Chapter 414: Can It Be Ordinary?

Qi Kai grinned maliciously, completely shedding his usual upright facade, staring at Lin Ruoxi's cold face with wicked eyes, like a predator eyeing its prey.

Lin Ruoxi felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. She frowned slightly, but she neither liked to curse nor talk to strangers, so she didn't pay much attention to Qi Kai and pulled Liu Mingyu towards the room.

Liu Mingyu noticed that Qi Kai had shifted his target to Lin Ruoxi, which made her even more worried than being threatened herself. After all, if Lin Ruoxi suffered because of her, how could she face Yang Chen? She would have no face to continue working under Lin Ruoxi.

"President Lin, let's hurry inside," Liu Mingyu said, pulling Lin Ruoxi's hand, wanting to return to the private room to find Yang Chen. This kind of matter should be handled by a man.

"Don't be in such a rush," Qi Kai, being a former special forces soldier, swiftly moved in front of the two women. With a creepy smile, he leaned in, enjoying the fragrance emanating from them.

Lin Ruoxi had never experienced such provocation from a strange man before. She stepped back in panic, her cheeks reddening with anger.

"Haha, still quite shy, aren't you?" Qi Kai laughed triumphantly, taking another step forward, forcing the two women to retreat further. "I got bored of Wang Yue a while back and was just looking for someone new. Didn't expect to find such a gem today."

Wang Yue was, of course, the public relations officer Yang Chen had once compared to a famous actress, and she had been involved with Qi Kai at the restaurant before. Apparently, Qi Kai had already discarded her.

"You're shameless!" Liu Mingyu cursed under her breath, unable to bear listening to his obscene remarks any longer.

"So what? How about you join me for some fun too?" Qi Kai laughed lecherously, continuing to close in.

At this moment, the door of the private room behind them opened. Yang Chen appeared, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, a playful smile on his face as he looked at Qi Kai standing at the door.

Despite the loud music inside the room, Yang Chen's sharp hearing had picked up the discordant sounds outside, so he found an excuse to come out.

Qi Kai felt a chill down his spine and turned around, only to see Yang Chen standing in front of him.

"It's you," Qi Kai gritted his teeth. This unassuming man had humiliated him last time with a single punch that made him spit blood. Today, seeing his enemy again, his hatred flared up, and he hissed, "Thanks to you, I had to drink a lot of herbal medicine to recover. Today, I won't let you leave so easily."

Yang Chen ignored Qi Kai's provocation, not even bothering to think about why Qi Kai was so confident. Instead, he looked past Qi Kai to Lin Ruoxi and Liu Mingyu behind him. "Are you two okay?"

Lin Ruoxi shook her head, while Liu Mingyu looked at Yang Chen with a hint of guilt.

Yang Chen smiled, indicating it was fine, then turned back to Qi Kai and said indifferently, "Have you finished talking?"

Qi Kai was waiting for Yang Chen to throw some harsh words, but instead, Yang Chen simply asked if he was done talking, as if he didn't matter at all!

Qi Kai laughed in anger, his eyes widening and filled with cold light. "How dare you ignore me? Do you think that just because you have connections, the police won't touch you, that I can't do anything to you? No matter how good you are at fighting, do you know who I came here with tonight?!"

By this time, Yang Chen had already taken out his favorite cigarette. Earlier, in the private room filled with women, he had felt embarrassed to smoke, but he had been itching for a puff. Now, stepping outside gave him the perfect opportunity.

With the cigarette lit, Yang Chen took a satisfying drag and exhaled the pungent secondhand smoke from the low-quality tobacco.

Qi Kai frowned, looking at Yang Chen with disdain. "Why aren't you saying anything? Smoking a cheap cigarette, thinking you're some kind of mafia boss?"

Yang Chen sneered, and suddenly, a lightning-fast slap landed on Qi Kai's left cheek with a loud "smack"!

Qi Kai was caught off guard, thrown off balance, and slammed into the corridor wall by the force of the blow!

Lin Ruoxi and Liu Mingyu, seeing Yang Chen suddenly attack, felt both relieved and startled, quickly retreating behind Yang Chen.

