"Get out, get out! You don't have money to gamble here? You're asking for trouble! Do you think Young Master Zhang is a pushover?" Several security guards shoved the group out the gate, just as Zhao Qiang and his group were passing by.
Li Tianwen was about 80% drunk. He chuckled and said, "Hey, who is this? I'm not mistaken, am I? Heaven really has eyes!"
These people were Zeng Kefan and Lan Mei. Zeng Kefan said to the security guard, "Who said we have no money! Are you blind? We just lost everything!"
The security guard shoved Zeng Kefan hard, yelling, "Who are you cursing? I don't care if you've lost all your money or you're broke, but banging on the table in Young Master Zhang's place is considered causing trouble! Brothers, fight!" The guard was carrying a rubber baton; only qualified people could be security guards. Even without the baton, Zeng Kefan was no match for him.
Han Chao, watching from the side, laughed, "So he was just putting on a show, even treating us to drinks, but he can't even pay his own gambling debts. Pah!" Everyone felt a sense of relief at Zeng Kefan and Lan Mei's predicament. Even Zhang Zhen found it unbelievable; just a moment ago he was so arrogant, and now he was completely deflated.
Of course, Zhao Qiang wasn't involved in this. Zeng Kefan must have lost money at the casino, and in his anger, he said or did something he shouldn't have. Zhang Lingfeng is a big shot; he's making astronomical profits for his family every day, so he's even more unruly in Donghai City. Naturally, his security guards have also become more arrogant. Making trouble at the casino? Isn't that just asking for a beating?
Lan Mei was on the outermost circle, closest to Zhang Zhen. Seeing Zeng Kefan about to fight with the security guards, she turned around and immediately pleaded with Zhang Zhen, "Zhang Zhen, please help!"
Zhang Zhen hesitated for a moment, not moving. Had someone seen him when something happened? Where were they before? Where did all that theory go? Besides, Zhang Zhen didn't think he could help. He was a good student, couldn't fight, and didn't have much money on him.
Zhao Qiang suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the security guard's wrist, preventing the rubber baton from falling. Zhao Qiang chuckled and said, "Brothers, let's talk things out, don't be so violent."
The security guard glanced at Zhao Qiang, his expression immediately becoming respectful. He opened his mouth to shout, but Zhao Qiang added, "My classmates and I are all good students. Please, for our sake, don't bother with these scoundrels."
This security guard was quick-witted; he sensed that Zhao Qiang didn't want to publicly acknowledge his master-disciple relationship with Zhang Shao, so he swallowed back the "Zhao Shao." Almost every security guard knew that Zhao Qiang was Zhang Lingfeng's master, because Zhao Qiang had once fought at the Tianmeng Nightclub, causing quite a stir. Xu Xiaoya was even more ruthless, smashing up Zhang Lingfeng's sound booth. How could the security guards not recognize him?
Zeng Kefan regretted it now. He hadn't drunk much at noon, but he had lost too much at the casino and lost control of his emotions, causing a little trouble. Now he realized that this was Zhang Lingfeng's stronghold. Causing trouble here was just stupid. No matter how big his steel business was, he was still just a small businessman. Compared to Zhang Lingfeng, he was just asking for death!
Having figured this out, Zeng Kefan covered his head with his hands, bracing himself for a beating. His friends, seeing his actions, understood as well: "You think you're so arrogant, daring to go against Zhang Lingfeng? You'd better be ready for a beating!" But unexpectedly, Zhao Qiang suddenly intervened and saved them. Zeng Kefan could hardly believe his ears, because the security guard said kindly, "Alright, for the sake of you good students, we won't pursue this matter with these bastards. Otherwise, we would have beaten them to a pulp!"
Zhao Qiang pulled Zhang Zhen aside and said, "This is our senior brother. Actually, it's mainly because he has a lot of influence. Tell me how much debt these people owe inside. We'll help pay it off first. We can't let you get scolded by the boss, right?"
Lan Mei was astonished. Zeng Kefan had just lost his temper and started arguing loudly with the security guards. The guards were furious, and Lan Mei was afraid they might beat Zeng Kefan and the others to death in their anger. So, when she saw Zhang Zhen, she rashly asked him for help. In Lan Mei's mind, what was Zhang Zhen? Just a bookworm with a head full of knowledge. But she didn't expect Zhang Zhen to have such influence; the security guards immediately became amiable.
"Owes money?" The security guard was puzzled. Zeng Kefan had gambled away all his money, but it seemed he hadn't had time to borrow from loan sharks yet. But what did Young Master Zhao mean by asking this? And why was he deliberately bringing up other people to say that 'he' was the one with influence? Was he asking him to flatter this person? Could this person be Young Master Zhao's brother-in-law?
