The Peerless Dragon Son-in-Law: The Hidden Dragon Returns to the Capital

The Su Clan’s annual gala, a grand gathering for the city’s elite, unfolded at Platinum Joy Hotel in Jiangcheng. Gilded chandeliers flooded the entire venue with warm light. Half of Jiangcheng’s powerful and wealthy had assembled here, draped in luxurious gowns and tailored suits, clinking wine glasses amid lively chatter. Yet in the far corner of the banquet hall sat a man utterly out of place amid the opulence. Lu Chen, the live-in son-in-law of the Su household for three long years. For three years, the whole city knew him as nothing but a useless deadbeat. Labels like leech, good-for-nothing, and spineless loser clung to him relentlessly. No one in the Su family deigned to spare him a single respectful glance. What none of them knew was that this man, who’d hidden his identity and buried all his sharp edges for three years, was the supreme Dragon Lord—ruler of the world-spanning Dragon Sect, master of trillion-dollar enterprises, commander of a million loyal assassins sworn to lay down their lives for him. Three years prior, out of gratitude to Old Man Su for saving his life, and to honor a marriage contract forged by their fathers decades ago, he sealed away all his power and prestige. He’d willingly entered the Su household as a live-in son-in-law, lying low to shield the Su Clan from ruin and fend off countless threats of total annihilation over these past three years. His forbearance stemmed from loyalty and gratitude, not weakness. But the world only mistook his restraint for cowardice. “Look at that leech, sneaking in again just to mooch free food and drink!” “The Su family must’ve suffered the worst luck imaginable. Qingyue is breathtakingly beautiful, yet she’s married to this worthless good-for-nothing!” “Three years, and he hasn’t earned a single cent—completely dependent on the Su household. I’d have thrown myself off a building out of shame if I were him!” Thin, cutting jabs swarmed over Lu Chen from every direction. He twisted the stem of his wine glass between his fingertips, his face impassive, tuning out every cruel remark. He would endure much, but kindness had its limits. Anyone foolish enough to push him too far today would face punishment. A shrill shriek suddenly cut through the noise. Liu Yuru, his mother-in-law, stormed over in stiletto heels, disgust etched deep across her face. She reached out, ready to twist Lu Chen’s ear and humiliate him in front of everyone. “Lu Chen! Have you no shame at all?!” “Every big shot in Jiangcheng is here tonight, and you sit here like a useless parasite—shaming every ancestor of the Su household for eighteen generations!” Liu Yuru bore down with brutal force, determined to publicly disgrace Lu Chen, strip him of all dignity before every powerful guest, and drive him to file for divorce of his own accord. The surrounding crowd watched the spectacle, snickering loudly as Su relatives closed in, piling on endless mockery. Su Hao, Lu Chen’s cousin-in-law from the Su clan, stepped forward. He kicked the leg of Lu Chen’s chair from above, arrogance oozing from every word. “Loser, get out of here! You’re an eyesore! Young Master Gu is coming tonight to propose to Qingyue—you don’t deserve to set foot in this room!” “Know your place and sign the divorce papers before we drag you out kicking and screaming!” They closed in step by step, heaping humiliation upon humiliation. For three years, Lu Chen had brushed off petty taunts with quiet indifference. But today, they’d laid hands on him in public, trampling his bottom line without restraint. Those who courted disaster would reap its consequences instantly. Before Liu Yuru’s fingers could so much as graze his skin, a frigid glint flashed in Lu Chen’s eyes. No pointless arguments, no empty threats. He merely lifted his wrist, and an invisible surge of force rippled outward. Crack! A sharp, resounding slap echoed through the hall. All onlookers watched Liu Yuru spin violently to the side, a vivid five-fingered bruise blooming across half her cheek. A tremendous blast of momentum sent her staggering three unsteady steps backward, slamming hard against a dining table. Plates and bowls clattered and crashed to the marble floor, leaving her a thoroughly pathetic mess. The laughter that had filled the room died in an instant, swallowed by dead silence. No one could even see who had struck the blow. Liu Yuru clutched her burning, throbbing cheek, staring at Lu Chen in stunned disbelief. “You… you dared strike me?!” “You insulted me publicly and moved to assault me. Punishment is due.” Lu Chen’s voice remained calm, yet carried unshakable, icy authority. Three years of restraint did not mean he would endure endless a***e. Anyone who drew near to degrade or attack him would face immediate retribution—no mercy would be shown. Enraged by the sight, Su Hao assumed Lu Chen had lashed out in desperate madness. He rolled up his sleeves and lunged forward. “You dare turn on us, you worthless cur? You hit my aunt? I’ll cripple you!” Before he could take a full step, Lu Chen did not even lift his gaze. He tapped one toe lightly against the ground. Snap. A faint crunch of bone cut through the hush. The moment Su Hao shifted his weight forward, his right ankle twisted violently, searing agony tearing through his leg. He lost all balance with a heavy thud, crashing to his knees on the cold marble. Pain wracked his body, cold sweat pouring down his face as his cries of torment caught in his throat. In the blink of an eye, the arrogant Su cousin knelt whimpering on the floor. The entire hall fell utterly mute. Every guest gaped, unable to process what they’d just witnessed. The spineless live-in son-in-law who’d endured beatings and a***e without protest for three years had struck