“F*ck me, let’s see who’s got the balls to cause trouble at our family’s hotel! Step forward right now!” Zhao Kun swaggered over with a gang of his men, all puffed up with arrogance.
“And if I do step forward—what then?” Lin Hai gave a playful smirk and took a step closer.
“Y-you, you, y-you—what are you doing here?!” Zhao Kun recognized Lin Hai the instant he saw him. His heart gave a jolt, and all his bluster instantly deflated.
Holy crap, how did I run into this walking calamity?
This Lin Hai was no pushover. Zhao Kun had heard all about it—last time, Huang Shan’s brother, who was a company commander in the military district, brought a whole platoon of guards, and they still couldn’t do a thing to him. In fact, they all got taken down instead.
And word had it that Lin Hai had some kind of connection with Commander Zhan. Damn, this guy was untouchable!
“Weren’t you looking for the troublemaker?” Lin Hai shrugged nonchalantly.
“Young Master Zhao, hurry up and have your men take him out! He’s the one causing all this mess!” Ye Ziming blurted out eagerly the moment he saw Zhao Kun show up with reinforcements.
Take him out? Take your mom out! Zhao Kun wasn’t about to stick his neck out for that.
“Hey, if you’re gonna make a move, make it. If not, get out of my way. A good dog doesn’t block the path!” Lin Hai said impatiently.
“Huh? All of you, move it! Make way for Mr. Lin, and quick about it!” Zhao Kun waved at his crew, and his lackeys hurriedly parted to the sides.
“Young Master Zhao, you…” Ye Ziming stared in utter disbelief.
Zhao Kun ignored him completely. Instead, he extended a hand toward Lin Hai.
“Right this way, please, Mr. Lin.” Zhao Kun wore a fawning smile as he spoke.
“Mmm, very sensible.” Lin Hai nodded and started walking off with Lin Yun.
“Oh, and one more thing.” After a couple of steps, Lin Hai turned back and gave Zhao Kun a thumbs-up.
“Good boy!”
Pfft!
Zhao Kun was so pissed he nearly coughed up blood. This was just way too f*cking humiliating.
If he didn’t know better than to mess with Lin Hai, he’d have had his men beat the living daylights out of him.
“Take care, Mr. Lin.” Zhao Kun was absolutely seething inside, but not only did he dare not lose his temper—he still had to plaster on a smile. Just thinking about it was enough to make a man depressed.
Just you wait, you bastard. Give me a few more days in that pigsty to recover my Marshal Tianpeng powers, and then I’ll wipe the floor with you!
Zhao Kun glared venomously at Lin Hai’s retreating back.
“Alright, we’re wrapping up too.” Seeing Lin Hai leave, Wang Meng led his squad of officers out as well, striding off with their heads held high.
“Young Master Zhao, what the hell was that about?” Ye Ziming asked, his voice thick with irritation, after everyone else had cleared out.
“Young Master Ye, you think I don’t want to take him down? The problem is, I can’t beat him!” Zhao Kun was even more frustrated than Ye Ziming at this point.
“Can’t beat him?” Ye Ziming glanced at the security guards lying sprawled all over the hallway and gave a dull, reluctant nod. Lin Hai’s fighting skills were undeniably brutal as hell.
“Oh! You must be Young Master Meng from the Meng Group in the capital! I’m Zhao Kun from the Jiangnan Zhao Group—this hotel here belongs to my family…” Zhao Kun had spotted Meng Xu earlier and, seeing him about to leave, rushed over to try and schmooze.
The Meng Group in the capital was a nationally renowned powerhouse. If he could just open up some cooperation with them, the Zhao Group’s scale could multiply several times over.
As goofy as Zhao Kun could be, growing up in that kind of family meant he’d absorbed the importance of networking. There was no way he’d let an opportunity like this slip by.
Ye Ziming stood off to the side, curling his lip. He’d already tried cozying up to Meng Xu before, and that young master Meng had looked down his nose at any local Jiangnan-based enterprise. If even he couldn’t get anywhere, what made Zhao Kun think he stood a chance?
“Young Master Meng, are you free tomorrow? I’d love to show you around Jiangnan City and give you a good time.” Zhao Kun trotted after Meng Xu, simpering obsequiously.
“Tch, what’s there to see in a backwater place like Jiangnan?” Meng Xu didn’t even turn his head, answering with a dismissive sneer.
“Young Master Meng, I don’t know if you’re into…” Zhao Kun leaned in close to Meng Xu’s ear and murmured something softly.
Meng Xu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he grabbed Zhao Kun excitedly.
“Haha! Alright, take me there tomorrow!”
“You got it! I’ll come pick you up first thing in the morning.” Seeing Meng Xu agree, Zhao Kun was so delighted his eyes crinkled into slits.
