No more holding back

The burly man flexed his wrists and rolled his neck, drawing two sharp cracks.

A blond-haired underling behind him stepped half a pace forward, chin raised high. He pointed at Chen Yuan, then at Sister Wang and the others, his voice shrill and thin.

"Do you know who this is?"

Blondie jerked his thumb toward the burly man.

"Brother Tiger, Liu Hu! Who around here hasn't heard of Brother Tiger?"

The lobby fell silent for a moment.

Chen Yuan remained expressionless, as did Sister Wang and her group.

Not because they were trying to hide their reactions—they had simply never heard of Brother Tiger!

They were labor recruiters who dealt with factories and job seekers every day. How would they know any gangsters?

Blondie waited two seconds. When no one said a word, the smug look froze on his face.

He glanced around, and Liu Hu's other underlings exchanged looks. For a moment, things were painfully awkward!

Blondie rubbed his nose, coughed, and cleared his throat.

"Then surely you've heard of—Brother Long?!"

That changed everything.

Sister Wang's face went white. Her mouth hung open, but whatever she wanted to say never came out. Her lips trembled twice, and the fear in her eyes turned to worry, then despair.

The others reacted much the same way. One woman couldn't contain her fear and stepped back, her heel clicking against the floor.

Seeing their expressions, Blondie grew immensely pleased with himself. He stood there with his arms folded, grinning and bobbing his head.

Liu Hu smiled too.

His smile looked uglier than his scowl. The flesh on his face bunched together as his lips stretched wide, exposing a row of tobacco-yellowed teeth like a beast baring its fangs.

Liu Hu stepped forward. His leather shoe struck the floor with a thud, making Sister Wang shrink back.

"Scared?"

Liu Hu forced the words out of his throat, his voice deep and rough, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"If you're scared, get lost! The woman stays. The rest of you can go about your business."

The men behind him joined in. Some shouted, "Brother Tiger's the man!" Others yelled, "You heard him! Get lost!" Still others gestured at Sister Wang's group, flipping them off or waving their fists.

Sister Wang bit her lip and stayed where she was.

She glanced at Chen Yuan, her eyes full of fear, worry, and a trace of guilt. She had invited Zhang Xiu'e to the welcome party. Now that something had happened, she felt responsible.

Chen Yuan looked at Sister Wang, then at Liu Hu, frowning in utter confusion.

"Um... who's Brother Long?"

The lobby immediately fell silent.

Everyone looked at him, but no one spoke.

Blondie's mouth hung open, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

He turned to Liu Hu, who was equally stunned. Then Liu Hu burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the empty lobby so loudly that even the chandelier trembled.

His men laughed along with him, doubling over. Some slapped their thighs, some slapped the wall, and some laughed so hard they crouched down.

"Where the fuck did this country bumpkin come from? You're killing me!"

Once Liu Hu had laughed enough, he wiped the corners of his eyes, pointed at Chen Yuan, and turned to his men.

"He hasn't even heard of Brother Long, and he thinks he can make it in Deep City?"

Chen Yuan ignored him and turned to Sister Wang.

Sister Wang leaned toward his ear and lowered her voice.

"Brother Long's name is He Long. He's the son of He Qingguo, the Hung Hing Group's vice chairman. He Qingguo was one of Hung Hing's founders, and he's Chen Desheng's sworn brother. He Long is ruthless. There's nothing he won't do. Everyone around here is afraid of him."

Chen Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

Sister Wang lowered her voice further, a tremor creeping into it this time.

"You've heard of the Hung Hing Group, right? It used to be Hung Hing, the biggest gang in Deep City. They've gone legitimate now, but the people under them still act the same way. He Long runs the establishments around here. We can't afford to cross him. We really can't!"

Chen Yuan stayed silent because he was a little stunned.

Chen Desheng?

A founder of Hung Hing?

Sworn brothers?

His mind worked through it, piecing the fragments together.

The mansion, the crystal chandelier, Lei Zhen's fierce face, and the strong hand Chen Desheng had rested on his shoulder.

So this was what Chen Desheng did? The old man I saved that day was Hung Hing's boss?

