Handled

While the two waited, Chen Hao noticed Liu Yan kept checking her watch. She clearly had something urgent to attend to.

"Miss Liu, go take care of your business. I really can handle this myself. Don't worry."

Liu Yan had overheard some of Chen Hao's earlier conversation with Qiao Shan, so she assumed he really did have connections who could handle this. After a moment's thought, she took out her phone. "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Let's exchange numbers. Contact me anytime if anything happens."

"Sure."

As he watched Liu Yan drive away, the smug look on Lou Haocheng's face grew even more pronounced.

If Liu Yan had insisted on helping Chen Hao, Lou Haocheng might genuinely have had trouble dealing with him. Given the Liu Family's power, he probably couldn't touch her.

But now that Liu Yan had left, crushing Chen Hao would be a piece of cake.

"Well, well, our beautiful Miss Liu is gone. Let's see who you can hide behind now!" Lou Haocheng strutted smugly beside him.

Just then, the deafening roar of motorcycle engines erupted down the street, drawing plenty of curious looks.

At the sound, Lou Haocheng's face lit up, and he waved toward the end of the street.

Chen Hao turned to look. More than a dozen high-end motorcycles of various makes came roaring toward them and surrounded him.

Such a spectacle immediately drew countless stares from people on the street.

The man leading the bikers took off his helmet and swaggered over. Jutting his chin toward Chen Hao, he grinned at Lou Haocheng. "This the guy?"

Lou Haocheng lit himself a cigarette and answered coldly, "That's him. Give him a good beating."

The moment he finished, the leader called to the men around him, "You hear that, boys? Young Master Lou has spoken. Get him!"

In an instant, more than a dozen men climbed off their motorcycles, carrying assorted weapons and preparing to attack.

But a second later, Chen Hao lashed out with a lightning-fast kick at the utility pole beside him.

Bam!

A dull crash rang out, making the dozen-odd aggressive men shudder in fright.

Their leader jumped too, dropping the cigarette he had just lit.

"Who the hell do you think you're scaring?"

Cursing under his breath, the leader was about to charge in himself when one of his lackeys poked him. "B-boss, look over there."

Following the lackey's pointing finger, the furious leader instantly froze, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

The utility pole that had stood upright was now completely bent, and the outline of a footprint seemed to remain on the deformed section.

The leader looked at Chen Hao, then at Lou Haocheng, who stood beside him looking just as shocked.

After a long while, he finally said, "Young Master Lou, this guy isn't a trained fighter, is he? If he is, I'm afraid even all of us won't be enough for him."

Lou Haocheng was also startled by the fighting power Chen Hao had displayed, but the lingering sting in his forehead made him unable to swallow his anger. "There's only one of him and more than a dozen of us. Even if he's a boxing champion, it won't help. Everyone, get him!"

Lou Haocheng came from a very wealthy family. His mother was the director of the Education Bureau in Zhonghai City's Jiangdu District, and his father was an executive at a publicly listed company, so he usually had plenty of followers.

The men had been hesitant, but hearing Lou Haocheng give the order again, they cast aside their worries and charged at Chen Hao.

With Chen Hao's current physique, taking on ten men was no problem. Unfortunately, he lacked proper self-defense training, and when more than a dozen men swarmed him at once, he struggled to fend them off.

One swinging punch instantly knocked down three men, but a barrage of clubs came down and struck Chen Hao all over.

An improved physique did not mean Chen Hao had truly become invulnerable.

Under the flurry of clubs, Chen Hao was quickly beaten to the ground.

The crowd of onlookers kept growing, yet Lou Haocheng remained fearless. He was clearly accustomed to throwing his weight around and didn't care at all whether things got out of hand.

Just as Lou Haocheng was reveling in his triumph, a jeep came roaring down from the overpass and plowed straight into the motorcycles parked on the road, knocking over a whole swath of them.

Seeing their motorcycles smashed to the ground, the bikers instantly erupted in fury and surrounded the jeep with their clubs.

Every one of those motorcycles was expensive. Even the cheapest cost several hundred thousand.

"Fuck! You looking to die? Get the hell out!"

"You bastard! I'm breaking your legs today!"

The men began smashing the jeep with their clubs, throwing the scene into complete chaos.

"Get your asses on the ground!"

The jeep's door opened, and Qiao Shan stepped out with a gun, instantly snuffing out their bravado.

Huaxia strictly regulated firearms. Even criminal investigators and special forces soldiers could not carry guns around the clock.

The moment they saw him get out and draw a gun, everyone lost their nerve. They dropped their clubs and obediently lay flat on the ground.

Lou Haocheng was stunned too. But his first instinct wasn't to consider who this man might be. Instead, he immediately took Qiao Shan for a reckless thug carrying an illegal gun.

