Chapter 17: Hmph, I’m the Boss.

Chapter 017: “Hmph, I'm the boss.”

Chu Fei stepped into the room without a word, not even waiting for a response to his question. He simply kicked Wu Yong across the room, then slapped Mr. Liu so hard he sent him flying as well.

Every move was executed in one seamless, crisp motion.

From the moment Chu Fei decided to return, he’d never intended to use gentle methods. Since the other side resorted to dirty tricks, he had no qualms about retaliating with violence.

“The ‘Young Master Liu’ you mentioned—is that Liu Fengkai?” Chu Fei walked up to the so-called Mr. Liu, pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips, looking down at the man who was struggling to get up, his manner casual and superior.

“Yes, yes...” Mr. Liu was about to stand, but now, terrified, he didn’t dare move. Kneeling there, he looked up at Chu Fei with terror and unease in his eyes. The slap that sent him flying was nothing, but the sight of Wu Yong—supposedly a formidable fighter—being kicked across the room and still not getting up, clearly badly hurt, was truly frightening.

Suddenly, a look from A’Wei came to mind—the look he’d given him when Young Master Liu was giving orders. At the time, Mr. Liu had thought A’Wei’s gaze odd, but hadn’t dwelled on it. Now he understood: it was pity.

Why had A’Wei pitied him?

He hadn’t understood before. Why would Liu Fengkai, who had someone as skilled as A’Wei, bother to seek out a second-rate fighter like Wu Yong? He’d assumed it was a matter of convenience. Only now did he realize that wasn’t the case at all.

“What do you mean, yes? I’m asking you, is the ‘Young Master Liu’ you mentioned Liu Fengkai?” Chu Fei’s brow furrowed, his gaze suddenly turning cold.

Snapped out of his daze, Mr. Liu nodded frantically, “Yes, it’s Liu Fengkai. Young Master Liu is Liu Fengkai.” This time, his answer was crystal clear.

Chu Fei grunted. He hadn’t expected Liu Fengkai to be so reckless—after what happened that morning, he still hadn’t learned his lesson and was already playing such dirty tricks again.

Seeing Chu Fei’s shifting expression, Mr. Liu dared not breathe too loudly. He looked at Chu Fei with pleading eyes, thinking to himself that he was merely an errand boy, just hoping not to get dragged down as collateral damage.

“Go back and tell that second-generation spoiled brat Liu Fengkai that he doesn’t need to come looking for me—I’ll find him myself.” Chu Fei pulled his mind back to the moment and looked at the still-kneeling Mr. Liu.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be sure to deliver the message,” Mr. Liu nodded eagerly, like a lapdog.

“Get lost!” Chu Fei commanded impatiently.

As if granted a pardon, Mr. Liu didn’t utter another word, nor did he dare stand up. He crawled to the door on his knees before scrambling to his feet and bolting away, not even daring to look back, as if a demon was chasing him.

Chu Fei withdrew his gaze and finally looked at the other person in the room: Brother Yong, who had just managed to get up by the wall, gritting his teeth.

Thud!

Seeing Chu Fei look his way, Brother Yong’s legs went weak and he collapsed back onto the floor. Before Chu Fei could approach, he began begging for mercy, “Big brother, I was wrong! You don’t need to do it yourself, I’ll do it!”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

He actually slapped himself several times, loudly and without holding back. His face was instantly red and swollen, with blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. He stopped and looked at Chu Fei with pitiful eyes, as if asking, “Is this enough?”

Chu Fei was truly speechless; he hadn’t expected Brother Yong to be such a character. Yet, this performance made it difficult for him to lay a hand on the man—especially since he hadn’t really intended to go hard on him in the first place.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chu Fei walked over to Brother Yong.

Brother Yong’s face turned mournful, and he looked up at Chu Fei with terror in his eyes, pleading, “Big brother, you’re not really going to cripple me, are you? I make my living with my hands and feet—if you disable me, I won’t survive.”

Chu Fei almost laughed out loud at that, but kept his voice cold, “Stand up. I have a few questions for you.”

“I’m not getting up. Unless you promise to spare me, I won’t stand,” Brother Yong said, shamelessly refusing to move, playing the rascal.

“Are you getting up or not? If you don’t, I’ll break one of your legs right now,” Chu Fei’s face darkened suddenly.

Whoosh—

Brother Yong, who had just been sprawled on the ground, shot up like an arrow, standing at attention, straight as a javelin, his fear and respect for Chu Fei evident. “Brother, ask away. Whatever you want to know, I promise to tell you everything,” he said fluently.

Chu Fei couldn’t help but laugh—this Brother Yong really was a rare breed, not just unique but also shameless to a fault.

Seeing Chu Fei smile, Brother Yong grinned along, though the panic and fear in his eyes betrayed his true feelings. Others might not understand, but from that kick alone, Brother Yong knew how terrifying this young man was. He himself was a martial artist with external skill—mid-level, sure, but still formidable—yet had been utterly unable to resist the man’s casual kick. It was terrifying.

Especially the nonchalance on Chu Fei’s face as he kicked him—clearly, he hadn’t even used his full strength. If he had... Brother Yong shuddered, cold sweat breaking out all over.

“They call you Brother Yong, right?” Chu Fei asked.

