Chapter 122: A Bit Familiar
Liang Zhanpeng’s daughter, Liang Siqi, was probably used to giving directions, so she didn’t find anything unusual about it.
At that gathering, Hong Yu felt it didn’t really matter whether he listened or not. After some thought, he nodded and said, “I don’t mind helping out, but I came here to get money to buy a gift for the elders, so I need to step out for a bit.”
Seeing Liang Siqi about to speak, Hong Yu quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’m a man of my word. If I say I’ll come back, I definitely will.”
With a mysterious smile, he said, “If I stood you up, wouldn’t I be afraid I’d never get another loan from you?”
Hong Yu’s rhetorical question immediately left Liang Siqi bewildered.
Unlike those poor relatives and friends she had seen before, Hong Yu was the first person she’d met with such shameless confidence.
Those who had borrowed money previously all acted timid and fearful, but Hong Yu was brazen, which truly opened her eyes.
Still, Hong Yu had a point: if he really dared to renege and not return, then they simply wouldn’t lend him money again.
“Whoosh—”
Liang Siqi was about to instruct the bodyguards at the door, so she stepped outside with Hong Yu. Just as they walked out, a sharp screech of brakes echoed.
Frowning, Liang Siqi looked up, and upon seeing the man stepping out of the sports car, her eyes widened instantly as she silently thought, “He’s so handsome.”
The man exiting the car wore sunglasses, and his muscular frame strained against his suit, as if it might burst at any moment.
That word “handsome” made Hong Yu shake his head.
Just moments ago, Liang Siqi had maintained her cold, goddess-like demeanor toward him, but now upon seeing a muscular man, she turned into a lovestruck fangirl.
Hong Yu wasn’t sure whether it was Liang Siqi’s infatuation or just the stark contrast between himself and the muscle-bound man.
“Excuse me, is this Pengzhan Restaurant?” the muscular man walked straight to Liang Siqi and asked.
Liang Siqi smiled, “Yes, may I ask who you are...?”
The man got the information he wanted but didn’t respond directly to her. Instead, he strode a few steps forward to the restaurant’s entrance and shouted, “The King of Fighting, Cheng Long, has arrived as promised! The person who invited me, come quickly to welcome me!”
This man was none other than the King of Fighting. His shout seemed to stir the very air around him, and his aura alone was enough to frighten ordinary people into paralysis.
“The King of Fighting... you... you are Cheng Long?” Liang Siqi gasped, then immediately turned to the waiter, “Quick, quick! Go to the conference room and call them out to welcome Mr. Cheng Long.”
Actually, there was no need for Liang Siqi to give orders; the wealthy patrons in the conference room had already heard the loud shout.
Liang Zhanpeng’s expression changed as he stood up swiftly. “Mr. Cheng Long is here. Everyone, let’s hurry out to greet him.”
In less than two minutes, Liang Zhanpeng led most of the well-known wealthy men of Hannan to the entrance of Pengzhan Restaurant. They bowed slightly, clasped their fists, and shouted in unison:
“Welcome, welcome! Mr. Cheng Long, you have finally arrived!”
“This time we’re saved!”
“Boss Liang has great connections; he really invited Mr. Cheng Long.”
“That blasted Huang Tian, with Mr. Cheng Long’s intervention, he’ll surely be sent to his doom!”
The wealthy men were ecstatic. The waiters, who had probably been instructed beforehand, showed no surprise at the scene. They maintained their composure and continued performing their duties.
Despite the flattering words from the wealthy men, Cheng Long’s expression remained as stern as before, only giving a slight nod to acknowledge them.
Hong Yu, witnessing this ridiculous scene, felt slightly vexed. As the sole heir of the Hong family, he had never received such treatment.
After all, Cheng Long was just a fighter. In the past, the wealthy might have dismissed him as a mere brawler.
But now was different. With Huang Tian posing a lethal threat, Cheng Long was specifically invited to deal with him. He was essentially their protector, so their reverence was not unwarranted.
Hong Yu smiled and planned to leave to buy a gift for Lin Shuyu’s grandfather, but Liang Siqi unexpectedly tugged him aside and pulled him into the welcoming crowd.
Hong Yu was quite irritated but, realizing it wouldn’t take long, silently stayed and greeted for several minutes.
Cheng Long was ushered into Pengzhan Restaurant by the wealthy men. Hong Yu then approached Liang Siqi and complained, “He’s gone inside, I’ve greeted him—now can I go buy the gift?”
Liang Siqi, entirely focused on Cheng Long, responded impatiently, swatting at him like chasing a fly, “Go, go! Hurry up! But you must come back quickly after buying the gift, understand?”
Hong Yu was speechless but, seeing her urgency, didn’t wander off.
Pengzhan Restaurant was near Huai Prefecture’s clubhouse, the busiest part of the city. Hong Yu wasn’t particularly interested in buying a gift for Lin Shuyu’s grandfather, so he grabbed a few random items and returned.
Liang Siqi probably forgot about Hong Yu. When she saw him come back carrying a large bag, she was momentarily stunned, nearly scolding him for what he was doing there.
But just as she opened her mouth, she remembered it was her who had asked Hong Yu to come back to help.
She snapped at him, “Hurry, hurry! The whole world is just waiting for you to work!”
“We’re short-handed now. Go into the conference room and serve tea to the wealthy men and Mr. Cheng Long.”
“You should know how to serve tea, right? Don’t spill any, or I’ll hold you accountable!”
Liang Siqi had originally planned to serve tea herself, but only to her father and Cheng Long. She wasn’t willing to serve other wealthy men, some of whom were clearly down on their luck.
Since Hong Yu agreed, he didn’t refuse.
Serving tea was much easier than the work he had imagined.
Inside the conference room, a projection was playing.
When Hong Yu entered, he saw that the wealthy men still had plenty of tea, so he didn’t pour any. He stood quietly, watching.
The footage was somewhat blurry; it was clear it wasn’t filmed with a professional camera but likely secretly recorded on a phone.
Hong Yu didn’t know how long the footage had been playing; he only saw a dense crowd of people—about thirty men in suits.
These thirty suited men were attacking a man dressed in black, and he was getting beaten terribly. Hardly any of the suited men could withstand a single punch from the man in black.
Soon, the conference room lights brightened, and the projection was turned off.
At that moment, the wealthy men looked with lingering fear at Cheng Long, whose eyes remained closed.
They had seen this footage many times, but each time they watched it, their hearts trembled, feeling certain that if they were in that man’s place, they would be killed on the spot.
Hong Yu frowned after watching the footage.
He felt that the man in black was tough to deal with, mainly because he didn’t know if the man had shown his full strength. If the footage depicted the man’s full power, Hong Yu thought he could handle him.
Most importantly, Hong Yu felt that the man’s boxing style was somewhat familiar...