Pulling Rank

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

Everyone present at Wang Dahe’s birthday banquet already knew Lin Xuan’s identity. The way they looked at Liang Li now was as if he were nothing more than a ridiculous clown. In the face of a behemoth like Tianmu Group, what was Xingxing Building Materials? Their annual profits probably didn’t even amount to ten percent of what Tianmu’s novel division earned—and that was the company’s least profitable sector.

“Your looks,” Liang Li mused, stroking his chin, “I have to admit, you’re quite handsome. I bet the way you make money is by getting pampered by rich older women, huh?”

His face practically screamed that he was the type who enjoyed being toyed with by women.

“Getting spoiled by a sugar mommy is definitely a fast way to earn cash,” Liang Li said with a snap of his fingers. “Tell you what, how about I introduce you to one? She’s a bit on the heavier side—around 180 pounds—and a little older, in her fifties. But she’s loaded! Isn’t that all that matters in your line of work? Whoever pays the most gets your services, right?”

“Hahahaha!”

Liang Li laughed shamelessly, mocking Lin Xuan without restraint.

Lin Xuan’s expression grew colder by the second.

This Liang Li really had a foul mouth.

Wang Dahe’s face darkened with anger. “What did you just say? Who’s getting pampered by rich women? Liang Li, watch your words.”

Liang Li shrugged. “Did I say something wrong? Dahe, even if your broke friend here isn’t being kept by someone now, he’ll definitely end up selling himself for money sooner or later.”

“Dahe, I’d advise you to stay away from him. Don’t be friends with someone like that, or you might get dragged down too.”

Just then, Liang’s father and mother walked in.

Taking in the scene, their expressions immediately darkened.

“Wang Dahe, come home with me right now! What kind of lowlife friends are you associating with?” Liang’s mother snapped, her brows furrowed.

Wang Dahe sneered. “Since you’ve never wanted to acknowledge me, you have no right to interfere in my life. Who I befriend is none of your business.”

“Wang Dahe, we’re your birth parents! Is that any way to speak to us?” Liang’s mother fumed.

“Birth parents who never raised me, who treated me like I was after your family fortune the moment I returned—do you really deserve my respect?” Wang Dahe retorted coldly.

Liang’s mother gritted her teeth.

“Fine, just fine! Wang Dahe, with that attitude of yours, don’t forget—your adoptive parents work under me,” Liang’s father roared, his anger boiling over.

Those two had raised his son to be like this?

He’d make sure they paid for it!

Liang Li smirked triumphantly at Wang Dahe.

So what if he was the biological son?

In the end, he was still beneath him, the adopted one.

Wang Dahe, why couldn’t you just stay in your place as a poor nobody? Why did you have to be found and brought back?

Wang Dahe shrugged casually. “Fire them if you want.”

He had his best friend to rely on now.

Working at Tianmu Group not only paid better but was also far easier than slaving away at Xingxing Building Materials.

Hah! The head of Tianmu Group was his sworn brother. With him backing Wang Dahe, why would he ever need to kowtow to Xingxing again?

Pathetic.

“Wang Dahe!” Liang’s mother seethed at his dismissive attitude. “As your birth mother, today I’ll teach you some manners, you ungrateful brat!”

She raised her hand, ready to slap Wang Dahe across the face.

But just before her palm could land, Lin Xuan caught her wrist.

“And who are you?” Liang’s mother spat, her face twisted in disdain.

Lin Xuan chuckled. “Me? I’m Dahe’s childhood best friend.”

Liang’s mother looked him up and down, her lip curling.

So just another poor friend of Wang Dahe’s.

If the family that adopted him was this destitute, no wonder his friends were all trash.

Lifting her chin haughtily, she snapped, “I’m disciplining my son. An outsider like you has no right to interfere. Let go of me this instant!”

“Sure, I’ll let go.”

Lin Xuan flung her hand away with such force that Liang’s mother stumbled and fell onto the floor.

“Pfft—”

The crowd couldn’t help but laugh at her humiliating display.

Lin Xuan leisurely plucked a few tissues from the dining table and wiped his hands clean.

Liang’s mother glared at Wang Dahe. “Your friend just humiliated me, and you’re just standing there? Throw him out of the banquet right now!”

Wang Dahe scoffed. “Sorry, Mrs. Liang, but Xuanzi is my brother for life. To me, he’s a thousand times more important than you. If anyone’s leaving, it’s you.”

Lin Xuan smirked. “Dahe, why waste words? Let’s just crush them with power.”

Recently, his company had invested in real estate.

The next few years would be a golden age for property—he couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

Drawing from his past life’s memories, he’d identified the fastest-appreciating land in Yundu City and instructed Lei Hui to purchase it for small-scale residential development.

Lei Hui had mentioned that their construction materials were primarily sourced from Xingxing Building Materials.

The contract hadn’t been signed yet, had it?

Who would’ve thought Xingxing was owned by Wang Dahe’s birth parents?

Well, in that case, Tianmu Group had no reason to do business with them anymore.

“Crush us with power?” Liang’s father sneered. “What a joke. Know your place before you start throwing your weight around.”

He ran a successful building materials company and had plenty of connections. How could some nobody like this ever hope to overpower him?

“Dahe, today I’ll show you and your friend what real power looks like.”

Liang’s father pulled out his phone and barked an order: “Fire Wang Dazhu and Zhou Lanyi immediately.”

In the past, Wang Dahe would’ve panicked at the threat of his adoptive parents losing their jobs.

But now?

His parents could easily find work at Tianmu Group. What did a job at Xingxing even matter anymore?

Liang’s father added smugly, “Dahe, if you kneel and apologize, I might reconsider firing your adoptive parents.”

Earlier, Wang Dahe had acted like he didn’t care.

He probably thought this was all just talk. Well, he’d soon learn otherwise.

To his surprise, Wang Dahe remained unfazed. “Like I said before—fire them if you want. Is that the only card you have to play?”

“You—!” Liang’s father’s finger trembled as he pointed at Wang Dahe.

“Your adoptive parents raised you for years, and now they’re old. Do you really think they’ll find decent jobs after this?”

Wang Dahe arched a brow. “No need for your concern.”

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