Chapter 21: Giving Face, but Not Accepting ItQingshan City is the capital of Dong Province, with a long history and numerous cultural relics. It has always been known as a place where outstanding people emerge in large numbers. Over thousands of years, many influential figures have appeared here, some of whom have left a good name for posterity, while others have become infamous. When Li Nanfang came down from Qianfo Mountain, it was almost dusk. The golden-red rays of the setting sun slanted down, casting a golden glow over the mountains and buildings. Birds were chirping and returning to their nests. Li Nanfang's stomach was also a bit hungry. Seeing a bar not far ahead, he decided to go in for a couple of drinks before heading to the supermarket to buy the necessary daily supplies. Like teahouses that provide food and drink, bars also offer such services. Li Nanfang found a corner seat, ordered a dozen bottles of black beer, and then asked for a set meal. He enjoyed the view of the beautiful women walking by outside the window while slowly sipping his drinks alone.After having his fill, it was already completely dark. Satisfied, he lit a cigarette and snapped his fingers, calling out, "Waiter, check, please." Soon, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor could be heard. A waitress in a red uniform walked up behind him, slightly bending her waist and speaking softly, "Sir, your total consumption is one hundred and eighty yuan." "Shall I pay by card here?" Li Nanfang said as he turned around and was taken aback for a moment before laughing"Oh, it's you!" This waitress was none other than the receptionist from the Kaifeng Group headquarters, Sister Su Yueyue. Li Nanfang had teased her in the morning, and Su Yueyue had mentioned that she had to go home to see her child after work. It was clear that the bar was not her child's place—Su Yueyue didn't expect to run into Li Nanfang here either. Her face changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and replied, "Vice President Li, hello." In fact, she knew that Li Nanfang's claim to be a vice president was a bit of a boast, and addressing him like this also had a hint of sarcasm.Li Nanfang didn't mind, just chuckled and casually asked, "Su Yueyue, instead of going home to see your child after work, why are you working as a waitress in a bar?" "To earn some extra money for milk powder during my spare time from work," Su Yueyue said indifferently, "Vice President Li, your total consumption is one hundred and eighty yuan." Clearly, she wasn't interested in getting close to Li Nanfang. If they were too familiar, it would be awkward to ask for money. One hundred and eighty yuan was more than her nightly wage."Alright, let's pay by card," Li Nanfang said, realizing Su Yueyue's intention. He took out his bank card and handed it to her. Su Yueyue had a portable card reader with her. After taking the gold card, she pressed a few buttons and asked Li Nanfang to enter his password. To avoid any awkwardness, she deliberately turned her head away and only looked back after Li Nanfang said it was okay. She glanced at the screen and frowned slightly, "Vice President Li, your card balance shows zero.""What?" Li Nanfang was stunned. "Zero balance?" "You can check for yourself," Su Yueyue said, handing him the card reader. Li Nanfang looked carefully and saw that it clearly showed a zero balance. He remembered clearly that when he returned to Qingshan City, the old man had given him thirty thousand yuan. He had only spent a few thousand on the hotel and clothes yesterday. How could it be zero now? After a moment of confusion, Li Nanfang began to understand something.At that moment, another customer called for the bill, and Su Yueyue urged him, "Vice President Li, you can also pay in cash." "Ahem, well, I don't have enough cash with me. I have less than thirty yuan," Li Nanfang coughed awkwardly and said. "No cash? Then I'll call the boss over. You can talk to him yourself," Su Yueyue frowned again, not waiting for Li Nanfang to say anything, and turned to wave at someone: "Brother Hu, could you come over here?"Damn it, this girl is really not giving me any face. Even if I don't have money, considering we're somewhat acquainted, she should have covered for me. I could have paid her back tomorrow. Why call someone over and make it seem like I'm skipping the bill? Su Yueyue's behavior made Li Nanfang very unhappy, but he couldn't say anything. After all, she wasn't obligated to lend him money. Brother