Looking for relatives: I acquired my mother’s billion-dollar enterprise

The smug confidence that had lit up Xiao Yueru’s face only moments ago drained away as if someone had yanked the ground from beneath her feet. Her phone, still pressed to her ear, felt as heavy as lead, and the echo of her boss’s enraged roar seemed to reverberate endlessly in her mind.

“You’ve been fired… If you have any objections, go talk to my lawyer!”

Those words burned like molten iron, searing through the haze of her disbelief.

Her hand trembled as she lowered the phone. Around her, the other reporters, who had been watching the scene with growing interest, suddenly hushed. The shift in the atmosphere was palpable. A collective curiosity rippled through the group, and all eyes fixed on Xiao Yueru as her pale, ashen face betrayed the unraveling of her confidence.

Qin Yuan, standing with effortless composure, observed her reaction with an almost imperceptible smile playing at the corners of his lips. His demeanor was that of a predator who had just snared his prey but wasn’t in a hurry to deliver the final blow.

“You… What did you do?” Xiao Yueru stammered, her voice cracking as she looked up at him, eyes filled with panic and confusion.

Qin Yuan took a single step forward, his calm gaze locking onto hers. “I didn’t do anything,” he said lightly, his tone so casual it almost sounded teasing. “You did this to yourself.”

“What do you mean?” she demanded, though the quiver in her voice betrayed her growing fear.

The smirk on Qin Yuan’s face deepened. “You came here today thinking you could poke and prod into someone else’s life—into my life—without considering the consequences. You assumed I was just an ordinary person riding on my mother’s coattails, didn’t you? You thought you could use me for a headline, turn my family’s private matters into your stepping stone. But here’s the truth…”

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a lower register, his words cutting through the tension like a blade. “You know nothing about my abilities.”

Xiao Yueru swallowed hard, her confidence crumbling like a sandcastle swept away by a tide. Around them, the other reporters exchanged uneasy glances, the realization dawning that they were witnessing something far greater than they’d anticipated.

Qin Yuan straightened and turned his gaze to the gathering of journalists. “You all think you’ve uncovered the story of the century,” he said, his voice carrying effortlessly over the murmurs of the crowd. “But let me remind you—there’s a line between curiosity and disrespect, and you’ve crossed it.”

He paused, letting his words sink in. The reporters shifted uncomfortably, some lowering their cameras as if trying to avoid his piercing gaze.

“From this moment on, I suggest you rethink how you report on my family. My mother is the Iron Lady of Gezhi Group. She earned her success through blood, sweat, and sacrifice. She doesn’t owe the public explanations about her personal life, and neither do I. If you insist on prying, I promise you…” He let his words hang, the unspoken threat heavier than anything he could have said aloud.

A hush fell over the group, the reporters realizing that they were no longer dealing with a mere “lucky son” but a man who carried an aura of control and authority that demanded respect.

Xiao Yueru, still frozen in place, tried to muster some form of protest, but her voice caught in her throat. The weight of what had just transpired pressed down on her like a mountain.

And then, as if to drive the final nail into the coffin of her career, Qin Yuan’s phone buzzed softly in his hand. He glanced at it briefly, then turned back to Xiao Yueru with a faint, almost pitying smile.

“Consider this a lesson,” he said, his voice calm yet unyielding. “The next time you aim to make someone a headline, make sure you understand who you’re dealing with.”

Without another word, Qin Yuan turned on his heel and strode back into the building, his posture relaxed but exuding an undeniable air of dominance. The crowd of reporters parted for him as if he were royalty, no one daring to block his path.

As the doors of the office building closed behind him, Xiao Yueru stood there, paralyzed with humiliation and fear. She felt the judgmental stares of her peers and the murmurs that spread like wildfire in her wake.

“She really thought she could go up against someone like that?”

“Serves her right. Did you see how calm he was? That’s power.”

“Man, I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes right now.”

Inside the office building, Qin Yuan leaned against the elevator wall, exhaling a soft breath as the tension left his shoulders. His mind was already shifting back to the challenges ahead—protecting his mother, dealing with the threats to Gezhi Group, and deciding when and how to reveal his true identity to her.

The faint smirk returned to his lips. Today’s encounter had been a small reminder of the world he came from, a world where power wasn’t just about money but about control. And he wasn’t just the son of the richest woman—he was a force to be reckoned with in his own right.

As the elevator doors slid shut, Qin Yuan’s eyes glinted with determination. “You know nothing about my abilities,” he murmured to himself, the words a quiet promise to everyone watching—and to himself.