Chapter 40

"Quite a coincidence." Chen Fan smiled.

This was the second time he had met an acquaintance in a bar, which was actually quite normal. Chinghua Middle School was located in the university town, and if the students wanted to go to bars or nightclubs, the bar street was their first choice, making it easy to run into him.

"Yes." Jiang Tanqiu's gaze flickered uncertainly.

He had neither attended the wine auction nor heard Chen Fan mention working at a bar, and of course, he knew nothing about Chen Fan's relationship with Wei Ziqing.

So, when he suddenly met his desk mate working as a waiter in the bar, Jiang Tanqiu was very surprised. He knew that this desk mate was proud and well-known in school, so how did he end up working in a bar?

"Xiaoqiu, is this your friend?" A girl stood up and asked.

"Yes, Sister Qianqian, this is my desk mate and good friend, Chen Fan." Jiang Tanqiu's voice lowered, seeming a bit embarrassed.

Chen Fan only then noticed that Jiang Tanqiu was accompanied by a man and a woman, both around twenty years old. The man was tall and handsome, and the woman was also quite beautiful, not inferior to Chang Wen.

The moment Chen Fan saw the girl, his pupils constricted, but no one noticed.

"Hello, I am Xiaoqiu's neighbor and elder sister, my name is Xiao Qian." The girl extended her hand gracefully.

Facing Xiao Qian's extended hand, Chen Fan's gaze was calm, and unexpectedly, he turned to Jiang Tanqiu and said:

"Go ahead and have fun. I have something to do, so I won't disturb you."

Saying this, he turned and left, completely ignoring Xiao Qian's goodwill.

Xiao Qian's face immediately fell, and a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in her eyes.

Jiang Tanqiu also looked awkward and stammered, "Sister Qian, don't mind it. My desk mate is like that, quite arrogant, so..."

"Alright, Qianqian, let's sit down quickly." The man beside her said with a gentle smile.

Only after hearing the man's words did Xiao Qian huff and sit down reluctantly.

The man then said to Jiang Tanqiu with a serious tone:

"Xiaoqiu, in principle, since this is our first meeting, I shouldn't say this."

"But as your senior and Qianqian's brother, I have to say it. When choosing friends, character and ability are crucial. Working in a bar is nothing to be ashamed of; it shows self-reliance and is even commendable. However, when he faces your friends, he doesn't give you any face, which is a problem of character. Such a person can be around in daily life, but you shouldn't consider him a true friend!"

"That's right, Xiaoqiu, Senior Qi's words are very reasonable. You should learn from your seniors." Xiao Qian nodded in agreement.

Jiang Tanqiu felt very aggrieved but had no words to counter, only managing a forced smile.

In his heart, he was also somewhat displeased. He considered Chen Fan a friend, but Chen Fan? He didn't give him any face, making him lose dignity in front of his crush and rival. Was this how friends should act?

What Jiang Tanqiu didn't know was that Chen Fan recognized Xiao Qian the moment he saw her.

Xiao Qian, the daughter of Jiang Tanqiu's neighbor, was one year older than him and now attended Chu Zhou University. Jiang Tanqiu had been secretly in love with her since childhood.

In his previous life, Jiang Tanqiu had gotten into a fight in a bar for her, ultimately spending seven years in prison, ruining his life. And Xiao Qian? She turned around and married another man, never visiting Jiang Tanqiu even once in those seven years.

Why should Chen Fan give such a woman any face?

"Hey, it seems your friend is in a bit of trouble?" Senior Qi suddenly said.

The two turned to look. Indeed, Chen Fan seemed to be arguing with a young man with a pale face.

"I know that guy; he's the manager of the Coco Bar, Yang Zong. He has a strong background and is rumored to be Dong Ge's brother-in-law." Senior Qi shook his head. "Your friend getting into a conflict with Yang Zong doesn't look good."

"Who cares? Let him die if he wants to! Xiaoqiu, let's drink and ignore him." Xiao Qian said angrily.

Hearing this, Jiang Tanqiu, who had already stood up halfway, paused and slowly sat back down.

If it weren't for what had just happened and Xiao Qian's words, he would have rushed over to help. But Chen Fan's lack of respect for him made Jiang Tanqiu very uncomfortable.

"Senior, who is this Dong Ge you mentioned?" Xiao Qian leaned over to Senior Qi, curious.

Senior Qi smiled and explained, "Dong Ge is the boss of this university town. He has shares in almost all the bars, KTVs, and entertainment venues here. Without his permission, you can't even open a place."

"So, this Yang Zong has a significant background?" Xiao Qian exclaimed, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

Jiang Tanqiu's face changed, and his body trembled, but he didn't stand up.

Xiao Qian then said, "But no matter how powerful Dong Ge is, he's just a low-level thug. How can he compare to our senior?"

"By the way, Xiaoqiu, I haven't told you yet, but Senior Qi's father is the vice mayor of Yunshan District. If Dong Ge saw Senior Qi, he would probably be scared stiff." Xiao Qian proudly introduced to Jiang Tanqiu.

