Chapter 21

The noisy clamor and the intense pain shooting through his lower abdomen and back made the guest, numbed by alcohol, cry out, "Ow!" He opened his bleary eyes, braced himself against the wall with one hand, rubbed the back of his head with the other, and staggered to his feet. Seeing the youth before him disdainfully dusting off his clothes, he immediately cursed, "Fuck, you ungrateful little bitch! You're all out here selling yourselves, so what the hell are you pretending to be pure for? Bah! You worthless slut, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! I'm going to fix that shitty temper of yours today. Someone, drag him inside!"

Before he could finish, Chen Mo, who had never been cursed at before, instantly changed expression. He strode forward and punched the bastard in the right cheek, then grabbed him by the hair and smashed his head into the wall. "Fuck, what did you just say?" he demanded coldly. "Say it again if you've got the guts."

The man probably had not expected someone as delicate-looking as Chen Mo to have such a fiery temper. He had actually started swinging at the slightest disagreement, and hit so hard it hurt like hell. The man struggled desperately, still spitting filthy curses. Unfortunately, his body had long been hollowed out by drink and lust, and he was no match for Chen Mo. Chen Mo hated his foul mouth, so he threw two heavy punches at him. The man immediately cried out in pain and begged for mercy, practically ready to kneel before Chen Mo.

Chen Mo looked at the limp pile of sludge in his hands with contempt, then sneered and threw him away. Although Chen Mo had aimed for an empty spot, the movement was so crisp and forceful that people in the corridor screamed in fright again.

The commotion instantly drowned out the nightclub's music, even alarming the people inside the private rooms. They all poked their heads out to look. A man in a black suit emerged from one of the rooms, saw the battered bastard sprawled on the floor, and ran over in shock. Helping him up, he asked, "Boss, what happened to you?"

The bastard, who had been curled up on the ground and groaning, seemed to find his backbone at those words. Like a rabid dog, he immediately began barking at Chen Mo. "Fuck, drag this kid into the private room! I took such a huge loss today—I'm definitely going to gang-bang him!"

After saying that, he cursed the black-suited man for being incompetent at his job and letting his boss get beaten up like this. As he spoke, he repeatedly slapped the man on the head to vent his anger. The black-suited man bowed and apologized while calling out for the others in the private room. Following his boss's orders, they surrounded Chen Mo.

Seeing that he now had more people on his side and no longer had to fear Chen Mo beating him up again, the boss immediately became smug. He pointed at Chen Mo and declared, "I was willing to touch you because I think you're pretty. That was me doing you a favor! And you fucking dared to resist? You even dared to hit me? If you soften up today and make me happy, then I'll—ow!"

Before he could finish, Chen Mo somehow burst out from the encirclement of black suits and threw two more right hooks right in front of everyone. The boss, whose face was already bruised, instantly turned into a pighead. Several black-clad bodyguards rushed forward in shock.

It was as if Chen Mo had eyes on the back of his head. He spun around and swept out with his long leg, kicking them away hard. Unlike when he had deliberately held back while kicking the drunken boss earlier, Chen Mo did not restrain himself much this time, since these bodyguards had some fighting skills. After several kicks, none of them could get back up.

As Chen Mo turned to kick the others, the black-suited man standing beside the bastard secretly threw a punch at him. Chen Mo heard the wind from the punch and dodged it, then turned back and drove a straight punch hard into the man's lower abdomen. Overwhelmed by the pain, the man could only clutch his stomach and drop to his knees.

It sounded complicated, but it had all happened in the blink of an eye. Chen Mo moved so quickly that before anyone could see what had happened, a whole circle of people was already sprawled across the floor.

That counted as one against ten, didn't it? He could really fight! The onlookers could not help sucking in cold breaths. Some lovestruck girls even stared at Chen Mo with sparkling eyes and whispered, "He's so handsome!"

Chen Mo lowered his head and swept his gaze over the people lying around him, then mocked the boss, "Just a bunch of trash fish and rotten shrimp, and you think you can pull this kind of stunt? Have you watched too many movies or something?"

