Chapter 188: 187. I wish to live but cannot, I wish to die but am unable!

“Shut up, all of you!” Director Shen’s face turned furious as he yelled at the mother and daughter. “Brother Lin risked his life to barge into the Imperial Capital to save us. That alone is more than enough to prove his righteousness!”

He turned, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at Kim Soohwan, who was grimacing in pain. “Brother Lin, let me kill him and avenge my father!” Director Shen staggered forward, his trembling hand reaching out to clutch Kim Soohwan’s neck.

“Brother Shen, wait a moment. Let him compensate you first,” Lin Fan said, ignoring Shen Lingling’s earlier questions. He grabbed Director Shen’s arm and slowly shook his head.

“Hahaha! You commoners just want money, don’t you? I have plenty! Giving it to you is no different than feeding dogs!” Kim Soohwan’s bloodshot eyes bulged as he laughed maniacally. “Beg me! Beg me desperately! I can stuff your pathetic mouths full of cash!”

“No, you’re wrong. No amount of money can buy your life from me.”

In the next moment, Lin Fan’s wrist flipped, and holding a silver needle, he swiftly stabbed it into the back of Kim Soohwan’s head. “The only thing you can buy is a less painful way to die.”

HISS!

As the silver needle pierced his brain, its tip emitted a wisp of invisible Qi Force that writhed destructively inside Kim Soohwan’s head like a tiny, venomous snake.

“Ah… Ah! Kill me, kill me now, please kill me! It hurts so much, it’s unbearable… Damn it! I was wrong, stop, please stop!”

His crazed yelling cut off abruptly. Kim Soohwan’s body convulsed before he collapsed to the ground, and the narrow basement was filled with his hysterical screams of agony.

Seeing this, Luo Huiqiong and Shen Lingling were so shocked they couldn’t help but step back, their gazes fixed on Lin Fan as if he were a demon. Even Director Shen, who had weathered many great storms, couldn’t help but tremble, clenching his teeth to maintain his composure.

Kim Soohwan clutched his head, writhing on the floor in unbearable pain. Tears and snot streamed down his face, and a pungent stench emanated from his crotch. He was clearly in so much pain that he had lost control of his bladder and bowels, and he was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

“Do you realize your mistake now?” Lin Fan asked, his face expressionless as he pulled out the silver needle. “Did you think that because of your extraordinary status and the Ying family’s backing in the Imperial Capital, no one could touch you?”

He raised a finger, shaking it slowly at Kim Soohwan, who was drenched in so much sweat he looked as if he had just been pulled from the water. “Unfortunately for you, you met me. I’m someone who can make you beg for both life and death, but grant you neither.”

“No, no, I don’t want to die! I have a lot of money! I’m the heir to the Guxin Group! I can pay a huge sum to atone for my mistakes!”

Collapsed on the ground, Kim Soohwan gasped desperately for air like a fish about to die of thirst. He no longer dared to talk tough, his body trembling as he looked at Lin Fan with profound terror. In Goryeo, Kim Soohwan was a lawless figure, even crazier and more brutal than his own sister, Kim Sooeun.

But alas, the man who used to coldly watch others scream at his feet now experienced a role reversal, tasting the bitter fruits of despair.

Despair, panic, helplessness… A storm of emotions surged through Kim Soohwan, and he was filled with utter regret. He wished he could just slap himself.

How could I have been so stupid? To act like a sucker and provoke Lin Fan! On the surface, it seemed that Shen Yueli, the matriarch of the Ying family, was being quite generous by gifting the Yun City Shen family’s Yunhai Pharmaceutical Group for free. In reality, wasn’t it just a ploy to divert disaster her way? She had turned me into her blade, a tool to be used against Lin Fan.

“It was that bitch Shen Yueli who set me up! She used me to deal with you!” Kim Soohwan cried out. “Lin Fan, Mr. Lin, I was wrong! We’re all victims here! Please spare me, I beg you, please spare me!”

Sobbing, Kim Soohwan used his one good arm to push himself up, get on his knees, and kowtow repeatedly at Lin Fan’s feet.

He’s… caving already? The mighty young master of the Goryeo Guxin Group, so boundlessly arrogant in Yuncheng just yesterday, is now completely subjugated by Lin Fan.

Luo Huiqiong and Shen Lingling both gasped in shock. Even Director Shen, who had been prepared to die with Kim Soohwan, could only stare blankly, his eyes filled with immense admiration for Lin Fan.

“You’re not entirely stupid. You finally figured it out?” Lin Fan said after a moment of silence. Amidst their varying expressions, he pointed toward Director Shen’s family. “Begging me is useless. Beg them. If a single one of them doesn’t agree, you won’t leave here alive!”

