Wang Jingwu was no ordinary person. Others thought he had become a boss in the past few years, but those familiar with him knew he had someone backing him.
His paternal uncle was once the top figure in Qin Zhou's underworld. Relying on this powerful figure, he was arrogant and overbearing in school, and now he was flourishing.
Li Chonglou, that cowardly fellow, used to lower his head and detour whenever he saw Wang Jingwu. When did he become so defiant? He was even insulting others indirectly.
"You trash, how dare you curse me?"
Wang Jingwu's pupils contracted sharply, his eyes filled with ferocity. He could no longer maintain his pretense of refinement. He stood up and roared, "Do you know where this is?"
"Desheng Hotel is owned by my uncle. He will personally come to greet my classmates later."
"If you dare to play tough with me, my surname will be written backward if I don't teach you a lesson today."
Li Chonglou's brow twitched slightly, and he asked with surprise, "There's no difference between writing the character 'Wang' forward or backward."
"How about you take my surname?"
Hiss…
With that one sentence, everyone gasped. Li Chonglou was too audacious, pushing his luck even after saying all that. Did he not want to live?
Even Wu Hao's expression changed. He gently tugged Li Chonglou's arm, "Chonglou, let's not argue with him. Let's go quickly..."
In his impression, Li Chonglou was always a good-natured person, someone who wouldn't even dare to utter a word when bullied. How had he changed so much today? He was even confronting Wang Jingwu head-on. He was likely going to suffer a great loss.
"Go? Can you leave?"
Wang Jingwu's expression twisted, and he threatened sternly, "Out of respect for our classmate status, I'll give you two choices."
"Either kneel down and slap yourself until I'm satisfied."
"Or I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair!"
In an instant, the atmosphere in the private room became tense and explosive. Even Tian Lingli's expression changed. She had an important mission today and wasn't here to watch Wang Jingwu humiliate Li Chonglou. If the conflict escalated further and Li Chonglou ended up hospitalized, her plan would be ruined. She quickly stood up and moved closer to Wang Jingwu, coaxing him sweetly, "Boss Wang, we're all classmates, for my sake..."
"Jingwu, what's all the fuss about? It can be heard clearly from outside." Before she could finish, a rough and loud voice echoed from the doorway, drowning out Tian Lingli's words. Immediately after, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes pushed open the slightly ajar door and entered the private room.
The middle-aged man had his hair slicked back, a round belly, and his face was covered in fleshy bulges. Even his suit couldn't hide his imposing aura. Everyone's gaze shifted to the doorway.
"Uncle, you're here."
Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Wang Jingwu's demeanor changed instantly. He greeted him with a fawning smile, "It's nothing major, just an insignificant trash who doesn't know his place."
"I was just about to teach him a lesson." As he spoke, he pointed towards Li Chonglou.
The middle-aged man's gaze followed Wang Jingwu's finger and landed on Li Chonglou's face. His expression shifted slightly, and he walked towards Li Chonglou.
"Li Chonglou, this oblivious fellow is in for trouble. Can he expect anything good after offending him?"
"He deserves it! Who told him to go against Boss Wang? It's just envy of the rich, you know? He's unsuccessful himself and can't stand to see others doing well."
"Hurry and move away from him, lest you get implicated."
Many people wore expressions of schadenfreude. Even the classmates who were originally close to Li Chonglou began to back away. Wu Hao's heart leaped into his throat. They were just ordinary people, without power or influence. How could they afford to offend such a person? Why didn't Li Chonglou know when to stop, driven by a moment of sharp-tongued retort?
The murderous aura emanating from the middle-aged man made his legs go weak, but he still braced himself and didn't move. After all, he had invited Li Chonglou, and he couldn't just stand by and watch him being bullied. Even Tian Lingli's face turned pale. This was bad. Her plan might be completely ruined. How would she explain this to Young Master Jiang later?
Wang Jingwu followed the middle-aged man, feeling incredibly triumphant. Only Li Chonglou remained unfazed, a faint smile even appearing on his lips.
"Brother, is that you? I was in a hurry this morning and have been waiting for your call. I didn't expect to see you here." The middle-aged man approached Li Chonglou and grabbed his hand, his face trembling with excitement. He had been in a hurry this morning, expecting Li Chonglou to call him and help him identify a few items. But Li Chonglou hadn't taken it seriously at all. The two million yuan could only help him temporarily. He also had a few hidden treasures, things that could save his life, and he relied entirely on Li Chonglou's discerning eye.
"I'm here for the class reunion. You own this hotel?" Li Chonglou also showed a hint of surprise. The person in front of him was Wang Dehai, whom he had met that morning at Donglin. Wang Jingwu's uncle was actually him, no wonder he was so arrogant and overbearing.
Silence!
This scene instantly stunned everyone. Their expressions changed. What was going on? How could the owner of Desheng Grand Hotel be holding Li Chonglou's hand and calling him brother? This... this was too strange.
"Un... Uncle, have you mistaken him for someone else?" Wang Jingwu's eyes widened, as if his eyeballs were about to fall out. "He... he's just a broke guy who married into the family, a kept man, a good-for-nothing, you..."
Slap!
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Dehai slapped him hard across the face. "Nonsense! This is my benefactor." Wang Dehai's fleshy face contorted, and he turned back to yell, "If it weren't for Brother Chonglou, I would have had to close shop now!"
"You neglect your duties, indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring all day, ignoring the company's crisis, loafing around and causing trouble."
"You are the real trash! How dare you offend Brother Chonglou? Get down on your knees!" With that, he turned and kicked Wang Jingwu hard in the knee. Wang Jingwu stumbled from the kick and fell to his knees with a thud. Covering his face, he was horrified, "I..."
"What is it? Hurry up and apologize to my brother!" Wang Dehai glared, his long-standing underworld aura showing, intimidating and powerful.
Wang Jingwu was utterly stunned, his face flushed crimson. He couldn't understand how someone like his uncle could get involved with Li Chonglou. Not only did they call each other brothers, but in front of so many classmates, especially Tian Lingli, he had slapped him and ordered him to kneel and apologize to Li Chonglou. He would rather die.
"Let him leave." Li Chonglou did not accept the favor, saying with disgust. Wang Dehai's eagerness to please was not solely due to his past help. He would definitely have something to ask for next. To be honest, he didn't want to have too much contact with people like him. He didn't even care about minor characters like Wang Jingwu. Even if Wang Dehai hadn't shown up, he had plenty of ways to deal with him.
"Did you hear? Hurry up and get out, or I'll break your legs if you don't watch your step." When Wang Dehai's face turned fierce, it was quite frightening. Not only did Wang Jingwu scramble out of the private room in a panic, but the group of people who had been flattering him were all dumbfounded. Their eyes on Li Chonglou were now completely different. They held a mixture of shock, fear, and suspicion. No one could understand why Li Chonglou was on such friendly terms with someone like Wang Dehai. What right did he have?