How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 349

349. The Last Card Played, Time to Clean Up the Ye Family

Yang Chen escorted Li Xiuyan to Tang Pavilion, where they each retired to their private rooms.

To ensure Li Xiuyan’s safety, Yang Chen instructed Tan Hongkai to closely monitor her room. Any sign of trouble, and Tan Hongkai was to create a significant diversion, preventing Li Zailong and his associates from taking her.

Before long, Yang Chen’s invited guests began to arrive.

In those days, the internet landscape was dominated by two giants, Tencent (Penguin) and Alibaba, with everyone else trailing far behind.

Even the closest of brothers can clash in fierce competition, so what could be expected of two individuals with no familial ties?

“Little Ma” (Ma Huateng, founder of Tencent) and “Big Ma” (Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba) had experienced conflicts at past dinner parties. Even the mediation of the “Godfather of Communication” [likely referring to a prominent figure in the tech industry] couldn’t fully repair their relationship. Since then, they had avoided appearing at the same table.

Today, they would set aside their differences and share a table once more, solely for Yang Chen’s sake.

Yang Chen moved between the two, draping an arm around Big Ma’s shoulders with his left arm and Little Ma’s with his right, and said with a smile, “We all have our moments of youthful exuberance. Years have passed, and you’ve both achieved remarkable fame and success. It’s time to let go of the past. Today, in front of all these esteemed guests, let’s have the two Mas drink together, let bygones be bygones, and bury the hatchet with a smile.”

With that, Yang Chen picked up the wine glasses before them and handed one to each.

In truth, their willingness to attend indicated a prior decision to reconcile. Otherwise, they would have avoided the gathering to prevent any awkwardness.

However, both were influential figures who valued their reputations. A casual reconciliation would have been unseemly, causing them to lose face.

Yang Chen’s words provided the necessary impetus, and the other attendees joined in to facilitate the reconciliation, offering them a graceful way out. Ultimately, they accepted the wine glasses and buried the hatchet with smiles.

The reconciliation of the two Mas benefited Yang Chen the most, as he held shares in the business empires controlled by both.

“Come, try this caviar. I had it specially sourced from Russia, from sturgeon over a century old,” Yang Chen said with a smile.

Little Ma: “Mr. Yang certainly knows how to enjoy the finer things in life.”

Big Ma: “I almost feel guilty eating such exquisite caviar.”

“Haha…” Everyone laughed.

On the other side, Li Xiuyan was dining with her father, brother, and the two Lotte Group representatives.

Originally, Li Xiuyan had only intended to invite her father and brother, but she was displeased when her father also invited the Lotte Group members. The table was laden with delicacies, but she had no appetite.

Xin Xiangyou said with a smile, “Miss Xiuyan, why aren’t you eating? Are the dishes not to your liking? Restaurants in Dragon Country are all the same, there’s nothing decent to eat. They don’t even have proper kimchi; it’s quite pathetic. How can this be a Michelin three-star restaurant? It’s absurd.”

Li Xiuyan replied disdainfully, “I have no appetite. This is a Michelin three-star restaurant, so naturally they serve world-class cuisine. Other countries don’t eat kimchi, so of course they wouldn’t have it.”

Xin Xiangyou smiled awkwardly.

Li Chengzun quickly interjected, “It’s only because people in other countries lack the taste to appreciate the deliciousness of kimchi. You’ve been causing a scene for long enough. After dinner, come back to the hotel with us and return home tomorrow. You are an

349. The Last Card Played, Time to Clean Up the Ye Family

adult now, and you should understand that everything has its limits. If you cross a certain line, even your father and I can’t condone it.”

Li Xiuyan immediately stood up and said, “I’ve made my position clear: either I die, or I choose whom I want to marry. Give me a straight answer first, and then I’ll consider what to do.”

Li Zailong: “Nonsense! If I let you choose, who would you pick? Who could possibly be a better match than Xin Xiangyou?”

Li Xiuyan: “Yang Chen! He’s far more suitable than Xin Xiangyou.”

Xin Xiangyou was displeased. He believed that no matter how inadequate he might be, he couldn’t be worse than someone from Dragon Country, especially a mere driver.