Hu was around thirty years old, bald, with a thick gold chain around his neck, dragon and tiger tattoos on his arms, and a face full of tough muscles. He clearly wasn't an easy person to deal with. "What's up, Yueyue?" "This gentleman forgot to bring money, one hundred and eighty yuan. I'll go check on someone else who's paying," Su Yueyue said quietly, then glanced at Li Nanfang expressionlessly and quickly walked away. "Hey, buddy, you come to a bar and forget to bring money?" Brother Hu folded his arms and looked down at Li Nanfang with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I really did forget. Could you do me a favor and let me owe it? I'll bring it to you tomorrow, double the amount," Li Nanfang scratched the back of his head and asked in a negotiating tone."Ha, you think that's a good idea? I don't know you from Adam, so why should I let you owe it?" Brother Hu's fake smile immediately turned into a sneer. "Watch your mouth," Li Nanfang admitted that he did seem to be skipping out on the bill, but Brother Hu's attitude was just too rude. If it weren't for the fact that he was somewhat in the wrong, Li Nanfang would have kicked him out already."Damn it, kid, I'll say whatever I want. What are you gonna do about it?" Brother Hu didn't expect Li Nanfang to still talk back. He was so angry that he laughed and reached out to grab Li Nanfang's collar, "You little brat, I've seen your kind before!""Ah!" Just as he was about to grab him, a girl's scream came from behind. At the same time, a slap was heard: crack! Instinctively, both Brother Hu and Li Nanfang looked over and saw Su Yueyue being pushed to the side of a table: "You little bitch, how dare you slap me!""What's going on?" Seeing someone causing trouble in his bar, Brother Hu shouted and rushed over. A young and pretty girl working in a bar, a place full of all sorts of people, is easily targeted. Not all customers are gentlemen like Li Nanfang. The guy who had called Su Yueyue over to pay the bill earlier had clearly drunk too much. Seeing how pretty she was, he couldn't resist and pinched her thigh. Su Yueyue screamed in surprise and instinctively slapped him. The man she hit clearly wasn't someone to be trifled with. He pushed her away and then stood up, grabbing a bottle of alcohol and smashing it down on her head. Fortunately, Su Yueyue was quick-witted and rolled out of the way in time. The bottle smashed into the table with a loud bang.Brother Hu rushed over just in time and shouted, "Hey, stop it, you—"He stopped halfway through his sentence. That person was someone he couldn't afford to offend, so he quickly put on a smiling face and said, "Oh, isn't this Young Master Jin? What wind brought you to my humble establishment? I really should have my eyes checked; I didn't recognize you at all."Brother Hu may seem tough to ordinary people, but in front of someone with connections, he's even more polite than a grandson. The young man was thin and wore glasses, looking rather weak, but he pointed at Brother Hu's nose and shouted, "Damn it, Zhang Hu, do you still want to keep your bar open?"Seeing this, Li Nanfang lost interest. He could easily guess what would happen next. Brother Hu would apologize, make Su Yueyue apologize to Young Master Jin, and might even fire her on the spot. Technically, Li Nanfang should have stepped in to help Su Yueyue since they were somewhat acquainted. But when he said he had no money earlier, she didn't offer any help and even called over the tough Brother Hu. Li Nanfang wasn't a petty man, but there were times when he needed to be.He sighed, "It seems the old man has taken all the money from my card. He must have been worried that I'd get distracted and cut off my financial wings to force me to rely on Yue Zitong. Well played, old man."Li Nanfang took out his phone and found Yue Zitong's number, then made a call. He didn't want to bother her at first. If Su Yueyue had covered for him or if Brother Hu had been reasonable, he wouldn't have had to. When he left the president's office, she had asked if he had money, and he had acted all cool, saying something like "Money is just a trivial matter, no need to worry." Now he had to call for help, which was a bit embarrassing.Of course, with Li Nanfang's abilities, he could have easily skipped out on the bill, but he wouldn't do that. He believed in paying for what he drank. The phone rang for several seconds before Yue Zitong's calm voice came through, "What do you want? I'm busy cleaning up your room."