What a turn of events!

Chen Yuan thought it over and decided it wasn't such a big deal.

Chen Desheng was Chen Desheng. These people were these people.

He had saved Chen Desheng's life, and in a couple of days he would be working as his bodyguard. He might as well try not to let this get out of hand.

Chen Yuan drew a deep breath and stepped half a pace forward. He kept his tone level, trying not to show any anger, and even made it sound a little conciliatory.

"Brother Tiger, my sister's had too much to drink. I need to take her home. Do me a favor and let this go tonight. That way, we can stay on good terms."

Liu Hu froze for a moment, then laughed extravagantly, opening his mouth wide enough to fit a fist.

"Do you a favor? Who the fuck are you? Who do you think you are?"

He turned to the men behind him.

"Brothers, did you hear that? He wants me to do him a favor!"

Liu Hu's men paused for a moment, then erupted into laughter.

A bald man clutched his stomach and crouched down. A skinny man slapped the wall, laughing too hard to straighten up. Blondie laughed until tears spilled from his eyes, wiping them away with the back of his hand.

When Liu Hu finished laughing, he turned back. His smile slowly faded, replaced by a vicious expression.

His brows knotted, his eyes narrowed, his mouth turned down, and his chin jutted forward, as though he wanted to devour someone.

He took a step forward, leaving only two paces between himself and Chen Yuan. Looking down at him, he spoke quietly, but every word carried force.

"Listen the fuck up. This woman is staying tonight, whether you like it or not! Who the hell do you think you are, asking me for favors?"

His men moved in around them.

Blondie stood on the left, the bald man on the right, and the skinny man behind them. Several others blocked the corridor entrance, surrounding Chen Yuan and his group.

One man pulled a telescopic baton from behind his waist and flicked it open with a snap. The steel gleamed under the lights.

Another clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles.

Others stood around the outside with their arms folded, smiling as though they were watching a good show.

Sister Wang's face was as white as paper, her lips trembling too much for her to speak.

The two young women supporting Zhang Xiu'e went weak in the knees. Zhang Xiu'e leaned against their shoulders, unaware of anything. She mumbled something, then fell silent again.

Liu Hu advanced another step and jabbed his finger into Chen Yuan's chest. Once, twice, three times. Each jab was hard enough to rock Chen Yuan backward.

"If you know what's good for you, get lost. If you don't—"

He withdrew his hand, glanced back at his men, then turned around again with a smile.

"Don't blame me for getting rough!"

His underlings jeered along with him, their voices growing louder and uglier.

"Brother Tiger told you to get lost, so get lost! What are you dragging your feet for?"

"This woman isn't leaving tonight. Forget about it."

"Kid, Brother Tiger's doing your sister an honor by drinking with her. Don't be an ungrateful little shit."

"If you don't leave, we'll deal with you too."

Blondie was the most excited of all, hopping as he shouted:

"Brother Tiger, quit wasting your breath on him! Just throw him out! The woman stays tonight. Let the rest of us get a taste too!"

That made the men laugh even harder. Some whistled, some clapped, and some spewed filthy remarks that were sickening to hear.

"Let us have a taste after Brother Tiger's done with her." "This bitch looks like she'd be fun." "Well, kid, are you leaving or not? If not, stand there and watch. You might learn something."

Sister Wang's eyes reddened. She bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms.

As Chen Yuan listened, the last trace of willingness to negotiate slowly vanished from his face.

His gaze darkened, and his fingers slowly curled into fists.

Chen Yuan remembered Grandfather's words. Don't start trouble, but don't be afraid of it. Hold back when you should. When you can't hold back anymore, don't.

The Chinese character for restraint had a blade above it. When that blade fell, the first person it hurt was you.

Looking at Liu Hu and his men's ugly faces and listening to their filthy words, Chen Yuan felt anger burn hot in his chest and make his temples throb.

Chen Yuan slipped his hand into his trouser pocket, pulled out his phone, and handed it to Sister Wang beside him.

"Sister Wang, hold this for me."

Sister Wang paused, but took the phone.

Chen Yuan turned to face Liu Hu.