Qin Feng had acted so swiftly and fluidly that it seemed easy. He then loosened his grip on the server's shirt and dusted off his hands. Those forever sleepy eyes of his opened wider.
"Mr Qi should teach your subordinates to pay more heed to what their hands are doing when walking. We wouldn't want a disaster to happen. If Little Master Bai was hurt, we'd all be having a bad day."
Qin Feng had been silently walking by YiHan's side during both encounters so Qi MingYang didn't notice the man's presence. MingYang was surprised to hear those words. He took a closer look at the man and it shocked him to the core. Suppressing the urge to show any of his emotions visibly, MingYang took another look to confirm if Qin Feng was really who MingYang thought he was.
MingYang forced a smile out and muttered, "Qin…"
"Qin An," YiHan interrupted, "were you hurt?"
Qin Feng glanced at YiHan. His smile softened. "Who do you think I am?" he replied. "It's just a pot of soup. How could it hurt me?"
From the words Qin Feng uttered before, Yan Pei knew the server's stumble wasn't accidental. She was about to speak up when Zhang Su placed a firm hand on her shoulder. With a pout, she closed her mouth.
MingYang was stunned by the interruption. He paused to gather his thoughts and said, "Mr Qin, you seem to be quite close to Little Master Bai? How peculiar."
"We're just friends," Qin Feng said. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Anyone should have friends. I'm no exception. However, I'm sure you know my greatest flaw is I'm overprotective of my friends."
MingYang froze. He glanced at his two subordinates. The man to his left was looking visibly guilty. The man's eyes darted wildly around the room. MingYang shot the man a dark look and turned back to Qin Feng.
"I understand," he said, a smile back on his face. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Little Master Bai will be happy with how things end."
Qin Feng lazily waved a hand at Qi MingYang. The hand then landed on Fang Yi's shoulder. The policeman shot a glance at the younger man but did nothing to the hand. Instead, he went along with the force behind the hand back to YiHan.
MingYang gave YiHan an apologetic nod and led his two men into the restaurant.
YiHan and his group then headed for the elevators. Inside the lift, Yan Pei was sulking in a corner with puffed cheeks.
"Are you upset because I didn't let you talk?" Zhang Su said with a smile and a pat to her head.
The girl shot a glare at the man and remained silent.
"You're such a pure-hearted and just girl," the man continued. "That's good. However, in this social circle, a lot can be done behind other people's back yet a calm and peaceful appearance must be maintained. I know your temper. If you speak, the words you'll say would never be kind. You were standing by Bai YiHan's side. That's a show of the Yan family's attitude to him. There's no need to make things awkward. It's fine as long as everyone knows deep down what happened. Didn't you see how he kept quiet too? Moreover, Qi MingYang might not have arranged for the incident to occur."
"As a daughter of the Yan family, I understand all of that," the girl muttered. "But I still feel anger blazing within me. If not for Qin An, that pot of soup would've landed on YiHan. Who knows how badly burnt he'd be then?"
Her eyes then sparkled. "However, Qin An, you're such a great fighter. That kick, that push, that pull – you were so cool! We didn't even realise it was a trick but you did!"
"I have someone I wish to protect," Qin Feng smiled back. "How could I not be strong?" He then glanced at Fang Yi. The other man looked away, hiding from the emotions swirling deep in that gaze.
A secretive smirk crossed Pei's lips before anger overtook her once more. "I told you that Qi MingYang is a small-minded man. No one would believe me. See? He ordered his man to splash boiling hot soup at YiHan!��
"You might be wrongfully accusing him," YiHan said. "I know a little of him. While he can be quite narrow-minded, he's also a thorough man. If he wished to do something, it wouldn't be so obvious. What happened today wasn't that major, not to the point where he'd hate me and wish to act on it immediately."
"What? Did his subordinate do that out of boredom?" she shot back.
"That man is likely an ass-kisser," Fang Yi chimed in. "Unfortunately, he kissed somewhere else instead. That guess is still quite a stretch though. As YiHan said, what happened today was nothing big. If Qi MingYang would get angry over something so trivial, he'd have died long ago from anger. Unless, something else happened between YiHan and Qi MingYang. It could be why that man thought he could suck up to his master by 'teaching YiHan a lesson'."
"Lil Fang, you're right. Somewhat," Qin Feng chuckled. "That man is a bootlicker, but Qi MingYang is even pettier than you thought. Think about it. Men like that are best at gauging their master's thoughts. If the man wasn't this narrowminded, how could that subordinate have acted/ The only reason why Qi MingYang is still alive is because of his social status. Most of his grudges can be resolved on the spot, rarely would he be forced to swallow his fury. However, today's incident didn't happen on his orders. For sure. As YiHan said, he would never be so obvious. While YiHan holds no power in the Bai Group, he holds a social rank equal to Qi MingYang. Not only do the Bai and Mu families dote on him, everyone knows of how madly in love the Chen family heir is with Miss Bai. And everyone knows Miss Bai loves her younger brother the most. Additionally, YiHan has been getting quite close to the Yan family. The old Mr Yan's liking for him is clear to see. No matter how small-minded Qi MingYang is, he wouldn't do anything to YiHan over such a minor issue. YiHan is likely one of the few who can make his suppress his rage."