"Hey, comrade, you're working hard. Don't hang up yet, I really need something. Um, you know..." Li Nanfang chuckled awkwardly. He was afraid that Yue Zitong would say no, and then he would have to use his special skills. Fortunately, Yue Zitong seemed to have a heart after all. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Where are you now?"
"Qianfo Mountain main entrance, go east for five hundred meters, there's a Blue Sky Bar," Li Nanfang said. "Got it," Yue Zitong replied indifferently and hung up the phone.
"This old man is playing a dirty trick on me," Li Nanfang muttered. He was about to call the old man to complain when more slaps were heard not far away. "There are slaps every day, but tonight is particularly busy," Li Nanfang sighed and looked up to see Su Yueyue covering her left cheek with her hand. Brother Hu was pointing at her nose and shouting, "Hurry up and apologize to Young Master Jin!"
Su Yueyue wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and kept her head down without saying a word. "Damn it, are you deaf?" Su Yueyue's disobedience made Brother Hu lose face. He was about to slap her again when Young Master Jin pushed him aside with his hand.
"You little bitch, since you don't know how to take a hint, don't blame me for being ruthless," Young Master Jin, with alcohol on his brain, leered and grabbed Su Yueyue's clothes, tearing them apart forcefully. With a tearing sound and a girl's scream, her chest was almost completely exposed.
Chapter 22: Auntie, Your Skirt Is Showing
Su Yueyue, who seemed gentle on the surface, was not an easy person to bully. Otherwise, she wouldn't have slapped him back after being molested earlier. Now, in front of everyone, after her clothes were torn, she didn't think twice and kicked Young Master Jin's crotch with her high-heeled shoe.
"Ah!" Young Master Jin let out a scream like a hen whose neck had been stepped on, clutching his crotch and collapsing to the ground. The onlookers were stunned, none of them expecting Su Yueyue to be so fierce and kick him so hard. To be honest, if Young Master Jin were just an ordinary customer, and he caused trouble in the Blue Sky Bar and was beaten up by Su Yueyue, Brother Hu wouldn't blame her. He would even cheer and give her a good beating, making him unrecognizable even to his own mother.
But this was Young Master Jin, who had connections. If Brother Hu offended him, the Blue Sky Bar would have to close down the next day. After gaping like a fish out of water for a moment, Brother Hu looked up at Su Yueyue.
Su Yueyue was crying softly, trying to cover her clothes, and then she turned and ran towards the door. Did she think she could just run away after hitting Young Master Jin?
"Damn it, that's a good idea you have. If you run away, what about me?" Brother Hu clenched his jaw, made a quick decision, and rushed forward to grab Su Yueyue's hair. Ignoring her screams and struggles, he pulled her back violently, crashing her into a table.
With a bang, Su Yueyue's head hit the table hard, and she saw stars in front of her eyes. She slipped to the ground, and her clothes, which she had just covered, were exposed again.
"Zhang, Zhang Hu, if you don't play this little bitch to death tonight, I'll make sure your bar closes down tomorrow!" Young Master Jin sat up, gasping and his neck veins bulging, shouting in a hoarse voice.
"Young Master Jin, you just watch. I'll make sure you're satisfied!" Brother Hu sneered and kicked Su Yueyue's stomach with a vicious grin.Just as Brother Hu's right foot was about to kick Su Yueyue's stomach, a beer bottle flew through the air like a surface-to-air missile and exploded on the back of his head. Glass shards splattered everywhere, creating a dazzling display of light. Brother Hu, who was used to fighting, didn't get knocked out like Su Yueyue. He just stood there for a moment, stunned, then raised his hand to feel the bleeding back of his head. He turned around to see who had dared to throw the beer bottle at him.
