Chapter 12

"Go ahead and gloat!" Chen Dasheng gave Liu Yunshi a withering look, "Stand here and you might get mistaken for a streetwalker!"

"Asshole, you're the streetwalker!" As soon as Chen Dasheng described her as a streetwalker, Liu Yunshi immediately flew into a rage, waving her fists and chasing after Chen Dasheng fiercely.

"Hey, lady, your price is too high, five hundred bucks for a night, you should find someone else!" Chen Dasheng dodged while shouting loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, many people around them cast strange glances.

"Chen Dasheng, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!" The strange glances felt like poisonous arrows, making Liu Yunshi both ashamed and angry. She bared her teeth and claws, wishing she could tear Chen Dasheng's foul mouth to shreds.

---

"Hey, once we go up, don't say you're with me. We don't know each other!"

They soon arrived at Rongxiang Teahouse. Liu Yunshi straightened her clothes and threatened Chen Dasheng. She was here to watch the show and didn't want to be implicated by Chen Dasheng.

Chen Dasheng rolled his eyes, "Sister, can you be any more vulgar? Is it good for you to see me humiliated?"

"It's not just good, it's great!" Liu Yunshi giggled, taking a few steps back to keep her distance from Chen Dasheng.

"Damn, if you were a guy, I'd beat you up!" Chen Dasheng spat at Liu Yunshi and turned to go up to Rongxiang Teahouse.

The first floor was a bun shop, and the second floor was Rongxiang Teahouse, accessible via a side staircase. The place was quite hidden but never lacked customers. On the surface, it was a place for tea and card games, but in reality, it was a full-fledged gambling den.

Rongcheng was a paradise for entertainment and leisure, with countless restaurants and hotels. Any street in the city center would have massage and health care shops, where young and beautiful 'massage ladies' sat under dim lights, spreading their legs wrapped in black stockings, warmly welcoming customers. Places like Rongxiang Teahouse were everywhere. Just search for 'teahouse' online, and you'd see a map of Rongcheng dotted with spots.

Rongxiang Teahouse wasn't large, but it was decorated quite lavishly. Chen Dasheng used to come here often with Guo Hui and others, making him a regular customer. As soon as he went upstairs, the teahouse owner recognized him.

"Your friend lost money and caused a scene, and they've detained him!" The teahouse owner, Li Ning, was a middle-aged, fat man, short and squinty-eyed, looking somewhat shrewd but actually quite nice. However, Chen Dasheng knew that anyone who ran a gambling den couldn't be too good.

Li Ning didn't know Chen Dasheng's name, just his face. Chen Dasheng nodded, "I know, where is he?"

Li Ning pointed to a corner. Chen Dasheng looked over and saw a screen, behind which occasional arguments could be heard.

Seeing Chen Dasheng about to go over, Li Ning pulled him back and whispered, "Be careful, those guys have some background. I think they're deliberately messing with your friend."

"Hmm? What's the story?" Chen Dasheng stopped and asked Li Ning.

Li Ning said, "One of them is bald, a gangster named He Liang, a famous mahjong player with excellent skills. This morning, your friend won money playing mahjong here and boasted about his skills. He Liang heard and invited him to play. After a few rounds, your friend lost all his money. Then he accused them of cheating and refused to pay, so they beat him up and detained him."

Chen Dasheng frowned, not knowing what to say about Guo Hui. The kid liked to show off, and now he had gotten himself into trouble.

"Thanks, boss!" Chen Dasheng thanked Li Ning and headed toward the screen.

Li Ning looked at the empty tables and sighed, shaking his head. Usually, the place was bustling, but today, the commotion had driven all the customers away. He wondered if he should close early to avoid attracting the police, which would be no fun.

"Boss, give me a pot of Emei Mao Feng tea!" As soon as Chen Dasheng left, Liu Yunshi excitedly ran over.

Li Ning turned and saw a strikingly beautiful girl, quickly putting on a smile, "Sure, miss, coming right up."

"Quickly!" Liu Yunshi urged, then excitedly walked toward the screen, finding a seat by the window where she could see everything behind the screen.

---

"Kid, we've been waiting so long, where's your friend?"

"He'll be here soon, don't worry!"

"Kid, I'm warning you, if your friend doesn't bring the money in ten minutes, I'll chop off your hand!"

