"Who the hell are you?"
Zhou Xu, eager to show off in front of Ding Xiang, shot to his feet and jabbed a finger at the bald man.
The bald man gave a cold sneer, brushing Zhou Xu's finger aside with casual disdain.
"Kid, I suggest you stay out of other people's business."
"Other people's business? This is our private room! What are you doing barging in here? Who the hell are you?" Zhou Xu pointed again, voice sharp. "Get out—now!"
The bald man suddenly snatched Zhou Xu's finger and gave it a twist.
"Ah!" Zhou Xu yelped in pain, his body twisting as he dropped to his knees.
"I hate it when someone points at me," the bald man said coldly, looming over him. "You want to know who I am?"
Smack! His other hand lashed across Zhou Xu's face, leaving a bright red mark.
"Ahh!" Yao Lili and Zhang Jie screamed in terror.
Zhou Xu stayed kneeling, his finger still clamped in the bald man's grip. The more he struggled, the more searing the pain.
"Who am I? You told me to get out, didn't you?"
Smack! Another slap landed, swelling Zhou Xu's cheek.
Everyone in the room froze—except Li Muchen.
These spoiled young masters and pampered young ladies had never witnessed anything like this in their lives.
Li Muchen hadn't expected the bald thug to be so brazen as to storm into someone else's private room. Now, even if he wanted to take Ding Xiang and leave, it was too late.
And if he just left quietly, it would only make him look weak and invite future trouble. Especially for Ma Shan, who worked here—life could get very difficult for him if this wasn't settled properly.
The simplest solution was to make these people back down by force.
But Li Muchen didn't move. He wanted to see how worldly "secular" people handled such matters—like Zhang Yiping, this young master, and Lin Manqing, the Lin family's eldest daughter.
Zhang Yiping knew he couldn't just sit by.
He had seen more of the world than the others, so he stood up without too much panic and said to the bald man:
"Brother, I don't know what this is about, but you barged into my private room, assaulted my friend—that's going too far, don't you think?"
"Who the hell are you?" The bald man's eyes narrowed.
"My name's Zhang Yiping. My father is Zhang Genmao, chairman of Yongqing Group. We're all just here to have fun. Let my friend go, and we'll let this slide."
"Let it slide?" The bald man still had Zhou Xu's finger trapped in one hand while the other stroked his shiny scalp. He muttered:
"Zhang Yiping… Zhang Genmao… Yongqing Group…"
Then he chuckled. "So you're Young Master Zhang of Yongqing, huh? Fine. I'll give you face."
He finally released Zhou Xu's hand.
Zhou Xu clutched his injured finger and backed up to Zhang Yiping's side, glaring at the bald man with impotent hatred, but he didn't dare speak again.
Just as everyone thought the matter was over, the bald man pointed at Ding Xiang.
"I can let your buddy go. But that chick? She's coming with me."
Zhang Yiping's brows knitted.
He had no desire to offend a thug for the sake of a girl he barely knew. But seeing Lin Manqing clutching Ding Xiang's hand protectively, he decided to play the hero.
"No. She's my friend. You can't take her."
The bald man gave him a thumbs-up, grinning. "Now that's a man! I'll give you face. But whether others will… that's another story."
With that, he turned and left.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Yao Lili patted her chest. "That scared me to death! How do we run into people like that? Good thing Young Master Zhang is powerful—just had to say his name and the guy backed off."
Zhang Yiping, a little smug, sat back down with a faint smile. "Just a lowlife thug."
Zhou Xu, humiliated by the slaps, sat in sullen silence before muttering angrily, "I'm going to find someone to deal with him."
"Don't stoop to his level," Zhang Yiping said. "Treat it like being bitten by a dog. Come on, drink."
Zhou Xu downed two gulps of liquor but still couldn't swallow his anger. His gaze fell on Li Muchen, calm and unbothered in the corner, and fury rose again. He slammed his glass onto the table.
"Damn it! No wonder today's so unlucky—we've got a jinx sitting with us."
Li Muchen knew the insult was aimed at him, but he didn't react.
