25. Confrontation (Please vote and add to your favorites!)

“Why hasn’t he replied yet?” Bao Zhenhai was growing anxious as he waited for Chen Ling’s message, even though less than a minute had passed since he’d sent it.

Despite his anxiety, he forced a smile and said to Huanhuan, “Where should we go next?”

“Ah~” Huanhuan feigned surprise. “Go where?”

“Huh??” Bao Zhenhai was genuinely caught off guard. He quickly said, “Um… I mean tonight… Maybe you shouldn’t go back?”

“No way!” Huanhuan rejected him flatly. “We just started school, and the teachers are checking the dorms very strictly!”

“I see…” Bao Zhenhai deflated instantly, like an eggplant touched by frost. “Alright then, I’ll take you back to campus.”

Huanhuan glanced at the time and pretended to hesitate. “I’m really sorry, but it’s almost curfew. I have to head back right away.”

With that, she stood up to leave, paying no mind to Bao Zhenhai’s wounded expression.

But just as she rose, someone teased lightly, “Hey there, beautiful, don’t be in such a hurry! Stay a while longer.”

“Who are you?”

“What are you doing here?”

Huanhuan and Bao Zhenhai spoke in unison. Huanhuan shot Bao Zhenhai a nervous look and instantly realized these men were his friends. Her heart sank, but with her way blocked, she could only sit back down slowly.

She hesitated, then pulled out her phone to send a message…

“Old Zhang, Old Chen, Sheng? You’re all here?” Bao Zhenhai was shocked and delighted. “Chen, did you get my text?”

Chen Ling nodded without a word, motioned for him to sit, and then Zhang Peng and Bu Chunsheng sat down beside Bao Zhenhai, while Chen Ling squeezed into the seat next to Huanhuan.

“They’re all your friends?” Huanhuan forced a smile, shrinking as far into the corner as she could, panic starting to well up inside her.

Chen Ling replied, “That’s right. This guy isn’t playing fair—he gets to meet such a beautiful woman and doesn’t bring us along. If we hadn’t followed you here, it would’ve been such a shame!”

Seeing his friends arrive, Bao Zhenhai felt a wave of relief and boasted, “See? I wasn’t lying—Huanhuan is really nice!”

“It’s a pity there’s only one of you…” Chen Ling grinned and asked Huanhuan, “Miss, do you have any girlfriends? Why not invite them along? We’ll order a few more bottles and make it a real party.”

“Um…” Huanhuan looked troubled. “Sorry, I really have to get back to my dorm! Maybe next time? I promise I’ll bring all my girlfriends. They’re all very pretty.”

She tried to stand and leave again.

But Chen Ling’s next words froze her in place. “What’s wrong? Planning to cut and run after scamming this fool? We’re offering ourselves up, and you won’t even try? Or do you just think we’re not worth your time?”

“Chen…” Bao Zhenhai tried to interject, but Zhang Peng cut him off. “Shut up! You’re being scammed and still want to help her count the money?”

Bao Zhenhai bristled. “What do you mean by that, Zhang?”

“Idiot!” Zhang Peng couldn’t hold his anger any longer and snapped, “She’s a bar scammer! She lured you here to fleece you. And you’re still treating her like a treasure. Did you really think she’d go to a hotel with you tonight? Did you really believe she’s a college student?”

After venting at Bao Zhenhai, he turned to Huanhuan and demanded, “Come on, show us your student ID and ID card. If you really are a college student, I’ll pay for everything right now, not another word!”

Stunned by Zhang Peng’s tirade, Bao Zhenhai finally came to his senses. Clinging to the last shred of hope, he looked at Huanhuan, awkwardly asking, “Do you have your student ID?”

“I… I didn’t bring it…” Huanhuan tried to make a final stand, but suddenly saw several people entering through the bar’s main door. Her face changed instantly, and she shouted, “Bring what? You broke loser, if you can’t afford the bill, stop acting like a big shot! I really thought you were a fat sheep—damn!”

As she raged, four or five men surrounded the group. Their faces were grim, except for the middle-aged man in the lead, who wore a thin smile and said, “Gentlemen, I’m the owner of this bar. If there’s a problem, you can deal with me—no need to trouble the lady.”

“You’re the boss, right?” Chen Ling smiled, seeing that the main player had finally shown himself. “My friend’s run up a tab here and doesn’t have enough cash. I came to pay his bill.”

The owner, thinking this young man was being quite reasonable, nodded. “No problem. That’ll be 27,256 yuan. Tell you what, I’ll give you a discount—pay 25,000. Cash or card?”

“Hold on,” Chen Ling raised his hand. “For such expensive wine, at least let us see the bottles.”

The owner snorted and motioned for someone to bring over the bottles, handing them to Chen Ling.

“Alright, let me take a good look,” Chen Ling said, examining the bottles with exaggerated care. He even took out his phone, snapping photos from every angle.

The boss grew impatient. “Enough already? All my wine is top-shelf, imported—can you even tell?”

“No, I can’t,” Chen Ling admitted honestly. “How about you tell me the Chinese name of this wine?”

The owner sneered, “Imported wine doesn’t have a Chinese name.”

“Perfect!” This was exactly what Chen Ling had been waiting for. His expression turned stern as he spoke in a harsh tone. “According to food safety regulations, all imported beverages must have Chinese labeling. Anything without Chinese labels is considered smuggled goods!”

“You’ve got some nerve! Running such a small place and daring to sell smuggled goods? Are you in a hurry to go to jail?”

The owner’s heart skipped a beat—how had this turned into smuggling? He was just trying to make a little extra off cheap wine, not get thrown in jail!

But Chen Ling wasn’t finished. “And according to consumer protection laws, selling smuggled goods to customers means you owe them ten times the amount paid in compensation!”

“I’ll give you two choices. One: we pay your 27,000 yuan bill now, but tomorrow you’ll get our complaint and owe us 270,000. Two: Be reasonable, charge us the real price, and stop treating us like sheep to be slaughtered!”

“Or…” Chen Ling swept his gaze over the boss and his men. “You can try to keep us here. But if you do, things will get messy. And we’ll see if you actually have the guts!”

As he finished, Bu Chunsheng, who was sitting on the outside, suddenly stood up. Though not particularly tall or brawny, the indomitable aura of a soldier was etched into his very bones, commanding respect without a word.

The gang, who had been brimming with menace a moment before, involuntarily stepped back, eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.

The atmosphere froze. Both sides faced off, Bu Chunsheng already prepared for a fight, fists clenched, ready to unleash a thunderous blow should anyone make a move…