The Hooligan Who Burst In

They had been enjoying their meal when someone rudely interrupted them. It ruined the mood, and Zhang Yang's temper flared. He shouted at the man in the doorway.

"Get out!"

Zhang Yang told Liu Zihai to get out, answering Liu Zihai's rudeness with some of his own.

"Brat, you're telling me to get out? Got a death wish?"

Liu Zihai walked slowly toward the Dining Table. Sensing trouble, Su Xiner rose at once. As an employee of Elegant Residence, she could hardly stay seated. She frowned at the doorway: no server had followed Liu Zihai in, and neither had any security guards.

Two servers had been waiting outside the private room, but Liu Zihai had already taken control of them and sent them away. Su Xiner was the only employee left.

Su Xiner was a nobody at the bottom of society. She could not afford to offend anyone here.

"Master Liu, what's going on? If it's a joke, let's leave it at that. Please don't be angry. Tell me what happened."

Su Xiner hurried over to Liu Zihai, bowing and scraping as she asked what the matter was and how she could help.

Smack!

"Get lost. You're not worth talking to."

Liu Zihai was smiling, but there was nothing warm about it. Before Su Xiner could explain, he slapped her across the face, leaving a red mark on her cheek.

Her face burned. The slap had come so suddenly and hit so hard that tears sprang to her eyes.

Liu Zihai had dared to cause trouble in the private room, so he clearly did not fear the Lin Family. Why would he care about a manager at one of its establishments? As far as he was concerned, a slap was getting off lightly.

Whoosh!

Zhang Yang shot to his feet. Frightened, Cheng Dongxue and Lin Xiaofei each grabbed one of his hands, seeking a sense of safety.

But could Zhang Yang really make anyone feel safe?

Cheng Dongxue figured she had grabbed his hand only because he was the sole man on their side, and a man in name alone at that.

Zhang Yang was a nobody himself. He had never been through anything serious and had no extraordinary abilities. He was so ordinary he might as well have been a village bumpkin.

When Liu Zihai saw Zhang Yang stand, surprise flashed across his face. As he remembered it, Zhang Yang was a pushover, someone anyone could push around. Yet today he had stood up in protest.

The surprise vanished in an instant, and Liu Zihai went right back to looking for a fight.

Liu Zihai raised his chin, his face full of mocking provocation. He had come here to pick a fight on purpose.

"I told you to get out. Didn't you hear me?"

Zhang Yang left the table and strode straight up to Liu Zihai. Liu Zihai did not believe Zhang Yang could do anything to him. He had neither the ability nor the nerve.

"I heard you. So what?"

Liu Zihai's answer was even more provocative. He had heard Zhang Yang, all right, but he was not leaving. What was Zhang Yang going to do about it?

"Then get out!"

Whoosh!

Thud!

Zhang Yang's leg shot up. He drove a powerful kick into Liu Zihai's abdomen, so fast and hard that Liu Zihai flew backward and knocked down a cluster of underlings behind him.

Gasp!

At the sight, the three beauties sucked in a startled breath and clapped their hands over their mouths.

Zhang Yang, by contrast, remained as calm and cold as ever, like Death himself freshly risen from hell.

"Master Liu!"

"Master Liu!"

"You—Master Liu..."

"Are you all right, Master Liu?"

It had not been a fight but a complete rout. Liu Zihai had not even had a chance to strike back. Before he could react, Zhang Yang's kick had sent him flying.

"Argh..."

Liu Zihai groaned. The kick had been strong enough to send his sturdy body flying, but it had not done any serious damage.

His underlings helped him up. Fighting through the pain, Liu Zihai shoved them away, rubbed his chest, and eyed Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang had truly surprised him. The once-weak good-for-nothing had managed to hit him and kick him across the room.

"You..."

Liu Zihai no longer dared underestimate Zhang Yang or move closer. He pointed at him, then faltered, at a loss for words.

"Are you all right?" Zhang Yang turned to Su Xiner and asked in a cool voice.

Su Xiner froze. His change in manner was so strange. Did Zhang Yang have a split personality?

"I'm fine. Thank you." Su Xiner held her cheek. It still burned. Liu Zihai had hit her with such force, without a shred of restraint, that she was lucky he had not sent her flying.

"That must really hurt!"

Cheng Dongxue and Lin Xiaofei gathered around Su Xiner. The three women huddled together for safety.

"Still here?" Liu Zihai had ruined Zhang Yang's day. Seeing him still standing there, Zhang Yang barked at him again.

Liu Zihai had seen his share of trouble and had some martial training, but Zhang Yang's shout made his underlings flinch. Even the three women watching jerked their shoulders.

"Zhang Yang, the famous good-for-nothing. You think one kick is enough to get rid of me? You're naive."

One reason people avoided provoking Liu Zihai was that he never let things go. An ordinary man might have fled after taking that kick, but not Liu Zihai. He was a genuine desperado, willing to put his life on the line. Until he knew how this ended, he would not leave.

"What do you want?" Su Xiner was angry now, too. He was a businessman with a thug's past, yet he had grown this brazen. Did he not know they lived under the rule of law?

Liu Zihai looked at Su Xiner and grinned. "You really are one of Elegant Residence's managers. When something happens, you look for the cause. Unlike certain good-for-nothings who only know how to pull cheap tricks. That doesn't solve anything."

He was not being subtle. He was comparing Zhang Yang with Su Xiner to make Zhang Yang look incompetent and reckless.

"Then what do you want?" As Zhang Yang's wife, Cheng Dongxue was worried about him. She did not want a violent clash in the private room.

"Ah, Miss Cheng. You know to ask for the reason, too." Liu Zihai kept rambling.

"I booked this private room, but you took it. So you'll kneel and apologize, then compensate us with a hundred thousand yuan." Liu Zihai grinned, certain he had the upper hand.

Zhang Yang was alone as far as Liu Zihai was concerned. The women did not count.

Behind Liu Zihai stood more men than the room could hold.

"A hundred thousand? Why not just rob us?" Lin Xiaofei had money, but how much could one meal cost? The thug had demanded a hundred thousand yuan the moment he opened his mouth.

Zhang Yang said nothing as he studied Liu Zihai. The man had brought plenty of people today. However large the private room was, there was not enough space for so many men to fight.

"If you're a man, come take it." Zhang Yang finally spoke, his voice firm.

"Zhang Yang..."

"Don't worry. Didn't you see what he just did?" Lin Xiaofei reminded her.