“Miss Xiuyan, you’re going too far! I’ve been respectful to Chairman Li, so I haven’t said anything offensive. But you’ve repeatedly insulted me, which I cannot tolerate. I am the future successor of the Lotte Group, after all. How can you claim that I’m inferior to some Dragon Country fellow? If Miss Xiuyan maintains this attitude, then I must declare that this engagement is off!” Xin Xiangyou said angrily.

Xin Dongjian remained silent, his expression indicating his agreement with his son’s statement.

Li Chengzun quickly said, “Xin Xiangyou, don’t talk nonsense! The entire nation knows about your engagement. If you call it off, where will our families’ reputations be?”

Xin Xiangyou: “She said I’m not as good as a Dragon Country person. How can I proceed with the engagement? I’m the future successor of the Lotte Group. What is he? Why is he better than me?”

Li Xiuyan: “You’re not allowed to speak ill of Chen Ge [older brother, a term of endearment], he’s simply better than you! Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you. You know my intentions now, and you just said you wanted to cancel the engagement. I hope you stand by your words. I can’t eat this meal; you guys continue. I’ll open a new table.”

Li Chengzun: “What are you doing? Don’t waste money. Isn’t this enough for you to eat?”

Li Xiuyan: “This is Chen Ge’s territory. He said I can eat whatever I want, no need to pay.”

Upon learning that the restaurant belonged to Yang Chen, Xin Xiangyou, who had just praised the caviar and other delicacies, immediately changed his expression.

“Are you kidding me? He owns this restaurant?” Xin Xiangyou asked.

Li Xiuyan nodded and said, “Yes!”

At that moment, Tan Hongkai entered.

“Miss Li, esteemed guests, good evening. I’m Tan Hongkai, the manager of this restaurant. Are you all enjoying your dinner?” Tan Hongkai asked with a smile.

Xin Xiangyou replied with a look of disgust, “It’s alright, but it’s quite disappointing that there’s no kimchi.”

Tan Hongkai: “I apologize, but we are a Michelin three-star restaurant, and we don’t serve kimchi. Miss Li, do you require anything else? Mr. Yang has instructed us to ensure you have a pleasant meal.”

Li Xiuyan: “I want to open a separate table. Where is Chen Ge? Has he finished eating?”

Tan Hongkai: “Mr. Yang is in private room 201, not far from here.”

Xin Xiangyou immediately stood up and said, “Since he’s here, let’s get things cleared up today. Chairman Li, what do you think?”

Li Zailong felt that the matter should indeed be addressed in person, so he nodded and agreed to Xin Xiangyou’s suggestion.

Thus, the group proceeded to the door of private room 201.

Tan Hongkai attempted to announce their arrival, but Xin Xiangyou didn’t give

349. The Last Card Played, Time to Clean Up the Ye Family

him a chance and kicked the door open.

The occupants of the private room turned to look at the entrance.

Li Zailong and the others entered.

They might not recognize everyone, but they certainly recognized Big Ma.

Xin Xiangyou had intended to curse, but upon seeing Big Ma present, he swallowed his words.

Li Zailong and Xin Dongjian were also surprised. They hadn’t expected Yang Chen’s dinner party to be so exclusive, with the two Mas and Mr. Liu from Xiangjiang [Hong Kong]. Although they didn’t recognize the other prominent figures, anyone who could sit and converse with the two Mas was undoubtedly important.

Big Ma stood up with a smile and said, “Chairman Li, Chairman Xin, what brings you here?”

Li Zailong and Xin Dongjian quickly stepped forward to shake hands with Big Ma and exchange greetings.

Tan Hongkai hastily apologized to Yang Chen for failing to stop the intrusion.

Yang Chen waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Li Xiuyan approached Yang Chen, took his arm, and asked, “Chen Ge, do you know him too? He seems very influential. I’ve seen him on the news many times.”

Of course, Big Ma was a man with a United Nations passport, so he was bound to be powerful.

Yang Chen: “We’re partners. Which one is Xin Xiangyou?”

Li Xiuyan pointed to Xin Xiangyou and said, “It’s him.”

Yang Chen walked over and kicked him to the ground.

Xin Dongjian was furious and shouted, “What are you doing?”

Yang Chen: “Your son sent an assassin to kill me. You’re aware of this, aren’t you? I didn’t seek you out for revenge, but you came to my doorstep. What, do you think no one dares to touch you?”

Xin Xiangyou immediately pulled out his phone to call his bodyguards.

“Come up quickly, to private room 201! We’re under attack!” Xin Xiangyou shouted.