The boss shuddered under Chen Mo's gaze and hurriedly hid behind the others in embarrassment.

The disturbance on the third-floor corridor had long alerted the nightclub staff. The lobby manager arrived with several security guards. When the bastard saw the nightclub staff, he immediately grabbed the lobby manager's hand and began complaining in panic, saying the nightclub's service was terrible and had actually let a guest get beaten up like this. He also said the nightclub's new host was completely ignorant of the rules...

So even now, the man still thought Chen Mo was a newly hired host at the nightclub.

The lobby manager looked helplessly at the unlucky fellow, who had been beaten so badly that even his mother probably would not recognize him, then glanced at Chen Mo. He was not drunk, so he naturally recognized this rising music star who had dominated the entertainment headlines that morning. A guest was a guest. Although Chen Mo had been wrong to fight in the nightclub, the one who provoked him was at fault. What decent person could swallow their anger after being mistaken for a male prostitute, groped, and insulted?

Still, he had not expected this rising music star to be good not only at playing the piano, but also at fighting so cleanly and efficiently... There were more than a dozen people here. Yet he had knocked them all down with just a few punches and kicks?

The lobby manager secretly glanced at Chen Mo, then stepped forward to apologize to him first. After all, Chen Mo had run into such a mess on his turf. Chen Mo was also a public figure, and if the matter was not handled properly, it could damage the nightclub's reputation and business.

Although Chen Mo had a fiery temper, he knew how to distinguish gratitude from grudges. The bastard had provoked him, so he gave the bastard a beating. But since the lobby manager had apologized, Chen Mo would not take his anger out on the nightclub.

However, the bastard who had been beaten could not swallow this humiliation. He had already learned from the lobby manager that Chen Mo was merely a newly famous little celebrity. In his eyes, anyone in the entertainment industry, regardless of gender, was selling themselves. They simply charged more than the nightclub's hostesses and hosts.

Since they were all just talking about money, why act so chaste and virtuous? And why beat him up like this?

The bastard remained unconvinced. Since he could not regain face through force, he planned to get it back through money. He grabbed the lobby manager and insisted that Chen Mo accompany him to the hospital for an examination. He even said that if Chen Mo refused, he would call the police and accuse him of assault...

Chen Mo had been a wealthy second-generation heir in his previous life, and in this life, he was a promising young man who was not short of money either. In both lives, he had never considered beating someone up without paying their medical bills. As for the bastard's threat to go through legal channels, Chen Mo was not afraid. Though he had hit the man, it had all been self-defense. Still, the man's words reminded Chen Mo of something, and he asked the lobby manager to retrieve the surveillance footage as evidence.

The lobby manager could not afford to offend an old customer, nor did he dare offend Chen Mo, who was clearly no pushover. He could only agree with a bitter expression. But then the bastard objected again...

Just as the argument was reaching an impasse, someone in front of them asked, "What's going on? Why are you all blocking the way?"

That person was probably someone who enjoyed watching a spectacle. After saying that, he wrapped an arm around his female companion and squeezed through the crowd. When he saw Chen Mo standing there, with a group of obvious bodyguards lying around him, then looked at the bastard who had been beaten into a pighead, he could not help smiling. He said to Chen Mo, "You again? Don't tell me you attracted another rotten admirer?"

Chen Mo looked blankly at the handsome young man holding his female companion. After thinking for a moment, he asked uncertainly, "Young Master Gu?"

Young Master Gu nodded in satisfaction. He lifted his chin toward the pigheaded bastard and asked Chen Mo, "Need help?"

Chen Mo shook his head. "No."

Young Master Gu chuckled. "Makes sense. Lin Xia told me about what happened with Old Peng last time. You didn't need my help then either—you handled it yourself. You're kind of interesting."

There was no easy response to that, so Chen Mo only smiled. Fortunately, Young Master Gu did not expect him to answer. Since Chen Mo did not need his help, this mess had nothing to do with him. Young Master Gu waved at Chen Mo and said behind him, "Brother Mu, let's go."

