"Bro, you really helped me out big time today. Otherwise, if I had to turn him down, that guy would definitely cling on pestering everyone and it would have made things pretty awkward for all of us!"
Carson chuckled, "I was actually worried about interrupting your romantic moment. I wasn’t even planning on going up there."
Lillian rolled her eyes, "Don’t even mention it, romantic moment my foot. I practically wanted to kill him right there, it was so embarrassing."
Lillian handed the flowers to Samantha, saying with a smile, "Sis, your flowers. Return to rightful owner."
Samantha didn’t take them, laughing, "Those were meant for you."
Lillian’s eyes widened with surprise, "Really? I thought they were from my brother to his wife, just borrowed to get me out of a tight spot."
Carson smiled, "They were for you."
Lillian’s face lit up with happiness, "Thank you, brother, thank you, sis!"
Carson asked, "Won’t this cause you trouble, though? Just post on your Moments about liking the flowers your cousin gave you. That way no one will misunderstand."
Lillian chuckled, "Not going to post. Why bother explaining? Let them misunderstand, it’ll save me some trouble."
Carson smiled and said no more.
Since Lillian didn’t care, neither did he.
After watching all the performances, the three of them followed the crowd out.
Lillian asked, "You two haven’t had dinner yet, right? There’s a pig’s trotters and chicken place behind our school, it’s really good. I’ll treat you to some, okay?"
"Sure, I am indeed hungry!"
The trio left the auditorium and headed towards the back street of the school.
Two guys trailed far behind them. Due to the crowded street and the fact that a handsome guy with two beautiful girls was quite conspicuous, Carson was unaware that he was being watched.
Once on the back street, the three found a spot under an outdoor tent at a restaurant, while the two guys stopped at a distance.
"Layne, they’re eating in the back street, at Sister Zhou’s pig’s trotters and chicken."
"Alright, keep an eye on them. Backup will arrive soon."
Before long, four men walked out of the dark, among them Layne. After asking a few questions, Layne turned and said, "Find any reason to start fighting. Beat him until he’s crippled. I want him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life!"
"Easy, leave it to us brothers."
Layne nodded in approval, "After it’s done, two hundred thousand, you won’t miss a cent."
"Thank you, Young Master Liu!"
The three men turned and walked into the tent, scanning around before heading straight for the table next to Carson and his companions.
"Bring a pot of pig’s trotters and chicken, a couple of side dishes, and a box of beer!"
Once the beer was served, the three men started to boast loudly, their voices so loud that they interfered with the conversation at Carson’s table, making it so that they couldn’t hear each other even when speaking softly.
Carson turned his head and said politely, "Gentlemen, could you please keep it down a bit?"
The three men exchanged glances, a strange joy evident in their eyes.
Ho ho, and here we were wondering how to pick a quarrel with you, and you deliver yourself to our doorstep?
The lead man sneered, "If you think it’s loud, go to a fancy hotel, get a private room! I was born with a loud voice; I can’t keep it down."
Another guy laughed, "Didn’t you see he’s accompanied by two beautiful ladies? He wants to show off in front of them, play the hero."
The lead man coughed, and spat on the ground near Carson’s foot. Had Carson not moved his foot in time, the spit would have landed right on his shoe.
The lead man, with an arrogant attitude, said, "What are you looking at? Keep staring and I’ll beat you to death."
The guy next to him, eager for chaos, kept egging on while leering at Samantha, "Come on, beauties, join us for a drink. Big bro here will take you out for some fun tonight. You’ll be over the moon!"
Carson put down his chopsticks and gave Samantha and Lillian a smile, "You two go ahead and eat."
Samantha gave a small, amused smile, "We’ll wait for you."
Lillian, meanwhile, was beaming with disdain and she said scornfully after giving the three men next door a glance, "Their mouths are too filthy. Bro, slap them!"
Carson chuckled, "Okay!"
The three men looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Aww, look, he’s going to deal with us. I’m so scared!"
"Yeah, and he’s going to slap our faces, too,"
Carson stood up, grinned at the trio, "Let’s step outside so you don’t disturb the business here."
The lead man got up with a sinister smile, "Let’s go, boys. After we deal with him, we’ll continue drinking!"
One of his companions even turned back to Samantha with a sleazy grin, "Wait for me, beauties. We’ll drink together in a bit."
Lillian snapped back in disgust, "Get lost!"
The man’s face changed, but remembering the woman was Layne’s interest, he didn’t talk back. He just snorted coldly and followed the others out.
Standing outside the tent, Carson said calmly, "Come on then, all of you. Don’t waste my dinner time."
The lead man scoffed, "Wow, so arrogant. You think you’re a tough guy? Today, I’ll show you there’s always someone better!"