After hanging up the phone with Brother Qi Donglai, Chen Yang went back to sleep. Since Su Qing didn't have work today, he didn't need to drive her. However, Chen Yang didn't sleep for long. Around eight o'clock, Su Qing came knocking on his door.
Chen Yang got up to open the door, still bleary-eyed from sleep.
Su Qing stood gracefully outside, wearing white sportswear with her hair in a ponytail, looking fresh and radiant. The scent of her perfume was intoxicating to Chen Yang.
Seeing Su Qing every morning was the best part of his day.
Having seen Su Qing in various moods and styles, Chen Yang thought this woman was truly a treasure. Every little gesture captivated him. He marveled at how Xu Zhi could have been foolish enough to divorce such a woman.
"Sister Qing!" Chen Yang called out with a wide grin.
Su Qing smiled sweetly. She actually loved seeing Chen Yang's grin every morning when he called her "Sister Qing." To her, Chen Yang was like a cheerful, uncomplicated young man. This simplicity and brightness reminded her of watching college boys playing basketball, sweating it out on the court.
It was something rarely seen in the adult world.
"I came to wake you up and tell you to get ready. I've put noodles on the stove, and breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," Su Qing said.
Chen Yang felt a warmth in his heart and replied, "Great!"
The prospect of waking up to a home-cooked breakfast was truly wonderful.
Chen Yang was a free spirit who disliked constraints. When living alone, he sometimes ate noodles, and other times he was too lazy to eat anything all day.
Breakfast consisted of stir-fried green peppers with pork noodles and steamed dumplings. Everything was piping hot.
Su Qing was undeniably a caring woman. She attentively tended to Chen Yang's needs. Seeing how much he enjoyed the noodles, she even added some of the pork and noodles from her own bowl to his.
As they ate, Su Qing asked, "What are we doing today?"
Between mouthfuls of noodles, Chen Yang mumbled, "That thug Qi Donglai's brother invited us for lunch at the Hongrun Restaurant. You should come with me."
Su Qing's expression faltered slightly as she asked, "It's not a trap, is it?"
Chen Yang chuckled and said, "Who cares what kind of feast it is, as long as there's food."
His words naturally exuded an air of confidence that seemed to look down upon the world. This was Chen Yang's self-assurance, deeply ingrained in his bones. Whatever schemes these small-time crooks might have, he couldn't care less.
Su Qing couldn't help but smile, realizing she had worried unnecessarily. Chen Yang was no pushover.
The Hongrun Restaurant was a Chinese cuisine establishment located near Bar Street. During the day, Bar Street was quiet, with only a few cafes open. Many locals viewed the Hongrun Restaurant as somewhat mysterious, as it was often the chosen venue for various gang meetings in Binhai City.
Now, on the second floor of the Hongrun Restaurant.
Qi Donglai, Jiang Yuchen, and Li Sheng stood respectfully beside a middle-aged man.
Li Sheng's hand was bandaged and hung in a sling around his neck. The doctor had diagnosed him with a comminuted fracture, and even after healing, his hand would never regain its full strength. He could now apply for a disability certificate.
The middle-aged man wore a Tang suit and had a scholarly air about him. His name was Liu Jingtin, and he was the boss of Binhai City's North District.
Binhai City was divided into four districts: South, East, West, and North.
Each of these districts had a boss controlling the underworld. However, above these four bosses was a Dragon King, the true underground emperor. The Dragon King had largely gone legitimate and rarely interfered in underworld affairs anymore. His most prominent title now was that of a philanthropic entrepreneur.
Liu Jingtin hadn't brought a group of thugs with him. In fact, he didn't really have thugs in his organization, only truly capable fighters. Today, he had brought two of his top enforcers: Lu Bugui and Zhu Tianlei.
Lu Bugui, forty years old, was a master of Xingyi Quan. He sat to the side, leisurely sipping tea in his loose white robe. As for Zhu Tianlei, he was an absolute beast of a man, built like an ox. He practiced Bagua Zhang and at thirty-six, was in his prime.
When people thought of Liu Jingtin, Lu Bugui and Zhu Tianlei immediately came to mind. Liu Jingtin owed his current empire and status to these two formidable fighters. Lu Bugui's Xingyi Quan was otherworldly, having won thirty-six consecutive matches in underground fighting rings, defeating so-called underground boxing champions and experts like they were nothing. Zhu Tianlei was known for his explosive temper and inhuman strength, capable of tearing apart a wild bull with his bare hands.
With these two by his side, Liu Jingtin felt as if he had Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, able to face thousands of troops.
At this moment, Liu Jingtin's face was expressionless.
Qi Donglai stood nearby, not daring to make a sound.
Zhu Tianlei spoke first, "Boss, are you really planning to give that kid a hundred grand?"
Liu Jingtin looked at Zhu Tianlei and said, "Whether we give it or not depends on seeing what he's capable of first. This Chen Yang, though unknown, dares to come and provoke us. I suspect things aren't as simple as they appear on the surface."
