Chen Chaojiang handed the menu to Xu Zhengyang and smiled, "You order."
"Just the two of us, one small pot will be enough. Hmm, it's quite a good deal, and it comes with four dishes." Xu Zhengyang looked at the menu and said to the waiter with a smile, "Let's have one small pot, and a bottle of Fuhe Daqu."
"Alright, please wait a moment while I make you some tea." The waiter smiled and left with the menu.
A small hot pot costs 20 yuan, but it's 10 yuan if you pay half price. A bottle of Fuhe Daqu liquor costs 15 yuan, so the total bill is 25 yuan, which is really affordable.
Tea was served, and Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang chatted idly while drinking the water, waiting for the food to be served.
Xu Zhengyang had his back to the door and was facing the inside of the restaurant. He noticed that among the six people sitting at the round table, three facing outwards were wearing police uniforms. One of them had no number on his uniform, suggesting he was a member of the joint security team. The other two were clearly regular police officers. Although he could only see the backs of the other three, Xu Zhengyang could recognize one of them immediately—Lu Dong'an, one of Guo Tian's gang members. This was the same guy Chen Chaojiang had slapped and told him that even having a dragon tattoo on your body didn't make you arrogant.
Perhaps there wasn't enough food, because Lu Dong'an turned around and shouted, "Waiter, another serving of wide rice noodles and two servings of stir-fried vegetables!"
The conversation suddenly stopped, and Lu Dong'an saw Xu Zhengyang, and was slightly taken aback.
At that moment, Chen Chaojiang was holding a water glass, his head slightly lowered, looking sideways at the source of the arrogant voice.
Immediately, a look of horror appeared on Lu Dong'an's face. He saw that pale, thin face, two sharp, sword-like eyebrows, and a pair of long, narrow eyes that always exuded a cold expression.
Volume Two, Chapter 82: Remember clearly, my name is Chen Chaojiang.
Today, Chen Chaojiang wasn't wearing the tiger skin uniform that the joint defense security team wore; instead, he was wearing a gray thermal shirt, black pants, and leather shoes.
Hearing the sudden, arrogant shout, he turned his head with slight curiosity and saw Lu Dong'an, but his face remained expressionless, as if he hadn't seen the man at all. Turning back, he casually said in a low voice, "Seeing something like this while eating a meal is disgusting."
The waiter placed the wine, wine glasses, and a dish of fried peanuts on the table, and said with a smile, "Here's a serving of fried peanuts for you two to have some to drink."
Xu Zhengyang smiled, took out a cigarette and placed it on the table, then reached out and unscrewed the bottle of liquor, poured half a glass for Chen Chaojiang, and said while pouring some for himself, "It's not that bad."
Chen Chaojiang lit a cigarette and smoked it, while raising his glass to Xu Zhengyang, gesturing for him to drink.
"Want to drink more today?" Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
"Have I ever been drunk?" Chen Chaojiang smiled. "Zhengyang, I won't say anything about gratitude, it would be too formal. My parents insist that I show my gratitude, and you know why..."
"Let's not talk about that. Come on, let's drink." Xu Zhengyang smiled and raised his glass.
They didn't notice. Over there at the round table, Lu Dong'an was whispering something to the person next to him.
Then, the man sitting next to Lu Dong'an turned to look at Xu Zhengyang, his lips twitched, and he got up and walked towards Xu Zhengyang and the others.
"Your name is Xu Zhengyang?"
Xu Zhengyang tilted his head slightly, looking at the person standing in front of him. The man appeared to be in his thirties, wearing a light yellow casual top, black jeans, and black sneakers. Perhaps due to drinking too much, his face was a deep purplish-red, and he glared at Xu Zhengyang with a provocative and angry expression.
“It’s me.” Xu Zhengyang squinted and nodded.
Chen Chaojiang didn't even look up. He held a cigarette in one hand and used chopsticks in the other to pick up peanuts and put them into his mouth, chewing slowly.
"You were the one who beat up Guo Tian at 'Beyond the Heavens'?"
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang remained calm and did not ask who the other person was.
"Do you know who I am?" the man asked through gritted teeth.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head with a calm expression.
The man tilted his head and sneered, "I am Guo Tian's cousin, Shen Haobing."
Lu Dong'an then joined in, arrogantly saying, "Have you heard of the Ten Tigers of Cizhou? Brother Bing is the fifth one."
Cizhou refers to Cixian County, which was formerly known as Cizhou and renamed Cixian County after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Xu Zhengyang looked at Chen Chaojiang, who was still eating peanuts, drinking wine, and smoking with his head slightly lowered, and then shook his head and said, "Never heard of it."
That was the truth; he'd never heard of him before. However, he felt a vague unease, not fear, but because this Shen Haobing was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Guo Tian's cousin? He must be a relative of Shen Qun… Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to bother checking the other person's background in his mind through the county records. There was no need. Who cares? He just wanted to vent Guo Tian's anger, right? It's just that the situation wasn't good today; the other side had three policemen present, and if a fight broke out, it would be a real problem.
