Volume One: Qin Yang of the Northern Sea Chapter 12: Classmates

At the entrance of Carnival Corporation, just as they were about to walk inside, a thunderous roar filled the air. A luxurious sports car screeched to a halt, and Qin Yang looked over to see that the driver was the same young man who had raced with Su Ying earlier.

"Hey, beautiful, we meet again. Would you call this fate or what?" the young man said shamelessly.

Su Ying ignored him, clutching her bag as she headed inside, but the young man clearly had no intention of letting her go.

"Get lost!" Qin Yang finally couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up with the authority of a man.

The young man looked utterly incredulous. To be insulted right at the entrance of his own company's building—what a loss of face!

His expression darkened, anger flickering in his eyes. "Well, well, aren't you bold? Let me tell you, you won't even make it past the front door of Carnival today. Believe it or not?"

Su Ying's face clouded slightly, and Qin Yang frowned. From the way the man spoke, it was clear he held some sway in the company.

A sports car, designer clothes—this was the archetypal rich kid.

Su Ying didn't want to make a scene, especially since they were here to ask for a favor.

"I really don't believe it," Qin Yang replied, pulling out a cheap cigarette and grinning.

At that moment, Su Ying felt her head pounding on both sides. The situation was spiraling, especially with Qin Yang acting this way—he clearly wouldn't listen to any reasoning.

After weighing her options, she gave up. Qin Yang was here to help her, after all; if they couldn't get what they wanted from Carnival, they'd just try another company.

"Hey, isn't that Young Master Zhang? Need any help?" Another young man approached from the distance, carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers and beaming.

Dressed in a black suit with neatly combed hair, he was the picture of a wealthy and handsome elite.

"Brother Feng, what brings you here?" Zhang Chu asked, noticing the flowers, and then seemed to realize, chuckling, "Ah, you must be here to bring flowers to my sister."

"You guessed right. I heard your sister was back, so I came to see her. If you need anything, just say the word—after all, we'll be family soon enough," Feng Bo replied with a smile, patting Zhang Chu's shoulder before heading upstairs.

Qin Yang might not have known much about the major conglomerates in Bincheng, but Su Ying certainly did. From their conversation, she gleaned crucial information.

Her heart filled with bitterness; they had hit an immovable wall this time.

Feng Bo—heir to Feng Real Estate, assets in the billions. There had been rumors online that he was courting President Zhang of Carnival. She used to think it was just gossip, but now it seemed all too true.

If that was the case, then the young man before them must be President Zhang's younger brother, Zhang Chu.

Now things really had fallen apart.

Zhang Chu turned back, sneering at Qin Yang and Su Ying, who still hadn't left. "Oh? You two are still here?"

"You heard it earlier—this company belongs to the Zhang family. My name is Zhang Chu, so you're not welcome here. If you don't leave, I'll call security. You know what that means," he threatened, then turned to Su Ying with a leering grin. "Of course, if this lovely lady wants to share a drink and sing a few songs with me, I'll pretend nothing unpleasant happened just now."

Smack!

With a single stride, Qin Yang landed a slap square on Zhang Chu's face, leaving him utterly dazed, stars spinning before his eyes.

He dialed Wang Hu in a panic, but who would have guessed that Wang Hu was off running a repair shop, busy fixing cars? The moment he heard from Qin Yang, he dropped everything and rushed over with his men.

"Fatty, Fatty, I've been hit! Take care of him for me!"

At that moment, more than a dozen security guards stormed out, glaring menacingly at Qin Yang as they grabbed whatever came to hand and charged.

Su Ying tried to say something, but Qin Yang simply bundled her into the car.

Facing more than a dozen men, he curled his lip in a cold sneer, then launched himself at them.

Even though he possessed great strength, he still had to restrain himself—a single miscalculated blow could be fatal.

Zhang Chu, clutching his stinging cheek, was shaken to his core. "Is he even human?" he murmured.

In less than a minute, the burly guards were all sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

Some bystanders even recorded videos and posted them online, igniting a frenzy.

The internet exploded.

Fat Carp commented, "You can tell at a glance this guy's trained."

Dongpo Pork replied, "Damn, this guy's a beast—could he be a retired special forces operative?"

Within just ten minutes, posts were flooding in and the incident drew more and more attention. Just then, Wang Hu and Hei San arrived in two Jinbei vans, dozens of men gathering at Carnival's entrance, standing motionless.

Grimy and oil-stained, they drew wary glances from passersby, who quickly gave them a wide berth.

The commotion had clearly caught the attention of the media, and reporters began arriving on the scene.

Upstairs in the Carnival building.

Zhang Mengqi's face changed dramatically as she took a call, ignoring Feng Bo beside her. She strode toward the elevator in her high heels.

Zhang Chu had never imagined things would escalate so far. Reporters had even snapped a few humiliating photos of him a moment ago.

He glared at Qin Yang, hatred burning in his eyes.

If it weren't for this guy, he would never have been so disgraced.

In the car, Su Ying stared at the formidable Qin Yang, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

That fair and delicate face, that slender frame—who would have guessed such strength lay hidden within? She suddenly recalled how he'd once groped her chest, and a shiver ran through her.

Online, people were gleefully fanning the flames.

The incident had grown so big—especially when President Zhang of Carnival appeared, astonishing everyone.

Black Lynx commented, "Damn, the ice queen herself has shown up! Who would've thought she's even more stunning in person than in photos!"

Aries replied, "Yeah, but that guy's in for it. No one's ever dared cause trouble at Carnival in Bincheng—he's the first."

Seeing his sister arrive, Zhang Chu instantly regained his nerve, running over. "Sis, that brute hit me! Look—half my face is swollen!"

Zhang Mengqi glanced at the lone figure in the distance, her brows knitting. For some reason, that silhouette looked incredibly familiar.

Though they were still far apart, Qin Yang winked at Su Ying, then fixed his gaze on the entrance of Carnival. His body stiffened for a moment.

That figure was so familiar—unmistakably so.

Three years of high school together, their friendship more like brothers than classmates.

Even after four or five years apart, he recognized her at a glance.

He stepped forward, and Zhang Mengqi, heels clicking, walked toward him as well.

Everyone held their breath, as if awaiting an imminent clash between the two.

But the next moment, their actions left everyone stunned—even the rowdy crowd online was left speechless.

"Long time no see."

"Long time no see."

Qin Yang and Zhang Mengqi embraced, laughing as they greeted each other.