Before Brother Hu could figure out who had thrown the beer bottle, someone lunged at him and punched him hard in the left eye. As Brother Hu groaned and fell onto the table, his henchmen, who were guarding the bar, finally snapped out of their shock. They roared in anger and grabbed chairs, rushing towards the person: "Damn it, you dare to hit Brother Hu?" "Kill this little bastard!" "He's trying to be a hero, let's finish him off first!"
Facing the fierce henchmen rushing at him, Li Nanfang really wanted to tell them with an extremely sincere tone that he didn't want to be any kind of hero. He just couldn't stand seeing so many men bullying a girl. Even though the girl was Su Yueyue, who had been quite "heartless" to him, he should have stood by with his arms crossed, gloating at the drama, which would have been in line with his principles of dealing with people. But if he really did that, Li Nanfang would have trouble sleeping at night. Men, like women, will age quickly if they keep losing sleep, and Li Nanfang, who cherished his good looks, didn't want to age prematurely. So he had to temporarily put aside his personal grudges and step in.
Clearly, these henchmen wouldn't listen to him, nor would they give him a chance to explain. With a roar, they swung their chairs at him. Now, Li Nanfang had no choice but to become a hero. In his eyes, these henchmen were like chickens and dogs, and Mr. Li could easily beat them into the ground with just a flick of his finger. He was about to kick the first henchman rushing at him away when Li Nanfang suddenly changed his mind.
Beating up all the henchmen in three moves and then leaving with Su Yueyue would indeed be extremely stylish and elegant. But others would probably just say he was strong and deserved to be a hero, ignoring his noble spirit of righteousness. However, if he hid his strength and had a thrilling battle with the henchmen, preferably getting hurt a bit, and then defeated these villains and saved the beauty, people would be overwhelmed by his heroic spirit of "though millions of people, I will go forward." They would praise and admire him. Maybe even a few of the onlookers would cry and beg to marry him—how wonderful would that be? At the very least, Su Yueyue would be more grateful to him.
Since he had decided to do something, he should try to get the most benefit out of it. This was a saying from a wise person that Li Nanfang always remembered. With his mind made up, Li Nanfang pulled back his right foot that was about to kick, bent down, and pretended to dodge in vain. He let a henchman who jumped up with a chair and smashed it down on his back. With a loud crack, the chair shattered into pieces on Li Nanfang's back. Some of the onlookers screamed in shock: "Ah!"
It worked. Li Nanfang nodded in satisfaction. He staggered and fell onto the table, pretending to be overwhelmed. "Kill him!" Brother Hu, who had become a panda eye and had a bleeding head, also woke up and roared with his henchmen, surrounding and attacking Li Nanfang.
Li Nanfang dodged left and right, struggling like a small boat in a stormy sea, which seemed to be on the verge of being capsized at any moment. But strangely, it just wouldn't capsize. Occasionally, he would kick out and make a henchman scream in pain. "Damn it, these country bumpkins, why don't they take out their phones to record this exciting fight and upload it to the internet, so more citizens can see my heroic deed?"
After another chair was smashed on his back by Brother Hu, Li Nanfang sighed in regret. Su Yueyue, who had just struggled to get up, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and smashed it on Young Master Jin's head. Young Master Jin, who was about to get up, immediately screamed and slipped back to the ground.
Li Nanfang was pleasantly surprised to see that this girl was really tough. "I like her, come on, let's fight side by side and form a great friendship," Li Nanfang shouted in his heart. He was thinking about how to "fight side by side" with Su Yueyue when he saw her turn and run out of the bar. Li Nanfang was stunned: "What the hell? She just left like that?" He began to strongly suspect that everything he had just experienced was a dream. He had been fighting for her, his face covered in blood (the blood was actually from Brother Hu's clothes), and he was about to make a heroic sacrifice when Su Yueyue just ran away on her own. What kind of thing was this? Li Nanfang immediately felt like he had been played for a fool. He was furious and no longer wanted to play with Brother Hu and his henchmen. He wanted to show his true strength, beat them all up, and then catch up with Su Yueyue to ask her angrily why she did this.
