Chapter 009: Something Has Happened!

Chapter 009: Something Happened!

The conversation between Chu Fei and Ximen Lu flowed easily after that. The connection of being old high school classmates drew them closer together in subtle ways. Most of the talking, however, was done by Ximen Lu, with Chu Fei listening. The topics circled around their high school days, many involving Chu Fei, yet he realized for the first time just how much he’d overlooked back then.

The only thing that left Chu Fei at a loss was the sense that his former classmate truly had a penchant for exhibitionism. She didn’t mind his occasional, unintended glances at her beautiful legs. In fact, she even drew her silk-stockinged legs closer to him, brushing them against his calves more than once, as if deliberately teasing him.

If not for the dual relationship of being both his boss and his old classmate, Chu Fei would have been sorely tempted to throw caution to the wind and pull her onto the sofa right then and there. She was just too much of a temptation.

Time slipped by. Chu Fei didn’t drink much, but Ximen Lu ended up a bit tipsy, finally collapsing into his arms, alternately laughing and crying, overcome with emotion for reasons he could not fathom.

Bang—

Just as Chu Fei was racking his brain for a way to peel off this drunken old friend, the door to the private room burst open from the outside. Secretary Xiao Ai rushed in like a gust of wind—only to freeze as if rooted to the spot, clearly stunned by the ambiguous scene she had walked in on.

Ximen Lu, however, recovered instantly and sat up straight, reverting to the persona of the proud, composed boss. “Xiao Ai, what’s the matter? Why are you in such a panic?”

“Huh?” Xiao Ai snapped back to herself, then blurted out, “Lu-jie, something’s happened—the people from our company are fighting with others.”

“What?” Ximen Lu shot to her feet and strode toward the door.

Chu Fei stood as well, following and catching snatches of their conversation ahead.

“What exactly happened? Why are they fighting?” Ximen Lu pressed.

“I’m not entirely sure. It seems someone was harassing one of our female colleagues, and the male colleagues couldn’t stand by, so it turned into a fight…” Xiao Ai explained, clearly unclear on the details herself. The moment she heard something had happened, she’d run to find Ximen Lu—never expecting to walk in on her boss’s private moment.

She regretted not knocking before entering. As they walked, she glanced back at Chu Fei, speculating about his relationship with her boss. Boyfriend? That didn’t seem quite right. Maybe Ximen Lu was keeping him as a pretty boy?

One had to admit, the imagination of a young woman is formidable. She immediately pegged Chu Fei as the kept man of Ximen Lu, but it was hard to blame her—Chu Fei was just too good-looking.

Chu Fei, of course, had no idea of Xiao Ai’s wild conjectures. He quietly followed behind, feeling he should check things out whether out of collegiality or old friendship.

What he didn’t expect was that the affair would involve Murong Wei…

—

The first-floor lobby was set up like a bar with a small stage for performances—the liveliest spot in the place.

At this moment, a crowd had gathered near the bar at the entrance. A group of swaggering young men stood by the bar, all with flushed faces from drinking. One of them, a youth with a vicious look, was kicking a curled-up figure on the ground while cursing, “You damn fool, think you can play hero and save the damsel? I’ll beat you to death—”

With every curse, he landed another kick. The blows weren’t crippling, but they were by no means gentle. The person on the receiving end didn’t even dare resist, only hugging his head and curling up, while none of the onlookers dared intervene.

Nearby, two men stood, faces dark with anger and cheeks swollen from being slapped. One of them was Li Changying. Both watched in humiliated silence as their colleague was beaten, not daring to step in. Every time they glanced at the group of young men by the bar, their anxiety only deepened.

Many of Feilu’s employees were present—most wearing angry expressions but not daring to step forward, and some even watching with the detachment of spectators. Such is the reality of society: if it’s not your business, you keep your distance, even if it involves a colleague.

Murong Wei was the exception. She was the only girl standing among the crowd, her face pale as she watched the youth continue to kick her colleague. She turned to the leader among the young men and said, “Yang Zhiwei, haven’t you had enough? If you don’t stop your men now, I’m calling the police.”

“Call the police? Ha!” one of the young men laughed arrogantly. “You want the cops to arrest Young Master Yang? Don’t joke around. In Kun City, which cop would dare arrest him? His father is—”

“Shut your damn mouth!” the leader snapped, glaring coldly at his companion, who immediately fell silent, clearly in awe of Yang Zhiwei.

Yang Zhiwei finally looked at Murong Wei and smiled, “Fine, since it’s you, Weiwei. Stop hitting him.” The last words were aimed at the thug kicking the employee.

The rough youth stopped at once, walking back with a cold, disdainful glance at the crowd.

“A bunch of useless cowards,” Yang Zhiwei snorted.

No one dared retort. Even the man who’d been kicked repeatedly only picked himself up and slunk off to one side, not daring to say a word or even leave immediately.