The bodyguard replied, “Young Master, we’ve been restrained by a group of unknown individuals. We can’t get there right now.”

The Koreans were shocked. The bodyguards they had brought were the best of the best. How could they have been subdued so silently?

Yang Chen walked over and kicked Xin Xiangyou again, scolding, “This is Dragon Country. How dare you kick down my door! You have no sense of propriety!”

Xin Dongjian: “Don’t cause trouble, or I’ll use every resource at my disposal to make sure you regret it!”

Yang Chen: “You’re going to use every resource? You’re about to sell all your businesses in Dragon Country and leave. What resources do you have left?”

Xin Dongjian: “You think we’ll sell just because you say so?”

At that moment, Gao Qiao, the official in charge of the Lotte Group’s terrorism investigation, said, “Mr. Yang is correct. This time, you must withdraw from the Dragon Country market. There’s no room for negotiation. I am Gao Qiao, specifically responsible for handling the Lotte Dragon Country company’s terrorism case.”

Xin Dongjian was shocked and said, “You… you’re Gao Qiao? Mr. Gao, didn’t you say you were busy tonight? Why are you here?”

Gao Qiao: “I am indeed busy, because I have to have dinner with Mr. Yang and all these esteemed guests.”

Everyone laughed, and Xin Dongjian looked embarrassed.

However, business still needed to be addressed.

Xin Dongjian quickly said, “Mr. Gao, our Lotte Group is completely innocent this time. You must investigate thoroughly. To demonstrate our sincerity, we’re willing to accept any penalty. As for the amount, you can decide. As long as it’s not too excessive, we can accept it.”

Gao Qiao: “Mr. Xin is

349. The Last Card Played, Time to Clean Up the Ye Family

joking. Your company is suspected of engaging in terrorist activities, which is not a problem that can be resolved by accepting a penalty. Your son sent an assassin to assassinate Mr. Yang, and that assassin has assassinated many important figures. If it were just a simple economic crime, there would still be room for negotiation. But this kind of problem, our Dragon Country has zero tolerance for and will never condone. You should withdraw voluntarily and give yourselves a chance to leave with dignity. Otherwise, we can only seal everything up and force you to withdraw.”

Xin Dongjian: “Is there really no room for negotiation?”

Gao Qiao: “No! The Lotte Group must withdraw from the Dragon Country market. There is no room for negotiation. You have three days to handle it. After three days, we will forcibly ban all of Lotte’s business in Dragon Country.”

Hearing this, Xin Dongjian and his son felt a chill in their hearts.

In this way, Lotte Group’s business in Dragon Country was completely doomed.

“Everyone, we have something else to discuss. Please leave, okay?” Yang Chen said with a serious expression.

Li Zailong nodded with a smile, greeted Mr. Ma and the others, and left quickly.

Because the oil tycoons and others were present, Yang Chen didn’t want to settle his score with Xin Xiangyou there, so he let them leave temporarily.

An hour later, Yang Chen saw off Mr. Ma and the others, and then drove straight to the Hyatt Atlantis Hotel.

Qiu Yuhong had already brought the Aegis Security personnel to wait. Yang Chen led them to the door of Xin Dongjian and his son’s room.

When the bodyguards saw Yang Chen arriving with so many people, they were terrified and ran inside to report to Xin Dongjian.

Xin Xiangyou was scared and quickly asked, “Dad, what should we do now? Why don’t we call the police?”

Xin Dongjian: “If he really wants revenge, calling the police won’t solve the problem. Let them in. We’ll have a good talk with them.”

The bodyguard nodded and let Yang Chen and Qiu Yuhong in.

Xin Xiangyou: “How did you know we were here?”

Yang Chen: “I’m the major shareholder of this hotel. I knew when you checked in.”

Xin Dongjian and Xin Xiangyou exchanged glances, clearly surprised by this.

Now they realized that Yang Chen was not a driver at all, but a mysterious big shot.

Xin Dongjian: “We truly underestimated you. We thought you were just a ride-hailing driver. Tell me, what do you want to do?”

Yang Chen: “Your son wanted to kill me, so of course I have to return the favor in kind. Or I’ll find an assassin to assassinate him. If he can dodge it, we’ll call it even. Do you think that’s fair?”

