A deadly silence fell over the room as soon as the brawny young man uttered his words.
Everyone looked at him in astonishment. No one had expected anyone to challenge Chen Fan so brazenly. Ever since Chen Fan toppled the Sheng family, all major families in Jinlin City had warned their youngsters not to mess with Chen Fan. Nin Yuze would be an example for those who dared to test Chen Fan’s ire.
“Who is that? He should watch his mouth if he wants to get out of here alive.”
“Master Chen is not going to take it lightly. This dip shit is doomed.”
“I saw him walking in with Young Lord Song, Song Duanmin. Is he a friend of Young Lord Song?”
Even as the people in the ballroom murmured to each other in surprise, Yan Dong slapped his thigh and exclaimed: “Han Hongkun is here. Bring out your popcorn, everyone.”
People around Yan Dong looked to the boisterous young man and the woman with shiny jewelry exclaimed: “That’s Han Hongkun? No wonder they call him the Devil Incarnate! Only an heir from a mighty family in the capital city would have the audacity to challenge Master Chen and he did it with such swagger too.”
“Who do you think will come to our victorious? ”
Another young woman asked with interest.
Chen Fan put the crab leg back on his plate and caught the arrogant young man with the hook of his glance.
Ever since he made a name in Jinlin City, it was the first time anyone had publicly challenged him. Powerful men and women in Jinlin City if not the entire Jiang Nan Province had capitulated to his might. But this young man carried a northern Chinese accent and had an arrogance that was typical only among heirs of top families in China.
However, Chen Fan was unaffected by the young man’s insult, neither did he care about the power of the young man’s family. Anyone who dared to mess with him would have to pay the price. He asked calmly.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Master Chen, this is Han Hongkun, the Second Lord of the Han Family of Yan Jin. He has just arrived in Jinlin City so he probably has no idea who you are. Please forgive him.” Before Han Hongkun could answer the question, Qiao Luoyin hurried to ease the tension.
Qiao Luoyin had called for the gathering, so she didn’t want to see the situation get out of hand.
She knew Chen Fan’s hot temper first hand since she was there when he slapped Tang Jianfen in the face and forced Ji Luochen to kneel before him and apologize.
Han Hongkun might be an heir of a powerful family, but he could be a dead heir very quickly if he didn’t stop insulting Chen Fan. Qiao Luoyin saw to it that Chen Fan had heard her say “Han Family of Yan Jin,” hoping that the might of the Han Family could make Chen Fan think better of harming the young man.
“Han Family of Yan Jin?”
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
Chen Fan had heard of the name in his past life. He knew that the Han Family had deep roots in the military, however, they still couldn’t compare with his mother’s family clan, the Wang family.
That being said, The Han Family was much more powerful than the local tycoons such as Ji Family of Zhong Hai, Wei Family of the North Bank and the Su Family of Wu Zhou City. The Han Family had produced more than one generals for the military. They had built a network within the military so vast in size that the Old Man Han was still considered one of the most influential men in the Chinese Military even after his retirement.
“Why should I care who you are? What? Are you afraid?”
Han Hongkun had mistaken Chen Fan’s question as a sign of wavering.
His misperception had emboldened him as he went on: “What did I tell you about Cang Dragon? They are just mediocre even when they had Head Sergeant Xu. A couple of years ago, they have become the worst special force unit in the military. I thought they were going to get a better head sergeant, but little did I know that they hired a fucking boy. What a joke!”
Han Hongkun gave Chen Fan a contemptuous glare and said: “What makes you think that you are the equal of Ye Nantian? That’s an outright humiliation to Head sergeant Ye and Dragon’s Fang.”
Han Hongkun’s words stirred up a swell of surprised murmur among listeners.
They were not only shocked by the young man’s brazen insult hurled at Chen Fan but were also surprised by his family background he that had just revealed.
“What? He was the heir of the Han Family of Yan Jin? No wonder he could take on Master Chen.”
“The Han Family of Yan Jin was the top ten most powerful families in Yan Jin. The Qiao Family and the Song Family in Jinlin City simply couldn’t compare.”
“Tsk, tsk… It’s going to be the General Major of Cang Dragon against the Second Lord Han! I have heard of Han Hongkun and his nickname ‘Devil Incarnate.’ His parents had completely lost grip on him. He had uttered threats directed at a provincial minister and got away with it. Chen Fan is just a General Major, a few ranks below provincial minister. I don’t think he could do anything about his insult.”
People murmured to each other after they realized who the young man was.
Chen Ning, Chen An, and Chen Xu had thought that they would have owned this year’s gathering after bringing Chen Fan with them, but the development had uneased them.
Chen Ning asked anxiously: “Brother, do we need to inform our elders of what’s happening here?”
Chen An Furrowed brows thought on the question for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t think it’s necessary. Despite Han Hongkun’s family background, I doubt he is the one calling the shots in his family. We should be fine as long as Chen Fan spares his life. The Han Family wouldn’t do anything even if Chen Fan beat Han Hongkun up. We are lucky that the Han Family didn’t send in Han Juntu.”
Even as he said that Chen Fan heaved a deep sigh.
“What are you lamenting about?” Han Hongkun asked with a smug expression.
