I nodded. Apart from looking after A Bei in the hospital, the remaining tasks involved the suburban development of our garden project. Brother Hui and the young master had already gone to their respective places. Although there was still Kang Gong of Nancheng lurking in the shadows, I didn't consider him a significant threat. Currently, there was nothing pressing that required immediate attention.
"Alright then, I'll stay in the suburbs for a while, and you can handle the outside matters."
"That's more like it. You mentioned A Bei's condition is critical. Why don't we transfer him to a major hospital in the provincial capital? Perhaps there might be better treatment options."
"The provincial hospital is definitely better than ours, but the doctor just said that his condition doesn't allow for transfer. If we move him, it might just do him in."
Lan Ya nodded, her face solemn as she looked at me.
"The provincial hospital sent specialists today and the most advanced antibiotics. We can only pray for A Bei and hope he can pull through this."
As we were talking, the door suddenly opened, and a girl ran in nervously, panting, "Miss Lan, Mr. Li, a guest in private room 38 is causing trouble. Several security guards went in and were all beaten out, and the manager was verbally abused until he was beside himself. He specifically requested Miss Lan to see him."
I stood up and asked her, "Who is this person? Is he a regular customer or is this his first time here?"
The girl said, "The manager mentioned he's never seen this person before, seems like it's his first time. But he's being extremely over the top. Three of them came, ordered six hostesses, and required three waitresses to serve them. The mama-san also had to accompany them throughout. The drinks alone cost fifty to sixty thousand, and with the hostesses' fees, the consumption is close to a hundred thousand. However, he placed a hundred thousand cash on the table and said he'd give the money away, but only if one condition is met."
"What condition does he want?"
"He wants... he wants..."
The girl suddenly stammered.
"Say it, what's the condition?"
The girl, with great courage, said, "He wants Miss Lan to spend the night with him!"
I clenched Lan Ya's hand, feeling her entire body tremble. Her face was ashen, and she was filled with extreme anger.
I told the girl who came to report to stay with Miss Lan and not to let her leave without my permission. I would go and see who this great deity was who dared to speak with such arrogance.
I walked out of the room and went downstairs to private room 38.
Quite a few security guards were standing at the entrance of the private room. Some were sitting on the ground, and two were being supported, their clothes dishevelled. Clearly, all these people had been beaten by someone inside.
Seeing me approach, the security guards automatically cleared a path. I asked the security guard standing at the front what the situation inside was.
The security guard said the manager was still inside and hadn't come out, only noises of disturbance could be heard.
I pushed the door open. All the lights inside were on. There were hostesses standing by the side with unhappy expressions, and the mama-san was smiling obsequiously. The manager stood with his head bowed opposite the sofa, where three men dressed in garish attire were seated.
As soon as I entered, a man with short hair sitting in the middle stared at me and said, "Who is this idiot? Didn't they say to let Lan Ya, that bitch, come? Why is a pretty boy here? I'm not into women, get lost!"
This man was short and stout, with a square head that seemed to connect directly to his shoulders, rendering his neck invisible.
He was wearing a white shirt with red floral patterns, and pants of the same pattern below. He looked like a clown from a circus.
When the manager saw me, he was about to speak, but I gestured for him to step aside and not say anything.
I walked to a side sofa, sat down, took out a cigarette, and lit it, exhaling a large puff of smoke.
I stared at him and said, "Who I am is not important. However, I don't mind you stating your name, to see if you are qualified to tell me to get lost."
"You want me to state my name? You're not worthy!" he said, looking at me with disdain.
"Anyone who dares to call me 'Lao Zi' in my presence ends up very badly. If you don't mind, continue. For every 'Lao Zi' you utter, I'll take one finger. You now have eight left."
"You! Where did you come from? Lao... Oh, damn it!"
Before he could finish the word "Lao", I grabbed an ashtray and smashed it down on his square head, making him bleed. He clutched his head and wailed.
Seeing me make a move, the two men beside him immediately stood up. I grabbed two bottles of green-bottled beer, one in each hand, and smashed them down on their heads.
"Sit down, all of you!"
Blood flowed down their foreheads from their wounds, but they dared not challenge me and obediently sat back down.
"That's more like it. Can't we discuss things calmly? Why resort to violence on my territory? Look at those security guards at the door, beaten up like that. Don't you think we should settle the score now?"
I said this amicably, acting like a peacemaker.
"You're looking for death, you know whose people we are? How dare you hit..." He endured it for a long time, but dared not say those two words again.
"I did ask you to state your name, but you didn't. What can I do? It's not too late to state it now, let's see if it scares me."
"We are with Old Hei from Beicheng. The suburban farm developed by your Miss Lan is our boss's territory. Our boss now wants to take back this land to develop it himself. Today, he sent me to invite Miss Lan."
I had heard of this Old Hei. There was Kang Gong in the south and Old Hei in the north. As for Kang Gong, I had fought with him many times. This Old Hei had always been involved in underground casinos and generally didn't operate in the open market. I had never heard of him having any business ventures. We had never met, so naturally, we had no interaction.
However, his sudden appearance now must have a reason.
"Settle the bill for tonight first, then we can talk about your boss's nonsense. Pay for whatever you've consumed here. The injured security guards get ten thousand each, and I also want my two fingers back, which I'll collect on the spot."
I then said to the manager, "Call Da Kui over!"
The manager nodded and turned to leave.
I said to the mama-san, "Tell them the service charge."
The mama-san was clearly still recovering from the shock. She walked timidly towards me and whispered, "Boss,"
Before she could finish, I admonished her, "Are you not eating? Speak up!"
The mama-san cleared her throat and said loudly, "The drinks total seventy-eight thousand, the hostesses and junior hostesses' service charge is twelve thousand, and for the damaged items, the front desk needs to provide a quote."
"Did you hear that? How much is it, calculate it again."
The square-headed man looked at me defiantly, gritting his teeth, "What if I don't pay?"
I sat back on the sofa, lit another cigarette, and said slowly, "Then you try."
He suddenly stood up, drew a pistol from his waist, and pointed it at me, "Do you think I dare to try?"
Firearms are strictly prohibited in China now. Anyone who dares to pull out such a thing is definitely a tough character. It seems this Old Hei truly has some background, daring to dance on the edge of a knife.
I looked at him coldly, as if I hadn't seen the object in his hand at all.