back against the Su family’s kin without hesitation. Amid the collective shock, the grand banquet hall doors swung wide open. Gu Jingchen, eldest son of the powerful Gu household and one of Jiangcheng’s most coveted young heirs, stepped inside flanked by a retinue of attendants, drawing every eye to him in an instant. Clad in a custom-tailored suit, he exuded handsome, noble bearing, and took in the chaotic scene the second he crossed the threshold. He saw Su Hao crumpled on his knees whimpering, Liu Yuru distraught and clutching her bruised face, and Lu Chen sitting unruffled in the corner, cold aura radiating off his frame. A dark, malicious glint flickered in Gu Jingchen’s eyes. He had long coveted Su Qingyue, viewing Lu Chen as a pest to be eliminated. Tonight had been his carefully laid plan to propose in front of all of Jiangcheng’s elite and crush Lu Chen completely. He never imagined the so-called loser would dare stir up such trouble in public. Gu Jingchen sauntered over, towering over Lu Chen with unbridled arrogance. “Lu Chen, you’ve grown bold.” “You’ve leached off the Su household for three years, and now you dare attack people in front of everyone?” “It seems the Su family has coddled you far too long, letting you forget your lowly station.” He turned to Su Qingyue, whose face had paled, softening his tone into feigned tenderness. “Qingyue, this gala has been ruined, your relatives injured—all his fault.” This violent brute is unworthy of you. “Today, before every powerful figure in Jiangcheng, I ask for your hand in marriage.” “If you say yes, I will immediately inject thirty billion into the Su Clan’s collapsing hundred-billion-yuan wellness project and pull your family out of ruin for good.” “From this day onward, I will guarantee endless prosperity for the Su household and free you from the burden of this worthless man.” Every word boomed through the hall, gripping the full attention of every guest. Liu Yuru forgot the stinging pain on her cheek at once, bursting into desperate pleas. “Qingyue! Say yes to Young Master Gu! This brute is savage and ungrateful—keeping him around will destroy our entire family!” The rest of the Su relatives, still trembling from what they’d seen, joined in pressuring her relentlessly. Every gaze in the room locked onto Su Qingyue. Clad in a plain white dress, breathtakingly beautiful, Su Qingyue’s brows drew tight, her eyes heavy with disappointment and tangled emotion. After three years of marriage, she’d always believed Lu Chen weak and incompetent. Yet the decisive way he’d struck back at her mother and cousin moments before sent an unnameable tremor through her heart. Still, looking at her whimpering cousin, her disgraced mother, the triumphant Gu Jingchen, and her family teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, all flickers of softness faded away. She fixed her gaze on Lu Chen, her voice cold and final. “Lu Chen, let’s get a divorce.” A single sentence severed three years of marital ties. A victorious smirk tugged at Gu Jingchen’s lips as he waited for Lu Chen to crumble into humiliation. The entire room braced to watch the useless live-in son-in-law’s final, pitiful defeat. But the next second, Lu Chen slowly rose to his feet. His frame stood straight as a pine tree, every trace of warmth gone from his eyes, leaving only piercing, unforgiving frost. A divorce? He would agree. For three years, he’d repaid Old Man Su’s kindness by shielding the Su Clan from harm—he’d given all he owed them. If every member of the Su household could not see true worth, chased wealth and status, and repaid his kindness with cruelty, then his days of forbearance ended here and now. Lu Chen’s gaze swept over the smug Gu Jingchen, and he spoke plainly, striking straight to the heart of the lie and dismantling the young heir’s grandstanding on the spot, no delay for later reckoning. “Thirty billion to save the Su Clan?” “Gu Jingchen, before you claim credit for this rescue, you’d best learn the full truth.” “The Gu household orchestrated the blockade that pushed the Su’s hundred-billion project to the edge of collapse. I will resolve this crisis with my own hands before the sun sets today.” “You think you can win Qingyue’s favor by tossing around charity money to belittle me and lift yourself up?” Lu Chen lifted his eyes, a bone-chilling cold emanating from his stare. “At tonight’s gala, all those who insulted me shall be punished.” “All those who seek to steal my achievements will answer for their crimes.” With that, he pulled out an old, beat-up smartphone. He performed no complicated actions—only typed and sent a single coded character as his signal. He then turned without another glance at the stunned crowd and strode out of Platinum Joy Hotel. Chilly night wind whipped through the street outside. A sleek, top-tier black Bentley pulled up silently at the curb. Qin Kun, his head steward clad all in black, bowed deeply before him, reverence thick in his bearing. “Your subordinate Qin Kun greets the Dragon Lord!” “Nine major Jiangnan investment banks stand ready with hundreds of billions in liquid capital and full access to all project cooperation resources. Every blockade laid by the Gu household can be dismantled in full at your command!” Lu Chen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring up at the brilliantly lit banquet hall housing the Su gala. His voice remained calm, yet brimmed with unyielding ruthlessness. “Lift all blockades on the Su Clan’s project, effective immediately.” “All industrial assets owned by Gu Jingchen shall face full market pressure within three hours.” “From this night forward, my period of restraint is over.” “Anyone who bullies me Lu Chen or dishonors the title of Dragon Lord shall face retribution the very same day—no waiting until tomorrow.”