Chapter 159: The Deadline Arrives, the Game Is Lost!

Pan Sihai’s chest heaved violently, his body trembling uncontrollably, whether from anger or sheer terror.

He had no desire to go head-to-head with the Li family; it was simply that his entire foundation and all his connections were rooted in Qingyang. If he were forced to leave Qingyang, the fruits of more than twenty years of relentless struggle would be completely washed away into nothingness!

This was no different from taking his life, which was why he refused to reconcile himself to such a fate!

After standing stunned for a moment, he whipped out his phone and began making frantic calls. Reaching out to towering magnates on the upper end and various personal contacts on the lower, he exhausted every single relationship and connection at his disposal, pleading with each person to lend him a hand. Without exception, every single one of them readily and unhesitatingly agreed.

This came as quite a pleasant surprise to Pan Sihai. He had not expected everyone to be so willing to brave the pressure from the Li family to support him. It seemed the money he spent on maintaining these relationships over the years had not been wasted. This realization instantly restored his backbone; with so many people stepping up to help, what the hell did he have to fear from the Li family?

"See that!"

Pan Sihai tossed his head back with supreme arrogance, shaking his phone at his driver, the newly arrived assistants, and secretaries. With swollen, bloodshot eyes, he proclaimed haughtily:

"I do have some weight in Qingyang, after all! The Li family is formidable, but after all, I haven't provoked them. That bastard who hurt me probably just has some loose ties to the Li family. Now, I am not leaving, and let's see what tricks that bastard has left!"

"Hmph! Just wait. Once my injuries heal, I will never let him off the hook!"

Hearing these words, the driver finally let out a long breath of relief. He knew his boss's network well; if all those people had promised their help, there really was no need to fear some outsider who merely had a slight connection to the Li family.

"This is all thanks to President Pan's usual cultivation of his network!"

The driver showered him with flattering bootlicking. "If we succeed in challenging the Li family's authority this time, President Pan's status in Qingyang will undoubtedly rise to an even higher level!"

"Hahaha..."

Pan Sihai threw his head back and laughed smugly, then let out a cold, deeply disdainful snort. "Did they really take me for a pushover? Neither of those two wretched dogs will be spared. Aside from dragging out the Li family to scare me, I want to see what other skills they actually have!"

"Rest assured, President Pan. If we weather this storm safely, I guarantee you those two wretched dogs will immediately find their corpses rotting in the wilderness!"

The driver cringed forward, a fierce and ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Wouldn't that be letting them off too easily? Before I finish off that stinking bitch, I'll find a few men to thoroughly service her!"

Pan Sihai clenched his fists, speaking with a venomous viciousness. The thought that he had lost his manhood only intensified the hatred burning in his gut.

"As you command!"

The driver nodded forcefully. At the thought of Chen Muxue’s delicate features and slender, graceful figure, a surge of excited light instantly bloomed in his eyes.

"President Pan, the one-hour deadline has arrived!"

Moments later, the driver glanced at his wristwatch, speaking with a rather nervous expression.

At this reminder, the smile on Pan Sihai’s face gradually faded. He wore a dark, sullen expression and remained silent.

He instinctively frowned as he looked at the time on his phone. Although they were confident that the Li family’s blow would be limited, anxiety gnawed at them all the same.

Time ticked by second by second. In the midst of the apprehensive wait, five minutes had already passed beyond the one-hour limit set by the Li family, yet still, no abnormal events had occurred.

Only then did the driver let out a long breath, smiling with a hint of excitement:

"President Pan, exactly as you predicted. Five minutes have passed, and not even a single phone call has come. It seems they were just putting up a bluff. That bastard who injured you was probably just waving a tiger's skin as a banner—he has practically zero connections in Qingyang!"

"Haha..."

Pan Sihai threw his head back in supreme triumph, his face brimming with arrogance. "Your old man hasn't spent all these years in vain for nothing. Gather the brothers immediately; I want to deal with those two wretched dogs right now!"

"Jingle bell..."

Just as Pan Sihai finished speaking, the work phone in the driver's hand suddenly rang.

The driver’s expression shifted. Seeing the caller ID on the screen, he spoke to Pan Sihai with considerable apprehension:

"President Pan, it’s... it’s a call from Yunyang Shengqi!"

Yunyang Shengqi was their company's largest partner. For ten years, more than half of their company's profits had stemmed from this partnership. With things at such a critical juncture, Yunyang Shengqi calling at this moment inevitably caused him to panic.

"It's nothing. I just spoke with President Qi of their firm on the phone, and he said they would support us unconditionally!"

Pan Sihai waved a grand hand, speaking with absolute confidence. "Answer it. It should just be normal business routine!"

The driver nodded and finally answered the call.

"Starting from now, our company will permanently terminate all cooperation with you. You will receive the contract cancellation agreement shortly."

Before the assistant could even speak, a cold, urgent voice came from the other end of the line. The moment the words fell, the line went dead.

The driver stood frozen in utter bewilderment, his mouth agape as if turned to stone, convinced he must have misheard. A business partner of nearly ten years, bound by massive mutual interests—terminated just like that, without a second thought?!

"What is it?"

Seeing the driver's strange reaction, Pan Sihai felt his heart skip a beat and asked sharply.

"They said they are perma... permanently terminating cooperation with us..."

The driver said with a panic-stricken expression.

"What?"

Pan Sihai’s body shuddered violently, a cold sweat instantly soaking his back. He hurriedly shook his head and muttered, "Impossible, impossible. The people underneath must have messed it up. I'll call President Qi right now!"

"Jingle bell..."

"Jingle bell..."

Before Pan Sihai could dial, both the driver's work phone and his own personal phone began ringing simultaneously, draining all color from their faces.

"President Pan, our largest supplier, Hongtai Group, has an... announced the permanent termination of cooperation with us!"

"President Pan, Senlian Group has ordered us to repay the two hundred mil... million yuan in debt within one hour... otherwise, all our goods will be impounded..."

Pan Sihai felt a buzzing sensation in his brain, as if someone had struck him fiercely with a heavy iron hammer. His voice trembled as he cried out:

"I... I just spoke directly with their CEO..."

For a moment, he felt his entire worldview shatter. These people had clearly agreed so readily just moments ago—how the hell could they flip the script just like that?!

Yet, to his horror, this was merely the beginning.

"Jingle bell..."

"Jingle bell..."

One phone call after another rang in endless succession.

"President Pan, Wanji Company is demanding returns on all goods..."

"President Pan, Changsheng Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank, Qinghai Bank, and several other major institutions have all announced a suspension of loans to our company and are demanding immediate repayment..."

"President Pan, the Chamber of Commerce is demanding a re-audit of our licenses..."

"President Pan..."

...

By this point, Pan Sihai's face was completely drained of color. Waves of dizziness washed over his brain, pushing him to the verge of fainting. He never could have imagined that the foundation built with twenty years of painstaking effort would crumble into dust within the span of a few minutes!

"This... it seems the Li family has truly moved against us. But why? For the sake of some so-called friend, are they not afraid of provoking the public wrath of Qingyang's business community?!"

The driver muttered somewhat unwillingly.

Just as Pan Sihai opened his mouth to reply, he saw four or five men walk in through the door, all dressed in black, their expressions reeking of murderous intent.