Chapter 123: My Ace in the Hole Could Scare You to Death!

Qian Cong stepped forward with a flattering smile. "Young Master Tang, this kid surnamed Ye is incredibly arrogant! Since you've arrived, please back me up and teach him a lesson so he learns his place!"

"Who are you?" Tang Ying asked, suppressing his anger.

"I’m Qian Cong. My father is Qian Haiyang, and our family is the sole supplier for your hotel."

Qian Cong fawned, smiling as he smugly pointed at Ye Tianci. "Young Master Tang, you wouldn't believe how arrogant this kid was earlier. He actually said he would cancel our family's supply contract with your hotel. It’s hilarious..."

"He was right," Tang Ying interrupted coldly.

"W-what?"

Qian Cong’s eyes widened, his smile freezing on his face. He even suspected he was hallucinating.

"Your family's status as a supplier is terminated, effective immediately. Is that clear?"

Tang Ying’s words were sharp and deliberate. Everyone heard them clearly. Qian Cong’s eyes bulged, his face a mask of disbelief. After a few seconds of stunned silence, his lips trembled. "Young Master Tang, y-you must be mistaken, right?"

Tang Ying’s face turned icy. He looked at Tan Jian, his eyes flashing with fury. "Tan Jian, repeat what I just said to him!"

"Boss..." Tan Jian, sensing that things had taken a turn for the worse, grew anxious.

"Speak!" Tang Ying roared.

Not daring to delay, Tan Jian, in his capacity as the purchasing manager of the Longxiang Hotel, repeated Tang Ying’s words to Qian Cong.

Qian Cong’s face drained of all color. If his father found out he had lost their supply contract with the Longxiang Hotel, he would surely break his legs!

After Tan Jian finished, Tang Ying nodded expressionlessly. "Very good. Tan Jian, that is the last order you will ever give as purchasing manager. From this moment on, you are fired."

"What?!" Tan Jian stared, wide-eyed and petrified, standing there like a wooden statue.

Tang Ying then stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Ye Tianci. "Mr. Ye, I apologize for my late arrival. Are you satisfied with this outcome?"

Everyone in the private room knew that Tang Ying was not only the owner of the Longxiang Hotel but also a scion of the Tang family. To see him act so deferentially toward Ye Tianci left everyone in absolute shock. Without exception.

Hearing Tang Ying, Ye Tianci showed no signs of pleasure. He gestured coolly toward Tan Wu. "You seem to have missed one person."

Tang Ying turned to Tan Wu, his anger plain. "Tan Wu, like Tan Jian, you are fired as of now!"

"Boom!" It felt like a thunderclap in their ears.

A flash of realization hit Tan Wu. He suddenly remembered who Ye Tianci was. In all of Shucheng, there was only one person who could command such respect from Young Master Tang—the Mr. Ye who had recently risen to prominence!

He was truly blind not to have recognized him sooner!

Tan Wu’s face turned deathly pale. Trembling all over, he pleaded in a low, submissive voice, "Mr. Ye, I... I am sorry. I had eyes but failed to see, and didn’t recognize you."

Ye Tianci watched him coldly, saying nothing.

Tan Wu looked at Tang Ying, begging, "Boss, I know I was wrong. Please, give me another chance."

Tang Ying shook his head coldly. "To offend Mr. Ye is to offend me. Do you really think you have another chance?"

Tan Wu’s face turned ashen. Not giving up, he looked at the bald man beside him and whispered, "Uncle Xiong, please, say something for me?"

Tan Jian also regained his senses and pleaded with the bald man, "Uncle Lixiong, I know I was wrong. Please, put in a good word for us."

The bald man stepped forward, patting his belly, and addressed Ye Tianci. "Mr. Ye, I am Tan Lixiong, the deputy general manager of the hotel and right-hand man to Young Master Tang."

"Tan Wu and Tan Jian are both juniors of my family. They are young and ignorant, and I hope you can show mercy."

