Chapter 57: Iron-Fisted Methods

Nie Yunyang’s knee strike left Hou Feipeng sprawled on the ground, unable to crawl back up for a long time. This was even the result of him holding back; otherwise, Hou Feipeng would have been rushed to the ICU for emergency treatment.

Nie Yunyang left, just like that.

Hou Feipeng stared at Nie Yunyang’s retreating back, seemingly still unable to process what had happened. He never expected that an ordinary employee would possess such formidable combat skills!

He had intended to find Nie Yunyang to vent his frustration, only to be humiliated by him instead. A look of bitter resentment surfaced in Hou Feipeng's eyes; he felt as though everyone was cornering him and the whole world was bullying him.

The security guards at the entrance witnessed this scene from afar, yet not a single one of them dared to step forward and stop it. After all, Hou Feipeng used to be the deputy manager of the Splendid Court, and he had usually treated them quite well.

In the surveillance room, upon seeing this unfold, the person in charge immediately contacted Dai Zhenxuan to report the situation.

Dai Zhenxuan rushed hurriedly to the surveillance room, but by then, he saw nothing—Nie Yunyang had returned to the locker room to change his clothes, and Hou Feipeng had already left.

"Replay the surveillance footage," Dai Zhenxuan instructed with a gloomy expression.

He could guess with his toes that Hou Feipeng must have mistakenly believed Nie Yunyang was an informer and thus sought deliberate revenge, making Nie Yunyang take the fall for him.

The security guard in charge of surveillance immediately replayed the footage as requested. Dai Zhenxuan’s expression was dark at first, but it soon lit up with astonishment. When he saw Nie Yunyang effortlessly knocking Hou Feipeng down, he felt a deep sense of surprise, never imagining that Nie Yunyang’s physical agility far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Although Hou Feipeng had hollowed out his body through alcohol and women, he was, after all, a former Armed Police officer. Normally, dealing with three or five big men wouldn't have been a problem for him, yet this time he had suffered such a crushing defeat!

Dai Zhenxuan finally understood why Cao Weihua had arranged for Nie Yunyang to be placed at the Splendid Court. Given Nie Yunyang’s abilities, taking over his position in the future would be a breeze.

"I don't want this matter to leak out," Dai Zhenxuan instructed the security guard after watching the surveillance footage.

Upon returning to the general manager's office, Dai Zhenxuan did not dare to conceal anything and directly called Cao Weihua. Even if he didn't report it, the big boss would find out eventually, and that would only spell trouble. It was better to inform him early.

At that moment, Cao Weihua was on his way to the airport. Answering Dai Zhenxuan's call, he got straight to the point: "Old Dai, what is the occasion for your call?"

"Hou Feipeng came to the Splendid Court and had a small friction with Nie Yunyang."

Dai Zhenxuan concisely described the scene he had just witnessed.

After listening, Cao Weihua fell into contemplation and did not respond immediately, leaving Dai Zhenxuan waiting in trepidation.

After a long while, Cao Weihua slowly said, "This Hou Feipeng has a lot of nerve. Does he really think I'm a pushover?"

"President Cao, what should I do?" Dai Zhenxuan asked.

Cao Weihua was silent for a moment before speaking. "Since Hou Feipeng dared to attack Nie Yunyang, there's no telling what other stupid things he might do. He has stayed at the Splendid Court for so many years and knows too many secrets. Keeping him around poses endless troubles; we might as well silence him."

"Alright, I'll arrange it," Dai Zhenxuan said.

Cao Weihua gave a hum of acknowledgment. "Let me know after it's done. Don't make any complications. That's all."

Hou Feipeng certainly had no idea that the moment he went to settle scores with Nie Yunyang, his fate had already been sealed. Cao Weihua would absolutely never allow anyone to threaten the Splendid Court.

Nie Yunyang got off work relatively late today; the member hosting friends didn't leave until nine o'clock. Because He Lei had specifically assigned Miao Ye and Nie Yunyang to be in charge, Nie Yunyang had to run back and forth attending to everything.

However, to his surprise, when he returned to the Evergrande Vista residential complex, neither Chen Jian nor Tan Weibo was at home.

Nie Yunyang decisively called the two of them to ask where they had gone.

Chen Jian replied that there was a banquet for Xinhai Company tonight, attended by all the company's investors and creditors. Mu Qingyao, who would continue to be a shareholder of Xinhai Company in the future, needed to be present, and the two of them had to tag along to work overtime as well.

After hanging up the phone, Nie Yunyang had nothing to do, so he went out for a stroll to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment, such as where the nearest supermarkets and tea houses were located.

After walking around for two hours, Nie Yunyang felt a bit tired and noticed a bookstore by the side of the road, so he walked inside to take a look.

This bookstore was quite interesting. There were no magazines or comic books inside; it sold only classic literature. The bookstore was not large, staffed by only a male cashier and two female shop assistants.

When Nie Yunyang walked in, the cashier smiled politely at him, and the two female assistants chimed in, "Welcome!"

"Sir, are there any particular books you are looking for? I can give you some recommendations," a female shop assistant asked politely. She looked like a university student, likely working here part-time, and exuded a faint scent of ink.

"That's alright. If you need anything, just call me anytime," the female assistant said with a gentle smile, then continued tidying the nearby bookshelf.

As Nie Yunyang walked further inside, he observed the bookstore. The decoration was old-fashioned, lacking flashiness and retaining a sense of rustic simplicity.

Most of the books here were related to the humanities and social sciences, followed by finance, science, nature, and medicine. Nie Yunyang spent half an hour browsing through every category in detail, ultimately selecting three books: *The Institutional Changes in Chinese History*, *The Intelligent Investor*, and *Being and Time*.

When it was time to check out, the slightly older female assistant stared at Nie Yunyang repeatedly, looking as though she had something to say but hesitated.

Nie Yunyang raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

"The books you read are quite eclectic," the female assistant smiled and said.

Nie Yunyang sighed. "Eclectic but not proficient, which is why I've achieved nothing."

"No, I think that people who love to read will succeed sooner or later," the female assistant said.

Nie Yunyang shook his head. "Success is still very far away from me."

"How old are you anyway? You talk like a sixty-year-old grandpa. Young people should strive and work hard," the female assistant remarked.

Just as Nie Yunyang was about to reply, the male cashier spoke in an indifferent tone, "Sir, that'll be sixty yuan in total."

"So cheap? As far as I know, *Being and Time* alone costs more than sixty yuan," Nie Yunyang said, genuinely surprised.

Young people nowadays liked to scroll through short videos or play mobile games; none of them enjoyed reading. If this continued, publishing houses would all go out of business.

The female assistant smiled cheerfully. "The books we sell here are all second-hand, which is why they're cheaper than in other bookstores."

"Can you even make a profit like this?" Nie Yunyang asked.

The female assistant cast a sideways glance at him. "Don't you worry, our boss is very wealthy. This bookstore is more like a public welfare organization."

"I see," Nie Yunyang said.

After paying the bill and taking the books, Nie Yunyang said thank you and turned to leave.

Not long after returning to the Evergrande Vista residential complex, Chen Jian and Tan Weibo came back, but they also brought Mu Qingyao along because she was heavily intoxicated, and taking her back to the Dragon Lake Splendid Garden alone would be dangerous.

There was no help for it; Mu Bolin had too many enemies. If they were given an opportunity, there was no telling if they would make a move against Mu Qingyao.

Nie Yunyang carried Mu Qingyao to the master bedroom, planning to make do on the sofa for the night. Tan Weibo sat nearby, hesitating for a moment before deciding that he should share Cao Weihua's thoughts with Tan Weibo.