Chapter 42

"Are you very rich?" Ning Lan countered the provocative voice.

That guy, thinking he had caught the girl's attention, couldn't help but feel smug, his tone becoming even more arrogant: "Of course! I may not have anything else, but I have plenty of money."

When he said this, many people sneered. If you were really rich, would you be sitting in a self-service barbecue restaurant?

"Why don't you pay for all the customers in the restaurant then?" Ning Lan said with a smile.

That guy didn't expect the girl to suddenly become so sharp, and he was momentarily speechless: "You!"

The customers in the restaurant burst into laughter, covering their mouths. The guy was even more furious: "You're playing me!"

"How could I be playing you? I'm serious! The expenses here aren't high. Treating everyone in the restaurant to barbecue wouldn't cost much. If you're really rich, would you care about such a small amount of money?" Ning Lan said.

This restaurant had about fifty to sixty tables. If each table spent 500 yuan, it would only be 25,000 yuan, which isn't much for a rich person.

However, the chances of a rich person dining here were not high. That guy was just pretending to be rich, but his act was a complete failure.

"Ha ha! If the three of you girls are willing to spend the night with me, I wouldn't mind treating everyone here to a meal!" Suddenly, the guy changed his tune.

Zhang Qiu had been silent all along. He wasn't just hiding behind the girls, but was trying to pinpoint the location of that guy. Finally, when the guy was at his most smug, Zhang Qiu couldn't bear it anymore. Even though he hadn't precisely located the guy, he still picked up a glass and threw it at the guy's face.

Perhaps fueled by anger, even without a 100% accurate aim, the glass still hit the guy's forehead precisely.

With a "bang," the glass shattered, and the guy's forehead was cut by the broken glass.

Fortunately, he closed his eyes in time, preventing his eyes from being pierced by the glass.

"Wow!" A chorus of exclamations and cheers erupted. Zhang Qiu's silent move was the best retaliation against that guy.

Whether the glass was thrown out of confidence or luck, it hit the guy's forehead precisely, making him shut his mouth. The shock of this fact was more powerful than any words.

"Brother Qiu! You're so amazing!" Ning Lan exclaimed.

At this moment, Ye Zhuyun also looked at Zhang Qiu with a curious gaze, reassessing him.

The guy opened his eyes, wiped his forehead, and found his hand covered in blood. When he looked at Zhang Qiu's table again, he was furious: "You dare to hit me! I'll destroy you! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my boss is? Damn, you're dead... Uh!"

The guy's words were cut off as something hit his throat, almost dislodging his tongue. The nausea and vomiting made him spit out all the seafood he had eaten, disgusting everyone around him.

Only then did he see that the vomit contained a plastic spoon. The spoon had blocked his mouth.

The onlookers were relieved that it wasn't a metal spoon, or there might have been a fatality today.

One hit could be considered luck, but two hits couldn't be explained by luck alone.

Moreover, the calm and composed demeanor of the young man suggested he might be a hidden martial arts expert.

No wonder he could get along so harmoniously with three beautiful girls.

"Zhang Qiu, have you practiced throwing darts?" Ye Zhuyun asked in surprise.

"No! I just threw it casually," Zhang Qiu said.

"You're so lucky!" Ye Zhuyun said, "There are too many flies here, affecting our appetite. Let's go!"

At this moment, the guy, after cleaning up, jumped up again: "You're Zhang Qiu, right! If you have the guts, don't leave! I'll remember you! When my boss comes, none of you will escape!"

At this moment, the staff also gathered around: "You can't leave! Sir, your behavior has seriously disrupted the order of the restaurant. You need to give an explanation and compensate for the losses!"

As he spoke, he started making a call: "Boss! It's Xiao De! I'm having dinner with some old friends today, and I'm planning to recruit a few more guys for you! Who knew, someone hit me! He's very strong, and I can't fight him! I mentioned your name, but he said he would still hit you! I'm at 168 Pedestrian Street! Yes, it's where the boss holds court!"

Near the pedestrian street was a street of nightclubs, parallel to it and of similar length, concentrating about half of the nightclubs in Suxian City. Various bars, discos, karaoke bars, and nightclubs were clustered there, a local specialty that attracted many visitors from other regions.

Such an entertainment district naturally had a mix of people, giving rise to many gray areas.

Some hooligans often roamed in groups, taking advantage of the police's breaks to harass the neighboring pedestrian street.

Many shops on the pedestrian street had been extorted for protection fees. However, because the amounts were small and the hooligans did provide some protection, no one had reported this criminal gang.

But those who knew were instinctively afraid of these hooligans, thinking they were almost as powerful as real gangsters, and even the police couldn't do anything about them.