Lu Bugui, being more level-headed, agreed, "The boss is right. Even the smallest nail can hurt your foot. We should be cautious. Relying solely on brute force and aggression will eventually lead to a fall."
Liu Jingtin smiled faintly and said, "Times have changed. It's not like before when everything was solved with violence. The Dragon King saw this clearly and has completely legitimized his businesses, stepping away from the underworld. We may not be at his level yet, but we should be moving in that direction. Times and technology are advancing. Our line of work will only get harder."
He paused, then coldly looked at Qi Donglai and Li Sheng, saying, "I've told you before not to go looking for trouble. There are plenty of people out there tougher and more capable than you. Only frogs in a well are so arrogant, not knowing how vast the world is."
Qi Donglai and Li Sheng immediately lowered their heads, saying, "Yes, yes, boss. You're right to scold us."
Even though Jiang Yuchen was usually a fearless girl, in the presence of Liu Jingtin's aura, she appeared quite demure. Originally, Jiang Yuchen and Li Sheng weren't of a high enough rank to meet Liu Jingtin. However, to understand the full story, Liu Jingtin had called them in.
To be honest, Liu Jingtin couldn't be bothered with Qi Donglai's mess. But since Qi Donglai was one of his men and Chen Yang had made such severe threats, Liu Jingtin couldn't just let Chen Yang cripple Qi Donglai. As a boss, he had to show some responsibility. Moreover, Liu Jingtin wanted to see what Chen Yang was all about and what his intentions were.
Being a smart man, Liu Jingtin didn't aggressively confront Chen Yang to settle the score. That was the way of street thugs. Instead, he set up this lunch to probe Chen Yang's background.
This showed the vast difference in class between Liu Jingtin and Qi Donglai.
Meanwhile, Chen Yang and Su Qing arrived at the Hongrun Restaurant right on time. They were led by a waiter to the private room on the second floor.
After a knock on the door, Chen Yang strode in confidently, with Su Qing following closely behind.
The two sides finally met face to face.
Liu Jingtin immediately stood up and walked towards Chen Yang with a smile, saying, "You must be Brother Chen. I've heard so much about you!" He gave Chen Yang a bear hug as if they were old friends.
This was Liu Jingtin's tactic – kill them with kindness.
Caught off guard by the hug, Chen Yang found it hard to say anything harsh.
After they separated, Chen Yang scratched his head and said, "Brother, you're being so friendly. You're not planning to withhold my money, are you?"
Liu Jingtin was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, saying, "Brother Chen, you're quite the joker."
Chen Yang inwardly grumbled, "Joker, my ass!"
Liu Jingtin then said, "Brother Chen, please, have a seat."
Chen Yang sat down across from Liu Jingtin, with Su Qing taking the seat beside him.
Liu Jingtin said, "Brother Chen, my boys here were out of line. When I heard about this incident, I immediately gave them a stern talking-to." He paused, then turned to Qi Donglai and said, "Hurry up and pour tea for Brother Chen and apologize!"
Qi Donglai didn't dare disobey Liu Jingtin's order and quickly complied. Of course, Qi Donglai was inwardly displeased, feeling that his boss wasn't standing up for him. Instead, he was being scolded in front of his enemy like a grandson.
Despite his thoughts, Qi Donglai went to pour the tea. He served cups to Chen Yang, Su Qing, Liu Jingtin, Lu Bugui, and Zhu Tianlei.
After doing so, he respectfully stood beside Liu Jingtin.
Chen Yang picked up his teacup and looked at Liu Jingtin, saying, "Brother, you're a sensible man. But apologies aren't important. What about the money you promised me?"
He was acting like a money-grubber.
Liu Jingtin looked at Chen Yang with a smile, finding him increasingly difficult to read.
Chen Yang, unfazed by Liu Jingtin's gaze, crossed his legs and sipped his tea.
This attitude irritated Zhu Tianlei, who stood up abruptly and pointed at Chen Yang, saying, "Kid, you've got some nerve!"
Chen Yang chuckled, ignoring Zhu Tianlei, and said to Liu Jingtin, "Brother, I don't believe I caught your full name?"
Liu Jingtin replied, "My surname is Liu. Liu Jingtin."
Chen Yang then said, "Oh, Brother Liu! It seems your subordinate here lacks manners. But don't worry, I can teach him some on your behalf."
He stood up and said to Zhu Tianlei, "Boy, you're quite cocky, aren't you?"
Zhu Tianlei was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "What, you think you can teach me a lesson?"
Chen Yang grinned and said, "That's right. Got a problem with that?"
Anger flashed in Zhu Tianlei's eyes. As a formidable fighter, how could he tolerate such insolence from Chen Yang? He sneered and said, "Fine, let's see what you're made of."
With that, Zhu Tianlei strode towards Chen Yang, covering a meter and a half with each step. In the blink of an eye, he was upon Chen Yang like a collapsing mountain, the force of his movement creating a fierce gust.
Zhu Tianlei's hand was like a giant fan as he struck at Chen Yang's chest with a powerful palm strike.
This move was the "Great Palm Strike" from Bagua Zhang, incredibly fierce and deadly!