Chapter 148 - 147: Trouble Brews Again

Chaos erupted in an instant. The victims’ families were completely overwhelmed with emotion, shouting aggressively as they charged toward Yang Bingyu. Fortunately, she had brought enough people with her; they formed a tight circle around her, keeping her safely in the center. Having never faced such a volatile situation before, her face drained of all color in sheer terror.

"Quiet! Quiet! If you keep causing trouble, I’ll send you all to the police station!"

The construction site security guards rushed over quickly. TWEET TWEET! They blew their whistles loudly, trying to suppress the rioting family members.

"Don’t hurt them! Stop! Don’t use force!"

Seeing the guards armed with batons and stun guns, Yang Bingyu was terrified they might accidentally injure the families. She hurriedly shouted to stop them. There were elderly people and children among the crowd; if this riot escalated, more lives could be lost. It took a tremendous amount of effort to finally stabilize the situation.

Yang Bingyu’s clothes and makeup were disheveled, but she cared little for her appearance. Instead, she pushed through the crowd, walked right up to the families, and spoke to them with absolute sincerity.

"Everyone, I know you are in immense pain after losing your loved ones. I can understand exactly how you feel because I, too, have just lost the most important person in my life.

"Please calm down first. We can take our time and clarify everything. I swear on my honor that I will give you a satisfactory answer regarding this matter."

The family members hadn’t expected Yang Bingyu to be so approachable. For a moment, they were at a loss for words. They exchanged hesitant glances before the leading man shot a covert look at Liu Maohua. Liu Maohua stealthily made a hand gesture. Catching his meaning instantly, the leading man’s attitude hardened once again.

"What is there to clarify?! Your Yang Group has been stringing us along for a month! You originally promised us one million in compensation, but in the end, you only gave us fifty thousand!

"My older brother was the pillar of his family! He had elderly parents to care for and young children to raise. A perfectly healthy man is suddenly gone—you are practically demanding his family’s lives!

"We don’t even want your money anymore. I’ve already filed a lawsuit in court. Just wait for your subpoena!"

As he yelled, the man gave Yang Bingyu a hard shove. She happened to step on a loose rock and was on the verge of falling. Standing beside her, Ye Xuan reached out with his large hand and scooped her up, catching her firmly.

"Apologize."

Once Yang Bingyu was steady on her feet, Ye Xuan stared at the man with a cold expression and rebuked him in a deep voice.

The man had been incredibly belligerent just a second ago, but upon meeting Ye Xuan’s icy gaze, he immediately withered.

"Apo-apologize for what? She... she didn’t even fall, did she? B-besides, even if she did fall, she deserved it!"

Glancing at Liu Maohua, the man gritted his teeth and stubbornly fired back. Ye Xuan shot a glance at Liu Maohua, his eyes brimming with warning. The latter was frightened into immediate submission. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky, deliberately playing dumb.

"We’ve already told you that we will give you an answer regarding this matter. If you continue to make trouble like this, we’ll see you in court.

"When it comes to a lawsuit, I don’t think we will lose."

Ye Xuan’s words made the man gulp nervously. He quickly lowered his head, too afraid to utter another sound.

Seeing Ye Xuan protect her and speak up on her behalf, a wave of warmth washed over Yang Bingyu’s heart. The families hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to take such a hardline stance either, and panic quickly set in among them. Liu Maohua had only told them to blow the issue out of proportion and humiliate Yang Bingyu in public, promising them a handsome reward in return. If they actually went to court, they would definitely be the ones to suffer. They couldn’t possibly compete with the Yang Family when it came to hiring lawyers alone.

"Also, you claimed we only gave fifty thousand in compensation. If I remember correctly, the Yang Family allocated one million, didn’t they?

"Liu Maohua, as the person in charge of this construction site, don’t you have anything to say?"

At that very moment, Ye Xuan suddenly pivoted and pointed the finger directly at Liu Maohua, interrogating him about the compensation funds.

Suddenly called out, the expression on Liu Maohua’s face changed drastically. His eyes darted around before he spoke up.

"The Old Master did tell me to give the family one million in compensation back then, but hasn’t the Yang Family been dealing with a lot of issues lately?

"Then the Old Master passed away a few days ago. After the project was put on hold, that one million compensation was never approved.

"I went to the company to ask for it several times but couldn’t get the money. I even paid this fifty thousand out of my own pocket to give to them."

His speech was utterly flawless. Not only did Liu Maohua provide a reasonable excuse, but he also managed to make himself look like a saint. Hearing this, the company executives began to praise him one after another.

Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Bingyu immediately turned her head to look at her secretary.

"Secretary Liu, is this really what happened? Why wasn’t this reported to me?"

If Secretary Liu had informed her about this matter, the one million in compensation would absolutely not have been delayed until now.

"President Yang, didn’t I tell you about this a few days ago? At the time, I brought the documents regarding the construction site to you for your signature.

"You were the one who said these matters weren’t urgent and told me to put them aside. Don’t you remember?"

Secretary Liu adjusted the glasses on her nose and replied at a leisurely pace. As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Liu Maohua.

No matter how naive Yang Bingyu might be, she could see the trickery at play. This was obviously a setup; Liu Maohua and Secretary Liu were in cahoots. They had deliberately mixed the compensation documents with the regular construction site files. Unless Secretary Liu specifically pointed out that it was for the compensation, Yang Bingyu—who was already drowning in work—would never have noticed what that particular pile of documents was actually about.

"What kind of president are you?! Do you really think the Yang Family can act like you own the world just because you have money and power?!

"You rich people don’t even treat us ordinary folks like human beings! My older brother’s entire family is still waiting for that compensation money to survive!

"Everyone, let’s grab this woman and take her to the police station! Expose her to the media and let the public see her true, ugly face!"

Seeing the shift in momentum, the leading man immediately fanned the flames. He riled up the other family members, inciting another bout of chaos. Some of the younger men even pulled out their phones to livestream the altercation, blowing the situation completely out of proportion.

In an instant, the internet was flooded with verbal abuse directed at Yang Bingyu. Numerous threads were opened to publicly dictate the narrative against her. The main thrust of their campaign was to force Yang Bingyu to step down from her position as president, claiming she was immoral, incompetent, and unworthy of leading the Yang Group.

The disturbance at the construction site simply got too far out of hand. Ultimately, the Jianghai City Police Department had to dispatch officers to forcibly remove the rioting families from the premises.

Physically and mentally exhausted, Yang Bingyu returned to Yunju Mountain Villa. She looked completely drained of life. When Ye Xuan spoke to her, she barely responded.

"Bingyu, don’t overthink it. The police department will handle this matter. Let’s get you something to eat first."