One Against Ten

Cheng Dongxue looked startled and moved to stop Zhang Yang, but Lin Xiaofei immediately talked her out of it. Lin Xiaofei had set aside her feelings for Zhang Yang, so she could think more clearly.

They knew the old Zhang Yang all too well. He had been bullied mercilessly by the Cheng Family without daring to make a sound. But the strength he had just shown was nothing short of overwhelming.

Zhang Yang had become a stranger to them, impossible to fathom.

At Lin Xiaofei's reminder, Cheng Dongxue furrowed her brows. Zhang Yang truly was different now. He had changed.

Things he had never known how to do before, he suddenly seemed to know, and he did them remarkably well—appraising antiques, for instance. Even his personality and temper had changed...

"Mr. Zhang, let's call the police!" To be safe, Su Xiner wanted to resolve the matter through the law and seek help.

"Heh. Coward. Call the police? Go ahead, then! Hahaha..."

Liu Zihai burst out laughing.

The commotion in the VIP room drew Lin Dongqiang's attention again. His head throbbed. Two incidents in a row, and Zhang Yang was involved in both. What was he supposed to do?

Lin Dongqiang hurried over, but he was stopped at the door.

"Sorry, Mr. Lin. This has nothing to do with Elegant Residence. It's a personal grudge."

Liu Zihai was clever enough not to drag the Lin Family into it. That would make things tricky. If it was a personal grudge, Lin Dongqiang had no part in it. Anything damaged at Elegant Residence could simply be paid for.

There was no avoiding this today, and Zhang Yang had run out of patience.

He took a step forward. Liu Zihai, still aching in the chest from the kick he had taken, reflexively stepped back. All his underlings shifted a step toward the door as well.

"I told you, I'm not giving you the money. If you've got what it takes, knock me down and come get it."

Zhang Yang provoked them again. As long as they rushed him first, he would have every reason to put them all down, injuries or no injuries.

Liu Zihai faltered for a moment, then regained his composure. He was sure Zhang Yang was still useless. What had happened earlier was an accident; he had let his guard down. He was merely surprised that Zhang Yang had dared to fight back.

"Get him!"

Playing it safe, Liu Zihai stepped aside and let his underlings charge in.

"Zhang Yang..."

Cheng Dongxue called out a warning, afraid he would get hurt.

The three women huddled together. It was too frightening, too brutal to watch.

But a moment later came a series of dull blows.

"Ahhh..."

Thud, thud, thud...

Cries of pain and the heavy sounds of bodies hitting the floor rang out. The three women clung to one another. Lin Xiaofei opened her eyes a crack and saw Zhang Yang still standing, his limbs moving in a blur.

Lin Xiaofei smiled. Her eyes flew open, and she cried, "Zhang Yang won! Zhang Yang won..."

At her shout, Cheng Dongxue and Su Xiner opened their eyes too. Injured men lay all over the floor, writhing in pain, while Zhang Yang stood glaring at Liu Zihai.

"You really are a coward. I heard you took a hundred thousand yuan from Elegant Residence just now. That money isn't yours."

Now Zhang Yang was the one demanding money from Liu Zihai. Clearly, if Liu Zihai refused to hand it over, he would end up like his underlings on the floor.

Liu Zihai's face went deathly pale. Anger burned in his chest and blazed in his eyes, but he stood trembling. He had seen it happen: everyone who rushed Zhang Yang went down to a single punch or kick. Zhang Yang had not needed to strike the same person twice.

One punch here, one kick there, and a dozen of his men had ended up on the floor, groaning.

If a dozen men could not bring Zhang Yang down, Liu Zihai certainly could not. He swallowed hard.

"So which will it be? Leave a hand or a foot behind, or leave the hundred thousand yuan?"

Zhang Yang had given Liu Zihai a choice, and he was sure Liu Zihai would choose to surrender the money.

"Elegant Residence belongs to a friend of mine. This is no place for you to collect protection money."

Zhang Yang warned him again.

Heat rushed to Liu Zihai's head. When had he ever suffered a loss like this? He chose neither option. Instead, he whipped around and bolted for the door. If he could just get through it, he would be safe.

Smack!

"Ah—"

Thud!

But Liu Zihai's attempt to flee failed. He had barely turned and taken a step when someone slammed into him from behind, sending him sprawling face-first onto the floor.

How did this happen? Liu Zihai asked himself.

"Mr. Zhang..."

Lin Dongqiang had been outside the whole time. After Liu Zihai's underlings stopped blocking the doorway and rushed in, only to be knocked down by Zhang Yang, Lin Dongqiang still had not entered. He had watched from outside.

Now Zhang Yang had the situation under control. Lin Dongqiang swallowed hard. His uncle Lin Cheng had been right: Zhang Yang was not someone they could afford to cross.

With things under control, Lin Dongqiang did not want anyone dying in Elegant Residence, so he stepped forward to smooth things over.

"..."

Zhang Yang did not respond to Lin Dongqiang. He walked straight to Liu Zihai, who lay on the floor, and crouched in front of him.

"Well?"

"You win!"

"If you don't have the skill, don't take the job!"

Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow. Helpless, Liu Zihai pulled out the hundred thousand yuan he had only just pocketed and threw it in front of Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang had no reason to turn down money. He picked it up and tossed it to Lin Dongqiang.

"Take your men and get out. Don't let me see you again!"

Zhang Yang rose, returned to the dining table, and sat down at his leisure.

"Get out!" he barked when they still had not left.

Liu Zihai struggled to push off the underling sprawled across him and climbed to his feet. His men helped one another up, then staggered toward the door and fled.

A moment later, the room was quiet. Despite the fight, there was only some blood on the floor. Nothing had been damaged.

"Are you still eating?"

Zhang Yang looked at the three beautiful women, who were staring wide-eyed with their mouths open.

Cheng Dongxue and the other two were stunned. None of them had expected Zhang Yang to be so formidable. He had faced more than a dozen men alone, all of them hardened street fighters.

He had not just held them off. He had knocked them all down without a scratch on himself.

The three women returned to their seats in a daze, still caught up in what they had just seen. None of them picked up her chopsticks.

"Mr. Zhang, this money is yours. I heard what you said from outside. Thank you!"

Lin Dongqiang knew what Zhang Yang had done for him. Zhang Yang had called Elegant Residence a friend's business and warned Liu Zihai never to come back. He had protected the place.

Lin Dongqiang felt that giving him the money as thanks was only fair.

"You've treated me to dinner and now you're giving me money? I feel bad accepting it." As Zhang Yang spoke, he tucked the money into his pocket.

Lin Dongqiang froze, then quickly smiled. Before, he would not have understood. Now he knew why Lin Cheng thought so highly of Zhang Yang. With skills like those, few people would fail to respect him.

"If you need anything else, Mr. Zhang, just say the word!" Lin Dongqiang asked before leaving.

"We'll stay a while after the meal and have tea here this afternoon."

"Make yourselves at home, Mr. Zhang!"

Lin Dongqiang acknowledged him and left the room.