"Would he play some underhanded trick behind our backs then?" Fang Yi hurriedly asked. "My god. It's my first time ever meeting someone so petty. Surely it's a mental illness of some sort now?"
"Don't worry," Qin Feng replied, a hand stroking against his jaw. "He shouldn't. YiHan's worth is enough to keep him at bay. The man might be spiteful but he's smart. He knows there's a time and place for everything. I trust he wouldn't be that stupid."
YiHan nodded in agreement. He then looked deep into Qin Feng's eyes. There was a glint of a smile in those eyes that made Qin Feng's mouth subtly smirk. With eyes narrowed into slits, the thug then walked out of the lift, still sprawled on Fang Yi's shoulders.
Meanwhile, there was a suffocating presence looming in a private room of the restaurant the group had departed from.
"Zhao Hao," hissed Qi MingYang, glowering at his subordinate, "you've gotten great at causing trouble for me. Why didn't you think of your place before you acted? Do you think the third son of the Bai family is someone you can pull tricks on? Even if you were to harm him, you can't do it directly! You are my man. Every move you make is connected to my intents. Today, you publicly attempted to splash hot soup at Little Master Bai. Everyone would now think I ordered you to do so!"
"This one thought to teach him a little lesson because I saw him snatch the tea set from you, wasting all the time you'd spent looking for the gift," Zhao Hao stammered. "I-I-I didn't think of anything more than than."
"If you want to do that, then be smart and precise with it!" Qi MingYang bellowed. "Don't let anyone realise it's you and connect it to me! But you were so foolish that you were caught red-handed. Can you be any more of an idiot?"
"Mr Qi," the other man murmured, "I was being very careful. I thought no one would've realised. I didn't think that Qin guy had such sharp eyes."
MingYang's palm came up and supported his forehead as the man sighed, "You think you're skilled enough to fool Qin Feng? That man is the head of the Hidden Dragon! With one hand, he could defeat you over and over and over again. You're quite unlucky to have done such a thing under his nose. It's considered generous of him to not cripple you right before my eyes!"
"Shouldn't the head of the Hidden Dragon be with his men?" Zhao Hao gasped in fright. "Why is he by Little Master Bai's side?"
"I don't know either," MingYang fumed. "The Hidden Dragon never bothered itself with the five great families. No enemies, no friendships. Why is he so friendly with Bai YiHan all of a sudden? Does he wish to cross the divide?"
Li Guang, who'd been standing by Zhao Hao's side, then spoke up, "Didn't Qin Feng say he was merely making a friend?"
"Your thinking is way too simple," Zhao Hao replied. "Every move the people in this circle makes has a deeper meaning behind it. If he only wanted a friend, there are plenty of people in this city. Why must it be someone from the five great families? Why must it be someone from the main Bai family? It's clear he wished to befriend the Bai family instead."
"You're smart," MingYang said to Zhao Hao, "so smart that you dragged me down the waters with you. Even if I announce to the whole wide world I didn't mean for today's incident to occur, would anyone believe me? It's not like you don't know of the complex social network Bai YiHan has. How could you be so obvious? You're not hurting him, you're hurting me! Now, there's a Qin Feng added into the mix. That man is the worst! Everyone who knows him knows just how cruel he is. He's a man who strangled his own father to death!"
Zhao Hao and Li Guang didn't dare speak anymore. They silently stood there.
Qi MingYang slowly thought back to every word Qin Feng said to him earlier. "But," he mused, "from what he's said, he should have no ties to the Bai family. He's only protective over Bai YiHan. As long as we don't hurt Bai YiHan, he won't act. He had said nothing for the whole day. He only acted when Bai YiHan was in danger. It seems like he didn't even want to announce his presence had it not been for your moronic actions. If he secretly made a deal with the Bai family, he wouldn't expose himself today. That means he must really just wish to make a friend. True, this man is cruel. But it's also true that he's overprotective of his own."
"If we can't do anything to Bai YiHan, then wouldn't it mean the anger you've felt today would need to be kept inside forever, sir?" Zhao Hao softly asked.
"Is there something wrong with your brain?" Qi MingYang coldly smirked. "Out of the five great families in this city, he has four of them protecting him. Now, even the Hidden Dragon of the underworld is standing by his side. Who could hurt him? Anyway, nothing major happened. Is there a need to risk our lives for a tea set?"
"Four?" said Zhao Hao.
"I said you were stupid," said Qi MingYang, "but I didn't think you were brain-dead. Of course, there are the Mu and Bai families. In the Chen family, Chen TianYang's standing is of no question. As long as he lives, he will, sooner or later, hold the reins. That man's entire heart belongs to Bai XueQing. The two are now confirmed to be dating and everyone knows who Bai XueQing dotes on the most! The old Mr Yan has publicly proclaimed his liking for the boy. Yan Cheng is a filial son. Whatever the old Mr Yan says, goes. Moreover, didn't you see Yan Pei standing by Bai YiHan's side? And that man who steadied the boy. That is Yan Hui's legally married husband!"
Zhao Hao's face went stark pale. His voice trembled as he said, "Mr Qi, then I…"
"Do you only just realise what a bad situation you've put yourself in? After all I've said? " Qi MingYang asked, "Zhao Hao, I can't protect you this time."