The lead security guard tentatively said, "Oh, so you're my fellow students. I can tell you're cultured people just by looking at you. I admire knowledgeable and talented people like you the most, unlike these scoundrels who waste their family's money like toilet paper."
Zhao Qiang continued to remind the security guards, "How much did he throw away? He must owe the casino a lot of money. Don't hit him anymore. We'll cover it for him first, and he can pay us back when he gets his money home."
If the security guard still didn't understand after all this, he might as well go bang his head against a wall. He immediately said, "This spendthrift lost over 100,000 and still owes the casino over 30,000..."
Zeng Kefan jumped up in a flash: "You're talking nonsense, I don't owe the casino any money!"
A security guard struck Zeng Kefan on the back with a rubber baton, nearly sending him tumbling down the stairs! The guard yelled, "Shut up! You owe me a debt, so be it! You're not happy about it? Sanzi, call more people over, there's trouble here!"
Zeng Kefan was nearly beaten to the point of vomiting blood, but upon hearing that the security guards were going to call others, he thought that if things continued to escalate, he would definitely suffer the consequences, and in the end, his father would have to apologize to Zhang Lingfeng. So, he immediately endured the pain and stopped them, saying, "Stop shouting! Stop calling people! It's 30,000! It's 30,000 I owe! I'll pay it back! I promise I'll pay it back!"
The security guard held out his hand and said, "You have to pay me back now! Who has time to write him an IOU? Besides, even if you write an IOU, we don't know if we'll even get it back. If you don't have the money now, that's fine too. We'll beat you up, strip you naked, and throw you out on the street."
To others, this might just be a threat, but Zeng Kefan and others, who were familiar with the forces behind Tianmeng Nightclub, dared not think so. These security guards were absolutely capable of doing it, and they would not be punished in the slightest afterward!
Zeng Kefan said to his friends behind him, "Quick, check if you have any money on you."
A few friends checked their pockets: "It's all gone. We lost it all, even maxed out our credit cards."
Zeng Kefan yelled at Lan Mei, "Where's your money? Hand it over right now!"
Lan Mei was terrified and frantically pulled out handfuls of money, but it was only a couple thousand at most, far from thirty thousand. Zeng Kefan said to the security guard, "I'll call someone to send the money, send it right away, send it right away."
The security guard kicked Zeng Kefan: "I don't have time. If you don't pay, I'll beat you up!"
Zeng Kefan suddenly pointed at Zhang Zhen: "Didn't they just say they were willing to pay in advance? I'll borrow 8N from them."
The security guard chuckled, "You're smart, go ahead and lend it to me."
Zeng Kefan walked up to Zhao Qiang. "Brother, you said you'd help me pay earlier, thank you." Actually, Zeng Kefan had sensed something was amiss. This might be a trap set by Zhao Qiang and the security guard, and now he had to fall into it; he had no choice.
Zhao Qiang chuckled, took a hesitant step back, and pointed at Zhang Zhen, saying, "I... I'll listen to my senior brother; he's the one with the more face." To outsiders, Zhao Qiang really did seem like an honest kid.
Zhang Zhen was a little confused; he didn't know what was going on. But Lan Mei rushed over, "Zhang Zhen, please help! Ke Fan's family is rich; they can pay you back in less than an hour!"
"I..." Zhang Zhen knew how much money he had on him—less than four thousand. Although he desperately wanted to throw thirty thousand in Lan Mei's face, he simply didn't have the means.
Zhao Qiang said, "Senior brother, since she's asking you for money, just agree. The money's right here with me. Lend her 30,000. Don't let her call you a bookworm again. You know, bookworms can make money and get angry too."
As he spoke, Zhao Qiang took out his laptop bag, pulled out three unopened bundles of RMB, exactly thirty thousand yuan, threw two bundles to Zhang Zhen, and slammed the remaining bundle at Lan Mei's feet: "Take it and count it yourself."
Lan Mei bit her lip, bent down, picked up the wad of RMB, and looked at Zhang Zhen with pleading eyes, because the other 20,000 was in Zhang Zhen's hands. Although Zhang Zhen knew that Zhao Qiang's actions just now were teaching him how to vent his anger, he couldn't bring himself to throw the money in Lan Mei's face. He just snorted twice and then handed the money to Lan Mei. What a kind person.
Lan Mei took the money and turned to hand it to Zeng Kefan, who then passed it to the security guard: "Keep this safe, 30,000."
The security guard smiled and took the money, then cursed, "You're smart to know what's good for you. If you're not happy, come back and find me!"
Zeng Kefan said, "I'm convinced, I'm convinced, a million times convinced," and pulled Lan Mei to walk out. Suddenly, another security guard stopped him and said, "Stop!"
Zeng Kefan said angrily, "I've already given you the money. We'll settle our own accounts with others."