“Uh…” Ye Ziming stood there dumbfounded from not too far away. “Wait—Zhao Kun is famous in this circle for being a complete idiot. What the hell did he say to Meng Xu to get him that happy?”
He racked his brain but couldn’t figure it out.
Ah, screw it. Zhao Kun’s a moron anyway. Even if he’s buttered up Meng Xu, he probably can’t get anything real done. No point worrying about it. I’m better off heading back to keep cuddling that actress.
Speaking of which—those actresses, all prim and proper on screen, turned out to be absolute wildcats in bed. Just thinking about Li Xue’s performance earlier made Ye Ziming’s blood simmer with impatience, and he scurried back to his room in a hurry.
Lin Hai drove Lin Yun home, but his mind was still chewing over Meng Xu.
“Never expected it to be him. Still, I’ll have to go confirm it with him another day. This is important—can’t afford to get it wrong.”
Lin Yun sat in the car with her pout so exaggerated you could’ve hung a donkey from it.
“Bro, how could Qin Shou be that kind of person? I used to like him so much, ugh!”
Lin Hai just smiled and said nothing.
Which of these celebrities actually acts the same off-screen as they do on-screen? Worshiping so-called idols like that just meant you were too naive.
When they got home, neither Lin Hai nor Lin Yun mentioned what had happened that day—they didn’t want to worry their parents.
Lin Hai went back to his room and saw Chu Lin’er lying on the bed, thoroughly absorbed in her phone.
He leaned over for a peek—she was playing chess with Du Qian.
“Game over. You lost this one.”
“Shut your crow’s mouth!” Chu Lin’er snapped back coquettishly.
And right on cue—just as she said that, Du Qian placed his white stone, linking five in a row. Chu Lin’er lost.
“Hmph! It’s all your fault!” She whacked Lin Hai in annoyance.
“Ow, what the hell!” The peachwood sword on Lin Hai’s chest flashed with white light. Though it blocked the chilly gust of yin energy, the recoil sent him tumbling right off the bed.
“Hey, can you be a little more reasonable?” Lin Hai was thoroughly peeved.
“Reason with a woman? Are you stupid?” Chu Lin’er looked at him with genuine puzzlement.
Ugh!
Fine. You win, you ruthless woman.
Lin Hai picked himself up off the floor and climbed back into bed.
Ding-dong!
A WeChat notification.
He opened it. Oh? Little Nezha.
Nezha: Oh Great Immortal, has Volume 2 of One Piece come out yet? I’ve read Volume 1 so many times the pages are all frayed.
Pfft! This little brat—instead of studying the Dao De Jing properly, he’s gotten completely hooked on anime.
Little Confused Immortal: Hang on, I’ll send it to you.
Lin Hai grabbed Volume 2 of One Piece from the bedside table.
Opened WeChat’s scan feature.
Ding-dong!
You sent One Piece Volume 2 to Nezha.
Nezha: Thank you, Great Immortal! Thank you, Great Immortal! (Followed by a bowing-while-kowtowing emoji)
Little Confused Immortal: Don’t mention it. Just remember me if you come across anything good in the future. (Followed by a raised-eyebrow mischievous-grin emoji)
Nezha: Naturally! Courtesy demands reciprocity. I shall gift you a treasure in return right away.
Nani? A treasure!
Holy crap—if Nezha calls something a treasure, it’s definitely not your average trinket!
Man, this kid Nezha is a solid bro!
Lin Hai perked up instantly.
Ding-dong!
Nezha sent you a copy of the Dao De Jing.
Pfft! Lin Hai stared at the notification and nearly fell off the bed.
SERIOUSLY?! This is your so-called treasure?
I can find all kinds of versions online, for crying out loud! Why would I need you to send it?!
Nezha: So, Great Immortal—are you happy?
Happy my foot—Lin Hai’s face turned green with anger.
Little Confused Immortal: This junk is all over the internet. Who’d be interested in that? (Followed by an annoyed emoji)
Nezha: Oh, Great Immortal, that’s where you’re wrong. What you find online is all pirated. Remember—always read the original text. It’s definitely good for you, trust me.
Good for what, exactly? Lin Hai failed to see the benefit.
Nezha: Whether you’re happy or not, I’m definitely happy right now. Now that I’ve sent you the Dao De Jing, when class ends and I go home, I can say I lost it. That way, I won’t have to do my homework. Wahahaha…
Pfft!
You son of a—Lin Hai finally saw through the whole scheme.
Some “courtesy demands reciprocity,” my foot! This little Nezha was just trying to get out of doing his homework!
Lin Hai was fuming!
You little goddamn Nezha, get your ass out here right now—I promise I won’t kill you!