Perhaps Shen Haobing hesitated to act immediately because his police friend was present? Otherwise, why would he waste time talking so much nonsense?
Xu Zhengyang's biggest worry right now is Chen Chaojiang. This guy may seem quiet, drinking, smoking, and eating peanuts, but Xu Zhengyang knows Chen Chaojiang too well. No one can predict when he'll get angry or when he might suddenly become violent. If he strikes first in front of the police, there's no way to explain himself.
A policeman at the other table laughed and called out, "Haobing, don't get worked up, come over here, have a drink."
"Kid, watch your step from now on. I'll remember this." Shen Haobing coldly uttered these words before turning and walking back.
Lu Dong'an also pouted, stuck out his neck, snorted, and turned to walk back.
Xu Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief. At least a fight wouldn't break out today; otherwise, a huge brawl in front of the police would have caused far too much trouble. He thought to himself that he'd investigate this bastard's background later and teach him a lesson.
Unexpectedly, Chen Chaojiang suddenly turned his head and looked at Shen Haobing's back, saying, "Hey."
Shen Haobing stopped and turned to look at Chen Chaojiang.
Lu Dong'an, on the other hand, looked terrified, yet also held a hint of expectation, as if he couldn't wait for Chen Chaojiang and Shen Haobing to fight.
"Lu Dong'an didn't tell you who I am, did he?" Chen Chaojiang said calmly, his cold eyes fixed on the other person.
Shen Haobing looked at Lu Dong'an with suspicion.
Lu Dong'an said with a look of fear, "His name is... his name is Chen Chaojiang."
"Kid, you think you're so tough?" Shen Haobing said disdainfully.
The restaurant fell silent, completely silent, as everyone watched and waited for the battle to begin.
A middle-aged woman hurried over to the police officers at that table, her face tense as she whispered something. She was probably the restaurant owner, hoping the police could stop the fight that had broken out in the restaurant earlier that day; after all, nobody wants their restaurant to descend into chaos.
Chen Chaojiang turned his head away from the other person, picked up his wine glass, slowly poured some into his mouth, smacked his lips, put down the glass, then picked up the wine bottle, poured some in, and slowly screwed on the cap. His expression was calm, as if he were talking to himself or Xu Zhengyang: "Two years ago, I broke Guo Tian's arms and legs. Remember me too, remember clearly, my name is Chen Chaojiang."
Xu Zhengyang smiled wryly as soon as Chen Chaojiang called out to him, knowing that things were getting out of hand.
Hopefully, those three police officers can persuade Shen Haobing to stop. You can't just stand by and watch people fight, can you?
"Damn it!" Shen Haobing cursed, then turned to his police friend as if he had heard the funniest joke, and said, "It's not that I'm not giving you face!"
Of the three policemen, the "puppet soldier" suddenly stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over, cursing, "Are you fucking tired of living?"
To Xu Zhengyang's annoyance, the two genuine police officers did not try to stop him; instead, they watched with smiles as if they were watching a show.
At this moment, Shen Haobing turned around, rushed forward in two quick steps, and swung his big hand to slap Chen Chaojiang on the back of the head.
Snap!
Whether Chen Chaojiang didn't notice the sudden attack from behind or couldn't dodge in time, a slap landed heavily on the back of his head. Immediately afterward, Shen Haobing grabbed his collar and pulled him up, while Shen Haobing's fist smashed into Chen Chaojiang's face.
Whether Chen Chaojiang stood up on his own or was grabbed by the collar and lifted up is secondary.
In short, Chen Chaojiang stood up sideways. Before the other person's fist hit his face, no one saw Chen Chaojiang's movement clearly. They only saw a blur before their eyes, and the wine bottle that had been placed on the table with the cap screwed on was smashed into Shen Haobing's forehead.
A loud bang!
Chen Chaojiang turned his head, and Shen Haobing's fist grazed past his ear. Chen Chaojiang raised his hand and grabbed Shen Haobing's wrist. With a twist and a snap, as the other man cried out in pain, Chen Chaojiang kicked him in the knee.
Shen Haobing was still dazed from being hit by the bottle and hadn't even realized what was happening when his right leg went weak and he involuntarily fell forward. A blackened knee hit him head-on, and with a thud, Shen Haobing coughed up blood from his mouth and nose and fell backward to the ground.
Shouts of pain and curses erupted from Shen Haobing's mouth as he angrily got up and lunged forward.
At the same time, the "puppet soldier" rushed over and punched Chen Chaojiang. However, Xu Zhengyang, who had already stepped forward, grabbed him. As Xu Zhengyang kicked the man in the stomach, Chen Chaojiang swung the bottle in his hand again and smashed it on the "puppet soldier's" head. With a loud bang, the bottle could no longer withstand the force and shattered, scattering liquor and glass shards everywhere.
Shen Haobing charged forward like a wild boar, crashing heavily into Chen Chaojiang. Chen Chaojiang lost his balance, and both of them fell to the ground, wrestling and fighting.
