“You hate this engagement so much, don’t you?” Shen Che looked completely indifferent. “Then let’s go announce to everyone that it’s over. Come with me now.”
“What did you say?” Xu Qiuchi’s rosy lips parted slightly as her beautiful eyes stared intently at Shen Che. Was this really the Shen Che she knew? She couldn’t believe these words had come from him.
In the past, Shen Che had chased after her tirelessly, finding every excuse to visit her at her company and home. Whenever he spoke to her, he always followed her lead in every conversation. But today, he seemed like a completely different person.
Suddenly, a rapid and heavy series of footsteps echoed like thunder from the staircase on the second floor.
A furious roar followed, “None of you are leaving!”
Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw a burly, bald man with a face full of fierce scars storming down the stairs. His bare upper body was covered in tattoos, and he gripped a heavy baseball bat in his hand. As he strode aggressively toward Shen Che, he swung the bat and cursed viciously.
Behind the bald man followed over twenty thugs of varying builds. They clustered closely around him, their eyes gleaming with hostility as if ready to tear Shen Che and his companions apart. Each one was armed—some with steel pipes, others with knives, some even holding iron chains…
“You bastards still think you can leave?”
The people in the bar had never seen such a scene before. Like sharks smelling blood, they surrounded Shen Che and the group in layers, eager to watch the drama unfold.
Seeing reinforcements arrive, the earlier buzz-cut thug straightened up with newfound courage.
“Boss, it’s that pretty boy. I was just trying to have a drink with this beauty, and he came at me out of nowhere and attacked!”
Xu Qiuchi finally realized the truth. She had really misunderstood Shen Che earlier. Everything happening right now was real. If he hadn’t arrived in time, she might have been violated.
The realization filled her with guilt. Shen Che had come to save her, and yet she had doubted him. Now, facing over twenty men, with only two bodyguards by his side, she felt deeply remorseful. Whether they could get out safely now was uncertain.
Still, Xu Qiuchi secretly prepared herself. With one hand behind her back out of view, she was already gripping her phone, ready to press the volume and power buttons repeatedly to activate the emergency contact feature and call for help.
At that moment, Shen Che spoke calmly, “You’re Huo Long from Shanxin Street, right? I wonder what would happen if I told Chen Tianle about this?”
The buzz-cut thug growled at Huo Long, “Boss, what’s the point of talking? Let’s beat him up and tie that chick up!”
“Shut up. Who are you? And who’s this Chen Tianle you’re talking about?” Huo Long motioned for the thug to be quiet and turned to Shen Che.
Chen Tianle was the head of their gang, the overall boss, known by the nickname Jimmy. Huo Long had risen to his position by being sharp. Now, looking at Shen Che dressed in luxury and flanked by two tall bodyguards, he immediately sensed trouble.
In Magic City, a young man like this was either from an ultra-wealthy family or a political background—not someone a small-time gang leader like him could afford to provoke.
“Chen Tianle? Last week he had dinner with one of my managers at Golden Moon Hotel, near our company’s real estate project. Zhao Yihe introduced him to me. Strictly speaking, he’s not even qualified to know me.” Shen Che smiled meaningfully at Huo Long and continued, “You can give him a call. If you don’t have his number, I can ask one of my men to give it to you. Just tell him someone named Shen Che came to your bar.”
Cold sweat poured down Huo Long’s forehead. Last week, their boss had indeed gone out for a business meeting, but who he ate with and where—small leaders like him had no right to know.
He didn’t know whether this young master was bluffing or not, but Shen Che’s calm demeanor made him feel uneasy. Better safe than sorry—he decided to call.
As a mid-level gang leader, Huo Long had Chen Tianle’s number.
“Boss, why are we still wasting time with them? This pretty boy sneak-attacked me! Look at my head, it’s bleeding!” the buzz-cut thug whined, clearly familiar with Huo Long.
“Shut up. You two, keep an eye on them.”
Huo Long stepped aside and made the call.
Shen Che stood by watching. He had read the original novel and knew that this thug boss was a coward who only feared the strong. As long as he mentioned Chen Tianle’s name, they’d be safe.
Xu Qiuchi gazed at Shen Che, feeling more and more unfamiliar with the man before her. This wasn’t the gentle, attentive fiancé she remembered—the one who had always revolved around her. This Shen Che didn’t seem interested in her at all. It felt like he was doing all this not to save her, but simply to preserve the family’s reputation.
Somehow, that made her feel a little disappointed.
After a while, Huo Long returned, having finished the call.
The buzz-cut thug, thinking the situation had gone his way, laughed excitedly, “Boss, let’s beat this pretty boy to death. He really thinks dropping some random name can save him?”
But Huo Long suddenly turned and delivered a loud slap across the thug’s face.
Stunned, the thug held his cheek and looked at Huo Long in disbelief. “Boss, why’d you hit me?”
Huo Long glared at him furiously and punched him a few more times. Still not satisfied, he kicked him several times, unleashing all his pent-up rage. Already injured, the thug collapsed and, after a few bloodcurdling screams, passed out cold.
Dripping with cold sweat, Huo Long shouted, “Damn you, useless trash! If I get punished for this, I’ll feed you to the fish!”
Then, he turned to Shen Che with a complete change of attitude, as if his face had done a 180-degree spin. He bent at the waist, grinning awkwardly, and said respectfully to Shen Che and Xu Qiuchi, “Young Master, Miss, this was all a huge misunderstanding. I failed to discipline my men properly. Please forgive us—I sincerely apologize.”
He turned and glared at the rest of his henchmen, who now stood with their heads down, not daring to breathe.
“These idiots didn’t know who they were dealing with. I’ll personally handle them when we return. I promise to give you both a satisfactory explanation.”
Huo Long’s demeanor was a stark contrast to his earlier arrogance. Now his forehead was dripping with sweat, soaking through his shirt, his eyes full of fear and submission.
What happened was, when he called Chen Tianle and mentioned Shen Che’s name, Chen Tianle flew into a rage. Huo Long could practically imagine his boss turning red-faced and screaming on the other end.
Chen Tianle knew very well what kind of bigshot Shen Che was. The fact that Huo Long even knew his name meant they were already in big trouble. Chen Tianle immediately ordered Huo Long to settle it properly—or be dumped in the river.
“You can’t even control your own men. The fact that Chen Tianle let you manage this bar just proves he’s blind,” Shen Che said coldly. His tone was firm and authoritative. “Punish your subordinates properly. If not, I won’t mind having your boss come handle things himself.”
After speaking, Shen Che gently took Xu Qiuchi’s hand. Her face still showed lingering fear.
His two bodyguards followed closely as Shen Che and Xu Qiuchi walked slowly toward the bar’s entrance.
Everyone in the bar instinctively stepped aside, watching their backs with awe and reverence.