Chapter 22: Chen Jianguo’s Revenge
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Cheng Ziqiu swept them a contemptuous glance.
“What’s this? A little post-dinner exercise?”
One of the burly men, apparently their leader, stepped forward and spoke in a deep, gruff voice.
“Kid, if you know what’s good for you, come with us quietly. It’ll save you some pain.”
“Oh? And where are we going?” Cheng Ziqiu asked, raising an eyebrow in feigned surprise.
“Cut the crap! You’ll find out when we get there!”
Another thug impatiently shook his fist.
Cheng Ziqiu sneered inwardly. Their skills were clumsy and crude. One look was enough to tell him they were nothing more than low-level street punks.
He ran through the names of his recent enemies and quickly arrived at an answer.
If that old bastard Han Lishan truly wanted revenge, he certainly would not send a handful of pathetic goons like these. He would probably hire an entire tomb-raiding team to “carry his coffin.”
That left the two brothers from the Chen family—the most likely culprits: Chen Jianguo and Chen Jianjun.
At the birthday banquet last time, he had humiliated the brothers so thoroughly that their faces had practically rung like clapping hands. They were probably nursing a grudge, waiting for a chance to win back their dignity.
“Those two idiots, Chen Jianguo and Chen Jianjun, really can’t wait to come looking for death.”
Cheng Ziqiu exhaled a ring of smoke, killing intent hidden deep within his eyes as the haze curled around him.
“Kid, are you fucking deaf? I’m talking to you!”
Seeing that Cheng Ziqiu was ignoring him, the bald man flew into a rage. He swung his fist straight at Cheng Ziqiu’s face.
With a soft laugh, Cheng Ziqiu sidestepped the blow, seized the bald man’s wrist, and twisted hard.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone rang exceptionally clearly through the silent alley.
The bald man let out a bloodcurdling scream, clutching his mangled wrist as he collapsed to his knees.
Cheng Ziqiu flicked away some ash and looked toward the remaining four men.
“Anyone else want to give it a try?”
The four men exchanged uneasy glances.
The kid looked thin and frail, yet his attack had been vicious. Clearly, he knew how to fight.
They might have had the numbers, but if it came to a real fight, they feared they would be the ones to suffer.
Seeing their hesitation, Cheng Ziqiu gave a derisive laugh.
“What’s wrong? Lost your nerve? Were you sent by those two idiots, Chen Jianguo and Chen Jianjun?”
At the mention of Chen Jianguo’s name, the thugs’ expressions shifted, and their eyes began to dart about.
“Heh. So it really was them.”
Cheng Ziqiu exhaled another ring of smoke, his voice tinged with mockery.
“With skills as poor as yours, you’re not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth.”
One of the men summoned his courage and said, “Kid, don’t get too cocky! Our Boss Chen—”
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“If your Boss Chen really has the ability, tell him to come himself.”
Cheng Ziqiu cut him off.
“Don’t send a bunch of shrimp and crabs like you here to die.”
As he spoke, he walked over to the bald man, who was still howling in pain, crouched down, and patted him on the face.
“Go back and tell those two brothers from the Chen family that if they want trouble with me, they should come openly. Don’t play these despicable little tricks!”
“When I was fighting tomb zombies underground, those two were still wearing split-crotch pants!”
With that, Cheng Ziqiu turned and walked away in leisurely fashion, leaving the five burly men groaning on the ground.
When he reached the mouth of the alley, Cheng Ziqiu lit a cigarette and drew in a deep breath.
“This body is still too weak.”
Cheng Ziqiu muttered to himself.
“My skills from my previous life are still with me, but this shell isn’t quite up to the task.”
He remembered the days he had spent crawling through tombs in his former life. They had been fraught with danger, but the thrill and excitement were incomparable to the dull routine of his present life.
“Looks like I’ll have to find an opportunity to stretch my muscles.”
Cheng Ziqiu narrowed his eyes as an inexplicable impulse rose within him.
…
The screams in the alley gradually subsided.
The bald man was hauled upright by his underlings, gritting his teeth against the pain.
“Boss, that kid… he hit way too hard! What are we going to do now?” one of the younger men asked in a trembling voice.
They were nothing more than street thugs who usually bullied ordinary people. When had they ever encountered someone so ruthless?
Clenching his jaw against the pain, the bald man spat out a bloody mouthful.
“Damn it! That kid was pretending to be a pig while eating the tiger! The intelligence said he was just an antiques appraiser. How the hell does he know how to fight like that?”
The more he thought about it, the more humiliated he felt. He had been in the underworld for years, yet he had been outplayed by a mere youngster.
Another underling cautiously offered, “Boss, why don’t we… let it go?”
“Let it go my ass!”
The bald man roared, making the younger man draw his neck back in fear.
“I’ve been running this district for years, and I’ve never suffered such a humiliating loss! If I swallow this grievance, how am I supposed to show my face again?”
Grinding his teeth, he pondered the matter. There had to be something wrong with the intelligence. Cheng Ziqiu was definitely not as simple as he appeared.
Could he have some hidden identity?
“Come on. We’re going back first. Tell Boss Chen what happened and let him decide what to do!”
The underlings supported the bald man as they limped out of the alley and disappeared into the night.
…
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The Chen Group.
The luxurious office was thick with the scent of expensive cigars.
Chen Jianguo’s eyes were bloodshot. He hurled the crystal glass in his hand onto the carpet, sending shards flying in every direction.
“Worthless trash! Five of you couldn’t beat one man! Why the hell do I keep you around?”
The bald man covered his swollen face and stammered an explanation.
“Boss Chen, that kid… that kid is downright sinister. We… we were no match for him…”
“Sinister? I think there’s something sinister about your brain!”
Chen Jianguo slammed his hand onto the desk, making the documents jump.
“He’s just an antiques appraiser. How sinister could he be? You useless fools can’t even handle an appraiser. All the money I’ve spent raising you has gone to waste!”
He paced back and forth, fury roiling in his chest.
“I spent so much money getting that girl Chen Churan kicked out of the company. I was this close to taking complete control, and then Cheng Ziqiu had to appear and ruin everything!”
“Damn it! He’s just some lousy antiques appraiser. Who does he think he is?”
Gnashing his teeth, Chen Jianguo punched the desk and hissed from the pain.
The bald man watched his expression carefully before asking tentatively, “Boss Chen, then… what should we do now?”
Chen Jianguo struggled to calm himself.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked down over the city at night, a trace of viciousness flashing through his eyes.
“If the direct approach won’t work, we’ll use indirect methods. I refuse to believe that I, Chen Jianguo, can’t deal with one Cheng Ziqiu!”
“I’ll make sure he learns the consequences of crossing me!”
…
The next day, a strange excitement permeated the company.
Cheng Ziqiu and Han Lishan’s “antiques appraisal showdown” had become the sole topic of conversation during everyone’s breaks.
Chen Churan was in an excellent mood, unable to suppress the upward curve of her lips.
The more fiercely the two men clashed, the more attention the company attracted. She practically adored this little episode of “office palace intrigue.”
“Hey, who do you think will win, Han Lishan or Cheng Ziqiu?”
“Do you even have to ask? Obviously Han Lishan! He’s a veteran of the company, with years of experience appraising antiques. Cheng Ziqiu is just some newcomer. How could a young kid possibly beat him?”
“You can’t put it that way.”
“Cheng Ziqiu may be young, but his previous livestreams were all very successful.”
“Oh, please. A few petty deals on Antique Street hardly compare with the kind of major event our company is handling.”
The office buzzed with discussion, while Cheng Ziqiu remained completely unbothered, leisurely sipping his tea.
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