Chapter 282: They All Saw Wu Chen as Their Benefactor

Chapter 282: They All Saw Wu Chen as Their Benefactor

“Those two your men were chasing and beating—the man is from the Tang family of Modu, the woman from the Guo clan of Jiuhe. Both direct-line members of the third generation. Luckily they aren’t badly hurt. But if this is really pursued, the fault lies with your men. Even if A-Tai wanted to protect you, it wouldn’t be easy…”

Crooked Zhao had expected some vicious threat. Wu Chen’s posture looked fierce, but the tone in his ear was something else entirely—the tone of one of their own.

That was not the important part.

The important part was that Crooked Zhao knew of the Tang family of Modu and the Guo clan of Jiuhe.

Modu and Donghai sat right beside each other. Ordinary people might have no notion of what those two families represented. A man as worldly as Crooked Zhao certainly did.

The Tang family was the more formidable of the two—one of the top families in Modu, on the same level as the Li family in power and influence.

Crooked Zhao did not know the details of either family’s internal situation, nor did he really know who Tang Xinbao was. They were beyond his reach entirely.

But Wu Chen had said direct-line, third generation.

That was enough for Crooked Zhao to imagine the consequences of his underlings beating Tang Xinbao. It would be nearly the same as beating Li Ruotai.

Fear took hold of him at once.

“…Tang Xinbao is right inside. He’s watching. Think about how you ought to be behaving now…”

Wu Chen spoke into his ear for a minute or two.

Crooked Zhao’s expression kept shifting.

When Wu Chen finished he straightened a little. The hand hooked behind Crooked Zhao’s head lifted, then patted his cheek twice.

Not hard, not soft.

An extremely humiliating gesture.

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Wu Chen asked after those two pats, now at normal volume.

And as he asked it he gave Crooked Zhao a look.

“I-I know, Mr. Wu,” Crooked Zhao said fearfully.

Did he feel humiliated?

Angry?

Was he thinking that a gentleman could wait ten years for revenge?

No.

Not at all.

Because Crooked Zhao now understood why Wu Chen had kicked him out of nowhere. He understood why Wu Chen had put on such a vicious show, making it look as though he were beating and warning him.

Wu Chen was saving his life.

This was a performance.

A self-injury ruse.

It was for the two people inside the alley to see.

So although Wu Chen had kicked him and slapped his face, Crooked Zhao was not angry now. Deep down he was grateful.

Wu Chen truly was saving his life.

And the kick was not the only part of it.

Wu Chen had happened to pass by earlier, stepped in, and saved Tang Xinbao and Guo Qiqi. That alone had saved Crooked Zhao’s life.

If Wu Chen had not appeared tonight, Tang Xinbao might well have gone to the hospital with serious injuries. He might have been left disabled.

And then the severity of the matter would have become an irreversible disaster.

If it had come to that—

Crooked Zhao could imagine that Li Ruotai might not have protected him at all. The matter could not be laid at Li Ruotai’s feet anyway. Li Ruotai was not truly of the underworld and did not involve himself in its affairs.

Crooked Zhao, on the other hand, and the great crowd of men under him, were underworld through and through. None of them were clean. They had done too many dirty things.

And every man who had done the beating was one of Crooked Zhao’s low-level people.

If it blew up, there was no telling how many would go to prison, or how many would die inside. Crooked Zhao would be going in with them.

This was not something that punishing a few underlings could settle. It was not something money could solve.

They would simply be finished.

Thank heaven. Wu Chen had happened to pass by and stepped in, and that alone had kept the situation from turning irredeemable. There was still room to smooth it over.

A benefactor.

Crooked Zhao was very nearly overcome with gratitude toward Wu Chen.

Laid out plainly, the whole thing was rather interesting. Wu Chen had saved Tang Xinbao and Guo Qiqi, so Tang Xinbao and Guo Qiqi regarded Wu Chen as the man who had saved their lives. Wu Chen had beaten Crooked Zhao’s men and beaten Crooked Zhao himself, and Crooked Zhao also regarded Wu Chen as the man who had saved his life.

Every one of them was profoundly grateful to him.

Wu Chen turned and headed back into the alley.

Crooked Zhao braced himself to stand, but with his disability he could not rise at once. His trusted men hurried forward, lifted him to his feet, retrieved his cane, and handed it back.

Just then—

Vrooom—

Engines roared again. Another convoy appeared on the street, three cars in all. More people had come.

They stopped near the alley mouth.

Seven or eight men got out.

The one in front looked about fifty. He wore a very formal black suit, tall and slightly heavy, with a hooked nose.