Qi Kai's left cheek swelled up instantly, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. He touched his cheek in disbelief, his face twitching with anger, his eyes burning with rage as he glared at the calm Yang Chen. "You hit me again?!"

"Smack!"

An even louder slap landed on Qi Kai's right cheek!

Before Qi Kai could finish his sentence, he was thrown against the opposite wall by another powerful strike. Now, both sides of his mouth were bleeding!

Qi Kai was stunned. How could this guy hit him without warning? And Yang Chen's speed was beyond his imagination. Despite being a former special forces soldier, Qi Kai hadn't even seen how Yang Chen had moved. By the time he realized it, he had already been hit, and Yang Chen stood there, cigarette in his mouth, looking at him like a clown.

Yes, it was a mocking gaze, as if he were watching a clown, which Qi Kai's proud nature could not accept and utterly despised.

"Are you thinking that I should trade harsh words with you first, and if things go south, then start fighting? Too bad, you guessed wrong. I don't waste time with idle talk. You say one word, I slap you. I won't kill you, just keep slapping your face. If you want to get slapped, keep talking," Yang Chen said, frowning while puffing smoke.

Lin Ruoxi and Liu Mingyu, standing behind, were already stunned by Yang Chen's ruthlessness. They suddenly felt a bit of pity for Qi Kai; he was being beaten so badly that his face looked like a pig's head.

Qi Kai, his rage boiling over, was about to curse again but stopped himself. He didn't want to get hit anymore. His face was already numb with pain. Glaring fiercely at Yang Chen, Qi Kai remembered that he had a powerful backer tonight, so he decided not to continue the fight. He quickly backed away, shouting, "Bastard, don't leave! I'll call someone to deal with you!"

With that, Qi Kai hurriedly ran into a nearby private room.

Yang Chen turned around and said to Lin Ruoxi and Liu Mingyu, "You two go inside. I'll handle this."

Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a complicated look, knowing she couldn't do much to help in this situation. Fortunately, she was aware of Yang Chen's abilities and wasn't too worried. She simply said, "Be careful," and then gently pulled the worried Liu Mingyu back to the room.

As soon as the two women were back in the room, a few figures emerged from the area Qi Kai had entered.

Leading the group were four well-dressed black-suited bodyguards, all looking like they were well-trained in martial arts, their temples bulging, exuding a stern presence.

Following closely behind, Qi Kai came out of the private room, sticking to a tall man, pointing at Yang Chen while shouting and cursing.

Surrounding the tall man were several young women, clearly there to enjoy the show.

"Young Master Tang, this guy relies on his connections with the police in Zhonghai to act recklessly. Last time, he beat me so badly that I spat blood. Today, you see, he hit me again without me even touching him," Qi Kai almost cried out in grievance, calling out his complaints.

However, before Qi Kai could finish his prepared speech, the "Young Master Tang" showed a joyful and excited expression. Shouting "Brother-in-law!" he ran toward Yang Chen with big strides.

Everyone present was stunned. "Brother-in-law?"

It turned out that Qi Kai's supposed backer, Young Master Tang, was none other than Tang Jue, the brother of Tang Wan, whom Yang Chen had met just a few days ago.

Seeing Tang Jue, Yang Chen couldn't help but smile wryly. This burly man, who always acted like a spoiled child in front of his sister, calling Yang Chen "brother-in-law" so affectionately, made Yang Chen feel a bit helpless.

"Haha, brother-in-law, we must be fated to meet. I wondered why my left eyelid was twitching when I left the house tonight. Turns out I was going to meet a distinguished person!"

"Are you the 'backer' this guy was talking about?" Yang Chen said with a half-smile, glancing at the now dumbfounded Qi Kai behind him.

"Backer, my ass! This guy's dad works for our Tang family. He insisted on bringing me here for some fun, begging me for days. I didn't really want to come, but since he's part of the Tang family's subordinates, I had to give him some face, right? He just came in crying about someone disrespecting the Tang family and provoking me. If I had known he was messing with you, brother-in-law, I would've smashed a bottle over his head right away!" Tang Jue laughed heartily.

Hearing this, Qi Kai felt a chill down his spine, and his legs went weak.

