After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 69: Are You All So Shameless?

"Hmph, the Hong Family is a prestigious and influential clan. Countless ambitious individuals dream of becoming one of their retainers."

"Who are you, exactly? If you’re not interested in joining the Hong Family, what are you doing here?"

A young man overheard the conversation between Shen Fanyun and Su Xiyang. He promptly clasped his fists and righteously demanded an answer.

Shen Fanyun was bewildered. This guy must be a lunatic.

With the young man’s sudden outburst, Shen Fanyun immediately became the target of everyone’s scorn. One after another, sharp and meaningful glares fixed on him. Most of the onlookers bore ill will, and snorts of disdain echoed through the hall.

"Who is this? I’ve never seen him before. Does anyone recognize him?"

"Don’t know him."

"He’s just a nobody. Why waste our time on him? Let’s talk about Elder Hou Si instead."

Fortunately, the commotion was quickly forgotten as other topics took over. The crowd really didn’t have the time or energy to waste on a stranger like Shen Fanyun. After all, this was the Hong Family’s turf. If he truly blasphemed their name, someone from the family would naturally step in to handle it.

"I heard that young fellow defeated Elder Hou Si with a single, domineering punch."

"Impossible! That nobody must have used some dirty trick. Otherwise, how could Elder Hou Si possibly lose? Do you take the Master of Fist Way of Hangcheng City for a fraud with an empty reputation?"

"Well, in my opinion, first of all, Elder Hou Si is getting old. As they say, youth has the advantage in a fight, and that’s understandable. The man is over seventy, after all."

"Furthermore, Elder Hou Si must have felt a desire to nurture talent and held back, not expecting his opponent to be a despicable little ruffian with no respect for the Martial Way."

A group of young people, none of whom had been at the Brilliant Building to witness the event, analyzed the situation with the confidence of eyewitnesses. The general consensus was that Elder Hou Si, a renowned Master of Fist Way, could not possibly have been defeated.

"Is everyone talking about you?" Su Xiyang asked curiously.

Shen Fanyun scratched his head. Defeating Elder Hou Si was like poking a hornet’s nest. Did it really have to provoke so much righteous indignation from these young people?

"Senior Brother is here."

"Hou Lei has arrived too."

Just then, someone murmured a few words, and the room instantly fell silent. In unison, every gaze turned toward the entrance of the reception hall.

At the entrance stood two burly men with their hands in their pockets, exuding an impressive and commanding presence. One of them had a clean buzz cut and a square face, giving him a no-nonsense, serious air. From the whispers, Shen Fanyun learned this was Yu Shan, Elder Hou Si’s top disciple—a true martial arts fanatic who had trained since childhood and was considered one of the top-tier Martial Arts experts of Hangcheng City’s younger generation. The other man, with a head of blond hair and an earring, had the air of a dandy and was none other than Hou Lei, Elder Hou Si’s own grandson.

"Quite lively, isn’t it?" Hou Lei said with a smirk, tilting his shoulder as his gaze leaped over the crowd and settled on Hong Danggui not far away. "Looks like you’re planning to recruit quite a few retainers this time."

Hong Danggui, with her arms crossed, remained unmoved by Hou Lei’s greeting. Clearly, the two were not on good terms.

"According to the rules of the martial world, strength is what matters. My senior brother and I may have come uninvited, but that doesn’t mean we’re here to cause trouble, right?" Hou Lei was the first to step into the hall, with Yu Shan following close behind.

"With the two of you personally coming forward to test this batch of prospective retainers for me, I, Hong Danggui, couldn’t be more pleased. How could I possibly not welcome you?" Hong Danggui pursed her lips into a smile.

Hou Lei snorted, "You wish."

"If it weren’t for your insistence on recruiting that little bastard who injured my grandfather for the Hong Family, I couldn’t be bothered to come."

His words caused an immediate uproar.

"What? The scoundrel who injured Elder Hou Si is here? Who is it?"

"Heh, so he won against Elder Hou Si with dirty tricks and thinks that makes him strong? And he dares to show his face here for the Hong Family’s assessment?"

"Senior Brother Yu, Young Master Hou, you two don’t need to lift a finger! We can handle this for you!"

Everyone scanned the room, eager to get a look at the person who had injured Elder Hou Si.

Shen Fanyun casually sipped his wine. Hong Danggui really set a trap for me. Isn’t she afraid of playing with fire by pulling a stunt like this without my consent?

"Since his family has personally come seeking revenge, why are you still hiding in the back?" Hong Danggui’s voice cut through the noise. "Show your true abilities and spar with one of them."

Her gaze fell on a certain spot, and the crowd’s eyes swiftly followed, making Shen Fanyun the sole focus of the room.

"Perform well," Hong Danggui added. "This will determine whether you can earn the approval of not just me, Hong Danggui, but the entire Hong Family."

"This is the assessment I’ve arranged for you. Don’t waste all my hard work!"

Shen Fanyun swirled the red wine in his glass. "An assessment?"

"That’s right," Hong Danggui nodded. "Pass the assessment, and I will officially accept you as a retainer of the Hong Family. That is an honor not just anyone can have."

"What? You’re not willing?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow with a contemptuous smile. "Do you have any idea how many people in Hangcheng City are desperate to become my dogs?"

"Your refusal doesn’t make you look like you have integrity. On the contrary, it just shows how arrogant and ignorant you are of your own place in the world!"

"Are you done rambling?" Hou Lei asked, rubbing his ears impatiently. He then locked his eyes on Shen Fanyun. "Was it you? Did you injure my grandfather?"

Shen Fanyun shrugged in tacit confirmation.

Yu Shan took a step forward, his imposing frame seeming to press down on the space around him as he glared ferociously. "So you’re the one. Don’t expect to walk out of here in one piece today!"

"My master is a grandmaster of his generation. How could he possibly be defeated by a young punk like you? You must have resorted to some despicable tricks."

"We came prepared today. You won’t get a chance to use any of your filthy tricks this time!"

Shen Fanyun felt utterly helpless. Are these people such sore losers? If I had known this would happen, I would have just sent Elder Hou Si to the afterlife with a single punch back at the Brilliant Building. That would have saved me from this endless stream of trouble!

Of course, compared to Hou Lei, Yu Shan, or even Elder Hou Si himself, Shen Fanyun found this woman, Hong Danggui, the most detestable of all. She had deliberately set a trap for him, disguised it as a "tailored assessment," and claimed that passing it would make him one of the Hong Family’s lapdogs. Is becoming a lapdog for the Hong Family supposed to be something to be proud of? Or is an association with them some great honor that would bring glory to eighteen generations of my ancestors?

"Senior Brother, your skills are too advanced," Hou Lei said. "I’m afraid this punk can’t withstand one of your thunderous blows. If you accidentally kill him, you’d be letting the scoundrel off too easy. Let me teach him a lesson."

Hou Lei produced a folding fan from somewhere and began fanning himself with calm confidence.

Seeing that the show was finally about to start, Hong Danggui clapped her hands and announced, "Everyone, step back! Give them enough space to fight!"