He was sure the bald man wouldn't let things go so easily. The real question was whether Young Master Zhang's "face" would hold up when it mattered.
As that thought passed through his mind, the door burst open again.
"Well, well… whose face is so big that I can't even take a girl if I want to?"
A man strode in, around forty, belly bulging, face greasy. From his chin down to his neck stretched a long scar that twitched with every word he spoke, wriggling like a live centipede.
Behind him came the bald tattooed man and two more, standing tall and sharp—not your usual street punks.
The moment Zhang Yiping saw him, his expression changed. "President Liu!"
"Well, if it isn't Young Master Zhang of Yongqing," the scarred man chuckled. "If I'd known you were here, I would've come over to share a drink long ago."
He picked up a bottle from the table and sneered. "Ace of Spades? Fancy, sure, but it's a woman's drink. Doesn't have any bite. Leopard, go fetch my liquor."
"Yes, boss." The bald man hurried out and returned moments later with a bottle of Maotai.
The scarred man—Liu Hongyu, known as Liu the Scar—took it, poured two glasses, and handed one to Zhang Yiping.
"Not as fancy as your stuff, but it's got punch. Real men drink this. Come on, Young Master Zhang, I'll toast you."
Zhang Yiping hesitated.
Liu Hongyu ran a logistics business and had ties with Yongqing Group. But everyone knew his roots were in the underworld—his territory was won with fists.
In terms of wealth, he couldn't compare to Yongqing. But he was ruthless, vicious, and not even Zhang Genmao dared provoke him lightly.
"President Liu, I don't drink strong liquor," Zhang Yiping tried to refuse.
Liu Hongyu's face darkened. "What's this? Not giving me face?"
"No, that's not it—"
"Then drink!"
Zhang Yiping realized there was no way out. All he could do was hope that once he drank, Liu would leave. He didn't want to spend another minute with the man.
"Fine. I'll drink."
He lifted the glass and downed it in one gulp.
"That's better!"
Liu Hongyu laughed, then let his gaze sweep over the girls on the sofa. His eyes circled between Ding Xiang and Lin Manqing before he grinned.
"Young Master Zhang, you're quite the lucky man. Such beauties. How about letting Old Liu have one to play with?"
Zhang Yiping's face turned dark. "President Liu, they're all my friends."
"Friends? Even better. You and I are friends too, aren't we? Friends share everything, ha ha ha!"
"President Liu, I really can't allow this."
Liu Hongyu's expression hardened. "Zhang brat, go home and ask your father if he dares let someone drink my liquor without giving me face. Get lost!"
Zhang Yiping flinched, the threat silencing him. He knew all too well—if he spoke again, he'd end up like Zhou Xu.
For a girl he barely knew, it wasn't worth it.
Liu Hongyu sneered and stepped up to Ding Xiang and Lin Manqing. His gaze flicked between them, struggling to decide.
Finally, he settled on Ding Xiang. "I like pure ones. Little beauty, you're coming with me."
Lin Manqing instantly pulled Ding Xiang behind her and stood firm. "She's not going with you."
"Oh? Then what, you'll come instead?" Liu Hongyu leered.
"President Liu—"
Zhang Yiping tried to speak, ready to reveal Lin Manqing's identity. He believed that no matter how bold Liu Hongyu was, he wouldn't dare touch the Lin family's daughter.
But before he could finish, Liu Hongyu's hand whipped across his face.
Zhang Yiping's ears rang, his cheek stinging.
"Say one more word, and I'll cripple you!" Liu Hongyu growled.
Zhang Yiping trembled. One look at the scar writhing on Liu's jaw, and all his courage drained away.
Liu sneered and barked at the bald man: "Leopard, take both girls."
"Yes, boss." Leopard moved with his men toward Ding Xiang and Lin Manqing.
Then a calm voice rang out:
"Do you really think you can take them?"
Liu Hongyu turned, startled. Only then did he notice a young man, about twenty, still seated quietly in the corner.
The youth rose slowly to his feet, walking toward him step by step.
"I'll give you a chance. Kneel down now and kowtow to everyone here, and I'll let this go."
His voice was light, almost casual.