Yang Zhiwei sneered and turned to Murong Wei. “Weiwei, I just don’t get it. You hang around with these losers all day—what future is there in that?”

“Yang Zhiwei, don’t talk nonsense!” Murong Wei snapped, her delicate face flushed with anger.

“Nonsense? Ha!” Yang Zhiwei laughed brazenly, gesturing at the battered Feilu employee. “Just look at these losers. Even one of my guys can beat them up and they don’t dare fight back. If that’s not pathetic, what is? I just can’t understand why you’d want to mix with these people. You may not think it’s shameful, but I’m embarrassed for you.”

“You—” Murong Wei was about to retort when the crowd parted and Ximen Lu strode in. She immediately spotted Li Changying with his swollen cheek and the bruised, battered employee. Her expression darkened. She’d already learned the gist of the matter from Xiao Ai on the way: some young men had harassed Murong Wei, and Li Changying and a few male colleagues had intervened, leading to the conflict. But she hadn’t expected things to escalate so violently. Seeing the arrogant group of youths, her face grew even more grim—this wasn’t a fight, it was a beating.

Although these employees were grown men who didn’t need her protection, they were still her people. Ximen Lu drew a deep breath and looked straight at Yang Zhiwei. “Why did you assault my employees? I want an explanation.” Her voice was icy, and she instantly saw that Yang Zhiwei was the ringleader.

“An explanation? What explanation do you want?” Yang Zhiwei was momentarily taken aback by the sudden appearance of such a stunning woman, but then his face split into a leering grin. “So, you’re their boss? Here to stand up for your employees? Fine, why don’t we go somewhere private to talk about it? Whatever explanation you want, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.” His tone was mocking, his manner full of insolence, as if he didn’t take her seriously at all.

“Yeah, beautiful lady, go chat privately with Young Master Yang. Ask for whatever you want—he’ll definitely satisfy you, ha ha!” the other delinquents chimed in, clearly used to this kind of situation.

“You—” Ximen Lu trembled with fury, not expecting things to play out like this. Especially with the way they called him “Young Master Yang,” she realized these young men weren’t ordinary troublemakers. Gritting her teeth, she pulled out her phone to call the police.

The young men watched her move without a hint of concern, their laughter growing even more wanton.

“Calling the police? Great, I’d like to see which cop in Kun City would dare arrest me, Yang Zhiwei.” Yang Zhiwei sprawled on a high stool, his eyes glinting with malice as he stared at Ximen Lu’s exquisite features, his gaze full of ill intent.

Suddenly, a figure stepped forward and caught Ximen Lu’s wrist, stopping her from making the call. It was Chu Fei.

“Chu Fei?” Ximen Lu was startled.

“Calling the police is useless against people like this,” Chu Fei said with a slight smile. He hadn’t planned to get involved—bar fights were common, and there was rarely a clear right or wrong. But this time, Murong Wei was involved, and now his newly reconnected old classmate as well. He couldn’t just stand by, especially given the way the ringleader looked at Ximen Lu—greedy and predatory. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

Chu Fei knew that calling the police would do nothing to people like Yang Zhiwei, sons of privilege above the law. The only way to deal with them was to make them afraid—afraid enough to think twice.

Without allowing Ximen Lu to intervene, Chu Fei stepped past her, fixing the group of young men with a cold stare. “Who just attacked my colleague?” he asked in a low, steady voice.

“Another idiot trying to play hero, ha ha!” one of the youths laughed, as though he’d just heard the best joke.

Chu Fei ignored him and repeated, “Who was it? What’s wrong, afraid to admit it?”

“I did. So what? You looking for trouble?” The thug who had been beating the employee swaggered out, sneering at Chu Fei.

“Was it him?” Chu Fei didn’t look at the youth, but turned to the battered employee.

The man nodded instinctively.

Chu Fei turned back and walked toward the youth.

“Looking to avenge your colleague? Fine, I’d like to see—ah—” The thug grinned, unafraid, almost excited.

Chu Fei suddenly sped up, launching a kick that landed squarely in the youth’s abdomen—sending him flying three meters through the air.

No words, no warning—just action.

The youth’s bravado turned into a shrill, half-uttered scream as he collapsed to his knees, heaving painfully, his face twisted in agony.

The room fell utterly silent. Not only the Feilu employees, but even the brash gang of youths were stunned, staring at Chu Fei with shock—and a flicker of fear.

Only one person was an exception: Ximen Lu. Far from being frightened, her eyes shone with a barely concealed excitement and delight as she looked at Chu Fei—but no one noticed.

[Today marks the first day of this novel’s release, with over 30,000 words published. From now on, there will be a guaranteed two chapters per day—one at noon and one at 10 PM. Also, this novel is first published on 17k; only 17k offers the authorized version. Please support legal reading, thank you!

One last question—do you like the new novel? Hehe—]