The security guard said, "I don't care about your bills, but you insulted me at the casino just now, so I have to pay you back."
Zeng Kefan said, "Then you can curse me too."
The security guard said, "You wish! I'd have to slap you across the face."
Zeng Kefan was startled: "You...you're going too far!"
The security guard said, "Who's been rude to you, guys? He insulted me and now he wants to leave like this. Are you going to let him or not?"
Although he didn't call for other security guards, the main entrance was already a conspicuous place, and quite a few security guards had rushed over after noticing the abnormality. Zeng Kefan was very scared, and he said, "How about I compensate you some money?"
The security guard said, "I don't care about money, you'll have to beg me for forgiveness first."
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Zeng Kefan gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, it was wrong of me to scold you. Please give me some face and forgive me."
The security guard pointed at Zeng Kefan's head and said, "What face do you have? Find a senior with influence to vouch for you, or I won't forgive you!"
After speaking, the security guard deliberately glanced at Zhang Zhen. He was cooperating with Zhao Qiang's act; since it was about flattery, a few more compliments wouldn't hurt.
Zeng Kefan wasn't stupid. He'd be a fool not to understand the security guard's obvious cajoling. He could only grit his teeth and walk up to Zhang Zhen again, saying, "Brother, do me a favor. They're only doing you a favor."
Zhang Zhen was still somewhat bewildered, so he hesitated in his answer. Zeng Kefan thought Zhang Zhen was unwilling to help, so he cursed at Lan Mei behind him, "I'm in this state and you still won't help me by coming over to beg your ex-boyfriend? You have no sense of propriety! You deserve to be fucked!"
Zeng Kefan had never insulted her like this before. Lan Mei's tears welled up with grievance. She walked up to Zhang Zhen, opened her mouth several times before finally speaking, "Zhang...Zhang Zhen, please help Kefan. His family is rich, he will definitely pay you back, he will definitely repay you."
When money was mentioned again, Zhang Zhen became furious: "You're really obsessed with money! You'd rather be a dog of this kind of man than a human being!"
Lan Mei was verbally abused and her head was bleeding. Who could have imagined that things would change in just over an hour? Zeng Kefan lost control of her emotions after losing money and offended the security guards at Tianmeng Nightclub. These security guards were extremely arrogant. Even if Zeng Kefan's family was rich, they would have to be careful. What could a woman like her do?
Zeng Kefan gave Lan Mei a push: "Go and beg him!"
Lan Mei stood before Zhang Zhen with tears streaming down her face. It was unclear whether these were tears of repentance, but they certainly moved Zhang Zhen. He glanced at Zhao Qiang and said, "Junior brother, do you see any room for negotiation?"
Zhao Qiang said, "There should be. I think these security guards really admire you. As long as you speak up, this rich man Zeng will be fine."
Zhang Zhen said to the security guard, "These guys seem to have repented. Let's give them a chance."
The security guard was waiting for Zhang Zhen to step in, so he immediately said, "Fine, we'll still give you face," and then turned around and cursed at Zeng Kefan, "Get lost!"
Zeng Kefan walked past Zhang Zhen with his head down. Lan Mei glanced at Zhang Zhen and turned to leave. Zeng Kefan's friends followed sheepishly. If these security guards hadn't relied on Zhang Lingfeng's power, they would have been beaten to the ground long ago. But now they had no choice but to submit, because if they beat these security guards, they wouldn't be able to stay in Donghai City any longer. Soon, these people disappeared at the entrance of the nightclub.
The lead security guard respectfully handed the 30,000 yuan to Zhao Qiang, then winked at him and left with his team without a word. Mission accomplished, and he had even pleased Young Master Zhang's master.
Volume Two [335] Completely Different
After everyone left, Zhang Zhen asked, completely bewildered, "Xiao Zhao, what's going on? Where did the money come from?"
Li Tianwen also sobered up. "Yeah, so much! My God, when you pulled out a bunch of small bills, we thought you were really poor. No way, no way, you have to treat us to another meal later."
Zhao Qiang put the money into his laptop bag and said, "Tuition fees, bro. Do you think I'm a tycoon? That security guard was my friend. We just teamed up to teach Zeng Kefan and Lan Mei a lesson."
Han Chao said, "I see, so that's how it is."
Ni Xiu asked, "Will Zeng Kefan repay the money?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Unless he doesn't want to stay in Donghai City anymore, we'll just wait for him to obediently hand over the 30,000 yuan."
Zhang Zhen said, "Your friend returned the 30,000 yuan to you, which means Zeng Kefan didn't actually owe that 30,000 yuan at the casino?"
Zhao Qiang said, "That's right, we're just trying to extort money from him!"
Zhang Zhen hesitated for a moment: "Is this okay?"
