Inside the venue, the only sound was Wong Ming's hisses of pain as he gasped for air.

Everyone was dumbstruck. Staring at the icy expression on Xu Ke's face, no one had anticipated that he would make a move.

Hitting Xie Jinhua would have been one thing. After all, everyone knew he had struck first, making Xu Ke's counterattack justifiable. But now, Wong Ming had merely taunted him and thrown away his invitation. For that, Xu Ke had lashed out with his leg and sent the man flying. Such audacity was simply astounding!

After her initial shock, Lin Yu's face showed a mix of fear and gratitude. She understood what Xu Ke meant by "repaying a debt." It meant delivering a kick to Wong Ming as payback for the slap he had given her. For someone of her low status, Xu Ke was willing to offend the Xie Family—how could she not be moved?

But at the same time, she was terrified. The Xie Family was powerful and dominated Sui City. For this action at their banquet, they would surely hunt Xu Ke down.

"Mister Xu, there was really no need to intervene on my behalf. Wong Ming is Xie Jinhua's man. This will provoke the Xie Family to hunt you down relentlessly..." Lin Yu said, looking at Xu Ke.

Xu Ke gave her a slight smile. "It's fine. It was just a kick, don't overthink it."

"The moment I sent Xie Jinhua and his two servants flying this afternoon, the Xie Family already had no intention of letting me go."

"You should head back for now. I'll handle what comes next."

Upon hearing his words, Lin Yu felt a little dazed, and her cheeks flushed red. A young girl's heart is easily stirred, especially when a man like Xu Ke steps forward to protect her in a moment of crisis...

Seeing Lin Yu's expression from the back, Tang Yingchang chuckled and shook his head.

It was only a moment after Xu Ke's kick that the crowd began to react. Someone immediately stood up and roared at Xu Ke as the crowd erupted in indignation, "Outrageous! Do you know where you are?"

"This is Young Master Xie's event! Wong Ming is his man, and you still dared to attack him?"

"There's no place left for you in Sui City, Xu Ke!"

These were all members of local Sui City families—lackeys of the Xie Family. The pre-auction banquet was hosted in turns by the Bai and Xie Families. Since it was the Xie Family's turn, those speaking up were naturally their people.

Meanwhile, those affiliated with the Bai Family simply looked on, enjoying the show.

Facing the condemnation, Xu Ke ignored them. He said coldly, "Is this the kind of ill-mannered person with no sense of propriety that the Xie Family sends out as a receptionist?"

It's obvious Wong Ming was here to make trouble for me, and Lin Yu was just a sacrificial pawn. I don't know why she would risk offending Wong Ming to get me in, but since she was slapped because of me, I won't just stand by and do nothing. As for why Wong Ming made things so difficult, and who was pulling the strings... the answer is obvious.

"No manners? Who do you think you are?" Wong Ming clutched his stomach, struggling to his feet amidst the shards of glass. "Why should I be polite to a fraud like you, here with a fake invitation?"

However, despite the pain on his face, a look of triumph flickered in the depths of his eyes. As long as Xu Ke made a move, he'd fall right into our trap!

Lin Yu angrily retorted, "You didn't even look at the invitation! How can you say Mister Xu's invitation is a fake?!"

Xu Ke had told her to leave, but she didn't want to. Offending the Xie Family was now set in stone. Whether she stayed or left, it was a dead end. In that case, she might as well stand with Xu Ke.

"What's this to you? You've been fired, now scram! Believe it or not, I'll have someone break your legs!" Wong Ming bellowed.

Four or five security guards immediately approached with sneering smiles. They were the type who wouldn't hesitate to use lethal force.

Lin Yu's face turned pale. Her long legs were a key asset in her line of work; if they were broken, her career would be over.

Just then, Xu Ke's voice grew icier. "Wong Ming, you dare break one of her legs, and I'll break both of yours. Do you believe me?"

"You dare?" Wong Ming glared. This was the banquet hall of the Deyun Hotel. He'd already been kicked once; would Xu Ke really dare to break his legs, too? Who did he think he was?

Suddenly, an immense pressure and a violent, murderous intent locked onto Wong Ming, involuntarily making his legs give out and forcing him to his knees.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the entire venue changed. All eyes were locked on Xu Ke. After Wong Ming had spoken, the True Qi inside Xu Ke had erupted without warning, causing the man to kneel.

"What do you think? Do I dare?"

As Wong Ming listened, he raised his head to meet Xu Ke's condescending gaze. His body went rigid as fear involuntarily rose within him—a chill that permeated his entire being. The terrifying killing intent in Xu Ke's eyes told him plainly that if he opened his mouth again, he would be kicked again.

"Xu Ke, you're quite the big shot. Anyone who didn't know better might think this Deyun Hotel actually belongs to the Xu family!"

From another door, a sneering, sarcastic voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone's gaze shifted in that direction.

Hearing the voice, Wong Ming's face lit up with ecstasy. The Young Master is here! Xu Ke is finished!

Lin Yu's face, however, went deathly pale. "Mister Xu, run!"

"No rush," Xu Ke said calmly.

The main doors swung open. Xie Jinhua strode in, dressed in a custom red Armani suit, his face a mask of smug pride. Behind him were the same young bodyguard and Elder Xuu, who had been beaten by Xu Ke that afternoon.

"Young Master Xie!" Wong Ming cried out pitifully the moment Xie Jinhua approached. "Xu Ke just hit me! Everyone here saw it!"

"I'm not blind. I saw it." A triumphant, conspiratorial smile touched Xie Jinhua's lips.

Wong Ming immediately lowered his head, equally smug.

From the start, Xie Jinhua's plan was never for Wong Ming to simply throw away Xu Ke's invitation and block his entry. His goal was to have Wong Ming provoke Xu Ke, forcing him to retaliate. If tossing the invitation wasn't enough, Wong Ming was to continue escalating until Xu Ke could no longer endure it.

As long as Xu Ke was the one to strike first, Xie Jinhua would have a legitimate reason to throw him out. Then, he could use the "public disturbance" as grounds to cancel his qualification for the auction. Xu Ke dared to hit him; he was going to collect some interest first. Afterward, he would have the Sui City Martial Guild intervene and bring Xu Ke under control.

However, neither Xie Jinhua nor Wong Ming had expected Lin Yu to stand up for Xu Ke. It was precisely because of her that their plan had progressed so smoothly.

"Xu Ke, you are causing a disturbance at this banquet. People who start fights are not welcome here. You have one minute to leave!" After arriving, Xie Jinhua didn't waste a single word, moving straight to expel him.

Hearing this, a sarcastic smile played on Xu Ke's lips. "So, after all this song and dance, you just wanted a reason to kick me out, is that it?"

How could he not see through Xie Jinhua's intentions?

"So what if it was? Scram!" Xie Jinhua sneered. What did it matter if Xu Ke knew it was a setup? This was Xie territory, not Xu territory.

The onlookers behind them immediately began to gloat. Now it seemed impossible for Xu Ke to stay!

Shi Hongda and the other two were practically giddy with excitement. Seeing Xu Ke humiliated was satisfaction enough for them.