He knew who Tang Jue's sister was; it could only be one woman. If Tang Jue was calling Yang Chen "brother-in-law," did that mean Yang Chen was Tang Wan's man?

But that couldn't be right. There had never been any news about Tang Wan being married, not even a whisper about a boyfriend. But then again, Tang Jue wouldn't call someone "brother-in-law" lightly. Despite being a notorious playboy and having a rough temperament, Tang Jue wouldn't associate with someone without solid background and true skills.

Regardless of the truth, the situation clearly indicated that he was in deep trouble.

Thinking that he had Young Master Tang, a member of one of the four great families of Yanjing, on his side, Qi Kai thought his own Qi family, being closely tied to the Tang family, would give him an edge. But now, compared to this "country bumpkin," he was nothing!

"You, come here!" Tang Jue beckoned to Qi Kai with a displeased look.

Qi Kai, trembling with fear, wore a pained expression as he reluctantly walked closer to Tang Jue, not daring to look at Yang Chen.

"Kneel," Tang Jue commanded.

Qi Kai let out a sound of disbelief but saw Tang Jue's fierce eyes glaring at him. He dared not resist and immediately knelt down.

Tang Jue cursed, "Damn it, didn't you open your eyes to see who this is? My brother-in-law is someone you can provoke?! Do you think I'd stand up for you? The Qi family ends with you!"

With that, Tang Jue kicked Qi Kai hard in the face!

"Ow!"

Qi Kai let out a cry of pain as he was kicked and rolled over, now sporting a boot print on his face!

Yang Chen watched calmly as Tang Jue taught Qi Kai a lesson, not bothering to comment. After finishing his cigarette, he flicked the butt to the ground and said, "Since he's your Tang family's dog, take him back and manage him properly. If you can't manage him, there's no need to keep him."

"Yes, yes, brother-in-law, you're right," Tang Jue said with a cheerful grin. "Brother-in-law, when will you teach me to drive? My sister gave me another McLaren! And when will you officially have a wedding with my sister?"

Yang Chen felt a headache coming on and waved his hand dismissively, "Don't meddle in my business with your sister. I have a gathering with my colleagues. You should take your people and leave."

"Sure, no problem," Tang Jue responded, unbothered and actually thinking that Yang Chen's dismissive attitude was the demeanor of a real man. However, he didn't leave immediately but waited quietly for Yang Chen to return to the private room.

Yang Chen was amused and exasperated by Tang Jue's simple-mindedness. Once Tang Jue accepted Yang Chen as his brother-in-law, he tried to please him in every way.

Originally, Yang Chen intended to severely punish Qi Kai, who had once again bullied his woman despite previous warnings. But seeing Qi Kai in this miserable state, knowing that even his entire Qi family might lose their support, seemed a harsher punishment than beating him half to death.

Shaking his head, Yang Chen returned to the private room.

Tang Jue, full of joy, escorted Yang Chen back inside, marveling for a while before turning away.

Seemingly remembering something, Tang Jue squatted down, picked up the cigarette butt Yang Chen had thrown on the ground, and held it as if it were a treasure. He called over a bodyguard and asked, "Do you know what brand of cigarette this is? Is it good?"

The bodyguard looked at Tang Jue with difficulty and said softly, "Young master, this is the cheapest kind of low-quality cigarette, the kind sold for two yuan a pack at roadside stalls. It's terrible, very harsh."

"What do you know?! My brother-in-law's cigarette can't be ordinary!" Tang Jue smacked the bodyguard on the head and said, "Go, buy me a carton of these cigarettes. From now on, I'll smoke only these. Don't bring me cigars anymore."

"Ah?" The bodyguard thought he had misheard.

"Ah what! This is the kind of cigarette a real man should smoke!" Tang Jue said proudly with a smile. "You don't understand. I'm trying to emulate my brother-in-law's style. Didn't you see how domineering he looked smoking just now? That's what being a man is about. I've been living my life all wrong. If I had met my brother-in-law earlier, I might have become an F1 driver. After all, he's a national-level racer!"

Watching Tang Jue lament and sigh, the bodyguards exchanged glances, while Qi Kai, who was still in pain on the ground, felt like bashing his head in. It seemed the scions of big families were all madmen!