"Chen, even a dog needs to know its master before it's struck. Young Master Luo won't let this go," Xue Dalong roared in fury, kneeling on one knee, his eyes splitting open.
*Bang!*
Chen Nan kicked another baseball bat flying, which struck Xue Dalong's right knee with precision.
*Thump.*
Xue Dalong collapsed to his knees, the blood from his shattered kneecaps quickly dyeing the ground red.
Many people's faces turned ashen. Xue Dalong was, after all, a local bully in West City and allied with Luo Tianyou. Now, Chen Nan had publicly crippled his legs. This was a blatant provocation of Luo Tianyou's dignity!
"Call Luo Tianyou," Chen Nan commanded, looking down at Xue Dalong. His gaze was as cold and emotionless as a monarch ruling over heaven and earth.
Xue Dalong, momentarily forgetting the pain in his legs, instinctively pulled out his phone and dialed Luo Tianyou's number. Chen Nan's oppressive aura was overwhelming. He swore he had never felt such fear and trepidation towards anyone in his life!
"Brother Long, what is it?" Luo Tianyou's voice came through the phone.
Chen Nan introduced himself, "My name is Chen Nan, Chen Xiazhi's brother."
Luo Tianyou paused, surprised that Chen Xiazhi's brother was calling him, and using Xue Dalong's phone at that. Recovering, he chuckled, "And then?"
Chen Nan stated, "I hope you will pay the outstanding tax of 280 million yuan for Tianyou Media."
Luo Tianyou burst into laughter, "Why should I pay taxes for your sister's tax evasion?"
Chen Nan's voice turned angry, "Luo, you're a descendant of a prominent family in Jizhou. Is it amusing to use such despicable means to trap a young girl?"
"I didn't want to trap her, but she was so foolish," Luo Tianyou replied, his laughter cold and laced with mockery.
Chen Nan pressed, "So, you have no intention of paying the 280 million yuan in taxes?"
Luo Tianyou retorted, "Do you think your sister is worth that much? Let alone 280 million, she's not even worth 800 yuan... Oh, excuse me, was that impolite? Actually, 800 yuan is quite a bit. If I get the chance, I'd gladly spend 800 yuan for a night with her!"
"You're seeking death!" Chen Nan erupted with killing intent. Luo Tianyou, like Chen Nan himself, deserved to die!
"Damn it, even if I'm seeking death, what can you do to me?" Luo Tianyou scoffed, his disdain for Chen Nan undisguised. "Hurry up and return the phone to Xue Dalong, or I'll make your life worse than death!"
"Then let's see who dies first!" Chen Nan said, pushing the phone towards Xue Dalong.
"Young Master Luo, this Chen fellow broke my legs. You must avenge me!" Xue Dalong cried, clinging to his last hope as he pleaded with Luo Tianyou.
"What did you say? He crippled your legs? How is that possible? Don't you have dozens of men with you?" Luo Tianyou's voice was filled with shock.
"This guy is incredibly strong. He took down all my men," Xue Dalong said, his eyes wide with terror. He had been in the underworld for many years, but he had never encountered anyone as formidable as Chen Nan.
Luo Tianyou roared, "Chen, even a dog knows its master. I'm telling you responsibly, you have no chance of making me pay the 280 million yuan. Not only that, but I will make you pay a heavy price!"
Chen Nan sneered, "That sounds like you would have paid the 280 million yuan if I hadn't broken Xue Dalong's legs!" He then glanced at his watch and said coldly, "It's 2 PM now, and there are three and a half hours until the tax bureau closes. If you pay the 280 million yuan within this time, I'll be merciful and only cripple one of your legs. But if you make my sister spend the night at the tax bureau, you'd better buy yourself a wheelchair first."
Luo Tianyou raged, "I'll be waiting for you at Villa 18, Fushan Residence, to cripple my leg. If you don't come, you're my grandson!"
"I'll fulfill your wish!" Chen Nan declared, crushing Xue Dalong's phone.
---
Meanwhile.
Pang Lina returned home, her face swollen and tear-streaked.
"Darling, what's that handprint on your face? Who hurt you?" her mother, Lü Yan, asked furiously, her face a mask of disbelief.
Pang Zhen, hearing the commotion from upstairs, rushed down. Seeing his daughter injured, he erupted in anger, "Weren't you at dinner with Wang Kai? How did you get so badly beaten? Didn't Wang Kai protect you?" He angrily pulled out his phone, intending to confront Xue Dalong.
Unfortunately, Xue Dalong's phone was temporarily unavailable.
"This damn Xue Dalong, is he deliberately avoiding me?" Pang Zhen's face contorted in a sinister expression.
"Dad, do you remember someone who was sentenced to three years in prison for disturbing the peace three years ago?" Pang Lina recalled Chen Nan's words.
"Why do you ask that?" Pang Zhen's pupils contracted. He had handled many cases, but there was only one for disturbing the peace three years ago. He remembered it vividly because he had gone against his conscience. Zhao Yuan had paid him too much, and he couldn't refuse. For the past three years, he had been tormented by guilt and lived in fear of Chen Nan's retaliation! Now, his worst fear had come true.
"Speak, what happened between you? Why did he hit you?" Pang Zhen's face darkened. He had sent Chen Nan to prison once, and he could do it again.
Pang Lina recounted the incident.
"Husband, that guy has gone too far! We must make him pay a heavy price. Look at what he's done to our darling!" Lü Yan said, her heart aching.
"Shut up!" Pang Zhen roared. While he wanted to send Chen Nan to prison, he knew his daughter was in the wrong this time. If the matter were to be thoroughly investigated, even he would be implicated, especially considering a dress costing thirty thousand yuan wasn't something ordinary people could afford.
With that thought, he went to his study and dialed Zhao Yuan's number. "Young Master Zhao, has Chen Nan been released from prison?" When he had agreed to help Zhao Yuan, Zhao Yuan had promised that if Chen Nan dared to cause trouble after his release, he would have someone cripple him. Thus, Pang Zhen could only turn to Zhao Yuan to deal with Chen Nan.
Zhao Yuan asked, "How do you know Chen Nan is out?"
Pang Zhen explained that his daughter had encountered Chen Nan and was beaten, then added, "Young Master Zhao, you promised me back then that if Chen Nan caused trouble for me, you would deal with him. You must help me!"
Zhao Yuan replied in a low voice, "Old Pang, to be honest, Chen Nan is like a rabid dog. I can't even look after myself right now, how can I help you?"
*Boom!*
Pang Zhen felt like he had been struck by lightning. He never expected that even Zhao Yuan was struggling to cope. Chen Nan had only spent three years in Jizhou prison; how could he have grown to this level? Without further thought, he quickly said, "Young Master Zhao, you can't abandon me...!"
Before he could finish, he heard the continuous beeping of a disconnected call. Pang Zhen stared blankly. Was Zhao Yuan abandoning him after using him?