After the "puppet soldier" had his head broken and was kicked by Xu Zhengyang, he fell to the ground and had no chance to get up. Xu Zhengyang stepped forward and kicked him several times in the waist, causing the man to cry out in pain and curl up in agony. Just as Xu Zhengyang was about to rush forward to help Chen Chaojiang, the man who had been sitting next to Shen Haobing, with a dark expression, silently swung a wine bottle at him. Xu Zhengyang grabbed a chair to block it...
Lu Dong'an, who instigated the incident, huddled behind a square table, leaning back like several customers to try to stay as far away as possible and avoid being accidentally injured.
Seeing that the fight had gotten out of control, the two policemen finally stood up and roared righteously, "Stop! Stop!"
The people involved in the melee stopped fighting.
Oh, there's one person who hasn't stopped—Chen Chaojiang.
He remained calm with cold eyes. After getting up from the ground, he grabbed a wine bottle from the table next to him and smashed it on Shen Haobing's head. Shen Haobing, whose face was already covered in blood, cried out in pain and staggered. He then lunged at Chen Chaojiang, but this time Chen Chaojiang dodged and, with a quick movement of his foot, swung his elbow to strike.
Shen Haobing collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Stop! Are you deaf?" A burly policeman rushed over and angrily shoved Chen Chaojiang.
This time, Chen Chaojiang did not lay a hand on the police. He staggered back two steps due to the force of the impact, knocking over two chairs, and stood still with a calm expression and indifferent eyes.
Then……
Two policemen sneered and pulled out handcuffs, then stepped forward and cuffed Chen Chaojiang's hands.
Xu Zhengyang wanted to say something, but he ended up receiving the same treatment.
"Let's go. You've committed gang fighting and malicious assault. We'll talk at the station." One policeman sneered as he pushed the two men out of the restaurant. The other policeman helped Shen Haobing up while saying to the restaurant owner, "It's alright. We'll make sure you recover all the losses from today. Don't worry."
"It's alright, it's alright." The proprietress shook her head with a bitter expression. When faced with such bad luck, who in the general sense would dare to claim any losses?
The puppet soldier, clutching his forehead, walked out, saying menacingly to Shen Haobing, "Brother Bing, when we get to the station, I'm going to kill them all!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Fuck!" Shen Haobing cursed angrily.
He was really angry today. He thought that dealing with two young men in their early twenties would be a piece of cake. Besides, he thought the other party would be scared when they saw that he had a police friend with him. He didn't expect to run into a guy with a zombie face who was not only cold and rude, but also fast and ruthless!
Cursing viciously, the two followed the police out.
Lu Dong'an didn't dare to go with them. He had been too ungrateful just now, starting a fight but not helping out... It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but he was really afraid of Chen Chaojiang and was intimidated by the beating.
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 83: Treatment in the Police Station
The policeman having dinner with Shen Haobing. He's from Nancheng Township Police Station, not far from Futou Town.
Inside the police van, the two officers, their faces flushed from drinking, remained silent. One drove, while the other sat in the back, watching Chen Chaojiang and Xu Zhengyang with cold smiles.
Xu Zhengyang wasn't particularly worried. For him now, fighting, getting injured, and paying compensation were no big deal. Earlier at the restaurant, he was concerned that Chen Chaojiang might suddenly attack, making things difficult to resolve. In front of the police, the one who strikes first is always in the wrong, especially since the two policemen were clearly with Shen Haobing. Now, however, he didn't need to worry too much, because Shen Haobing had struck first.
At worst, I can just call Zhong Shan later. I figure he's the head of the county criminal investigation team, so the local police stations in the townships should have to give him face.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the car arrived at the police station, two policemen immediately shoved the two men into a room and handcuffed them to a radiator pipe. One of the policemen even kicked Chen Chaojiang, who was glaring at them.
Chen Chaojiang looked at the other person and said without a trace of anger, "You kicked me."
"Oh ho? Are you threatening me?" The policeman immediately slapped Chen Chaojiang on the forehead. "You better behave yourself. You'll regret this."
Another policeman smiled easily and said, "These young people are getting more and more arrogant these days. Even Lao Wu and the others wouldn't dare to talk to us like that."
"Alright, let's teach those two good-for-nothings a lesson when Lao Wu and Biaozi get back."
"hehe."
The two walked out the door with relaxed expressions, completely ignoring the expressions on Chen Chaojiang and Xu Zhengyang's faces as they were handcuffed to the radiator pipe.
The door was closed, and through the window, two policemen could be seen standing in the courtyard, greeting a man who looked to be the station chief, a man in his forties: "Chief Tian, we just caught two guys fighting. Guess what? Right in front of us, they beat up Biaozi from our station and Shen Laowu from Cizhou, leaving them with bloody heads..."
Director Tian peered into the room through the window and said with some surprise, "Just these two young men? They beat up Shen Laowu and Biaozi?"
"That's right, they just got into a fight at the newly opened dog meat hot pot restaurant near the grain station," a policeman said with a chuckle.
"Oh, five thousand each. You can handle it as you see fit." Director Tian waved his hand and walked towards his office, disappearing from sight through the window. Suddenly, Director Tian's voice could be heard again in the courtyard: "Where are Shen Laowu and Biaozi?"