The Thug Who Barged 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 his rudeness with rudeness of his own.

"Boy, you tell me to get out? You must have a death wish!"

Liu Zihai strode toward the dining table. Sensing trouble, Su Xiner rose at once. As an employee of Elegant Residence, she frowned at the doorway. There were no servers behind Liu Zihai, nor any of Elegant Residence's security guards.

Two servers had been waiting outside the private room, but Liu Zihai had already taken control of them and sent them away. That left Su Xiner on her own.

She did not need to weigh her options. Someone as low on the social ladder as she was could not afford to offend anyone.

"Master Liu, Master Liu, what's this about? 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 so she could deal with it.

Smack!

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

Liu Zihai wore a smile, but it was a cold one. Without letting Su Xiner explain, he slapped her across the face, leaving a red mark on her cheek.

Her face burned. The slap had come so suddenly and so hard that tears welled in her eyes.

Liu Zihai had dared to cause trouble in the private room, so he clearly did not fear the Lin Family. A manager at one of its establishments meant even less to him. 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 some sense of safety.

But could Zhang Yang really make anyone feel safe?

Cheng Dongxue realized she had grabbed Zhang Yang's hand only because he was the sole man on their side, and even then, only in the literal sense.

Zhang Yang was a nobody too. He had never faced anything serious and had no exceptional abilities. He was so ordinary he might as well have been a village farmer.

Surprise flashed across Liu Zihai's face when Zhang Yang stood up. As he remembered him, Zhang Yang was a pushover, someone anyone could push around. Yet today he had actually risen in protest.

The surprise passed in an instant, and Liu Zihai slipped right back into his provocative manner.

Liu Zihai lifted his chin, his face full of mocking challenge. He had come here deliberately to pick a fight.

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

Zhang Yang left the table and crossed the room in a few quick strides. 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 challenge only grew bolder. He might as well have said, I heard you, but I'm not leaving. What are you going to do about it?

"Then get out!"

"Whoosh—"

Thud!

Zhang Yang's leg shot up, and his foot slammed into Liu Zihai's abdomen. The kick was so fast and powerful that it sent him flying into the men behind him, knocking several of them down.

"Ah—"

The three beauties gasped in shock and clapped their hands over their mouths.

Zhang Yang, by contrast, remained as calm and cold as ever, like a death god who had just crawled out of hell.

"Master Liu..."

"Master Liu..."

"You—"

"Are you all right, Master Liu?"

It had not been a fight so much as a one-sided beating. Liu Zihai had no chance to strike back. Before he could react, Zhang Yang kicked him flying.

"Ah—"

Liu Zihai groaned. The kick was not forceful enough to cause serious injury, though it had sent his sturdy body flying.

Liu Zihai's underlings helped him up. Enduring the pain, he shoved them away, rubbed his chest, and narrowed his eyes at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang had certainly surprised Liu Zihai. The weak good-for-nothing had actually managed to hit him and kick him flying.

"You—"

Liu Zihai no longer dared underestimate Zhang Yang. He did not dare approach again and pointed at Zhang Yang, at a loss for words.

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

Su Xiner froze. Zhang Yang's personality seemed so different—how strange. Could he be schizophrenic?

"I'm fine. Thank you." Su Xiner held her cheek, which still burned. Liu Zihai was very strong and showed her no mercy; she was lucky he had not knocked her flying.

"That must really hurt!"

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

"Why are you still here?" Liu Zihai had completely ruined Zhang Yang's mood, yet he was still standing there looking puzzled. Zhang Yang barked at him.

At Zhang Yang's shout, Liu Zihai, despite his experience and worldly ways, made the underlings behind him flinch. Even the three women watching hunched their shoulders.

"Zhang Yang, you're a famous good-for-nothing. If you think one kick is enough to drive me away, you're naive."

One reason people avoided provoking Liu Zihai was that he was impossible to shake off. Most people would have turned and fled after taking a kick like that. Not Liu Zihai. He was a true desperado, willing to stake his life in a fight, and would not leave until the outcome was clear.

"What do you want?" Su Xiner was angry now too. Liu Zihai was a businessman with a thug's background, yet he dared act this arrogantly. Did he not know they lived in a society governed by law?

Liu Zihai looked at Su Xiner and grinned. "That's the management of Elegant Residence for you. When something happens, you first look for the reason. Unlike certain good-for-nothings who only know how to play petty tricks and can't solve anything."

He was not hinting at someone else. He was directly comparing Zhang Yang with Su Xiner, highlighting Zhang Yang's incompetence and recklessness.

“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 of the Cheng Family knows to ask why, too.” Liu Zihai kept rambling.

“I reserved this room, but you took it. So you’ll kneel and apologize, then pay us a hundred thousand yuan in compensation.” Liu Zihai grinned, sure of himself.

In terms of numbers, Zhang Yang was alone. The women did not count.

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

"A hundred thousand? Why don't you just rob us?" Lin Xiaofei had money, but their meal cost nowhere near that much. This thug had the nerve to demand a hundred thousand.

Zhang Yang said nothing as he studied Liu Zihai. There really were a lot of them, and even a room this large did not offer enough space for so many people 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.