Li Chonglou chose to agree not out of fear, but to take the initiative.
He was never a weak person. Since others had so readily thrown a warning in his face, if he didn't respond, wouldn't that be admitting he was afraid?
That wasn't Li Chonglou's style!
As for agreeing to go to Shangjing to sort out the permits, Li Chonglou had a new plan.
He would stabilize the position of the Qing Gang first, then send trustworthy people to handle it. This way, even if he couldn't leave Shangjing, he could still help Zhou Tong's friend resolve the trouble.
Moreover, the best way to deal with hooligans was to become one. In his original plan, he intended to bring the Qing Gang members to deal with it, ensuring no future complications.
And most importantly, there were already enough troubles, Li Chonglou didn't mind adding one more.
"Establishing a foothold with the authorities first seems like a good option too."
Afterward, Li Chonglou transitioned to the high-end restaurant pre-booked by Feng Zheng and the others. They planned to eat and then go to karaoke.
Just a few hours after they last met, Xiao Lan had already become inseparable from the other two girls. Anyone who didn't know them would think they were childhood sweethearts who had played together since they were little.
"Brother Li, I've been abandoned."
Feng Zheng pouted aggrievedly, while Zhang Yu and Ya Lili giggled behind their hands. At this moment, they were all seated inside the restaurant. Due to the restaurant's high popularity, Feng Zheng couldn't secure a private room, so they had to choose a relatively quiet spot in the main hall.
Suddenly, Li Chonglou noticed that Xiao Lan, his fourth uncle's daughter, was repeatedly glancing around with a hint of unease before lowering her head to look at something, repeating this cycle.
Zhang Yu and Ya Lili were engrossed in a conversation about male celebrities and hadn't noticed. Feng Zheng's attention was solely focused on Ya Lili. Thus, only Li Chonglou perceived the anomaly.
So, he directly inquired, "Xiao Lan, what's wrong?"
Xiao Lan flinched like a startled rabbit. Seeing that it was Li Chonglou asking, she quickly lowered her head, blushing, as if wanting to bury her face in her chest.
Zhang Yu asked curiously, "Xiao Lan, why do I feel like you're very afraid of Brother Li?"
Zhang Yu's question made Ya Lili and Feng Zheng also look at Xiao Lan curiously. They had noticed it too.
As their savior, she should have had a lot to say. However, the only words Xiao Lan had spoken to Li Chonglou were the "thank you" when she and her fourth uncle knelt before him.
Apart from that, they hadn't exchanged any other words.
Now, a simple question elicited such a reaction, making it impossible for the three not to be curious.
However, Li Chonglou understood her reaction perfectly and couldn't help but come to her aid, saying, "Perhaps it's because I'm too handsome that she's shy. But speaking of which, I must remind you all that I am a married man, and I would never do anything to betray her."
"Narcissist!"
The three spoke in unison.
But their comment successfully shifted the topic. They then noticed Xiao Lan's nervousness and began asking her with concern. When Xiao Lan hesitantly mentioned that her money might not be enough, the trio finally understood.
Her fourth uncle had previously instructed her to treat them to a meal. However, Feng Zheng had chosen this high-end restaurant, which clearly wasn't cheap. Her fourth uncle's family was ordinary, so Xiao Lan was naturally worried about not being able to pay.
The two girls immediately chimed in to explain.
"Xiao Lan, you've misunderstood. How could Xiao Feng truly expect you to pay? He's treating everyone tonight!"
"Exactly! Xiao Lan, with Feng Zheng here, just eat whatever you want."
Feng Zheng nodded repeatedly, but Xiao Lan's words only made her feel more awkward.
Just as the situation was about to turn embarrassing, Li Chonglou interjected to ease the tension, saying, "Xiao Lan, we're still waiting for you to pay for the karaoke later. Your money is not going anywhere."
The three's eyes lit up. Following Li Chonglou's lead, they successfully dispelled Xiao Lan's worries and awkwardness.
"Thank you," Xiao Lan whispered her thanks to Li Chonglou like a mosquito, and soon the group returned to a harmonious atmosphere.
Li Chonglou understood perfectly well why Xiao Lan was acting this way. It was because she knew Li Chonglou was present when Chi Biao had made those vulgar advances towards her. This sense of shame prevented her from facing her savior directly.
Li Chonglou didn't expose her, recognizing she was just a young girl. Meanwhile, Zhang Yu occasionally cast different glances at the two, as if she had realized something.
As they were chatting happily, the waiter who was supposed to serve their food suddenly approached.
"Excuse me, could you please move? This table has been reserved."
Feng Zheng, as the host of the meal, immediately his expression soured, and he said unhappily, "Why didn't you say so when we were ordering?"
The waiter suddenly became hesitant, just like Xiao Lan earlier. Feng Zheng immediately understood that the waiter was lying and directly stated, "Get your manager to bring the reservation number, or serve us our food immediately."
Seeing this, the waiter could only leave with a distressed expression.
"Xiao Feng, why bother the waiter? We can just switch tables," Zhang Yu said, puzzled.
Feng Zheng glanced at Ya Lili and said, "It's not that I'm bothering him, it's that they're treating us like fools. If there was a reservation, it wouldn't have been missed just now. This is clearly someone trying to interfere and push us aside."
The two girls immediately agreed with Feng Zheng, expressing their displeasure, "How can a high-end restaurant do this! Are they looking down on us?"
The three of them were children of the wealthy and were naturally sensitive to such matters. With their background and wealth, it was already considerate of them not to bully others. Now, someone was trying to step on them?
"No, call their manager over. I can't swallow this insult!"
As Zhang Yu finished speaking, the restaurant supervisor walked over. Before anyone could question him, he began, "I apologize, everyone. It was our employee's oversight. This table is indeed..."
Before the supervisor could finish his sentence, an arrogant voice sounded from behind him.
"Who has such bad eyesight to dare to snatch Brother Hao's seat?"
As the voice finished, they saw a young man with yellow hair leading several others, glaring at them with displeasure.
Feng Zheng immediately retorted, "Who cares about your Brother Hao or Brother Rat? Don't you understand the rule of first come, first served?"
"F***! You looking to die?"
The youths behind the yellow-haired man immediately stepped forward to surround Feng Zheng. Seeing the situation escalating, the supervisor quickly said, "Everyone, please calm down, don't be impulsive."
At this moment, the yellow-haired youth's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at Ya Lili. "Oh, beautiful lady, can I have your contact information?"
The yellow-haired youth bypassed Feng Zheng and, with a lecherous smile, strode towards Ya Lili.