"No, I don't know," Old Ma said, his face full of panic. How could he possibly know the outcome?
Liang Chao stepped on Old Ma's face and crouched down, a mocking expression on his face. "Then I'll tell you why. Because even if Brother Xiong came, he'd have to call Mr. Chen 'Brother Fan.' What right do you trash have to cause trouble for Mr. Chen?"
"What?!" Old Ma's contorted face instantly showed horror. "Brother Chao, you, you must be joking. How could a big shot like Brother Xiong call him 'Brother Fan'!"
Liang Chao's foot pressed down again, and in a moment, several of Old Ma's teeth were crushed. "What are you, to think I'd joke with you?"
Then, Liang Chao waved his hand. "Go, surround these pieces of trash!"
Upon hearing Liang Chao's command, over a dozen youths with baseball bats instantly encircled Li Changming and the others.
Seeing this, Li Changming and his group were stunned. They had clearly heard the conversation between Liang Chao and Old Ma, and now they were all in disbelief. They never imagined this young man had such a terrifying background.
"Uncle Li, what, what should we do now?" one of the men's legs had gone weak, and he almost fell to the ground. "Don't you know a lot of big bosses? Maybe, maybe you could call them?"
Instantly, several men turned their pleading gazes to Li Changming.
Li Changming was bewildered. He wondered if these young men were deaf. Didn't Liang Chao just say that even Brother Xiong had to call him 'Brother Fan'? Which of the bosses he knew dared to offend the now-dominant Big Xiong?!
Li Changming couldn't help but swallow. He ignored the other men and quickly walked towards Chen Fan and Qin Shuran.
Seeing Li Changming's determined stride, the other men thought he was about to reveal some trump card that would at least protect them from being beaten. They couldn't help but feel relieved.
But in the next second, after Li Changming reached Chen Fan, his legs went weak, and he directly knelt before Chen Fan and Qin Shuran.
In an instant, all the men Li Changming brought were stunned, staring at the scene with wide eyes.
Li Changming, with a mournful face, begged Chen Fan for mercy. "Mr. Chen, it was, it was my fault for being blind and offending you. I apologize now. Please, for the sake of my old age, spare me this time!"
"Didn't you just demand ten million from me? What? You're chickening out before you even got the money?" Chen Fan asked Li Changming with a playful tone.
Li Changming was on the verge of tears. He wouldn't dare to ask for that ten million now! He hastily waved his hands. "No, no, no, Mr. Chen, you, you wouldn't give me a hundred times the courage, and I still wouldn't dare to take your money! I was just joking earlier. I have some antiques in my car. I'll give them all to you as an apology. Would that be acceptable?"
Chen Fan glanced at Li Changming's van and sneered, "A pile of scrap metal. How much do you think it's worth?"
Li Changming's face turned awkward.
"Old man, you've got some nerve, messing with our Brother Xiong's 'Brother Fan.' Are you trying to meet King Yama sooner?" Liang Chao also walked over with his men, slapped Li Changming's face, and questioned him.
With a "swish," the already timid and elderly Li Changming instantly wet himself from fear. A foul-smelling liquid immediately flowed onto the ground.
"Damn it, are you a dog? You'd piss yourself if you were given a lamppost!" Liang Chao exclaimed in disgust. He kicked Li Changming in the chest. The old bones of Li Changming collapsed on the ground, his face contorted in pain.
The men standing not far away were so scared by Liang Chao's kick that they all "thumped!" and knelt on the ground.
Seeing Li Changming, an old man, so terrified, Qin Shuran looked at Chen Fan and said, "Why don't we just let it go? Just make sure he can't cheat people anymore. He's an old man."
Chen Fan nodded slightly and walked up to Li Changming. "You have two choices."
Li Changming looked at Chen Fan with utter dread.
"First, I hand you all over to them," Chen Fan said, pointing to Liang Chao and his men.
Before Chen Fan could finish, Li Changming hastily said, "I choose the second one, the second one!" Because Li Changming knew that if he were truly handed over to Liang Chao and his men, he probably wouldn't survive until tomorrow!
"Fine. Then I'll give you one week to return all the money you scammed. If even one person is short, don't blame me for being impolite," Chen Fan's eyes flashed with a cold glint.
"Ah? All, all of it back?" Li Changming asked in surprise.
Liang Chao stepped forward and kicked him again. With a "bang!" Li Changming fell directly to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His face was filled with terror, and he didn't dare to hesitate. He hastily nodded. "Okay, okay, I'll return it all within a week! All of it!" Li Changming had no other choice but to agree.
"Get lost," Chen Fan said, glancing at Li Changming.
Hearing these words, Li Changming's eyes welled up with tears of excitement. He hastily nodded, got up from the ground, got into the car. The other men and Old Ma were the same. They didn't dare to linger for a moment, started their vehicles, and sped out of the parking lot.
Chen Fan looked at Liang Chao and asked, "How is Little Tiger doing?"
Despite Liang Chao's fierce demeanor towards Li Changming earlier, his face instantly showed a fawning smile upon hearing Chen Fan's question. He bowed and replied, "Mr. Chen, Brother Hu is still in the hospital, but he has woken up. The doctor says his recovery is going very well, and he should be able to be discharged and recuperate at home soon."
"Actually, Brother Hu doesn't want to be discharged. I heard he's even hooked up with a nurse."
"Is that so?" Chen Fan was taken aback and smiled helplessly. "This kid, he can't even stay quiet in the hospital."
"Tell him that if he's involved with medical staff, he can't let them down, or I won't spare him!"
Liang Chao looked distressed. "Mr. Chen, I, I wouldn't dare say such things to Brother Hu. You should tell him yourself."
Chen Fan didn't make things difficult for Liang Chao and nodded. "Alright, I understand."
With that, he got into the car with Qin Shuran, and they were driven home by Long Yinglan's driver.
Just as they had finished dinner and were about to rest, Qin Shuran's phone suddenly rang. She glanced at it and saw it was her father calling. Qin Shuran quickly answered, "Hello, Father."
"Where are you two?" Qin Hongguo's voice came through, with a hint of anger.
"At home."
"Tomorrow morning, you two come to the Jiangcheng warehouse of Ruixiang Jewelry." After speaking, Qin Hongguo directly hung up the phone.
[Author's Note]
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