Liao Zihao’s feet dangled in the air as he struggled, but Chu He’s hand was like a pair of iron pliers; no matter how desperately Liao fought, it was useless. He was already beginning to roll his eyes back.
"Stop!"
Just then, a sharp, clear voice rang out from the entrance, and a group of people hurried into the private dining room.
Chu He turned to look and saw a young woman with delicate features leading several burly men inside. The next second, she locked eyes with him and couldn't help but exclaim:
"It’s you?"
"You recognize me?" Chu He frowned. The woman looked familiar, but he couldn't place her.
"My name is Xu Ni! Chu He, please let Zihao go first. We can talk about whatever the issue is!"
The woman’s tone was deferential, for she had witnessed just how terrifying this man was only a few days ago. However, Liao Zihao was her fiancé; she couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
"So you’re from the Xu Family. No wonder you looked familiar." Chu He had a sudden realization, then said coldly, "The time I gave you hasn't run out yet. Are you in such a hurry to come here and die?"
"Mr. Chu, if Liao Zihao has offended you, I can apologize and compensate you on his behalf. But please, let him go first!" Xu Ni didn't dare to meet Chu He’s icy gaze, her voice trembling slightly.
"Compensation?" Chu He gave a cold, mocking smile and released his grip.
*Thud!*
Liao Zihao crashed heavily to the floor. Ignoring the pain, he gasped desperately for fresh air, looking utterly disheveled.
"Speak. How do you intend to compensate me?" Chu He sat back down in his chair, crossed his legs, and watched Xu Ni with an amused expression.
"May I ask... how exactly did Zihao offend you?" Xu Ni forced down her anger. In all of Jiangzhou, other than Chu He, no one dared to speak to her like this.
"He dared to harass An Chuxia. Wouldn't you say he deserves to die for that?" Chu He gestured toward the man slumped on the floor.
"..."
Hearing this, Xu Ni felt like strangling Liao Zihao herself. After a moment of hesitation, she turned to An Chuxia, her voice sincere. "Ms. An, I am willing to offer ten million as an apology on Zihao’s behalf."
"I don’t want your money, but I accept the apology."
An Chuxia wasn't stupid. This ten million was a hot potato; she didn't want to bring trouble to Chu He or her family, so she refused decisively.
"Sis, that’s ten million!" An Xiaomeng blinked her large eyes. Their father still owed loan sharks money; that amount could clear his debts.
"Xiaomeng, if it isn't our money, we cannot take a single cent!" An Chuxia warned.
"Oh, okay," An Xiaomeng pouted, her delicate face clearly showing her reluctance. The guy surnamed Liao had a loose mouth; he deserved to pay!
Xu Ni thought for a moment before writing a check for ten million and placing it on the dining table. Whether An Chuxia took it or not was her own business.
"Bastards! Who dares touch that check!"
Liao Zihao had recovered enough to regain his senses, and seeing Xu Ni acting so submissive made his blood boil. He struggled to his feet, glared viciously at Chu He, and gritted his teeth: "You brat, you dare hit me? None of you are leaving this place alive!"
"Oh, no!"
Hearing Liao’s words, Xu Ni’s heart sank to the bottom of the pit. She hurriedly said, "Mr. Chu, I’m sorry..."
But before she could finish, Chu He had already acted. With a flick of his finger, an invisible burst of energy shot directly into Liao Zihao’s abdomen.
"Argh!"
Liao Zihao let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed back onto the floor, writhing in agony as beads of sweat the size of peas broke out across his forehead.
"A mere ant dares to threaten me? You’re courting death!" Chu He huffed, watching the howling man with a expressionless face.
"..."
Everyone present was stunned. No one knew what Chu He had done to Liao, but it clearly wasn't anything good.
***
"Mr. Chu, are you satisfied now?" Xu Ni asked, her face livid as she suppressed her rage.
"Are you dissatisfied?" Chu He looked at her playfully and sneered, "It doesn't feel good to be bullied, does it?"
"..." Xu Ni bit her lip.
"Does this restaurant belong to the Xu Family?" Chu He asked suddenly.
At this question, a sense of foreboding washed over Xu Ni. She hesitated, then nodded. "We hold shares, yes, but the major shareholder is the Liao Family."
"From today on, there is only one shareholder here: the Chu family."