He knew Ye Tianci’s identity and understood that he had to appeal to him directly. Only if Ye Tianci spoke up would Tang Ying spare them.

Ye Tianci ignored him and looked at Tang Ying. "Are most of the key middle-management positions in this hotel held by people surnamed Tan?"

Tang Ying frowned, then nodded in surprise. Ye Tianci was right; out of ten management positions in the Longxiang Hotel, six were held by Tans. They were all Tan Lixiong’s people.

"The hotel is sick, and it’s quite ill. It needs a cleanup," Ye Tianci said indifferently.

Tang Ying gasped. If Ye Tianci hadn’t pointed it out, he wouldn’t have realized the extent of the problem. Now that he had, he realized how grave the situation was.

"Thank you, Mr. Ye! I will start the cleanup immediately!"

Tang Ying looked at Tan Lixiong and said firmly, "Tan Lixiong, you have been with our Tang family for over ten years. It’s time for you to step down."

"Resign now. Don’t worry, I will inform my grandfather, and the Tang family will not mistreat you."

His tone left no room for negotiation. Tan Lixiong was stunned. He never imagined that a single sentence would bring disaster upon himself and lead to his dismissal.

"Boss..."

"Say no more!" Tang Ying’s face was dark. He waved his hand. "Not only you, but every member of the Tan family you’ve installed in this hotel must resign!"

"Get to it. Don’t make me turn against you!"

Tan Lixiong had originally wanted to argue, but hearing this, he deflated like a punctured balloon. He knew there was no room for maneuver.

Tan Lixiong walked over with a grim face and slapped them hard.

"Slap! Slap!"

"Slap! Slap!"

Tan Jian and Tan Wu each took two hits, their faces immediately swelling up.

"You useless fools who fail at everything!"

"Why are you still standing there? Go pack your things and get out! I’m not finished with you!" Tan Lixiong roared in fury.

Tan Wu and Tan Jian turned to leave sheepishly, but were blocked by Ye Tianci. "Wait."

"We’ve already been fired! What more do you want?" Tan Jian shouted, clutching his swollen face.

"You haven't forgotten what you said about kneeling, kowtowing, and calling me 'Dad' if I got you fired, have you?"

"Kneel and kowtow before you leave."

Ye Tianci was no saint; he never went easy on those who offended him. He held grudges.

"You... don’t even think about it!" Tan Jian’s face flushed with embarrassment, his teeth gritted in hatred.

"You don't have to kneel, but if I get angry, kneeling won't be enough to satisfy me." Ye Tianci spoke coldly, throwing Tan Jian’s own threats back at him.

"Tan Wu, Tan Jian, kneel and apologize to Mr. Ye, or you won't be leaving my hotel," Tang Ying said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the dozen security guards brought by Tan Wu swarmed forward, surrounding the two of them. They looked on with predatory, menacing glares.

Tan Wu and Tan Jian looked ashen. They knew Tang Ying’s methods and knew he never made empty threats. Left with no choice, they bit the bullet, knelt before Ye Tianci, and kowtowed in apology.

"Dad!" Tan Jian muttered, enduring the humiliation.

"I don’t have an unfilial son like you. Get out!" A cold, wicked smirk played on Ye Tianci’s lips.

Only then did Tan Wu and Tan Jian slink out of the private room.

Ye Tianci looked at Qian Cong with a smile. "Mr. Qian, it’s your turn."

Qian Cong shivered at his words. His eyes red with rage, he gritted his teeth. "Ye Tianci, what are you so smug about? Don’t think that just because Young Master Tang is protecting you, you can show off in front of me! You're overthinking it!"

"Let me tell you, I didn’t book this room based on VIP status! Nor did I rely on my family’s supply contract!"

Ye Tianci tilted his head, smiling playfully. "Oh? So you have an ace up your sleeve, do you?"

"That’s right!" Qian Cong roared fiercely. "My ace will scare you to death!"