Sui Yueyue's ungrateful behavior made Li Nanfang's beautiful dream shatter. He was slightly stunned for a moment, giving Brother Hu a chance. Brother Hu sneered and raised a half-broken beer bottle, stabbing towards Li Nanfang's lower abdomen like a devil. The jagged edge of the beer bottle was sharper than a knife. If it really stabbed someone,not dying would be a stroke of luck. Li Nanfang, of course, didn't care about luck. He was about to kick Brother Hu into the Pacific Ocean when a black blur flashed in front of his eyes. It was like a log, hitting Brother Hu's chin hard. Brother Hu screamed and flew back, throwing the half-broken beer bottle and smashing a table."Wow!" The onlookers gasped in amazement. Li Nanfang saw Yue Zitong. Yue Zitong, dressed in a black suit and half-high leather boots, landed on Li Nanfang's left shoulder with both hands. Her right leg kicked and kicked, moving as lightly as if she were dancing, incredibly elegant and eye-catching. The previously fierce Brother Hu and his henchmen had now become mere foils, flying backward and spitting out blood with broken teeth...Cool. Yue Zitong's fighting style was simply amazing. In Li Nanfang's eyes, Yue Zitong's current display of prowess was just a basic level of skill, but it was more than enough to deal with a thug like Brother Hu. After kicking the last henchman to the ground, Yue Zitong's beautiful leg was raised high, striking a cool pose. She scanned the defeated henchmen and coldly asked, "Who else dares to come forward?"No one dared to move, including Young Master Jin, who had just got up again. This woman was too fierce and terrifying. Who could withstand being kicked by her like a sandbag? Yue Zitong was enjoying the feeling of being the only one in charge when she felt a hand tugging at the hem of her skirt. Li Nanfang's weak voice came from behind: "Auntie, your skirt is showing."Yue Zitong was stunned for a moment, then she remembered that she was wearing a skirt. This pose was cool, but people could also see what was under her skirt. Fortunately, she wasn't wearing flesh-colored underwear today, otherwise it would have been a big loss."Shut up!" Yue Zitong's face turned red as she cursed in a low voice and quickly put down her leg. Li Nanfang kindly reminded her again, "I saw that guy in the flowered shirt stealing glances a few times. Do you want me to gouge out his eyeballs?""If you don't shut up, I'll beat you up too!" Yue Zitong squeezed out these words through her teeth, pushed him away, and turned to leave. If Li Nanfang wasn't her legal husband, even if he were torn to pieces, she wouldn't come to such a messy place."Wait, wait!" Young Master Jin suddenly shouted, "You can't just leave like that?" Yue Zitong stopped and turned around, looking at Young Master Jin and coldly asking, "What, do you want to get beaten?"Seeing the fierce aura of Yue Zitong, Li Nanfang really wanted to kneel down and worship her.Chapter 23: You Must Marry Yue ZitongYoung Master Jin certainly didn't want to get beaten. Didn't he see that even the stronger Brother Hu and his men had been easily defeated by the beauty? If he, with his small build, got kicked, he would definitely end up with broken bones. He shouted at Yue Zitong purely to save face, just like the street thugs who, even after being beaten to a pulp, would still yell that their boss was coming."What's your name?" Young Master Jin, intimidated by Yue Zitong's piercing gaze, instinctively shrank back."Auntie, he's just trying to plan revenge on you in the future," Yue Zitong hadn't said anything yet when Li Nanfang, with a smug look, spat at Young Master Jin, "Pfft! Who do you think you are to even know our Yue Boss's name?"Yue Zitong really wanted to slap Li Nanfang's mouth shut. How could he speak like that? He himself had already called her Yue Boss. Did he think there were many presidents with the surname Yue in Qingshan City?She suddenly realized that the kid was deliberately slipping up to stir up trouble for her."Alright, Li Nanfang, I came running to give you money when you called saying you had none. I even saved you when I