"What?"
Xu Ni’s head spun. She hadn't expected Chu He to open his mouth and demand the entire restaurant.
"If you aren't convinced, have your backers come out and talk to me!" Chu He said coldly. His ultimate goal was to force the Xu Family’s patron into the open.
"Chu He, you’ve gone too far!" Xu Ni finally erupted. "Even a rabbit will bite when pushed into a corner! Do you really think the Xu Family is afraid of you?"
"Bite me? Do you dare?" Chu He said with disdain.
"Insolent!"
The burly man behind Xu Ni couldn't hold back anymore. He pointed at Chu He and bellowed, "You arrogant brat! Let’s see how strong you really are!"
He roared and swung a fist the size of a sandbag, accompanied by a gust of wind, straight at Chu He’s face. This man was Xu Ni’s personal bodyguard; it was said he could fell an ox with a single blow.
"Brother Chu He, be careful!" An Xiaomeng screamed.
Seeing the fist about to land on Chu He’s head, Xu Ni felt a surge of secret joy. It seemed Chu He wasn't that strong after all!
Just as she was celebrating, Chu He moved.
*Bang!*
With lightning speed, Chu He kicked the man in the stomach. The bodyguard didn't even have time to react before he let out an 'Oof' of agony. His body flew back like a broken kite, slammed into the wall, and dropped to the floor, unable to rise again.
"Is the Xu Family filled with such trash?" Chu He looked coldly at Xu Ni.
"You’ve got guts. We’ll see!"
Xu Ni was trembling with fury. Shocked and enraged, she ordered her other bodyguards to support Liao Zihao and turned to leave.
"Did I say you could go?"
A cold voice cut through the air. Xu Ni shuddered and turned back slowly. Chu He said faintly, "Go back and tell the people behind you to prepare their last words. Don't let it get to the point where they don't even have the chance to write a will!"
"Chu He, you will pay the price for your arrogance!" Xu Ni stormed out of the private room.
"Manager, bring out the food!" Chu He didn't take any of it to heart and sat back down.
An Chuxia couldn't help but worry. "Chu He, are you sure you want to stay here and keep eating?"
"From now on, Tingyuxuan belongs to the Chu family. Is there a problem with me eating in my own house? Xiaomeng, if you like it here, bring your classmates whenever you want!" Chu He laughed.
"Wow! Brother Chu He, are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Brother Chu He, tell me the truth, are you in the mafia?" An Xiaomeng asked a sudden, bizarre question.
"Xiaomeng, you’re talking nonsense again!" An Chuxia glared at her, warning her to hold her tongue.
"Why do you ask?" Chu He wondered.
"In Jiangzhou, no one dares provoke the Xu Family, but Xu Ni was completely crushed by you. That’s so cool!" An Xiaomeng grinned.
Chu He didn't speak. He watched her, lost in thought. From the moment they met, she hadn't mentioned An Jie once. Had she truly forgotten everything? If not, then there was only one possibility: An Xiaomeng was playing the fool and deliberately trying to forget.
"Brother Chu He, could you stop looking at me like that? I’m still young..." An Xiaomeng stuck out her tongue playfully as she noticed his gaze.
"..." Chu He felt his face heat up. What on earth was this girl thinking?
***
Meanwhile, Xu Ni stormed into the manager’s office, sat behind the desk, and lit a slim cigarette, taking a deep drag. In all her life, she had never been bullied like this. Today was a first.
"Miss, Young Master Liao has been sent to the hospital," a bodyguard reported from the door.
"I know."
Xu Ni waved him off impatiently, stubbed out the cigarette, and pulled out her phone to call her father, Xu Yinshui.
***
In the suburbs of Jiangzhou, at the Xu estate.
Xu Yinshui was in his study entertaining an important guest: a tall, thin man in military fatigues and sunglasses, with a long, centipede-like scar across his face that looked terrifying.
"Viper, how sure are you that you can kill Chu He?" Xu Yinshui asked with a somber face.
"Ten out of ten," the man replied with disdain. He chuckled, "Mr. Xu, I’m sure you’ve looked into our reputation, otherwise, why invite me here?"
"Chu He is no ordinary person. He is a martial artist," Xu Yinshui warned sternly.
