Chapter 1348
Arrogant and Overbearing Personality
He noticed that not only he, but also the other customers at the noodle shop, including two boys who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old and resembled students, were secretly glancing at the girl, their eyes filled with the shyness and admiration typical of teenage boys.
One of the bolder boys, encouraged by his companions, blushed and finally mustered up the courage to stammer and whisper when the little girl came over to bring them side dishes.
"Um... beautiful lady, could... could I add you on WeChat?"
The little girl was clearly used to this; she maintained a polite smile, gently shook her head, and spoke in a soft yet firm voice.
"I'm sorry, it's not convenient during our work hours."
The boy was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear. His ears turned bright red. He quickly lowered his head, shoveled a few mouthfuls of noodles into his mouth, then took out his wallet, put a hundred-yuan bill on the table, grabbed his companion who was still eating with his head down, and practically fled the noodle shop, forgetting to even ask for change.
Hey! Here's your change!
The little girl picked up the banknote and chased after it outside, calling out.
The boy didn't turn his head, but shouted something from afar.
"No... no need to look anymore!"
"As a tip!"
After saying that, he ran even faster.
The little girl took the money back into the shop with a bit of a sigh and said to the proprietress who was clearing away the dishes.
"Sister Na, it's that little brat again who asked for WeChat and ran off without even giving me my change."
The proprietress, known as Sister Na, was a kind-looking middle-aged woman. She smiled, took the money, put it into a small box on the cash register, and said...
“These kids… well, let’s leave the money here for now. Maybe he’ll remember it and come back for it someday.”
Just then, a deep and arrogant roar of a sports car engine came from outside the shop. A very eye-catching red Ferrari braked suddenly and stopped in front of the noodle shop.
The car door opened, and three young men, who looked to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, got out.
These three men were dressed like "gangsters"—with eye-catching yellow hair, thick gold chains around their necks that could blind anyone, colorful tattoos on their arms, trendy T-shirts with huge logos, a crooked gait, and an arrogant and swaggering air about them.
The blond-haired guy at the head of the group had the thickest gold chain around his neck, which gleamed blindingly in the morning light. He had a toothpick dangling from his mouth, looking as if he wanted to have the words "I'm rich" etched onto his forehead.
The three of them strolled into the noodle shop, their unbridled gazes immediately sweeping across the store like searchlights. When they saw the young girl talking to the proprietress at the counter, their eyes widened instantly, like hungry wolves eyeing a tender little lamb, their greed and desire making no attempt to hide.
The man with the big gold chain at the head of the group scanned the girl's slender figure and pretty face, finally lingering unabashedly on her ample bosom as he asked in a nonchalant manner.
"Hey, little sister, what kind of food do you have here?"
The young woman frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the men's unbridled gazes, but she maintained her basic professional demeanor, pointing to the menu sign on the wall, her voice a little colder than before.
"What would you like to eat? Everything is available here, beef noodles, zha jiang mian..."
"Oh, look, look."
The man with the big gold chain said he was looking at it, but his eyes didn't even glance at the light sign. He kept staring intently at the little girl, as if he wanted to strip her naked with his gaze.
The two blond-haired men next to him chuckled, their eyes also lingering on the girl's private parts.
The little girl suppressed her discomfort and spoke quickly.
"Please take a look first, and call me when you've made your selection."
After saying that, she immediately turned and walked into the kitchen at the back, seemingly trying to avoid those disgusting stares.
Once she left, the three blond-haired men reluctantly withdrew their gaze and casually found an empty table to sit down.
As soon as they sat down, the three of them started chatting without any restraint, their voices just loud enough for everyone in the shop to hear.
"Holy crap! Brother Feng, did you see that?"
"That girl's fucking hot! She's even more stunning than those celebrities on TV!"
A blond man with an earring clicked his tongue in admiration, his face full of lewdness.
"Nonsense! I'm not blind!"
The man with the big gold chain, known as Brother Feng, smugly shook his head, lowered his voice, and had a lewd smile on his face.
"That face, that figure...tsk tsk, if I could get my hands on her and hold her in my arms...just thinking about it makes me feel fucking amazing!"
Another tall, thin, blond man immediately flattered him.
"With Brother Feng on the case, what girl can't he handle? Want me to go get your WeChat for you?"
Brother Feng, with his big gold chain, waved his hand, looking confident of winning.