Li Tianwen said, "Director, if you don't like it, I'll pick you up when that bastard Zeng Kefan pays back the money. There are always people who refuse money offered to them."
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, if I give it to you, you should take it. Just consider it as that woman paying back the money for a few meals you had."
Zhang Zhen nodded: "Okay, but this money is yours. We'll discuss how to distribute it once we get the money."
After leaving Tianmeng Nightclub, they checked the time and realized it was almost dinnertime, so everyone took taxis and left. Zhao Qiang was going to Xu Xiaoya's house, while Zhang Zhen and the others went back to 8N of the Polytechnic University.
Outside the building, Zhao Qiang saw two BMW 7 Series cars. Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei had returned, so he immediately sped up his climb upstairs.
Xu Liming personally opened the door for his son-in-law, "Little Zhao, school's out?"
Zhao Qiang didn't dare say he was going out to play, and nodded: "Uncle, you didn't go to work this afternoon?"
Xu Liming said, "Xiaoya said you were coming over for dinner tonight, so I came back a few minutes early. There's not much going on in the district these past few days, so it's been quite relaxing."
Zhao Qiang said, "Xiaoya is back, right? I saw the car downstairs."
Xu Liming said, "She's talking to Xiaowei in the bedroom. Let's ignore her. Come, come, sit down. I'll make you some tea. I have something to talk to you about."
Zhao Qiang obediently sat down, but Xu Liming's wish to have a private chat couldn't be fulfilled. Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei came out of the bedroom after hearing Zhao Qiang's voice. The two were discussing work-related matters. Haifeng Group was in dire need of rebuilding, requiring a large investment. Without a detailed and reliable work plan, nothing could be accomplished, and as the person in charge of the overall situation, this plan couldn't be taken lightly.
Xu Xiaoya sat next to Zhao Qiang, and Luo Xiaowei sat opposite him. Xu Liming knew that both girls were Zhao Qiang's top lieutenants, so he didn't keep his conversation a secret, since half of the development zone government already knew about it.
"Xiao Zhao, I have a problem right now, can you give me some advice?"
Zhao Qiang asked, "Uncle, what's wrong? Can't Xiaoya make a decision yet?"
Xu Liming said, "I won't talk to her. I'll leave this to your opinion. Last summer, the hotel fire brought down many officials. Now, one of the deputy mayors is finally going to retire to the People's Congress. The higher-ups want me to take his place. What do you think, should I go or not?"
Zhao Qiang said, "This is a good thing, Uncle. Are there people who don't want to go even if they get promoted?"
Xu Liming lit a cigarette: "But Xiao Zhao, you know that the development zone is my domain now. Even Secretary Liu of the district party committee has to consult me on matters. If I go to the city and just become an ordinary mayor without a standing committee member, do you think I'll have any real power? I'm very uneasy and uncertain. If someone takes this opportunity to try to sideline me, that would be a huge problem. I can't afford to lose the development zone."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Uncle, what are you going to be in charge of?"
Xu Liming said, "In charge of the economy."
Zhao Qiang said, "I think the municipal party committee's decision is very wise."
Xu Liming chuckled, "What they're after is my status as Xiaoya's father. You know, injecting 1 billion yuan into Haifeng Group is no small matter, and this is only the first phase. As far as I know, another 1 billion yuan has recently been invested in Haifeng Group. With such a large investment, how could the city not take it seriously?"
Zhao Qiang said, "So I think the idea that someone with ulterior motives wants to take advantage of you to sideline you is probably not true. As long as Xiaoya gives you a push from behind, how can they talk about sidelining you? Everyone knows the influence of Haifeng Group on Donghai City's economy. As long as Xiaowei says a word, who would dare to oppose you? When you act and plan from the perspective of the entire Donghai City, I think you will achieve even greater results!"
Xu Liming chuckled. He had actually considered both points, but he believed he had to listen to Zhao Qiang's opinion. If Zhao Qiang told him to go, he would go; if Zhao Qiang told him not to go, he guaranteed he would stay in the development zone. Because no matter how capable the two girls were, they still had to listen to Zhao Qiang! What reason did Xu Liming have not to listen? Going back a long time, Xu Liming's stance wavered, unsure whether he should betray Zhong Shuhuan's group and join Zhao Qiang's side. Later, it proved how foolish his thinking was. Therefore, in any matter, Xu Liming would absolutely and unwaveringly stand on Zhao Qiang's side.
Xu Xiaoya said, "Dad, now you hear me, right? Zhao Qiang supports you too. Donghai City is a first-tier city in the country after all. Being a mayor like this is much more important than being the head of a development zone. You're my dad, how could I watch you be clueless in your position? Zhao Qiang respects you so much, so just tell us what you need, and we will definitely support your work with all our might!"