trajectory would completely deviate from that glorious peak.

This land battle is merely the first step in stifling a future behemoth. Li Zekai's nightmare has only just begun.

Thinking of this, a huge sense of victory and a desire to control the future welled up in Lu Yang's heart.

He couldn't wait to share this joy, this sense of accomplishment from his precise planning for the future, with someone.

He immediately took out his small, exquisite Motorola phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.

That's right, it's Sister Du Lingling, who lives far away in southern Jiangxi.

"Beep...beep...The number you dialed is currently switched off..."

A cold, mechanical notification tone sounded. Lu Yang frowned slightly. Du Lingling rarely turned off her phone, especially at this crucial moment when they had agreed to meet in the port city and explore new horizons together.

According to their previous agreement, Du Lingling's term in southern Jiangxi is about to end. After completing this term, she will come to Gangcheng as a "retired" or "advisor" to manage the newly acquired Digital Port project on behalf of Lu Yang.

Lu Yang had already planned out a location for her, just waiting for her to finish the handover.

Shut down?

A barely perceptible unease swept through Lu Yang's heart.

Undeterred, he quickly pulled out his contacts and dialed Dajun's number.

The call connected, and Dajun's voice came through, tinged with surprise: "Yangzi?"

"Dajun, Sister Du's phone is off. Give me her backup number or her secretary's number." Lu Yang's tone was as commanding as ever, but his speech was a few beats faster than usual.

After getting the phone.

Lu Yang dialed the number directly and explained the reason.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the secretary's voice was hesitant: "Mr. Lu... Du... Du, she..."

"What's wrong with her?" Lu Yang's heart sank.

"Our leader... submitted her resignation to the organization the day before yesterday... she has resigned." The secretary's voice was very low.

"Resign?!" Lu Yang's voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of several guests nearby.

He immediately realized his lapse in composure, forcefully suppressing his surging emotions. He walked to a relatively quiet corner at the edge of the banquet hall, his voice low but with a barely perceptible tension: "The reason? Where did she go?"

“I…I really don’t know the specific reason.” The secretary’s voice was full of confusion and helplessness. “Commissioner Du just handed over the work and said…she wanted to take a complete break for a while and go out for a walk. As for where she was going…she didn’t tell anyone. She just told us to hand over our work properly.”

Want to take a break for a while?
Lu Yang's mind went blank, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer.

An unprecedented sense of panic gripped him instantly, a hundred times stronger than the thrill he had felt when he crushed Li Zekai in the business world.

Du Lingling is not an ordinary partner; she is someone who fights alongside him, is his mentor and friend, and even occupies a special place in his heart.

Her departure without saying goodbye, her sudden disappearance, instantly created a huge, uncontrollable gap in his carefully constructed port city plan, and cast a huge, uneasy shadow in his heart.

Why did she resign?

Why did you leave without saying goodbye?

What trouble did you encounter?
Or... do you have other ideas about him or this plan?
Countless speculations and worries surged into his mind in an instant, like a cold tide, extinguishing all his joy of victory.

"I understand." Lu Yang's voice returned to calm, but a storm was brewing beneath that calm. He hung up the phone decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

He glanced up at the brightly lit celebration banquet, still immersed in a false sense of prosperity and clamor.

Li Zekai's anger, the media's adoration, and the officials' polite formalities all seemed dull and even annoying to him at this moment.

Du Lingling's disappearance is more important than ten Cyberport projects combined!
Nothing can stop him from now on to find the answer.

Lu Yang immediately turned around, ignoring anyone who tried to strike up a conversation, and strode out of the banquet hall with firm and hurried steps.

As he walked, he quickly dialed Chen Fan's number.

"Hello, boss?" Chen Fan's voice came through.

“Chen Fan,” Lu Yang’s voice was calm and quick, carrying an unquestionable command, “You are in charge of cleaning up the celebration banquet. All social interactions and media communications are your responsibility. I have an extremely urgent matter and must return to China immediately.”

"Boss? Now? The banquet hasn't even started yet..." Chen Fan was clearly very surprised.

"Yes, now! Arrange the fastest flight to the mainland for me right now, no, apply for my private jet route directly, destination: southern Jiangxi!"

Lu Yang interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument, "In addition, we just won the Cyberport project, and the Planning Department may have some initial intentions to make contact. You will represent me to negotiate. There is only one principle: maximize our interests. We will not give up an inch of the core land. We can make some gestures for Area C, but there is no need to rush. I will contact you for the specific details later."

"Understood!" Chen Fan sensed the urgency and seriousness in his boss's tone and immediately agreed. "I'll get right on it! Boss, do you need me...?"

"No need, just handle things here. If you have any news about Sister Du, tell me immediately! Remember, any news!" Lu Yang emphasized again, and quickly walked out of the magnificent banquet hall, leaving behind the hypocritical extravagance.

The night breeze carried the distinctive fishy smell of Victoria Harbour, but it couldn't dispel the anxiety in Lu Yang's heart.

He got into the black sedan waiting at the door and said to the driver in a deep voice, "Airport, top speed!"

The car sped off like an arrow.

Lu Yang leaned back in his seat, his brows furrowed as he gazed at the neon lights rushing past outside the window.

Li Zekai's threats and the blueprint for Cyberport were now forgotten.

He had only one thought in his mind, burning like a raging flame:
Sister Ling, where are you? (End of Chapter)