Xin Dongjian: “We’ll announce the cancellation of my son’s engagement with Li Xiuyan, immediately withdraw from the Dragon Country market, and transfer all the shopping malls to you at a low price. From now on, we’ll be clear of each other and not infringe on each other. Do you think that’s acceptable?”

Yang Chen: “Li Xiuyan will never marry your son, so what’s the point of announcing the cancellation of the engagement? The government requires you to withdraw from the Dragon Country market, and you’re using this as a condition? Are you joking? As for your shopping malls, I’m not very interested. However, if I can buy them for 1 yuan [approximately $0.15 USD], I might consider it.”

Buy for 1 yuan?

Isn’t that practically a free gift?

Xin Xiangyou: “Axi [Korean exclamation of frustration], you’re going too far! What’s the difference between this and robbery?”

349. The Last Card Played, Time to Clean Up the Ye Family

Yang Chen: “You can refuse. I’ll send an assassin to assassinate you and see if you have as much luck as I do.”

Xin Dongjian gritted his teeth and said, “No problem! I accept your conditions. I’ll symbolically charge you 1 yuan and sell all of Lotte Group’s business to you as a package.”

Yang Chen nodded, slapped Xin Xiangyou, and warned, “Don’t ever set foot in Dragon Country again. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never return. I’ll give you these photos. Be a good person in the future.”

Qiu Yuhong took out an envelope from his coat and placed it on the table.

Yang Chen got up and left.

Xin Dongjian opened the envelope. Inside were some private photos of him and his son, such as photos of Xin Dongjian meeting with his mistress and photos of Xin Xiangyou having an affair with the wife of Jin Genxi, the leader of the Seven Stars Gang, in a hotel.

“It seems we really underestimated him. He’s much more powerful than we imagined!” Xin Dongjian said with emotion.

Yang Chen went to Li Zailong’s room, where Li Xiuyan was also present.

As soon as Li Xiuyan saw Yang Chen, she happily ran up to take his arm, as if she had endless things to say.

“Chairman Li, are you satisfied with the room? If you’re not, I’ll have someone change it for you. I’m the major shareholder here. For Xiuyan’s sake, you can choose any room here, it’s free,” Yang Chen said.

Li Chengzun: “Really? You’re the major shareholder of this hotel? How much have you invested in? How does it feel to be as powerful as our family?”

Yang Chen: “I can’t remember how much I’ve invested in. There’s a lot, anyway. I came here today to talk to Chairman Li about a potential collaboration.”

Li Zailong: “What kind of collaboration?”

Yang Chen: “Your Two Stars Group’s business in Dragon Country is also on its last legs. I’ll buy your Gemini Towers at a premium price, and you’ll help me drive the All Stars Group out of Korea. Or, I can transfer the sales channels of Mercedes-Benz in Korea to you. I heard that you also have a car business, but it’s not doing very well. Maybe after cooperating with Mercedes-Benz, your own car business can also improve. What do you think?”

The Two Stars Group has two Gemini Towers in Beijing, which should be their most valuable assets in Dragon Country.

Li Chengzun: “Why would you transfer the sales channels of Mercedes-Benz to us?”

Yang Chen: “I’m the major shareholder of Mercedes-Benz!”

Li Chengzun: “Really? I’ll check.”

Li Chengzun opened the stock software and found the stock of Mercedes-Benz. The largest shareholder in the shareholder column was indeed listed as “”.

Li Zailong also looked carefully and then laughed.

“I didn’t expect you to be so powerful. We really underestimated you. The cooperation plan you mentioned is worth considering, but I need to know how you plan to handle your relationship with Xiuyan. How many women do you have?” Li Zailong asked.

Yang Chen: “That’s my private matter, and it’s not convenient to discuss. I have a plan for my life. I’ll consider marriage and children when I feel like I have no more goals to strive for. I’ve told Miss Li about this. The choice is in her hands.”

Li Xiuyan quickly said, “I don’t want to get married now either! Dad, don’t worry about it. Let me decide my own life. You guys go back tomorrow. I want to stay here for a while. I especially like

349. The Last Card Played, Time to Clean Up the Ye Family

delivering food. I think it’s very interesting.”

Yang Chen: “It’s getting late, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Someone will contact you later. I wish us a happy collaboration.”

With that, Yang Chen turned and left.

Li Xiuyan waved goodbye to her father and brother and quickly chased after Yang Chen.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Li Chengzun asked, “Dad, are we just compromising like this?”