“No, no, please don’t honor me like that, Brother. My name is Wu Yong—‘Yong’ as in ‘forever.’ ‘Brother Yong’ is just what those ignorant kids call me. You can call me Little Wu, or Yongzi,” Wu Yong said, grinning ingratiatingly.

Chu Fei nodded.

Seeing that Chu Fei wasn’t angry, Wu Yong relaxed and quickly offered, “Brother, would you like some tea? I have top-grade Tieguanyin here—I’ll make you a cup.”

“No need!” Chu Fei cut him off. Since Wu Yong was so straightforward, he got straight to the point: “What exactly happened today? Why did you stand up for Seven Star Entertainment? Was it purely because Liu Fengkai told you to, or was it also at Seven Star’s request?”

“I don’t know what Seven Star’s intentions are. Today, Liu Ming came to me on his own, but he did contact someone from Seven Star right in front of me, so they must have reached some kind of private agreement.” Wu Yong answered just as directly, even offering his own analysis.

“I see.” Chu Fei frowned deeply.

“Brother, do you want me to stir up trouble at Seven Star Entertainment? If they dare bully the boss’s lady like this, they must have a death wish!” Wu Yong volunteered eagerly, trying to please him.

Chu Fei shot him a half-smile, half-glare.

Wu Yong instantly shut his mouth, grinning sheepishly.

“Stay out of this, and pretend nothing happened today. Understand?” Chu Fei turned to leave—now that he understood the root of the issue, there was no reason to stay.

“Yes, yes, Brother, take care!” Wu Yong bowed and scraped, seeing Chu Fei out of the room. Under Chu Fei’s gaze, he didn’t dare follow him further, and just stood in the corridor, watching until Chu Fei disappeared at the stairwell before wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

Not just his brow—he was drenched in sweat.

Then, he let out a string of curses: “Damn you, Liu Fengkai! How dare you provoke a fighter like that! If you want to get yourself killed, fine, but why drag me along?!”

The more he cursed, the louder he became. Especially when he saw the burly, unconscious lackeys sprawled all over the floor, his fear grew. If he hadn’t been quick-witted, he might have been crippled today. His resentment toward Liu Fengkai deepened.

Just as the rich young sons look down on the likes of them, men who survive by fighting their way through life, Brother Yong, a true street survivor, held those pampered heirs in contempt. In his eyes, they were nothing but sons of good fathers—useless otherwise.

Of course, if he actually ran into Liu Fengkai right now, Brother Yong would still bow and scrape—such is the cruelty of society; circumstances always outweigh people.

——

Meanwhile, Chu Fei.

He exited the nightclub and was about to hail a taxi by the roadside when he stopped and turned, glancing toward a red BMW parked at the corner.

That BMW looked just like the one owned by Lu Ximen.

Chu Fei had barely registered the thought when a seductive figure emerged from the car—it was the proud and beautiful boss, Lu Ximen herself.

She got out and hurried toward him, moving so fast she nearly stumbled, seeming to twist her ankle, but she didn’t stop. Limping, she reached Chu Fei in the blink of an eye.

“You’re finally out! If you hadn’t come out soon, I would’ve stormed in to rescue you,” Lu Ximen blurted, the worry and concern in her eyes plain to see.

“You would have gone in alone?” Chu Fei smiled. Her obvious concern warmed his heart.

“Of course not! Do you think I’m stupid? I’d call the police first, then go in. Even if I had to go down, I’d make sure those bastards suffered with me,” Lu Ximen said through gritted teeth, looking fierce and nothing like her usual charming self.

Chu Fei laughed, delighted no matter whether she was bluffing or not. Her words alone were enough. He glanced at the BMW, “You’ve been waiting out here for me all this time?”

“Yeah, so what?” Lu Ximen blinked, momentarily confused.

“Nothing.” Chu Fei smiled, lowering his gaze to her feet. He’d noticed her stumble earlier and asked, “Can you still walk? Or should I carry you over?”

“What, trying to take advantage of me?” Now that she knew he was safe, Lu Ximen relaxed, her flirtatious smile returning as she teased him.

“Forget it, walk yourself.” Chu Fei turned to head for the BMW—no need for a taxi now that she was here. But suddenly, Lu Ximen spread her arms, blocking his way, and said magnanimously, “Since you helped me today, I’ll give you a chance to take advantage of me.”

Chu Fei was half amused, half exasperated, but didn’t hesitate. He’d already seen the swelling on her ankle, so he bent down, slipped one arm around her slender waist and the other under her knees, and carried her to the BMW.

Lu Ximen admonished, “Hold me properly, no funny business.”

“Who’s your ‘big sister’? As I recall, you’re younger than me,” Chu Fei remarked as he walked.

“If I say I’m the elder, then I am. I’m the boss.”

“What does being the boss have to do with age?”

“If I say it matters, it matters. That’s final—when no one else is around, you call me ‘big sister.’ If you don’t, I’ll dock your pay...”

“You...”

“I’m the boss—”

“…”

[It seems it’s been a while since I wrote such a warm, cozy scene. Feeling a bit of that gentle warmth? But don’t get the wrong idea—Lu Ximen is a real enchantress, not easily won over, and Chu Fei’s heart isn’t set on her. Keep reading…]