His name was Qiao Chenghu, owner of Donghai’s Chenghao Hotel Group. His businesses ran to hotel investment and real estate, and he was also a major shareholder in several bathhouses and KTV clubs across Donghai. His net worth ran to several hundred million yuan.

The rich kid with the punk hairstyle who had called in the thugs was named Qiao Yang.

Qiao Chenghu was Qiao Yang’s father.

The reason Qiao Yang was so familiar with underworld thugs, and could have men on the street within minutes, was that Qiao Chenghu was close to Crooked Zhao.

Crooked Zhao held stakes in a great many of Qiao Chenghu’s businesses. The two men were not merely friends and business partners. They were “brothers.”

Wu Chen’s step slowed slightly. He glanced toward Qiao Chenghu, who had just gotten out of his car. He did not look long before turning away and walking into the alley.

Crooked Zhao had meant to follow him in, but the sight of Qiao Chenghu stopped him. He glanced over, then hurried toward him on his limping gait.

“Old Qiao!” Crooked Zhao called.

He wanted to pull Qiao Chenghu aside and explain the situation fast.

The men who had beaten Tang Xinbao worked under Crooked Zhao.

The one who had called them in was Qiao Chenghu’s son.

If this was not handled properly, Crooked Zhao was finished, and so was Qiao Chenghu. Neither of them could get clear of it.

Inside the alley.

Guo Qiqi stood at the wall supporting Tang Xinbao. He had seen what happened out there. Crooked Zhao had been struck by Wu Chen. Tang Xinbao did not know who Crooked Zhao was, but his men had guns, which plainly meant he was a major underworld figure.

And Wu Chen had hit him without a moment’s hesitation.

Crooked Zhao’s men had drawn their guns on instinct, only for Crooked Zhao—the man who had taken the kick—to curse at them and order them put away. He was obviously afraid of Wu Chen.

Tang Xinbao found himself wondering all over again just who Wu Chen was.

Wu Chen came back over to the pair and asked with a smile, “Did you make a call?”

“No. My phone’s smashed. Qiqi’s is in her bag, and the bag’s in the car…” Tang Xinbao said. Then at once: “Big Brother, who was that cripple?”

“Crooked Zhao. He handles things in the underworld,” Wu Chen said.

Tang Xinbao understood what that meant, and one man came to mind immediately—Donghai’s Young Master Li, Li Ruotai.

He knew Donghai was Li Ruotai’s territory.

So Wu Chen could beat one of Li Ruotai’s people like that. Did that mean he was not even afraid of Li Ruotai?

Tang Xinbao was still turning it over when Wu Chen asked, “Why not go to the hospital first? Or… do you want to wait until this is settled? Can you hold out?”

“I’m fine, Big Brother. It’s not that bad. I’m tough. I’ve trained!” Tang Xinbao said, even raising an arm and flexing it a little.

Putting on a brave front.

Though it was true he had no broken bones or internal bleeding.

“Big Brother, how many years have you trained? Did you start as a kid?” Tang Xinbao asked again. The moment the subject turned to martial arts he sounded almost excited.

He had already been bold enough to ask about fighting earlier.

There were only two things Tang Xinbao had ever truly cared about in his life: fighting and cars.

Cars had only become a hobby in the last few years. Fighting and martial arts, though, were something he had trained in since childhood. You could call it his greatest passion.

He had always believed he was very good. Three or five men his own age could not get near him, and he could hold his own against seven or eight. What Wu Chen had done tonight had overturned his entire understanding of fighting.

“Many years,” Wu Chen said with a smile, deliberately vague.

“Then how did you train, Big Brother? Really on your own? You never learned from anyone?” Tang Xinbao pressed, intensely interested.

For the next few minutes Wu Chen chatted idly with him about fighting.

Farther down the street outside the alley.

Crooked Zhao had finally finished explaining. Qiao Chenghu knew less about the Tang family and the Guo clan of Jiuhe than Crooked Zhao did, so Crooked Zhao had to spell it out at length, warning him over and over: he had to be ruthless. They could not botch the performance.

Vrooom…

Another engine roared on the street.

A single car this time—a Rolls-Royce, coming fast.

Extremely fast.

It crossed half the street, reached the alley mouth, and braked hard. It was a good car; even the hard stop was smooth.

The door opened.

Li Ruotai got out with two bodyguards.

He had come too. Crooked Zhao had notified him immediately and explained.

Some of Crooked Zhao’s men stood outside the alley mouth. Li Ruotai headed straight for them. After a few steps he noticed the blue Lamborghini, and of course he knew it was his brother-in-law’s car.

“Hm?” Li Ruotai frowned abruptly.

His brother-in-law was not inside.

But—

There was an exceptionally beautiful young woman sitting in the passenger seat.

Li Ruotai’s mood changed on the spot.