Jiang Tanqiu forced a bitter smile.

"Not that exaggerated. Dong Ge's backer is Zhou Tianhao, a major figure in both the black and white worlds, and he is said to have connections with the Wei family." Senior Qi modestly said.

"But I believe Dong Ge would still give me some face."

He seemed humble, but by first praising Dong Ge and then saying Dong Ge would give him face, he made himself appear even more influential.

Sure enough, Xiao Qian's gaze became even more intense, filled with admiration.

Seeing this, Jiang Tanqiu's disappointment deepened. Whether in family background or appearance, Senior Qi was superior to him. Moreover, he was a few years older, mature, and steady, exactly what a girl of Xiao Qian's age would aspire to.

At this moment, Chen Fan was standing expressionless in front of Yang Zong, with Zi Qi crying beside him.

"What, can't I discipline my employees?"

Yang Zong pointed at Chen Fan, his face twisted in anger, spittle flying.

"Chen, don't think that just because Ying Jie supports you, I can't do anything. I'm the vice manager, and you're just a waiter. I have every right to discipline you. Are you defying me?"

"Take your hand off me." Chen Fan said calmly.

"What if I don't? Are you going to hit me?" Yang Zong's anger flared.

He was scolding a female waiter when this guy suddenly rushed over, questioning his authority. What a joke! He was the vice manager of the Coco Bar; scolding a waiter was no big deal. How dare this guy question him?

"Xiao Fan, don't say anything more, it's all my fault." Zi Qi quickly pulled Chen Fan, tears in her eyes, looking aggrieved.

"If you have a valid reason, you can scold them. But what did Zi Qi do wrong? She was just a bit slow in serving drinks. You scolded her for five minutes and are going to deduct a week's salary. Do you know what 800 yuan means to Zi Qi?" Chen Fan asked calmly.

"That's a month's living expenses."

"Oh, you don't understand, and you don't care to know."

Before Yang Zong could speak, Chen Fan continued.

"In your eyes, you're the vice manager with a powerful backer, so scolding these employees is justified. They can't argue back for their survival, right?"

"Exactly. My backer is Dong Ge, and I'm the vice manager of the Coco Bar. Scolding a waiter is nothing." Yang Zong's face twitched, and he became even angrier.

He pointed at Chen Fan, a look of disdain on his face.

"Kid, I've had it with you for a long time. You're just a student with nothing, yet you act so high and mighty in the bar. If it weren't for Ying Jie, I would have kicked you out long ago."

"Is that so? Then there's nothing more to say." Chen Fan suddenly sighed.

"What, are you giving in? Fine, apologize to me, and I'll consider forgiving you." Yang Zong became even more arrogant, his nose almost touching the sky.

The girls watching around felt relieved for Chen Fan.

Although everyone disliked Yang Zong, defying him in the bar would have no good outcome. It was better to apologize.

At this moment, Chen Fan unexpectedly smiled.

"Apologize?"

"My point is, since you don't know and don't care to know, I'll beat you until you do."

"Me?" Yang Zong's face changed, and just as he was about to say something, Chen Fan slapped him hard.

With a loud slap, Yang Zong was sent flying, spinning in the air before crashing into a table, scattering the drinks.

"Ahh!" A female customer screamed.

Before the waiters could react, Chen Fan had already rushed over, grabbing Yang Zong's hair and slapping him repeatedly.

"This slap is for Sister Yan, whose half-month salary you deducted on a pretext."

"This slap is for Xiao Dong, a seventeen-year-old barista apprentice you bully."

"This slap is for Zi Qi, to teach you respect."

...

"This last slap is for Sister Ying, to show you that you're a rotten apple spoiling the whole bar."

Chen Fan said a sentence with each slap.

After a dozen slaps, even though he only used a fraction of his strength, as a mid-stage foundation-building cultivator, Yang Zong's face was swollen, blood seeping through, and he could barely speak.

By the time everyone reacted and tried to stop Chen Fan, he had already finished. They looked at each other, unsure what to do.

Suddenly, a voice shouted:

"Chen Fan, what are you doing? Stop it now!"

Everyone turned to see the door of the manager's office on the second floor open, and two women and a man walked out. One of the women was glaring at Chen Fan.

PS: Second update. There should be another update after 12 PM.

Also, I'd like to promote the book's fan group, group number: 415550977. For now, I'm the only one in the group. Fellow readers, if you want to催更 (urge for updates) or tease the author, come on over. I don't want to be alone in the group, with no one to talk to. O(∩_∩)O

PS2: Thanks to 交个知己 (Make a Friend) for 8888, 倾城墨雪逍天下 (Ink Snow Drifts Across the World) for 5888, 金沙流水 (Golden Sand Flow) and 鬼健笑NO1 (Ghost Healthy Laugh NO1) for 588, and 强盗归来 (Bandit Returns) and 苏黎世孵化 (Zurich Incubation) for their donations... Wow, you guys are sending so many, I can't even see who else has donated. Very sorry.