Chapter 039: Beating a Dog in the Water

Chen Ying shot Li Ping a glare but said nothing, striding straight toward Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng blinked. “What’s the matter?”

Chen Ying replied coyly, “Tomorrow’s the day I officially take office. I’ll be moving into the village committee’s quarters!”

“Oh,” Zhao Feng responded blandly, showing no reaction.

Chen Ying stomped her foot in frustration. “Aren’t you going to say anything about it?”

Zhao Feng blinked again. “Say what?”

“Ugh, forget it! I’m not talking to you!” Chen Ying huffed.

Zhao Feng rolled his eyes. “Completely unreasonable.”

He shook his head and turned to Li Ping. “Hey! Give me a ride!”

Li Ping’s face turned the color of boiled liver with anger. “Don’t I have a name? I’m not ‘hey!’ I have a name!”

“Oh! Hey, give me a ride!”

Li Ping could only mutter curses under his breath.

The two left the house. Li Ping drove his Audi A8, with Zhao Feng in the passenger seat, heading toward the county seat.

Half an hour later, they arrived in town. Zhao Feng opened the map on his phone and sent a location to Li Ping. “Check the location I just sent you.”

“Hmph!” Li Ping didn’t stoop to Zhao Feng’s level, opened his own phone, glanced at the destination, and drove toward Vivi Bar.

Ten minutes later, Li Ping parked in front of Vivi Bar.

Despite its name, Vivi Bar was more fittingly described as a nightclub. In truth, it should be called Vivi Nightclub.

When the car stopped outside Vivi Nightclub, Zhao Feng got out.

He rapped on the driver’s window.

Li Ping, barely containing his impatience, rolled it down. “What?”

“Wait here for me!”

Li Ping rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Zhao Feng strode toward the entrance on his long legs.

At the door, just as Zhao Feng was about to enter, two security guards blocked his way.

Zhao Feng frowned. “Is there a problem?”

One of the guards said, “Minors aren’t allowed inside.”

Zhao Feng sneered. “And what makes you think I’m a minor?”

“Then show us your ID.”

“Didn’t bring it,” Zhao Feng replied bluntly.

The guard said, “Sorry, then you can’t go in.”

Zhao Feng let out a breathy laugh. “Why was that kid just now allowed in?”

“Well…” the other security guard spoke up. “He drove a Porsche. What did you drive?”

Zhao Feng burst out laughing.

He pointed at Li Ping’s Audi A8. “I drove that Audi A8.”

“Pfft!” The guard scoffed. “You? Driving an Audi A8? Looks to me like you took a rideshare.”

The first guard chimed in, laughing as well. “Exactly! You’re probably just a rideshare passenger. Look at those shabby clothes. This isn’t a place for you. You’d better not make trouble.”

Zhao Feng laughed in disbelief.

He shook his head. “I’ll give you three seconds. Move aside.”

The second guard, sporting a buzz cut, said, “Take my advice—get as far from here as you can, or we won’t be so polite.”

Zhao Feng’s expression turned frosty. “Looking down on people, are you?”

The two guards immediately bristled.

“Who are you calling a dog?”

“Yeah! Who’s the dog here?”

Zhao Feng sneered. “Whoever answers, that’s who.”

“So you really are calling us dogs!”

“You bastard!”

“Get him!”

The two guards cracked their knuckles and closed in on Zhao Feng. Yet Zhao Feng stood calmly where he was, not the least bit afraid.

Their commotion attracted passersby and some of the nightclub’s patrons.

“Aren’t those Big Mao and Little Mao?”

“Famous thugs at Vivi Nightclub!”

“That guy’s in trouble.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”

“Exactly!”

“Big Mao and Little Mao have been at Vivi for ages! There’s an unwritten rule—if you want in while they’re on shift, you have to bring a carton of cigarettes worth at least a thousand yuan.”

“That’s right!”

Zhao Feng overheard the crowd’s discussions and suddenly understood. Little Mao was the buzz-cut guard.

Little Mao gestured around. “You hear that? If you want in, no matter who you are, even if you’re Liu Dahua, you have to bring two cartons of cigarettes, a thousand yuan each!”

Zhao Feng let out a breathy laugh.

He shook his head, amused. “Even Liu Dahua wouldn’t dare talk to me like that.”

Big Mao and Little Mao blinked in confusion.

“What did you say?”

“I said, even Liu Dahua wouldn’t dare talk to me like that.”

They both burst into laughter.

“Did you hear that, bro?”

“I heard! This guy really talks big!”

“Yeah, right!”

Zhao Feng couldn’t be bothered to argue and simply headed for the door.

“Stop right there!” Little Mao blocked him. “Can’t you understand plain language?”

“That’s right! If you don’t have a thousand-yuan carton of cigarettes, forget about going in!” Little Mao insisted.

“Move,” Zhao Feng said coldly.

At that moment, his demeanor shifted entirely; he exuded an icy aura from head to toe.

Big Mao and Little Mao both flinched, sensing that the young man before them had changed—but they couldn’t say how.

Still, they remained defiant.

“Trying to act tough, huh, kid?”

Zhao Feng sneered. “I don’t need to act.”

“Heh.” Little Mao scoffed. “Try going in if you dare!”

“I will.”

With that, Zhao Feng attempted to force his way through.

“Hmph!”

Though lean, Big Mao and Little Mao moved with the confidence of men who’d seen their share of fights.

They lunged at Zhao Feng together.

Little Mao threw a punch at Zhao Feng’s face. Zhao Feng narrowed his eyes, making no attempt to dodge. To bystanders, he looked frozen with fear.

Little Mao’s punch flew toward Zhao Feng’s face—but in that instant, Zhao Feng moved.

With lightning speed, he reached out and seized Little Mao’s wrist.

Little Mao froze. Realizing what had happened, he tried to wrench his arm free, but it was as if an iron clamp held him. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t break loose.

Face flushed with embarrassment, Little Mao shouted, “Let go! Let go!”

Zhao Feng chuckled and, suddenly releasing his grip, let Little Mao pull himself off balance and tumble to the ground with a thud.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Little Mao, mortified, wished the earth would swallow him.

The crowd kept laughing, driving Little Mao into a fury. “Enough! Stop laughing!”

But those around him were people with backgrounds of their own. In the past, they’d offered cigarettes to Vivi out of courtesy. Now, they seized the chance to kick a man while he was down.

Little Mao grew even more enraged.

With a metallic clink, he drew a knife from behind his back. “Let’s see who’s still laughing now!”

Instantly, the crowd fell silent.

Little Mao snorted in satisfaction. Then he turned to Zhao Feng. “You’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone—how are you going to settle this score?”