"So what?" The man in fatigues was unimpressed. "No matter how strong he is, he’s still flesh and blood. Can he stop bullets?"
"Good. I’ll wait for your good news."
"No problem."
The man stood up to leave, but stopped at the door, turned, and gave a sinister smile. "Mr. Xu, a reminder: remember to pay the remainder of the fee once the job is done, or the consequences will be severe!"
Xu Yinshui was annoyed, but considering this man could get rid of Chu He, he nodded.
"Happy to work with you." The man laughed triumphantly and exited.
Just then, Xu Yinshui’s phone rang. He answered, and his daughter’s anxious voice came through.
"Dad, something’s happened!"
Xu Ni recounted everything that had occurred at Tingyuxuan.
"Bastard!"
Xu Yinshui grabbed the ashtray from his desk and smashed it to pieces on the floor. "Damned Chu He! He has absolutely no respect for anyone!"
"Exactly!" Xu Ni agreed, her voice trembling with indignation. "Dad, we can't let this go. The debt for him killing my uncle’s family hasn't been repaid yet!"
Silence hung on the other end of the line. After a long time, Xu Yinshui asked in a low voice: "How is Zihao?"
"He’s in the hospital. The Liao Family already knows; they are sending people to Tingyuxuan to cause trouble for Chu He!"
"Daughter, listen to me," Xu Yinshui regained his composure, his 'old fox' personality surfacing. "If the Liao Family comes into conflict with Chu He, do not intervene. If necessary, you can tell Chu He that the Xu Family is willing to hand over our shares in Tingyuxuan!"
"Dad, are you joking? The Xu Family is really going to give our shares to Chu He?" Xu Ni was stunned.
"Yes." Xu Yinshui laughed coldly. "Liao Zihao is severely injured. Old man Liao will never let Chu He off the hook."
"You mean... borrowing a knife to kill?" Xu Ni’s eyes lit up; she seemed to understand her father’s plan.
***
"The Liao family has a practitioner invited from Southeast Asia who is very powerful. Let’s let him test Chu He’s strength," Xu Yinshui sneered.
"Dad, you’re as sharp as ever!" Xu Ni praised. If the Liao family’s practitioner could kill Chu He, it would avenge her uncle’s family while saving the Xu family from a mountain of trouble. It was killing two birds with one stone!
Meanwhile, back in the private room, Chu He had begun his meal. Under Xu Ni’s instructions, the manager had brought out every signature dish in the house, terrified that Chu He would find another excuse to cause a scene.
"Tsk, tsk. Tingyuxuan really lives up to its name. Their food is actually quite good!" An Xiaomeng picked up a lion's head meatball and took a satisfied bite. The tender, juicy meat melted in her mouth.
*Slurp.*
After finishing the meatball, she drank some of the broth. The rich, savory flavor exploded on her taste buds.
"Xiaomeng, if you like it, eat more. You probably don't get good food at school, right?" Chu He smiled faintly. He had vivid memories of school cafeteria food—especially the cafeteria ladies who seemed to have 'Parkinson's,' as their hands would shake whenever they scooped, especially when there was meat in the ladle.
"Exactly! At school, we just eat to fill our stomachs. It’s hard to find anything good!" An Xiaomeng said, her mouth oily and her manners completely forgotten.
Even An Chuxia couldn't watch anymore, frowning. "Eat slowly. Nobody is going to steal it from you!"
"Sis, it’s just really good!" An Xiaomeng pouted with greasy lips and made a face at her sister.
"Xiaomeng, there’s a guy at your school named Xiong Bo. Do you know him?"
"Xiong Bo?" An Xiaomeng put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth, her face filled with disgust. "That guy is a tumor on the school campus. He throws his weight around because his brother is a street thug. Even the teachers are afraid of him!"
"I heard you have a conflict with him?" Chu He asked.
"What?" An Chuxia grew anxious. "Xiaomeng, what’s going on? Did you get into an argument with that classmate?"
"I couldn't be bothered to argue with him!" An Xiaomeng scoffed. "It’s Xiong Bo who’s been hounding me, insisting that I be his girlfriend. It’s disgusting!"
"And then?" Chu He was stunned. Kids these days were quite precocious.
"Hmph! Of course I refused! But that jerk actually tried to get handsy, so I stopped being polite. I gave him a kick where it counts and sent him straight to the infirmary!" An Xiaomeng said with a grin.
