Chapter 159: Too Much Happiness

Following his authoritative shout, the driver-side door of the BMW slowly swung open, and Lin Yu stepped out with a faint smile. Shielded by the blinding glare of the opponents' flashlights, he instinctively raised a hand to block the fierce light.

"Stop shining those. Even with the light, you can't escape," Lin Yu said with a smile as he kept his hand over his eyes.

This was his second time confronting a group of men in black. Compared to the terror he felt the first time, his heart no longer fluttered with dread. Qi Dachui had already leaked the details of their background, and furthermore, he had over thirty loyal brothers backing him up.

Startled by Lin Yu's rebuke, the men in black exchanged glances. Evidently unaware that their group had been entirely surrounded, they harbored no intention of giving up the resistance.

The leader of the men in black considered Lin Yu's words utterly preposterous. Believing that his opponent fancied his chances in a one-versus-five match, he sneered with cold arrogance, "What? Do you actually think you possess the strength to take on five of us by yourself?"

"Ha. You're quite amusing." Hearing this, Lin Yu let out an arrogant laugh. After a brief pause of a few seconds, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, show yourselves!"

The moment his fierce cry echoed out, countless reverberations bounced across the sea surface. Simultaneously, more than thirty figures hidden within the darkness emerged, forming a tight perimeter around the men in black.

Only then did the leader of the men in black turn pale with shock, mentally cursing in dismay. Having served by Liang Tian's side for many years, he had naturally witnessed his fair share of major scenes. After a brief calculation, while Lin Yu had yet to give the order to attack, he swiftly drew a pistol from inside his jacket, pointed it squarely at Lin Yu, and barked with a sinister snarl, "Nobody move, or I'll blow his head off!"

Having previously learned from Qi Dachui that the enemy's weapon was not a real firearm, but rather a stun gun with mild paralytic effects on the nervous system, Lin Yu remained entirely unfazed despite having a gun pointed at him from mere paces away. He merely chuckled lightly and issued an order: "Brothers, get them."

At that instant, the vast majority of people present regarded Lin Yu as possessing the extraordinary courage to remain unflinching in the face of mortal peril.

Upon his command, Wang Hailong—a former sniper intimately familiar with firearms—instantly bellowed, "Brothers, go right ahead without worry! This idiot isn't holding a real gun."

Encouraged by this cry, the men who had initially hesitated immediately closed in, completely surrounding the five men in black.

Even the most formidable fists struggle against a multitude of hands; within two minutes, the men in black were thoroughly subdued. Lian Jin had intentionally brought ropes along. Once the five were restrained, he ordered two young men with rather peculiar personal tastes to bind the captives tightly from head to toe.

To prevent any possibility of escape or attempts to contact outside reinforcements, Lin Yu ordered his men to confiscate every single item from the captives' persons.

Following this, Lian Jin proudly introduced Lin Yu to everyone present, formally revealing him as the true mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Upon receiving official confirmation of this fact, a tiny fraction of the men felt a lingering sense of reluctance, but the vast majority concluded that following Lin Yu was vastly superior to merely following Lian Jin. Recently, Lin Yu's reputation had skyrocketed among the young elites of Binjiang, earning him the public title of the supreme playboy. Aligning themselves with such a figure meant that should any trouble arise, the solutions would prove infinitely easier to manage.

Moreover, the tale of his wrath sparked for the sake of a beauty had long circulated through the alleys of Binjiang, winning him a massive wave of popularity.

Sensing that he had successfully established his authority, Lin Yu nodded slightly to Lian Jin, signaling him to proceed with the prearranged step: distributing a red envelope containing five hundred yuan to each and every brother present as part of his grand debut.

All the hustle and bustle of the world is for the sake of profit; all the commotion under heaven is driven by the pursuit of gain.

Lin Yu believed that continuously expecting people to work for you without granting them tangible benefits would inevitably ruin his faction's reputation over time, hindering its growth and expansion.

Among this group, only three or five came from relatively well-off backgrounds; the rest were children of impoverished families, making five hundred yuan a genuinely substantial sum to them.

By letting them taste the sweetness early on, Lin Yu aimed to cultivate a mindset of proportional reward for labor, which would prove advantageous for future developments, especially once they ventured into business down the road.

After chatting a bit longer with Wang Hailong and the others, he bade farewell to the crowd and got into the BMW.

The hour was already late, and he wished to transport Xiao Qiangwei to the Baishan Cadre Sanatorium as swiftly as possible. Yet, upon racing against time to reach the sanatorium, he found the main gates firmly locked.

Left with no alternative, Lin Yu dialed Tao Kele's number to inquire whether anyone could open the gates at this late hour.

Recognizing Lin Yu's call, Tao Kele—who had already drifted off to sleep—became exceptionally excited, declaring repeatedly that it was no trouble at all and that she could definitely get the gates opened.

True to her word, before long, she dragged the guard Zhang Qiang out with her to unlock the gates.

Upon seeing Zhang Qiang, his savior, Lin Yu hurriedly offered a few earnest words of gratitude before speaking up: "Regarding today's events, I sincerely hope the two of you can keep it strictly confidential and say nothing to anyone."

"Don't worry, consider it done!" Tao Kele and Zhang Qiang replied in unison. Qi Yue, Yang Zhilin, and Xiao Qiangwei remained inside the BMW without getting out, leaving the guards unaware of the true purpose of Lin Yu's visit.

On the other hand, Lin Yu reasoned that the fewer people who knew about Xiao Qiangwei's situation, the better. Finding an excuse to send Zhang Qiang away, he turned to Tao Kele and asked, "Tao Kele, are you a fan of any celebrities?"

"A celebrity fan? I wouldn't really say so," Tao Kele replied, blinking her dark, limpid eyes while shaking her head.

"That's good," Lin Yu acknowledged, then continued, "For certain reasons, I need you to help me take care of someone. Can you hide her in your dorm for a while? I'll come pick her up later."

"Ah? Really? That might be a bit inconvenient... even though I have a single room to myself!" Tao Kele said, sounding somewhat reluctant.

"Don't rush. Take a look at who my friend is before you make your decision," Lin Yu said with a smile, gesturing toward the BMW.

Seeing the signal to exit the vehicle, Xiao Qiangwei cast a lingering, reluctant farewell glance at Yang Zhilin, pushed the door open, and stepped out. Though her heart felt heavy with reluctance, she knew that these arrangements were made for her own safety.

"Even so, it's still inconvenient! You know how many things girls tend to have..." Tao Kele maintained her disgruntled expression.

However, the very next moment, as Tao Kele cast a casual glance toward Xiao Qiangwei, she froze entirely, her large, dark eyes staring fixedly without blinking.

After rubbing her eyes four or five times in succession, she finally cried out in trembling excitement, "Jasmine... Jasmine... Oh my god! Jasmine, is that really you?"

"The Jasmine you speak of is likely me. However, from now on, I will resume my real name, Xiao Qiangwei, and no longer go by Jasmine," Xiao Qiangwei replied with graceful poise. In front of outsiders, she maintained a slightly aloof and distant demeanor, quite distinct from the innocent and natural self she displayed before her three friends.

Receiving this affirmative answer, Tao Kele completely lost her composure. With a shrill, nervous shriek, she rushed forward and threw her arms around Xiao Qiangwei in a tight embrace.

"Qiangwei, do you know? You're my absolute favorite singer! I never dreamed I'd get to meet you in person, let alone hug you! Sob, I'm so happy... I'm so happy..."