Li Zailong: “Why should we make an enemy of someone whose strength is comparable to ours? If Xiuyan wants to play, let her play. With such a powerful person protecting her, we don’t have to worry about her safety.”

Li Chengzun nodded and asked, “Then how do we explain this to the Lotte Group?”

Speak of the devil.

At that moment, Xin Dongjian and Xin Xiangyou arrived.

The two directly proposed to Li Zailong the cancellation of the engagement, and Li Zailong accepted it without hesitation.

The next day, the chairmen of both families returned home.

Subsequently, Two Stars Group and Lotte Group simultaneously issued announcements canceling the engagement between Xin Xiangyou and Li Xiuyan.

Then, Lotte Group issued another announcement stating that it would withdraw from the Dragon Country market and sell all its business to Dragon Union Supermarket Group for a symbolic price of 1 yuan.

Lotte Supermarket’s move undoubtedly caused an uproar in Korea.

Many Koreans expressed their opinions online.

“Does this mean that Lotte Group lost both its wife and its army?”

“Xin Xiangyou is too miserable. His wife is gone, and his assets were robbed.”

“So, even a powerful group like Lotte can’t beat a ride-hailing driver from Dragon Country?”

“Too humiliating! Lotte Group is one of the top chaebol [family-owned conglomerates] groups in our country. How could it not beat a driver from Dragon Country?”

……

Two Stars Group was not idle either and soon used administrative means to drive the All Stars Group out of Korea.

After all, Korea is known as the Two Stars Empire, so it’s very easy to drive away a foreign company.

The main business of All Stars Group is in three areas: Dragon Country, Korea, and Singapore.

Now that they have been driven out of Korea and Mercedes-Benz has decided to take back their sales rights in Dragon Country, with only the small business in Singapore left, it’s difficult for All Stars Group to even support its employees, let alone go public, which is simply impossible.

Liao Yongfu, chairman of All Stars Group, quickly asked the Ye family for help, hoping to reverse the decline.

However, at that moment, news suddenly broke on the internet that Ye Xuan was colluding with mercenaries and fraud groups in Southern Myanmar to deceive Dragon Country citizens and was suspected of smuggling cultural relics.

Weibo, Douyin [TikTok], Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu [Little Red Book] and other mainstream domestic platforms almost simultaneously exposed the news, and it only took half a day for it to become widely known.

The Ye family quickly contacted these platforms to delete the news, but they were all told that Yang Chen did not allow it.

At that moment, the Ye family knew that Yang Chen had officially launched the final offensive against them.

Ye Kaiguo personally called Yang Chen.

“Yang Chen, you’re quite ruthless. You don’t leave us any room!” Ye Kaiguo said in a gloomy tone.

Yang Chen chuckled and said, “Haven’t you been preparing to deal with me all along? I’m just striking first. What does the old man mean by calling me? Begging for mercy, or officially declaring war?”

Ye Kaiguo: “Begging for mercy? Haha… you think too highly of yourself. You little brat thinks I would beg for mercy? I just want to ask if you’re ready. This time, only one of us can survive!”

Yang Chen: “Old man, what you said is interesting. If I wasn’t ready, how would I have acted? I heard that your Ye family has been entrenched in Haicheng for decades, with complex relationships. I’ve been holding back for a long time before making a move.”

Ye Kaiguo: “Okay! What other cards do you have? It can’t be just these, right? Then I have to tell you, if you only have these cards, you can’t shake the foundation of our Ye family.”

Yang Chen: “Oh, old man, are you calling to test what cards I have? I have too many cards to explain them one by one. But I can tell you my ultimate goal: the Ye family will disappear from Haicheng from now on. No one can help. I’m determined to destroy your Ye family!”

Ye Kaiguo: “Haha… you’re quite arrogant! Then we’ll see who laughs last!”

This old man is so funny. He’s still calling to test what cards Yang Chen has at this point. Shouldn’t he have found out what cards his opponent has in advance?

He didn’t even figure out what cards Yang Chen had, and he dared to contact relationships everywhere to move against Yang Chen. It’s truly ridiculous.

Ye Kaiguo hung up the phone.

At that moment, everyone in the Ye family hall was staring at him.

The Ye family had reached a moment of life and death. It depended on whether Ye Kaiguo could turn the tide.