Behind Young Master Gu stood a man in a black trench coat, silent and still. The dim lights in the nightclub corridor flickered on and off, making it impossible to see his face clearly. All one could tell was that he was very tall, probably around six-foot-three, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. His figure was exceptionally good. His entire presence was calm. Even in such a noisy, chaotic nightclub, he radiated a peculiar aura that made people feel at ease.

Hearing Young Master Gu's words, the man silently walked forward a few steps. Beneath the dim, flickering fluorescent lights, a sharply defined and incomparably handsome face was revealed. He stopped in front of Chen Mo.

Chen Mo did not understand why.

The man frowned and looked at Chen Mo's hand hanging at his side. "You're hurt," he said in a deep voice.

Chen Mo reflexively lifted his hand to look—it was only a scrape he had gotten while hitting someone, with a little blood on it. Compared to the people lying on the ground, this injury was nothing at all.

Chen Mo did not think much of it, but he still thanked him.

Because he often spent time training in the system, and had recently gained Landmines to cleanse and strengthen his body, Chen Mo's skin was exceptionally fair and delicate. His hands were long and well-proportioned, reflecting an almost unbelievable whiteness under the dim fluorescent light. The skin on the back of his hand had been scraped during the fight, and the bright red blood against his pale skin looked increasingly shocking.

As if bewitched, the man called Brother Mu could not help taking Chen Mo's hand. The next second, after realizing what he had done, Brother Mu looked at Chen Mo's suspicious expression and immediately said in a serious tone, "Your hands are meant for playing the piano. If they are injured, it could affect your future and your company's upcoming arrangements. I believe a contracted artist should understand how to protect himself better."

After saying that, Brother Mu's gaze swept over the pigheaded man who still stubbornly intended to make trouble for Chen Mo. Without changing expression, he said, "How about this? Come to the hospital with me now. Have your hand bones checked, then get a doctor to bandage it."

Throughout his speech, Brother Mu never let go of Chen Mo's hand.

Young Master Gu, who was watching from the side, could not help rolling his eyes. He explained to Chen Mo, "Huaxia Entertainment has shares held by Mu Group. Brother Mu is Mu Group's executive president. In theory, he's your boss too, so he was probably... concerned about the safety of company property!"

Brother Mu's behavior was so utterly righteous, and Young Master Gu's explanation was even more decisive, that Chen Mo had no choice but to believe them. Still, he could not accept going to the hospital over such a tiny injury just to have it bandaged. Before he could politely decline, Boss Mu had already grabbed his arm, draped an unyielding arm over his shoulders, and led him outside.

Boss Mu's tall body nearly enclosed Chen Mo completely in his embrace. By the time Chen Mo reacted, Boss Mu had already swept him into the elevator.

Chen Mo stared somewhat blankly at the silent Boss Mu in the elevator, then glanced at Young Master Gu in the corner, who was holding his female companion and watching the show. He had an inexplicable feeling that something was off!

Chapter 21

When Chen Mo received Huang Lixin's call, he was sitting in Boss Mu's car. The black business vehicle was traveling through the hazy nighttime streets, heading for Huajing First People's Hospital.

Huang Lixin's voice over the phone sounded strangely distorted. He asked where exactly Chen Mo had taken Director Zhang and why he had not returned after so long.

Only then did Chen Mo remember the friends he had completely forgotten about. He immediately explained, "I probably can't go back. You guys have fun on your own."

Then he briefly told him about the fight he had just gotten into.

Huang Lixin was shocked when he heard that. His first reaction was, "You got into a fight? Why? How did you handle the aftermath? Did you tell your agent?"

"Huh?" Chen Mo was baffled by the questions.

The moment Huang Lixin heard Chen Mo's response, he knew Chen Mo had not taken the matter seriously. He immediately said, "Call your agent right now. You became famous overnight, so every move you make is definitely being watched by paparazzi. I bet the media already knows about what happened tonight. I don't know whether your agent can suppress it. Also, were you hurt in the fight? Right, which hospital are you going to? I'll come find you now..."