"Xiaomeng, how could you resort to violence?" An Chuxia frowned. She was worried that her sister was forming a habit of hitting people.
"He was the one who had evil intentions! He deserved it! Brother Chu He, don't you agree?" An Xiaomeng asked indignantly.
"Yeah, he deserved it," Chu He replied, suppressing a laugh. The An sisters were both daring—An Chuxia had made a scene at the Xu wedding, and An Xiaomeng was even fiercer. One kick, and the Xiong family might be facing a line of succession crisis.
At that moment, just after Xu Ni hung up the phone, the manager rushed into the office, gasping for air.
"Manager Xu, no... it’s not good!"
"What happened?" Xu Ni frowned.
"General Manager Liao has brought a huge crowd to the restaurant. The customers were so scared they... they all ran away!" the manager said, struggling to swallow.
"I see. I’m going out!"
Xu Ni hung up and hurried out of the office. She soon met Liao Zihao’s father in the courtyard.
The man was wearing a traditional Tang suit. His thick, bushy eyebrows arched upward, giving him an imposing, intimidating aura. With his tall, sturdy build and sharp, cold eyes, he stood in the yard like a god of war. Behind him stood hundreds of thugs wielding long blades, stretching from the yard all the way to the entrance.
"Uncle Liao, you’ve arrived!" Xu Ni composed herself and walked toward Liao Lei with an expression of grief and anger.
"Xu Ni, which room is the person who injured my son in?" Liao Lei’s face was filled with murderous intent. He only had one son, Liao Zihao, whom he pampered like a 'little ancestor.' Of course he was furious now that his son was in the ICU.
"Uncle, the person who hurt Zihao is in Room Eight!"
"Let’s go! To the room!" Liao Lei waved his hand and led his men, storming aggressively toward Chu He’s room.
*Bang!*
Chu He and the others were still eating when the door was suddenly kicked open, and Liao Lei’s men swarmed in.
"Who hurt my son? And the cheap woman surnamed An, get over here!" Liao Lei roared. Having come straight from the hospital, he had heard the story from Liao Zihao and blamed An Chuxia for half the trouble.
Seeing the gang of vicious-looking men, the An sisters turned pale, losing all appetite for their meal.
"It was me."
Chu He, who had been sitting with his back to Liao Lei, turned his head slowly. His gaze landed on Liao Lei. "What did you just say? Say it again."
"Chu He?" Liao Lei’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing that familiar face. The sight of this brat washing the Xu wedding in blood a few days ago was still fresh in his mind. He hadn't expected to run into him here!
"Uncle Liao, there’s one thing I forgot to tell you," Xu Ni said, seizing the opportunity. "Chu He said that from today on, Tingyuxuan belongs to him. You’re the major shareholder—we’ll follow your lead!"
"What arrogance!" Liao Lei flew into a rage, pointing a finger at Chu He and gritting his teeth. "Brat, I know you have a few tricks, but I’m not afraid of you. You’re leaving here in pieces today!"
"Don't do anything rash, or I’m calling the police!" An Chuxia took out her phone, looking serious.
"Chuxia, don't call the police!" Chu He stopped her before Liao Lei could make his threats.
"Why?" An Chuxia looked at him, confused.
"It’s just a bunch of rabble. Let’s not bother the officers; I can handle it." Chu He gave an awkward smile. In truth, he didn't want to run into Han Tong. If that 'violent chick' got the wrong idea again and tried to detain him, he’d be asking for trouble.
"You arrogant child!" Liao Lei was so angry his lungs were about to burst at being called 'rabble.' He turned to a short, brown-skinned middle-aged man behind him and roared, "Master Suola, finish this brat off!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Liao. Dealing with this brat is easy," the man stepped out from behind Liao Lei. His face was covered in a dense web of tattoos, making him look like he was swarming with blue ants—a truly chilling sight.
"Sis, this person is terrifying!" An Xiaomeng was terrified. Who would tattoo their entire face like that?
"Don't worry, Xiaomeng. He’s just a black magic practitioner. I can finish him off in a minute," Chu He said with a faint smile.
"For real?" An Xiaomeng blinked. She had seen movies where black magic practitioners were terrifying. Was Brother Chu He just bragging?