Chapter 7564
Don't worry, I'm here.
Zhou Keying stood in the crowd, completely bewildered, her mind blank.
She looked at Xiao Chen, who was calm and composed beside her. The man she thought she knew so well now seemed like a complete stranger.
His extravagant spending—a three million yuan opening gift and a one million yuan casual bet—is something ordinary people simply cannot do.
Who exactly is he? Where does his money come from? How many things are there that she doesn't know about him? Countless questions swirled in her mind, leaving her somewhat at a loss for what to do.
Unbeknownst to anyone, amidst the chaos, Xiao Chen quietly pulled out his phone, quickly typed a message, and sent it to Shen Yingying.
[Shen Yingying: Check if Li Xiao's father works at Dansheng Group. His name is Li Chenliang, and his position is Deputy General Manager of the Marketing Department.]
Less than a minute after the message was sent, Shen Yingying replied.
[Shen Yingying: We found out. Li Chengliang does indeed work at Dansheng Group as the Deputy General Manager of the Marketing Department. President Xiao, what's wrong? Should I deal with him?]
Xiao Chen stared at his phone screen, a cold, faint smile playing on his lips. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he replied: "It's nothing. Fire him."
Shen Yingying: ...Understood. Mr. Xiao, I'll arrange it immediately. I guarantee he'll be kicked out of Dansheng Group within half an hour.
Xiao Chen put away his phone and looked up, only to meet Li Xiao's venomous gaze...
Li Xiao was staring intently at him, her eyes blazing with hatred, as if she were vowing to take revenge.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly, casually shifting his gaze, inwardly sneering:
Li Xiao, you think this is the end? This is just the beginning. Smashing your car and making you pay a million was just a small lesson. What you owe me, I will collect it all, bit by bit.
The excitement lasted for over an hour. After receiving the money, everyone thanked Xiao Chen and then gradually dispersed.
Li Xiao also slunk away. Before leaving, he glared at Xiao Chen one last time, his eyes fierce as if he wanted to devour Xiao Chen, but in the end he didn't dare to say another harsh word and could only flee Renhetang in a sorry state.
Xiao Chen completely ignored his provocation. To him, Li Xiao was nothing more than a clown who couldn't cause any trouble.
He greeted Zhou Keying and Jiang Xuanxuan and was about to leave.
Suddenly, a violent commotion broke out at the entrance of Renhetang. Accompanied by chaotic footsteps and shouts, a group of people barged in, instantly shattering the peace of the shop.
The leader was a bald, burly man with a face full of scars and a hideous knife scar. He wore a thick gold chain around his neck, which swung back and forth, and he exuded an aura of ferocity.
He was followed by five or six henchmen, each with a menacing look on their faces, some carrying sticks and others with their hands in their pockets. They swaggered into the shop, their gazes sweeping across the entire space before finally settling on Zhang Ziren. The bald, burly man stopped, hands on his hips, looking down at Zhang Ziren. His voice was rough and hoarse, carrying an undeniable air of arrogance: "You're the owner of Renhetang?"
Zhang Ziren's expression changed instantly, his heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind. However, he quickly forced himself to calm down, put on a fawning smile, and hurriedly stepped forward, saying respectfully:
"Yes, yes, I'm the boss, Zhang Ziren. Gentlemen, may I ask who you are...?"
The bald, burly man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and said in a domineering and arrogant tone, "My name is Su Daqiang, and this area is under my jurisdiction. Do you even know the rules for your new store opening?"
Zhang Ziren's smile froze instantly, and his heart sank... Of course he knew the rules; he was here to collect protection money!
He had long heard of Su Daqiang's reputation; he was a notorious local thug.
Relying on their large numbers, they frequently bullied the surrounding merchants, forcibly collecting protection fees. Anyone who dared to resist would have their shops smashed and destroyed by their men, and everyone dared not speak out against them.
Zhang Ziren forced a smile and pleaded humbly:
"Brother Su, you see, my little shop has just opened and hasn't started making a profit yet. I haven't earned a single penny. Could you please give me a few more days? Once my shop is profitable, I will definitely send the money to you on my own initiative, and I will never delay payment!"
Su Daqiang's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the counter next to him with a loud bang, which made several small porcelain items on the counter vibrate and almost fall to the ground.
"Shut the hell up and stop talking nonsense to me!" Su Daqiang roared, his tone extremely fierce.
"Today is the opening of your new store, so I'm charging you 50,000 yuan as a blessing and to give you face!"
"From now on, pay 20,000 yuan every month on time, and I'll guarantee your shop's safety; no one will dare to cause trouble. If you dare to delay payment or utter a single word of objection, I'll smash up your shop and make sure you can't survive in this area!"
Zhang Ziren's face turned deathly pale, his body trembled slightly, and his heart was filled with despair and anger... 50,000 yuan!
His Renhetang had only invested a few hundred thousand yuan in total, and had just opened for one day without making a single penny. Su Daqiang was demanding 50,000 yuan in protection fees right off the bat, which was practically trying to drive him to his death!
Those who hadn't finished walking around stopped in their tracks upon seeing this sudden scene and instinctively took a few steps back.
They stood at a distance, watching with fear and curiosity on their faces. No one dared to approach, but whispered among themselves, afraid of getting into trouble.
Li Xiao had already reached the entrance of Renhetang, with one foot already on the threshold, when he caught a glimpse of the chaos inside the store out of the corner of his eye. His eyes darted around quickly, and a thought instantly popped into his mind... This is a great opportunity to save face!
He was humiliated in front of everyone by Xiao Chen, losing a million and losing face. If he could use his connections to settle things with this bald man, he could finally hold his head high in front of everyone and regain all the face he had lost!
Thinking of this, Li Xiao immediately turned back, puffed out his chest, deliberately adopting the air of a rich young master, strode forward, blocked Su Daqiang's path, and said arrogantly with his head held high:
"Brother Su, right? I'm Li Xiao. Director Zhang from the new district is an acquaintance of mine, we're very close. Please give me some face and let this matter drop today, don't make things difficult for my friend, okay?"
Su Daqiang narrowed his eyes, sizing up Li Xiao with scrutiny and disdain, as if looking at an ignorant and arrogant young man. After a few seconds of silence, he asked in a hoarse voice:
"Director Zhang? Which Director Zhang? There are so many directors in the new district, which one are you talking about?"
Seeing this, Li Xiao's smugness intensified, and he couldn't hide the boastfulness in his tone:
"Which Director Zhang could it be? It's Director Zhang from the new district! I've had dinner with him several times, we're really close, and he even gave me his personal phone number. If you don't believe me, I'll call him right now and have him say a few words to you!" (End of Chapter)