This man certainly deserves to die, Lin Fan thought. But killing him now would be playing right into Shen Yueli’s hands. Once the Guxin Group investigated, Director Shen’s family would once again be caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s better to spare Kim Soohwan’s pathetic life and let him go back and have a dogfight with the Ying family.

With that thought, Lin Fan kicked Kim Soohwan in the back. “If you don’t want to die, then earn their forgiveness!”

“Yes, yes! I was wrong! I’m not human, I’m a beast! Please let me go! I can compensate you! I’ll agree to any condition!” Kim Soohwan cried out desperately to the silent Director Shen. Seeing no reaction, he gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and began slapping his own face.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

The sharp sounds echoed through the cramped basement. Luo Huiqiong was stunned. Shen Lingling opened her mouth as if to speak but then stopped, her gaze toward Lin Fan growing more complex.

“…You’re right. You were just Shen Yueli’s pawn,” Director Shen finally said after a long silence, his jaw muscles working constantly. “Wrongs have their source, and debts their debtor. I will find her and settle this blood debt myself!” He raised his hand to stop Kim Soohwan, his breathing heavy.

“Thank you, thank you for your magnanimity! I’ll call my father right now and have him make an international transfer!” Kim Soohwan kowtowed furiously, as if granted a pardon. Trembling, he took out his phone with one hand and dialed a number.

“Dad, hurry, send money to save me! I was used by Shen Yueli from the Imperial Capital’s Ying family! I’ve offended a powerful figure I can’t afford to provoke!” he cried, clutching the phone. He choked back sobs as he quickly explained the situation.

“Here’s my account number. Transfer the money, and I’ll pass it on to Director Shen,” Lin Fan said, typing a string of numbers on his phone and holding the screen in front of Kim Soohwan’s eyes.

A moment later, a notification pinged. Lin Fan checked it and frowned slightly. “Aren’t you the heir to the Guxin Group? You think ten billion Xia Country currency is enough to buy your life?” He kicked Kim Soohwan in the back again, his dissatisfaction clear.

What? Ten billion in compensation, and Lin Fan still isn’t satisfied? The Yun City Shen family might be said to have assets in the hundreds of billions, but their liquid funds are only a few billion!

“Old Shen, you have to say something!” Luo Huiqiong whispered urgently, shooting desperate looks at her husband.

Shen Lingling stared at Lin Fan, utterly dumbfounded. She had assumed he was just some good-for-nothing trying to leech off the Hai City Yuan Family. She even resented Lin Fan for making enemies everywhere and implicating her family. But now, it seemed this man was far from simple. He didn’t even bat an eye at a ten billion Xia currency transfer. Would an ordinary person dare to keep squeezing money out of the heir to the Guxin Group?

As this thought crossed her mind, Shen Lingling suddenly felt a pang of regret. Was I too harsh with Lin Fan earlier?

“Brother Lin…” Director Shen swallowed, at a complete loss. Even with all his years in high positions, he had never faced a situation like this. Ten billion in cash was nearly the total net profit the Yunhai Group could earn in a decade.

“It’s fine,” Lin Fan said, shaking his head as he met the family’s complicated gazes. He turned back to Kim Soohwan. “If he doesn’t satisfy you today, then he won’t be satisfying me either.”

“This, this…” The three members of the Shen family looked at each other, speechless. In truth, they were already satisfied with the compensation. But Lin Fan wasn’t!

“Dad, Dad, did you hear that? I can’t die! I’m your only son!” Glared at by Lin Fan, Kim Soohwan wailed into the phone again. He had been scared out of his wits and began babbling in the Goryeo language.

“…My dad wants to speak with you,” Kim Soohwan said after a moment, cautiously handing the phone to Lin Fan.

Frowning, Lin Fan took the phone, only for an angry male voice to immediately snarl from the other end, “Young man, don’t be so greedy. Our Guxin Group has many friends in high places within your Xia Country.”

Lin Fan paused, then switched to fluent Goryeon to avoid frightening the Shen family. “Thirty billion,” he said. “Also, you will cancel all cooperation with the Ying family. The money is compensation for Director Shen’s family. Your son caused the death of their patriarch, so this amount is nothing. The matriarch of the Ying family, Shen Yueli, and I have a personal grudge. Your son was just a pawn she used. Canceling your partnership is my personal condition.”

One second, two seconds, three… After more than a minute of silence, a strained voice, clearly on the verge of exploding, came through the phone. “I have other illegitimate sons. Killing Kim Soohwan won’t leave the Kim family without an heir.”

“And another thing. Your name is Lin Fan, correct? You just killed my daughter, Kim Sooeun, at the Extreme Speed Taekwondo Gym! How do you propose to settle that debt with me?!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep