Volume One: Qin Yang of the Northern Sea Chapter 26: One Hundred Million

November 11th.

Originally, this day belonged to Singles’ Day, but the city of Bincheng had grown lively for an entirely different reason.

At Katie Plaza, applause and various strains of music rang out, marking the countdown to its grand opening.

Within the central building of Katie Plaza, Yaoyao Beautification Company had boldly purchased two entire floors, and was now ambitiously expanding into retail channels.

Wu Yaoyao and Su Ying sat together in the office, their faces pale. Neither of them could have foreseen that the distributors would make trouble at this critical moment. Believing that Yaoyao Beautification’s entry into retail would harm their own interests, and somehow catching wind of the company’s plans, the distributors had abruptly withheld all payments.

A high-level emergency meeting was convened. Ordinarily, as head of security, Qin Yang wouldn’t have attended, but for reasons unknown, Su Ying insisted he be present.

It was seven in the morning.

Operations were set to begin at eight-thirty. If today’s launch succeeded, Yaoyao Beautification’s valuation would soar severalfold—but only if this immediate crisis was resolved.

Katie Corporation, for reasons that remained unclear, had suddenly gone back on its word, demanding the outstanding balance be paid at once. Otherwise, the sale of their shopfronts would be nullified due to a loophole in the contract.

“Everyone’s aware of the company’s situation now. Let’s hear your thoughts,” Su Ying said.

Qin Yang was about to speak, but Su Ying cut him off. “Zhang Ming, you go first.”

Zhang Ming, the newly hired sales manager, was a seasoned professional, his expertise in handling company affairs evident.

“This time, we’ve been caught completely off guard by our opponents, and we still don’t know who they are. But right now, we need to find a way to plug this massive funding gap. Manager Su, what are the chances that Carnival Corporation would lend us a hand?” Zhang Ming asked gravely, adjusting his glasses.

Su Ying frowned deeply. Their dealings with Carnival had only come about thanks to Qin Yang’s connections; without him, Carnival likely wouldn’t have given them the time of day. Seeking a loan now was likely out of the question.

She shook her head. “We’re not on those terms with Mr. Zhang yet. Any other ideas?”

“Financing!” someone finally suggested. After all, Yaoyao Beautification had already caught the eye of venture capitalists, thanks to its unique formulas and original cosmetics brand. If Wu Yaoyao hadn’t found their offers too low, she might have already accepted.

The office fell silent, the tension thick.

Wu Yaoyao rubbed her temples, exhausted. The situation was dire.

Su Ying dismissed the other executives, leaving only Wu Yaoyao, Su Ying, and Qin Yang in the vast office.

“All right. Let’s seek financing.” With those words, Wu Yaoyao felt a sense of release, though it came laced with helplessness.

She had never wanted to rely on her family for the company’s affairs. She wanted to build something on her own.

Qin Yang stood, his expression one of resignation. He placed a bank card on the table. “Use mine for now. The password is six sixes.”

Su Ying, seeing Qin Yang’s cocky demeanor, could hardly contain her irritation. The funding gap was enormous—at least tens of millions. What could his salary card possibly contain?

“Yaoyao, look at him, showing off. How much do you think is in his salary account?” she scoffed, dialing the bank’s customer service.

“Dear customer, you are one of our distinguished clients. Your cash balance is one hundred and twenty-eight million yuan,” intoned the automated voice.

Su Ying, on the verge of another sharp retort, was struck dumb, staring at the card in disbelief.

Qin Yang was just a humble head of security. When they’d first met, he hadn’t had a penny to his name. How could he now possess over a hundred million?

Wu Yaoyao, too, was stunned to discover that her benefactor was none other than a company employee.

Qin Yang.

This man seemed shrouded in mystery, impossible for her to see through.

Downstairs, Qin Yang’s expression was grim. Giving away over a hundred million would put anyone in a foul mood.

Wang Lei and Li Jun looked at him with open admiration. Over the past few days, they’d been training with the techniques Qin Yang had taught them and were amazed at their progress.

Standing beside them, Qin Yang mused, “The city is a great melting pot, but if you want to truly improve your skills, you need to go where there’s real turmoil. What do you think?”

“Brother Yang, Li Jun and I plan to head to Africa. We probably won’t be able to stay by your side for a while, but you’ll always be our boss—for life,” Wang Lei said sincerely, regret heavy in his voice.

Qin Yang had expected this, and nodded. “When do you leave?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

At Katie Plaza, Chen Momo’s arrival sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Wang Lei and Li Jun, preparing to depart, were especially vigilant, determined to fulfill their duties of protection to the very end.

Su Ying, swaying her slender waist, descended gracefully and handed Qin Yang’s bank card back to him.

He had just received a text message: one hundred million had already been withdrawn.

Less than thirty million remained. He planned to give ten million each to Wang Lei and Li Jun—for anyone venturing abroad, money was indispensable.

“Momo!”

“Momo!”

Despite the winter chill, Chen Momo wore a long dress, her face radiant with a smile. Su Ying, standing beside Qin Yang, caught him staring at Chen Momo and teased, “What, taken a liking to her?”

“Need my help?”

“No need.”

“Pfft. By the way, Qin Yang, where did you get all that money?” Su Ying asked, her curiosity piqued.

“I earned it. Do you believe me?”

“Yeah, right. If you don’t want to say, fine. Anyway, thanks for this time.” Su Ying rolled her eyes at him, her charm undiminished.

Onstage, Momo moved with practiced grace as she spoke, a promotional video playing on the giant screen behind her.

“Wow, that man is so handsome.”

“He really is. What a power couple. I wonder who he is?”

The audience buzzed with discussion, but none of it concerned Qin Yang. He was about to leave when his expression changed drastically. His body tensed, as if a venomous serpent had set its sights on him.

A dark, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Someone was plotting against him.

He had many enemies, but in Bincheng, only Feng Bo came to mind. The thought filled him with killing intent.

If I let you off, you’ll think I’m easy prey.

He glanced toward the rooftop of the building opposite, and in a flash, he vanished.

Scorpio.

A world-renowned assassin, known for never failing to take down a target once chosen.

Naturally, his fees were exorbitant—no less than ten million for each job. On holiday and bored, he’d accepted this contract.

He was just about to scan for his target through binoculars when his expression shifted in shock—his enemy was already by his side, and he hadn’t noticed a thing.

A failure for any infiltrator. “How is this possible?”

“Nothing is impossible.” Sensing the flow of energy within the other, Qin Yang realized Scorpio was at the peak of Initial Comprehension.

Scorpio was reaching for a weapon when Qin Yang lunged, kicking out with terrifying force.

Bang!

The sheer power of the kick sent Scorpio stumbling back, his face a mask of disbelief.

“How can you be this strong? Are you a martial artist too?” he stammered, as though seeing a ghost.

But Qin Yang gave him no time to recover. His hands shot out like dragon’s claws, gripping the assassin’s arm with the strength of iron pincers.

With a fierce twist, a scream tore from Scorpio’s lips.

“Hmph. A killer should always expect this. Otherwise, don’t be a killer.”

With that, he shattered both of Scorpio’s arms. The assassin tried to fight back, launching a flurry of kicks.

But Qin Yang gave him no chance. His terrifying strength rained down blow after blow on Scorpio’s legs and chest.

Staring down at the battered figure gasping for breath on the floor, Qin Yang glanced at the rising sun.

“Feng Bo, you’ve just succeeded in enraging me.”