"Why would I need WeChat? That's so low-class! I'll handle it myself! With my connections, this car, this status, do you think I'm afraid a small noodle shop waitress won't give in?"
"That's right! Brother Feng is the son of Secretary Xue! In this small town of Dongguan, which girl wouldn't give him some face?"
The blond-haired man with the earring immediately flattered her.
Luo Fei, who was sitting quietly eating noodles not far away, heard every word of their foul language and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
He had seen too many spoiled brats who abused their family's power and committed all sorts of evil deeds, so he didn't even bother to comment on them; he just found them as annoying as flies buzzing around.
Soon, three steaming bowls of beef noodles were ready.
This time, it was the proprietress, Sister Na, who served it herself.
When Brother Feng, wearing a big gold chain, saw that the person serving the food was the proprietress, not the young girl who made his heart flutter, his face immediately darkened, and he asked in an unfriendly tone.
"Hey? Why are you the one serving? Where's the girl from before?"
The proprietress, Sister Na, explained with a smile.
"Gentlemen, Xiao Qing is helping out inside. I'll bring you the same thing..."
"Same my ass!"
Brother Feng slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang," startling all the other customers in the store.
"What do you mean? You look down on us, don't you? You think we're thugs and that's why we're afraid to let her out to see us?"
Sister Na was startled by his sudden outburst, her face turned pale, and she quickly waved her hand to explain.
"No, no! Boss, you've misunderstood! I'll go get Xiao Qing right now, I'll go get her right now!"
She dared not offend these seemingly intimidating "gangsters." "Hmph!"
Brother Feng snorted coldly, glanced at the proprietress, and questioned her.
"Tell me, was that young woman your daughter?"
Sister Na paused for a moment, then shook her head.
"No, she's the child of a distant relative of mine. She came here during her vacation to help me out and do some odd jobs."
Upon learning that she wasn't the boss's biological daughter but just someone who came to work, Feng and his two companions exchanged glances, their expressions becoming even more unrestrained.
The tall, thin, blond-haired guy immediately joined in the commotion, shouting loudly towards the kitchen.
"Hey! You little girl inside! Come out for a second! Our Brother Feng has something to say to you!"
He emphasized the words "Brother Feng" and then added smugly.
"Do you know who our Brother Feng is? He's the son of Secretary Xue from Dongguan! You'd better get out here right now!"
The arrogant shouts of the tall, thin, blond man were like a boulder thrown into a peaceful noodle shop!
The words "Secretary Xue's son" seemed to possess a certain magic, instantly silencing the other diners who were previously chatting and eating noodles in hushed tones. Many people showed expressions of apprehension and fear, and some even lowered their heads and ate their noodles faster, afraid of getting into trouble.
When the proprietress, Sister Na, who was nervously watching from the kitchen doorway, heard these words, her face turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled slightly.
She had obviously heard of the Xue family and knew that this meant huge trouble!
In Dongguan, you might not know who the mayor is, but very few people haven't heard of the Xue family!
This is a powerful family that has been entrenched in Dongguan for many years.
The origin of the Xue family can be traced back to Xuejia Town, a town under the jurisdiction of Dongguan City. In earlier years, it was just a small village called Xuejia Village. Most of the villagers were surnamed Xue, and they had a very strong clan mentality, were very united and exclusive.
Xue Jingshan, the village party secretary at the time, not only firmly controlled the power of the village collective with his extraordinary skills and shrewdness, but also was elected as the patriarch of the Xue family due to his seniority and ability. He had extremely high prestige and power within the family.
Xue Jingshan had a son named Xue Yingxiong, who was a troublemaker in his youth and a notorious local hoodlum.
Taking advantage of the reform and opening up policy, as well as his father's vast influence and connections in the local area, he keenly seized the opportunity presented by the rampant gambling and illicit industries in Dongguan at the time, quickly amassed his first fortune, and his wealth expanded rapidly like a snowball!
After he became wealthy, he did not forget his clan. He led many of the young people in Xuejia Village to "get rich" together, built roads and factories, and made the originally ordinary Xuejia Village quickly get rid of poverty and become a well-known wealthy village. This also made Xue Jingshan's position in the clan more stable, like a local emperor.
At its peak, more than half of the large bathhouses and entertainment clubs in Dongguan City were either backed by the Xue family or were simply run by people from Xuejia Village.