Han Hongkun had been a bully since he was a child and he enjoyed it. It gave pleasure to see people struggling after he had pinned them under his boots. By now, He had grown tired of easy targets, since they no longer offered the same satisfaction, he only picked on those ones who could put up a fight. Bullying was pretty much the only thing Han Hongkun liked to do and was also good at doing it. Most people would swallow down the humiliation, fearing his family’s might. Those who spoke out against him were dealt with by his powerful dad and brother.
“I sighed because you didn’t know who I am. So you are going to die without even knowing who killed you.” Chen Fan shook his head and said: “Let’s put it this way, even your father has to speak to me with respect, so think about that.”
Chen Fan had just returned from Japan and his incredible achievements were still a hot topic among elites.
The annihilation of the Fourteenth Brigade was Japan’s national shame, and they had spared no expense to prevent the news from getting out. Therefore, it was not reasonable to expect the Qiao Family and Song Family to have heard of anything. The news was only circulated in a very small circle among the most powerful men and women in the world.
As the top family in the capital city, the Han Family should be part of that small circle and therefore, the family lord should be aware of Chen Fan’s unimaginable power.
The fact that Han Hongkun taunted him so arrogantly meant that he was far removed from the center of power; an outcast among his powerful relatives.
The Han Family leaders might tolerate his debauchery and his habit of inflicting pain to others, they would never let him get even close to the core of the family business. Therefore, the so-called Second Lord Han was much like Chen Xu, who was just a spoiled rich brat.
“Did you say that I am going to die?”
Han Hongkun pulled a long face and was going to flip on Chen Fan.
Chen Fan didn’t give him a chance to act up. He slapped his face hard as if he was slapping down a fly.
“Kneel!”
Suddenly, an invisible force bore down on Han Hongkun and pressed him down to his knees.
“You… how dare you!”
Han Hongkun shouted at the top of his lungs.
Chen Fan didn’t stop and kept the pressure on Han Hongkun. Under the immense pressure, Han Hongkun slowly lowered his head and bent his back until his face was pressed tightly against the ground. Han Hongkun struggled to break free from the constraining force but to no avail. He hurled curses and insults onto Chen Fan but had no effect at all. It wasn’t until even Han Hongkun’s chest was also flat against the ground, did Chen Fan let go of the force.
“You will kneel here to reflect on your lack of manners. Tell your parents to come and get you.”
Everyone watched the development with fear and shock.
One was the Second Son of the Han Family of Yan Jin, an infamous rich heir; the other was Master Chen of Jiang Bei, General-Major of Cang Dragon. Neither of them was easy to deal with.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Chen Fan had outright disregarded Han Hongkun’s family background and forced him to kneel before him.
He not only insulted Han Hongkun, but also the entire Han Family. People such as Han Hongkun valued their faces more than anything else. Therefore, forcing Han Hongkun to kneel before him in public was an even worse punishment than killing him.
Although Han Hongkun was not a key member of the family, the Han Family would not let Chen Fan get away with it since the family name was at stake.
Lo and behold, a stately looking man in his early thirties came up to Chen Fan and said: “Master Chen, I believe this is all but a misunderstanding. Young Lord Han didn’t really mean what he said, please forgive him and let him go.”
Someone recognized the young man as soon as he started speaking.
He was the heir of the Song Family, Song Duanmin. He was a guest of Han Hongkun.
Song Duanmin had been observing the development gloatingly on the sidelines. Seeing the situation was getting out of control, he hurried to ease the tension.
However, before Song Duanmin could finish his words, Chen Fan replied to him with a cold sneer and a wave of the hand.
“Get out of my face.”
A powerful face slammed into Song Duanmin, sending him flying a few dozen meters away. Song Duanmin thudded back to the ground after ramming into a few banquet tables. He was knocked unconscious by the blow and passed out.
A pin-drop silence suddenly fell over the room.
No one dared to even breathe heavily.
No one had expected that Chen Fan would be so hotheaded and reckless. He seemed even more incisive and snappy than when he was dealing with the Su Family of Wu Zhou City.
“Such was the decisiveness of Master Chen of Jiang Bei that he wouldn’t hesitate a second to use force.”
The development had shaken many people to their cores. Meanwhile, girls such as Chen Ning and Zhou Qinya looked to Chen Fan with admiration. Women were always drawn to powerful men, and they had never seen any man more powerful than Chen Fan.
Han Hongkun was still kneeling on the ground. He shouted at the top of his lungs with a contorted face.
“You think you can do whatever you want because you have Li Wuchen behind you? You are nothing! Your rank of General-Major is peanuts compared to the Han Family. How dare you force me to my knees. Just wait and see, we are going to destroy you!”
Chen Fan remained calm and replied.
“Fine, I will wait.”
He made his way back to the dining table and started to work on the crab leg again.
Qiao Luoyin and the other guests stood still and were all at a loss as to what to do.
Meanwhile, inside the residence of the Chief Military Officer of the Jinlin Division…
An old man in army uniform was playing go with a decorous young man. The old man cracked a smile and said: “Juntu, have you already forgotten about your Uncle Li? I am going to complain about it to your old man when I see him next time.”
The young man replied with a smile. The conversation was interrupted by a phone call, and after answering the phone, the smile suddenly froze on the young man’s face.