saw you being beaten up. Is this how you repay me?" Yue Zitong glared at Li Nanfang, her words almost hissing through her teeth.Li Nanfang felt a bit guilty, realizing that his behavior was not quite right. He smiled awkwardly and looked away, "Hehe, it was just a slip of the tongue. Um, I still owe her one hundred and eighty yuan."Yue Zitong, clenching her teeth, took out two bills and slapped them on the table, then stormed off. "Twenty yuan as a tip, no need to give change."Li Nanfang quickly followed her out. Yue Zitong's place was only a few miles away, which was why she could come so quickly. It also proved that she did care about Li Nanfang to some extent. If she didn't want to come, it wouldn't have been just a few miles, but even a few dozen meters would have taken half an hour.Her "caring" for Li Nanfang was still due to the awkward relationship between them. Even if she didn't want to come, she couldn't control her feet.Who would have thought that after she had gone through so much trouble to help him, he would betray her like this? No wonder she was so angry."Auntie, let me explain, I——" Li Nanfang was about to explain when Yue Zitong suddenly turned around and said in a sinister tone, "Alright, explain yourself. If you can't explain, watch out, I'll knock out all your teeth!"Li Nanfang quickly covered his mouth with his hand and said awkwardly, "Um, let's just call it even, okay?""What do you mean even?" Yue Zitong really didn't want to deal with him, but she couldn't help asking.Li Nanfang chuckled, "You had Min Rou pretend to be you, didn't you?"Yue Zitong finally understood. He was still holding a grudge about being tricked.She suddenly felt like crying. How unlucky she was to have met such a petty man."Alright, I promise it won't happen again," Li Nanfang said seriously, feeling a bit guilty when he saw her eyes dim."Next time, even if you get beaten to death, I won't care about you anymore," Yue Zitong said coldly, got into her car, and drove of quickly.
"Next time, I won't care about you either, damn it," Li Nanfang muttered, looking up at the gray sky and then at the henchmen who were peeking out of the window. He felt dispirited for no reason, put his hands in his pockets, and walked quickly onto the sidewalk.Buzz, buzz. As soon as Li Nanfang got back to his hotel room, his phone vibrated violently. It was a call from the old man. Li Nanfang answered the phone irritably and asked, "Old man, what do you mean?""What do you mean? What are you talking about? My dear apprentice, I don't understand what you're saying," the old man pretended to be confused on the other end.If it weren't for the sake of the old lady, Li Nanfang would definitely flip him off: "Stop pretending. Why did you take all the money from my bank card? I don't even have money to buy a drink. I lost face tonight.""I'm doing this for your own good, you know?" The old man explained with a straight face, "As the saying goes, a penny can stump a hero. Only when you have no money will you be truly helpless and have to stay by Zitong's side to ensure her safety——""Stop it, stop talking nonsense," Li Nanfang sneered, "Humph, I, Li Nanfang, always keep my word. Since I promised something, I will do it. Why do you have to resort to such petty tricks?""Forget about the money, let's not talk about it," the old man on the other end said magnanimously, then changed the subject, "My dear apprentice, I'm calling you now to tell you some bad news."Li Nanfang didn't say anything. He took out his cigarette case, only to find it empty. He wanted to go buy some, but he was penniless. Fortunately, there were some cigarette butts from last night in the ashtray. He could make do with them. After waiting for a while and not hearing Li Nanfang respond, the old man continued, "You're in trouble."
Li Nanfang took a drag on his cigarette and sneered, "So what? I've had my fair share of trouble.""This time is different," the old man said."How is it different? Is there a three-legged monster coming to bite me?" Li Nanfang joked."This time, someone is going to treat you as a rival in love," the old man said.