Xiao De was such a person, thinking the hooligans were very cool, so he joined them, thinking he was cool too, and quickly gathered a few old friends for a meal and some boasting.

He happened to see Ning Lan, Chen Lan, and Ye Zhuyun, three beautiful girls, and boldly started to act up.

But he didn't expect to kick a hard stone, encountering a tough guy.

He was just a lazy social loafer before, with no real skills, and only occasional toughness and courage.

Seeing Zhang Qiu's strength, he didn't dare to provoke him anymore and planned to call his boss to deal with this unobservant guy.

"The one who started the trouble is that guy! You should go after him!" Seeing the staff, Zhang Qiu said bluntly.

If the staff hadn't stepped forward or had intervened when the guy was causing trouble, Zhang Qiu would have admired him. But now, he was clearly taking sides, not going after the guy but targeting him.

Moreover, he only started纠缠 (harassing) after seeing the guy call for help, clearly not wanting Zhang Qiu to leave.

"We have already called the police, and they will handle it," the staff said.

Zhang Qiu stood up and said, "You seem very upright, but you're using it in the wrong place! Do you think we, a small boy and three girls, are weaker and easier to bully, so you're targeting us?"

The staff was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Qiu's words to be so sharp, piercing his heart and exposing his true intentions.

"Hum! If it weren't for the inconvenience of fighting today, do you think I wouldn't smash your place!" Zhang Qiu said. The inconvenience was naturally because he was with three girls.

At this moment, someone suddenly chimed in, "This is my place, protected by Long Batian. Who dares to smash it!"

"Boss! You finally came! Look at me, my face is covered in blood. It's all because of that arrogant kid!" Xiao De immediately rushed over, pointing to his forehead, and complained to his boss, Long Batian.

Zhang Qiu almost died from the shock of the guy's name and couldn't help but curse, "Long Batian! Damn, I'm Long Aotian!"

"Kid, you're asking for death! How dare you insult our idol!" A hooligan next to Long Batian roared.

At this moment, Long Batian waved his hand and said, "Brother! I see you're a tough guy. There are many customers in the restaurant, and it's not good to fight here. If you have the guts, dare to come to the safety passage!"

"You stay here! I'll deal with them." Zhang Qiu reassured the three girls.

"Don't go! Brother Qiu!" Ning Lan said worriedly.

Zhang Qiu patted her head and said, "Don't worry."

After saying that, he stood up and followed the hooligans to the safety passage.

The safety passage was a stairwell, but it was usually a place where no one came or went, unless there was a fire or the elevator was broken.

This place was naturally a good spot for fighting and settling disputes.

"Who would have thought that Zhang Qiu, who looks so refined, has such a rough side," Ye Zhuyun said softly after Zhang Qiu left.

Ning Lan said, "Brother Qiu is protecting us."

"Yes! To deal with bad people, you have to be even more ruthless!" Chen Lan nodded, agreeing with Ning Lan and sharing her thoughts.

"Hey! Look at you two, you're really defending him like he's an idol! I didn't say he was hateful or wrong, so why are you so nervous!" Ye Zhuyun laughed.

"You're the one who's nervous!"

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the safety passage: "Kneel down!" making everyone tense up.

"Knock three times, pay for my brother's medical expenses, the restaurant's losses, and my appearance fee, 100,000 yuan! We'll call it even!" Long Batian looked down at Zhang Qiu from a high position.

"Ha ha!" Zhang Qiu sneered, saying nothing.

"What are you laughing at! Long Brother is talking to you!" One of Long Batian's henchmen, seeing Zhang Qiu's expression, was about to hit him.

But Zhang Qiu unexpectedly kicked out, hitting the henchman's stomach.

"Ouch!" The henchman immediately clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground.

After Zhang Qiu's martial arts skills were upgraded, he had better control over his strength.

With his precise control, the person he kicked didn't fly away but received all the force, which penetrated into his body.

At this moment, he was likely suffering from internal injuries, even internal bleeding.

If you're going to act, do it decisively; otherwise, some people won't learn their lesson.

"Damn! You dare to hit someone! Take him out!" Long Batian was only momentarily stunned but wasn't scared by Zhang Qiu.

With this order, the remaining five henchmen naturally rushed forward.

Since the safety passage wasn't very wide, seven or eight people crowded inside already made it very cramped.

So, the sight of five people rushing at Zhang Qiu was quite impressive.

Long Batian was smug, closing his eyes slightly, imagining how Zhang Qiu would beg for mercy and pay up. Suddenly, he heard a voice: "Kneel down!"

At this moment, he realized that his remaining five henchmen were already lying on the ground.