Who knew where Lou Haocheng found his courage? Everyone else had hit the ground, but he alone retained an inexplicable confidence. Pointing at Qiao Shan, he shouted, "Are you tired of living? How dare you carry an illegal gun! You—"

Without waiting for Lou Haocheng to finish, Qiao Shan cursed under his breath, chambered a round, and aimed the pistol at him. "Want me to put a bullet in you right now?"

Lou Haocheng, who had still been pretending he wasn't afraid, hurriedly clasped his hands over his head and dropped into a textbook crouch.

Only after subduing everyone did Qiao Shan turn to Chen Hao. "Chen Hao, are you all right?"

Chen Hao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "I'm fine."

Qiao Shan came over and lit a cigarette for Chen Hao. After a couple of puffs, he asked, "What exactly happened here?"

Chen Hao gave Qiao Shan a brief account of what had happened. Qiao Shan glanced at the crouching Lou Haocheng, then leaned close to Chen Hao's ear and whispered a few words.

After hearing him out, Chen Hao said nothing. He picked up a club from the ground, walked over, and gave Lou Haocheng a vicious beating.

Lou Haocheng had never expected this. Holding his head, he could only curl up and roll around on the ground, squealing like a pig being slaughtered.

"Aah! Stop hitting me! Aah, my hand! I'm telling you, my dad is—Aah!"

The surrounding bikers trembled as they watched Lou Haocheng take the beating, furious but too frightened to speak.

Chen Hao kept beating him for a good half minute, only letting out a long breath once Lou Haocheng had passed out.

Scanning the group, Chen Hao pointed at the bikers. "When that Lou bastard wakes up, pass on a message for me. My name is Chen Hao. If he's got a problem with this, he can come find me. I'll take him on anytime."

Qiao Shan ground out his cigarette butt, then asked, "What should we do with these guys? Want me to deal with them too?"

Chen Hao patted Qiao Shan's shoulder. "Forget it. They're just a bunch of small fry. Seeing Commander Chu matters more. Let's not let this trash delay anything important."

Qiao Shan nodded and snapped at the men, "You got lucky today." Then he got into the jeep with Chen Hao and drove away.

Neither spoke along the way, and they soon arrived at the entrance to Zhonghai City First People's Hospital. After getting out, they headed straight to the Rehabilitation Department.

When Chu Jinliang saw Chen Hao arrive, the worry on his face instantly vanished, making him look several years younger. "Ah, Chen Hao, you're finally here! Come, come, sit down."

Chen Hao took a seat with a smile. "Commander Chu, I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Oh, why are you still calling me Commander Chu? You saved my life. That's far too formal. From now on, just call me Grandpa Chu," Chu Jinliang said warmly.

"Well..."

Not just Qiao Shan, but all the other soldiers standing nearby cast envious looks at Chen Hao.

Who was Chu Jinliang? He was a man who could throw his weight around in both military and political circles. Anyone who could call him Grandpa would have an unshakable backer, whether they went into business or politics.

Seeing Chen Hao actually hesitate, Qiao Shan immediately nudged him. "Chen Hao, my friend, what are you waiting for? Say yes! I'd love to call Commander Chu Grandpa, but he won't even give me the chance."

His words sent everyone around them into laughter.

Chu Jinliang shot Qiao Shan an exasperated glare. "You just can't keep your mouth shut."

With the mood so cheerful, Chen Hao could only smile and agree. "Grandpa Chu."

"That's more like it! Hahaha..." Seeing Chen Hao agree put Chu Jinliang in an excellent mood.

Standing nearby, Qiao Shan felt deeply heartened to see Chu Jinliang laughing so happily. In all the years he had served him, he had rarely seen Chu Jinliang this delighted.

As everyone chatted and laughed, a sharp crash suddenly came from one of the rooms, followed by a woman's voice. "I won't take it! Get out, all of you! Get out!"

The door opened, and a nurse emerged from the ward looking embarrassed. She glanced at the group gathered in the hall, then sighed helplessly and shook her head.

"Ling'er, please don't be like this. You still need to take your medicine. How else will your injuries heal?" A soothing voice could faintly be heard from inside the ward.

Chu Jinliang's face abruptly changed, his hearty laughter gone. A thin sheen of tears instantly clouded his eyes.

"I won't listen! I won't listen! Get out, all of you! Get out! I don't want to see you!"

As the woman's furious cries rang out again, a middle-aged couple could only leave the room helplessly.

Looking at the couple, Chu Jinliang explained, "They're Ling'er's parents. She wasn't normally like this. She was such a devoted daughter. But ever since her face was burned, her temperament has changed. Ah..."

After speaking, Chu Jinliang turned his gaze back to Chen Hao. "Chen Hao, originally I only wanted you to help talk some sense into her. But yesterday, you even saved my life. Do you think you could help Ling'er..."

"Grandpa Chu, I can't make any promises, but I can try." As he spoke, Chen Hao stood and walked toward the room.