Zhang Qiuya was at a loss for words, hanging his head low, "You also know I'm a businessman."
Qian Shaohang let out a cold laugh twice, didn't speak, but his expression grew darker.
Seeing Qian Shaohang , Zhang Qiuya knew Qian Shaohang didn't want to talk to him, so he heaved a sigh and walked to the side.
But just as Hao Jian and the others were drinking and chatting, more than a dozen burly men walked in through the doorway, all uniformly dressed in black. Leading them was an especially tall and robust man with a height of one meter ninety-five, sporting a long centipede scar on his face, extremely intimidating.
The sight of these men made Zhang Qiuya jump, while the bar owner hurriedly went up to greet them.
"Brother Huoniu, what brings you here?" the bar owner said fawningly.
Brother Huoniu snorted, "I'm here for a drink, what, not welcome?"
"Welcome, welcome, but could it be another day? I'm celebrating a friend's birthday today, how about I treat you another day?"
The bar owner's face was filled with a sycophantic smile, knowing the man before him, Brother Huoniu, was the local tough, and he, the humble bar owner, certainly couldn't afford to offend him.
"Heh, does Brother Huoniu need your invitation?" Brother Huoniu said with a sneer that was anything but amiable.
"Brother Huoniu." The bar owner's face immediately showed a bitter expression.
"Quit your damn blathering, my brothers want to drink, hurry up and serve us, or I'll smash up your place," Brother Huoniu threatened rudely.
"But I really have friends over today."
The bar owner was in a difficult spot, mixing these thugs with his friends, heaven knows what could happen.
"Fuck!" Brother Huoniu slapped the bar owner's face with the back of his hand, rebuking angrily,
"Situ Ming, am I giving you too much face? I said my brothers want to drink, try fucking whining one more time."
Situ Ming, rubbing his face, sighed and nodded, then turned and walked toward the bar.
"Dammit, won't smarten up without a beating, truly despicable!" Brother Huoniu spat, spitting on the ground with disdain.
Situ Ming, with nowhere to vent his rage, had an increasingly dark expression on his face. He approached Hao Jian and his friends and gave them an apologetic look.
Hao Jian and the others nodded, showing understanding.
After all, everyone's trying to make a living, and no one's got it easy.
Situ Ming delivered the drinks to Brother Huoniu and his group and was about to leave.
Brother Huoniu suddenly called him back, chuckling sinisterly, "Do I look like the kind of guy who drinks without paying?"
Then, he slapped a thick stack of cash onto Situ Ming's face, "Take it! The extra is for you!"
The bills rustled noisily all around, while Situ Ming's face rapidly turned red. He was paralyzed, unable to move for a moment.
"What, you don't want Brother Huoniu's money?" Brother Huoniu laughed heartily.
"It's not that," Situ Ming said somberly.
"Then hurry up and pick it up," Brother Huoniu's brothers coldly sneered at Situ Ming.
With no other choice, Situ Ming had to bend down to pick up the bills, swallowing his humiliation.
"Oops, my shoelace is loose."
Brother Huoniu suddenly laughed coldly, stepping on Situ Ming's head with his foot.
Situ Ming didn't dare move, nearly grinding his teeth to powder.
In truth, Brother Huoniu's shoelace wasn't loose at all, he had undone it himself after stepping on Situ Ming's head, and then pretended to busily retie it.
Meanwhile, his brothers all started laughing loudly, one of them quoting Master Xing, "Look at him, doesn't he look like a dog?"
After tying his shoelace, Brother Huoniu patted Situ Ming's shoulder, signaling for him to get up.
Situ Ming collected the money, holding back his anger, and turned to leave.
"Truly a good dog," Brother Huoniu chuckled with a sneer.
Over there, Hao Jian's brow slightly knitted, also very dissatisfied with Brother Huoyun's actions.
"Are you okay?" Che Xiaoxiao looked at Situ Ming with concern.
Situ Ming shook his head with a bitter smile, wiping the bar table, "It's nothing, I'm used to it."
His words were light, yet they felt profoundly sad.
"That's too much, I'll call someone to deal with them!" Che Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, very angry.
Situ Ming hurriedly shook his head, "Don't, he's not someone you can afford to mess with. He's not like those hoodlums and bullies; he really lives by the blade, a true man of the underworld."
Then, a bitter smile appeared at the corners of Situ Ming's mouth, "And what good is it even if you beat him? He would just come back to take revenge on me later."
Hearing this, Che Xiaoxiao could only swallow her anger. If she beat Brother Huoniu, what would happen if he later sought retribution from Situ Ming?
"Let it be, let's drink," Situ Ming said with a smile, serving drinks to Hao Jian and the others.
At this moment, all he hoped was for Brother Huoniu and his men to finish their drinks and leave quickly, to avoid stirring up more trouble.
But it just happened that the very thing he feared came to pass, as Brother Huoniu and his buddies drank and chatted, their gaze drifted involuntarily towards Che Xiaoxiao and Zhang Qiuya.
Afterward, Brother Huoniu licked his lips, his eyes revealing a hint of lust.
"Brother Huoniu, those two chicks aren't bad, eh," one of his underlings noticed Brother Huoniu's intentions.
"Indeed," Brother Huoniu nodded.
"Why not try hitting on them? I believe with our Brother Huoniu's commanding presence, we can definitely handle those two chicks," the others egged him on.
"Alright, I, Brother Huoniu, will go meet them," he said with a lewd chuckle, heading towards the two girls.
Seeing Brother Huoniu approaching, Hao Jian and the others couldn't help frowning.
But before they could react to what he was about to do, Brother Huoniu had already appeared before Che Xiaoxiao, saying sleazily,
"Big sister, let me buy you a drink."
"I don't have money to buy my own drinks? Do I need yours?" Che Xiaoxiao replied disdainfully, not harboring any good feelings toward this Brother Huoniu.
"Oh my, sassy, aren't we, sister? I like it!" Brother Huoniu chuckled, reaching out to place his hand on Che Xiaoxiao's shoulder.