Behind the screen was a mahjong table. As Chen Dasheng approached, he saw Guo Hui's fat body. Guo Hui was sitting in the corner, blocked by the table, looking panicked at the shiny fruit knife on the table. His face, marked by two slaps, was full of fear.

"Guo Hui!" Seeing Guo Hui unharmed, Chen Dasheng finally relaxed.

"Dasheng, my lord, you finally came!" To Guo Hui, Chen Dasheng's voice was like a heavenly melody. He looked up, overjoyed, and almost cried with relief, shaking his messy hair.

Hearing Guo Hui's call, the man facing Chen Dasheng turned around. He was a bald man in his forties or fifties, with a black mole on his left cheek, likely the mahjong player He Liang mentioned by Li Ning. The other two young men, one in a white T-shirt and one in a black T-shirt, looked like henchmen, muscular with tattoos, not good people.

"Is this the friend you called?" He Liang looked Chen Dasheng up and down. Though ugly, his eyes were sharp, giving Chen Dasheng an extremely unpleasant feeling.

"That's right, Brother Liang, this is my friend, Chen Dasheng!" Guo Hui quickly answered, clearly afraid of the three men.

"Dasheng? Ha, what a great name!" The young man in the white T-shirt laughed.

The young man in the black T-shirt glanced at Chen Dasheng mockingly and laughed, "Dasheng, where's your golden cudgel? And your tiger-skin skirt?"

As soon as he spoke, Liu Yunshi, watching from the other side, couldn't help but laugh, spitting out the tea she was drinking and coughing uncontrollably.

Chen Dasheng's face twitched, and he said, "Of course I carry the golden cudgel with me, but I'm afraid it might scare you. As for the tiger-skin skirt, it's on your mom's bed!"

"Damn!"

The smile on the black T-shirt man's face vanished. He slammed his hand on the table, causing the mahjong tiles to scatter.

"Kid, are you looking for death?" He pointed at Chen Dasheng's nose, eyes wide with anger, looking extremely menacing. He wasn't stupid and could tell Chen Dasheng was insulting him. For a tough guy like him, such an insult was unbearable.

A cold light flashed in Chen Dasheng's eyes, and he said calmly, "I advise you to put your hand down, or I can't guarantee you'll be able to use it again!"

The atmosphere immediately became tense. Guo Hui shrank back, too scared to speak.

Liu Yunshi, watching from the other side, was also startled by Chen Dasheng's words. Was he deliberately looking for a beating? The two men were so strong, and Chen Dasheng's build wouldn't stand a chance against a few punches. At that moment, Liu Yunshi had second thoughts and regretted coming.

"Damn!" Chen Dasheng's arrogant attitude immediately angered the black T-shirt man, and the white T-shirt man also stood up, ready to teach Chen Dasheng a lesson.

"Ahu, Abiao!"

Just as Chen Dasheng was about to act, the bald man, He Liang, stopped them, looking at Chen Dasheng, "Brother, you've got some guts, I admire you. But admiration aside, we still need to talk business. How about it, did you bring the money?"

Chen Dasheng's lips curled slightly, and he feigned ignorance, "Money? What money?"

"Heh!" He Liang was amused, "Your friend lost money playing mahjong with me. If you don't pay up today, I can't guarantee he'll leave here in one piece!"

"Gambling is illegal, aren't you afraid I'll call the police?" Chen Dasheng said.

"Ha, call the police?" He Liang laughed, "If you think the police can get here faster than this, go ahead and call!"

He then pulled out something from his waist and slammed it on the table.

"A gun!"

Chen Dasheng's pupils dilated, and Guo Hui almost screamed. It was an old Type 54 pistol, the first time Chen Dasheng had seen one in real life.

"Oh no, no police, no police!" At that moment, the boss, Li Ning, ran over, whispering and pulling Chen Dasheng aside, then went to He Liang, "Brother Liang, don't take it personally, put it away, it's not good if someone sees it!"

This teahouse was Li Ning's, and he didn't want Chen Dasheng to call the police. If the police came, his business would be shut down, and he might end up in jail.

"This is none of your business, get lost!" Seeing Li Ning reaching for his gun, He Liang glared at him and quickly put the gun away.

Li Ning was startled and quickly backed off. He knew He Liang was a dangerous man, and if he angered him, he wouldn't be able to handle it.