Xue Yingxiong owned four five-star hotels and his personal assets were rumored to be as high as several billion yuan, making him the undisputed richest man in Dongguan at the time!
However, fate is unpredictable, and Xue Yingxiong died in an unexpected gang fight.
After his death, he left behind an illegitimate son, Xue Shihao, who became the sole legal heir to the Xue family's billions of assets.
Xue Jingshan, who had a grandson late in life, poured all his guilt and expectations for his son into this grandson, treating him as the apple of his eye and the apple of his heart, indulging him in every way from a young age.
Growing up in this environment, Xue Shihao became arrogant, domineering, rebellious, and eccentric. He dropped out of school before finishing junior high and spent his days hanging out with a group of bad friends, becoming a notorious street thug leader in Dongguan.
Relying on the Xue family's reputation and wealth, he acted recklessly, bullying men and women without restraint. Xue Jingshan mostly turned a blind eye to this, and even used his connections and influence to smooth things over for him on several occasions, which only fueled his arrogance.
Later, Dongguan experienced a crackdown, and many gray industries were swept away.
However, thanks to his well-established network of connections, Xue Jingshan got wind of the situation in advance and decisively scaled back the family's influence, turning to seemingly legitimate businesses such as real estate and logistics. Although the family's influence was not as great as before, its power and wealth in Dongguan City still ranked among the top, demonstrating its deep foundation.
At this moment, the "Brother Feng" sitting in the noodle shop is none other than Xue Shihao, the current young patriarch of the Xue family!
Xue Shihao was a lecherous man who, relying on his family's power and wealth, had ruined countless young women. Today, he happened to see Ruan Jiaxin, so pure and beautiful, in this inconspicuous little noodle shop, and was immediately captivated, his wicked thoughts arising.
Seeing that Ruan Jiaxin refused to come out, he rolled his eyes and changed his approach, speaking to the pale-faced proprietress, Sister Na, in a condescending tone.
"Boss lady, I've taken a liking to one of your waitresses."
"Here's the deal, you name your price, I'll buy this noodle shop! And she too, she'll serve me exclusively from now on, how about it? I promise you won't be treated badly!"
Although Sister Na was terrified, seeing Ruan Jiaxin's innocent and helpless appearance, a surge of courage welled up inside her. She shook her head vigorously, her voice trembling but firm.
"No... we won't sell! Young Master Xue, this is a small business. Xiao Qing... she's just here to help out, she doesn't do that kind of thing!"
"What kind of things will you not do?"
Xue Shih-hao's face darkened, and his tone became dangerous.
Just then, the kitchen curtain was lifted, and Ruan Jiaxin walked out, biting her lip.
She had clearly heard the conversation outside. Her beautiful face showed a hint of anger and determination. She looked directly at Xue Shihao and spoke clearly.
"Sir, thank you for your 'kindness,' but I'm not interested in you. Please stop bothering us in our business."
Seeing that Ruan Jiaxin had come out in person and was still so disrespectful, the blond-haired man with the earring behind Xue Shihao immediately pointed at Ruan Jiaxin and cursed.
"Damn! You little wench, you're asking for it! Do you even know who our Brother Hao is? You're incredibly lucky to have even fallen for him!"
"Shut up!"
Xue Shihao suddenly stopped his underlings, and instead revealed a self-satisfied smile on his face as he spoke to Ruan Jiaxin.
"Beautiful lady, you have personality, I like that! Don't listen to their nonsense, I, Xue Shihao, genuinely want to be your friend."
He pointed to the younger brother who had just been cursing.
"From now on, she's your sister-in-law, so everyone should show her some respect!"
Ruan Jiaxin's chest heaved with anger at his shameless remarks. She suppressed her rage and said coldly.
"I'm sorry, we can't afford to associate with you! If you're here for noodles, you're welcome."
If you're here to cause trouble, please leave immediately!
"leave?"
The smile on Xue Shihao's face vanished instantly, replaced by a ruthless expression. He stood up abruptly, kicked the stool next to him with a loud bang, and threatened viciously.
"I'm not leaving today! You're being ungrateful! Believe me, I can have your place wrecked right now with just one word!"
The proprietress, Sister Na, was terrified and rushed forward to block Xue Shihao, pleading with a sob in her voice.
"Young Master Xue! You mustn't! Please, have mercy! We're a small business, we can't afford this!" (End of Chapter)