The moment the door was pushed open, Zhao Dai's scalp prickled despite his surging anger.

He had initially assumed the troublemaker was some arrogant scion from a lesser noble family, already formulating how to send them packing in disgrace.

Instead, the person causing the disturbance outside turned out to be an untouchable, notorious menace.

Although the Yang family maintained a low profile, rarely showing their true faces, to many, they existed more as legend than reality.

However, for the Yidao Group, obtaining photographs of key Yang family members was no difficulty; thus, the company's senior management each held a file on the principal members of the Yang clan.

The man before them was Yang Yunrong, the second son of the current Yang family patriarch. Twenty-five years old, he headed the core department—Mecha Division—of the Giant Machinery Group.

Rumor had it that the Yang family bred geniuses and madmen, with astonishing figures emerging in almost every generation.

This Yang Yunrong was a fusion of both: a genius and a lunatic. Entrusted with significant responsibility at a young age, he had become the head of a core department by twenty-five. If he weren't exceptionally talented, the Yang family head would never have placed such trust in him.

If leadership relied solely on nepotism, the Giant Machinery Group wouldn't boast centuries of glory, nor would their own boss feel such a persistent headache regarding the group.

Unlike other Yangs, Yang Yunrong was not discreet. Perhaps due to his early success, he was notoriously abrasive—even the Heavens themselves would struggle to save face if they ran afoul of him.

Take three months ago. The mayor of Mingzhou City was staying overnight at the Pearl Grand Hotel, coincidentally in the very suite Yang Yunrong frequently occupied. And by sheer chance, Yang Yunrong also decided to stay there that night. The two ran right into each other.

It was said that Yang Yunrong erupted then and there, throwing the Mayor of Mingzhou out, and then sent men to completely wreck the room.

"That fat pig soiled the room; smash it and rebuild it for me," Yang Yunrong had declared.

To slight a sitting mayor like that—how utterly audacious.

Thinking of this, Zhao Dai felt a tremor of fear. The two parties were not on the same level at all. He was merely a security manager for the Yidao Group; the status of the Young Master of the Yang family alone was enough to crush him.

Wasn't he just a piece of meat delivered right to the chopping block?

Still, he had to step up now; heads could roll, blood could spill, but face could not be lost.

"It turns out to be Manager Yang." Zhao Dai proved his mettle as a capable executive; the surprise on his face was perfectly calibrated. "May I ask what brings you to see me?"

Zhao Dai’s comparatively 'gentle' tone stunned the surrounding onlookers.

Although the Yidao Group wasn't overtly tyrannical, they always carried an air of sharp authority. No one had ever seen someone cause trouble for them, only for the Yidao personnel to speak so courteously.

What exactly was this young man's background? For a moment, everyone began to speculate silently.

Yang Yunrong pulled out a sky-blue handkerchief, wiped his hand, and looked at him without acknowledgment. "Finally, someone worth talking to has arrived."

"Manager Yang, please don't stand at the doorway; let's talk inside." Zhao Dai made a gesture of invitation, his expression neither subservient nor arrogant.

Yang Yunrong stepped inside. He disliked being gawked at like an animal.

"Young Master Yang the Second."

Just then, someone in the crowd called out to him. He turned toward the voice and said, surprised, "It's you?"

"What a coincidence," Fei Yingming said, stepping forward with a smile. "Are you here in Dawo on business as well?"

Yang Yunrong nodded. His impression of Fei Yingming was neutral—neither favorable nor hostile. But running into an acquaintance here felt like fate, perhaps.

Under the envious gaze of his companions, Fei Yingming followed behind Yang Yunrong into the room.

The Fei family was a giant in the steel industry, perfectly complementary to the Giant Machinery Group's sectors. The two companies had always been partners, and the families maintained a good relationship.

However, Fei Yingming's casual address—"Young Master Yang the Second"—sparked endless conjecture among the others. A surname Yang, referred to as the Second Young Master, capable of making the Yidao Group yield... only one person fit this description.

"Why is he here?" Seeing Zhong Yun sprawled casually on the sofa, Fei Yingming visibly stiffened. He could never have imagined seeing him here.

Given Zhong Yun's background, he shouldn't be present at all.

Yang Yunrong took a seat on the sofa opposite Zhong Yun without a word, scrutinizing him from head to toe, and asked dismissively, "You are Zhong Yun?"

Zhong Yun found the pretty-boy in front of him vaguely familiar. Seeing him stare continuously made him slightly annoyed. Hearing the condescending tone only pushed that displeasure to its peak.

Zhong Yun did not answer, focusing instead on Zhao Dai, who stood to the side looking relatively composed.

"I don't like you," Yang Yunrong stated bluntly. "But for my sister's sake, I'll stoop to meet you."

Zhao Dai, standing nearby, was already breaking out in a cold sweat. So this young master had come for Zhong Yun. He quickly interjected, "Manager Yang, Mr. Zhong is a guest specifically requested to meet by our Chairman."

"Now he is my guest," Yang Yunrong stated as a matter of fact.

"But..." Zhao Dai was reluctant, wanting to struggle a bit longer.

"If you have any objections, summon Zhao Tingjian to tell me himself," Yang Yunrong commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Zhao Dai’s face cycled from pale to green. His hands clenched into fists, then relaxed, then clenched again, then relaxed one last time. Finally, he spoke in a strained voice, "Then please, Manager Yang, entertain Mr. Zhong well. I will relay your consideration to the Chairman." With that, he turned and left.

Outside the door, the crowd had not dispersed and were murmuring in low voices. Seeing Zhao Dai emerge with a ashen face, followed by his subordinates as he departed without a word, everyone knew the Yidao Group had suffered a loss today.

Their prior suspicions were only solidified. In Dawo, the number of entities capable of making the Yidao Group admit defeat could be counted on one hand.

Inside the room, Fei Yingming was utterly bewildered. Zhong Yun was a guest specifically requested by Zhao Tingjian? Who was Zhao Tingjian? That was a man whose stature was equal to that of his own grandfather.

And who was Zhong Yun? A boy of ordinary origins, deemed a slow-witted waste. It was impossible, and certainly unnecessary, for Zhao Tingjian to know such a person.

What shocked Fei Yingming even more was Yang Yunrong's tone—that he had come today specifically because of Zhong Yun, even risking open conflict with the Yidao Group to do so.

The Giant Machinery Group and the Yidao Group had been engaged in quiet rivalry for over a decade, yet both maintained restraint, never taking the fight into the open, sometimes even cooperating commercially.

Because the two companies had no fundamental conflict of interest, Zhao Tingjian was shrewd enough never to encroach upon the core sectors of mechanical manufacturing. Thus, there was no reason for them to fight to the death.

Fei Yingming knew the principles guiding the upper echelons; they would never make an enemy of someone powerful merely over a spat of ego. Self-interest was always paramount.

Today, Yang Yunrong seemed determined to overturn that principle, risking offending a heavyweight opponent like Zhao Tingjian for the sake of an insignificant figure like Zhong Yun.

Had he gone mad?