Zhu Liang had brought more than ten men this time. They were all people he had recruited from his hometown. He came from a rural background and had no steady work there, so he left to make a living. At first he had nothing. Later, by chance, he met a developer named Brother Wang.
He had helped the developer deal with several villagers who resisted demolition. Since then he had been valued by the developer, and he called Li San and others from his hometown to assist him. These men had always been ruthless and had solved many problems for the developer.
There were now more than a dozen people in their group. Although not numerous, they were effective.
The two qualities Zhu Liang prized most were ruthlessness and loyalty, so when he heard that Li San had been beaten, he rushed over immediately.
More than a dozen men drew various weapons and charged straight at Xia Tian.
"Stop!" At that moment a man appeared at the door. He looked to be in his twenties, not yet thirty.
"Who are you?" Zhu Liang demanded.
"It does not matter who I am. What matters is that you disturbed me while I was eating." The man regarded Zhu Liang with a flat expression.
"Don't meddle in other people's business. My name is Zhu Liang. I have connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles." Zhu Liang announced.
"I do not care what you are," the man said bluntly.
"Who are you affiliated with?" Zhu Liang took a step forward. The younger men behind him glared at the newcomer as if ready to attack.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Xia Tian called lazily from the box. "You people are crazy. Are you here to avenge your man?"
Xia Tian's words immediately drew everyone's attention, including the man at the door.
"Xia Tian, are you out of your mind? Do you need to let these people chop you to pieces to be happy?" Huo Wen snapped at Xia Tian. Seeing that Zhu Liang and his men were about to confront the man at the door, she had planned to call for help, but Xia Tian had just managed to attract their attention again.
"Xia Tian?" The man at the door was slightly stunned when he heard the name. He then looked at Xia Tian carefully, and a look of joy spread across his face.
"You little bastard, I was going to let you live a bit longer. But since you are asking for death, I will grant your wish." Zhu Liang glared at Xia Tian viciously.
"I remember I told you to stop." The man advanced toward Zhu Liang.
"Damn it, why are so many people eager to die today?" Zhu Liang cursed as he stared at the man.
"You just said everyone in the underworld and the legitimate world answers to you, right?" the man asked evenly.
"That's right." Zhu Liang sneered.
The man smiled faintly.
"What are you laughing at?" Zhu Liang demanded.
At that moment the door of the next box opened, and four or five men stepped out. Each wore a suit and tie.
"Zhu Liang, your reach is growing. You even dare to offend my distinguished guest." One of them said coolly.
"Brother Wang, why are you here?" Zhu Liang was stunned on seeing the man. It was his patron — the developer on whom he had relied to rise to his current position.
"A few of us are here to treat Brother Ma to dinner tonight, but we did not expect to be disturbed by you," the developer replied.
"I did not know you were here, Brother Wang." Zhu Liang recognized the three men behind Brother Wang. Like him, they were prominent developers. Only then did Zhu Liang realize he had provoked the wrong people. Anyone invited to dine with these four must be a VIP.
He had never imagined such important figures would come to such a small place.
"Brother Ma, I apologize on his behalf. Why do we not let this matter drop?" Brother Wang pleaded for Zhu Liang. After all, Zhu Liang worked for him and had consistently pleased him with his abilities.
"I will do you a favor today and ask them to leave." Brother Ma nodded.
"Leave quickly." Brother Wang gave Zhu Liang and his men a look, and they hurried away. Before they left, Zhu Liang glared fiercely at Xia Tian.
Ma Ge and his companions returned to their own box and nodded at Xia Tian before they departed.
Calm returned to the box, but everyone except Xia Tian had lost their appetite.
"Sister Huo Wen, shall we call it a night? I will treat you another day," Tang Yan suggested, noticing how uncomfortable everyone felt.
"Okay." Huo Wen was extremely depressed. She was the eldest daughter of the Huo family, yet she had been unable to handle a few thugs. When she had introduced herself, the other side had simply not acknowledged her.
This was humiliating.
When Xue Chuan went to pay the bill, he discovered someone had already paid. He asked the waiter who had settled it, but the waiter only said it had been paid by a friend of Xia Tian.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I do not know who it was." Xia Tian explained when he saw everyone's curious gazes.
After saying goodbye, Yun Miao and Ling'er left together. Xue Chuan drove Tang Yan home. Bing Xin and Ye Qingxue lived together, and Xia Tian also planned to go back there tonight, so Huo Wen drove the three of them home.
Huo Lazi was in a terrible mood.
Earlier she had had a big fight with her grandfather about learning kung fu and had been severely scolded by her father, so she had run away from home in anger. She had left without any money.
She had intended to ask Xia Tian for help, but he had hung up on her.
"Stinky master, I curse you to die from overeating, to choke on water, to choke on your words, and to be bumped to death while walking," she muttered.
"I'm starving. I need to find some money."
Huo Lazi sat helplessly by the roadside. She had turned off her phone and did not intend to return home unless her grandfather agreed to let her learn kung fu.
"How can I earn some money? Rob someone?"
"No, robbing with my bare hands—who would be afraid of me?"
"Or beg."
"No, I would not get much, and my clothes do not look good."
"What should I do?"
"I have it." Huo Lazi deliberately messed up her hair, tore a few holes in her clothes, and stood by the roadside.
"This car is no good. Too shabby. It does not look like a rich person's car."
"This one will not do either."
After waiting about ten minutes, her eyes lit up.
"A red sports car. That must be worth at least one or two million. I will get money now." Huo Lazi waited near the traffic light. The red sports car slowed as it approached the light. Seeing her chance, she dashed out and pretended to be hit by the car.
"The money is coming." Huo Lazi smiled in anticipation.