Chapter 56: Ruthless
The bald man was fuming with rage, but when he turned and saw the scar-faced man, he immediately shrank back. “Gang, what are you doing here?”
“We haven’t had any dealings with Master Zhang for quite some time, have we?”
“You called me Gang?” The scar-faced man was furious. “Call me Brother Gang!”
He raised his hand, ready to strike, frightening the bald man into hastily correcting himself, “Brother Gang.”
Meanwhile, Xiong Dan had long since curled up in a corner, trembling, utterly bewildered by the events unfolding around her.
It wasn’t until Chai Jin walked in through the door that Xiong Dan stared in shock, petrified and speechless.
Chai Jin cast her a cold, disdainful glance. “So she really is just a streetwalker.”
The bald man finally snapped out of his daze and fixed his gaze on Chai Jin. “And who are you? What grudge do I have with you? Why bring up Master Zhang to pressure me?”
Chai Jin walked up to him, took a piece of paper from his pocket, and unfolded it. “Did you leave this for the people at the guesthouse?”
“Weren’t you asking me to come settle matters with my brother?”
Though the bald man was already sixty, the paper left him speechless, his face flushed red with embarrassment. “I was only helping a friend…”
Slap!
Chai Jin struck him across the face. “Enough nonsense. Where’s my friend?”
“Or do you still want to put on a show in front of me?”
The bald man’s anger surged.
Xiong Dan had told him that Chai Jin was nothing more than a young upstart from a small county in Jiangnan province, dabbling in trading certificates. He’d barely seen Chai Jin interact with anyone during this time. Otherwise, how could he have dared to kidnap someone directly?
As for how he knew Gang, that was a question for another day.
Seeing the bald man remain silent, Brother Gang’s temper flared as well. “Do you want my men to tear this place apart, top to bottom?”
“No, Brother Gang, the person’s in the next room,” the bald man stammered, not daring to hesitate further.
Chai Jin headed toward the door, but turned back to address the bald man. “From the look of you, you must be quite a figure here in Zhonghai. Sixty years old, and you’re still making a scene like this over a common streetwalker? I don’t know what your relationship with her is, but let me tell you—this woman not only offered herself to my friend for who knows how long, she once stripped naked and ran into my room as well.
“And do you know who that young man always hanging around her is? He’s her childhood sweetheart, her boyfriend. The two of them have been conning rich fools right here in Zhonghai.”
With that, he turned and left.
The bald man was momentarily stunned, his eyes wide, then he glared furiously at the woman. “You filthy whore, explain yourself!”
He lunged at her, paying no mind to her state of undress.
In the adjoining private room, Chai Jin kicked open the door, startling the men inside so badly that one tumbled off the sofa.
Inside, Liu Qingwen sat battered and bruised, his face covered in cuts and swelling. Beside him was Xiong Dan’s boyfriend—it was clear he was the one who’d done the beating.
Seeing this sudden influx of men, the young man dropped to his knees with a thud, realizing he’d stirred up trouble with the wrong people.
Chai Jin walked silently over to Liu Qingwen, pinched his chin, and said, “I warned you before: lust is a blade hanging over your head. That woman is nothing but trouble.”
“Do you understand now what I meant?”
Liu Qingwen, dazed and battered, sighed deeply. “Jin, did you bring cigarettes? I could use a smoke.”
Chai Jin took a pack from his pocket, lit one, and placed it between Liu Qingwen’s lips. “Here, maybe this will teach you a lesson.”
Liu Qingwen struggled to his feet, smoking deeply, one drag after another.
After a few minutes, he seemed to come to his senses. “Jin, this bastard slapped me sixty-three times, kicked me thirty-five times, and spat in my face fifteen times.”
Chai Jin frowned. “He was that vicious?”
“Yes.”
“So, you know what to do now?”
“I do, Jin.”
“Need any help?”
“No.”
“Alright. I’ll wait for you outside.”
With that, Chai Jin stood and left the room.
The young man, realizing what was coming, was so terrified that the smell of urine wafted from his pant leg. He trembled as he looked at Liu Qingwen. “Brother, you slept with my woman for so long—how could I not be angry? Any man would lose his temper after being cheated on.”
Liu Qingwen finished his cigarette slowly, then got to his feet. “Where’s the subscription certificate that slut stole from me?”
“It’s all here, in this bag. I carry it with me!” The young man scrambled to the wall, grabbed a bag, and handed it over, trembling.
Liu Qingwen took it and carefully counted the contents. Over sixty certificates—none missing.
He took a deep breath, walked quietly to the door, and closed it.
Soon, the sounds of slaps and the young man’s anguished cries could be heard from inside.
With the matter settled, Chai Jin didn’t linger. He went downstairs, bought a large plastic bag of premium cigarettes, and handed them to Scarface.
Scarface initially refused, but Chai Jin insisted, “Because of me, everyone’s had a restless night. The least I can do is offer a smoke.”
Seeing his sincerity, Scarface accepted, scribbled a phone number on a business card, and handed it to Chai Jin. “Then I’ll accept. Keep this number. If you run into trouble here in Zhonghai, there’s no need to bother Master Zhang—just call me, it’ll work just as well.”
Chai Jin smiled. “Thank you, brother.”
With that, Scarface and his men departed.
Before long, Liu Qingwen emerged from the karaoke bar, bag slung over his shoulder, trailing wordlessly behind Chai Jin.
Halfway down the street, he suddenly remembered something and turned to head back.
Chai Jin grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”
Liu Qingwen replied anxiously, “The certificates in the iron box, Jin! That slut even stole the ones that belonged to you.”
“I swear I’ll beat her to death!”
Chai Jin held him back. “Enough. It’s late—stop running back and forth. I knew something was off with that woman ages ago, so I moved the certificates already.”
“Those ten thousand-plus certificates are worth tens of millions. You think I’d be careless enough to leave them in the guesthouse?”
Liu Qingwen’s mind suddenly cleared. “Really, Jin?”
“Would I lie to you?” Chai Jin shot him a look. “Still planning to mess around with strange women you know nothing about in the future?”
“Lust is a blade over your head. Did you learn your lesson?”
Liu Qingwen took a deep breath. “Why not mess around? If a woman comes knocking and offers herself, I’d be a fool not to accept. We just take what we need. Did you really think I was too stupid to realize she was scheming? I was just playing dumb—every day I played dumb was another day I got to sleep with her. Why wouldn’t I?”
Chai Jin took a long drag of the night air. “You’re hopeless.”
“But let me warn you: fool around all you want, but if you get in trouble again, I won’t help you. We’re here to make money, not to get tangled up with women.”