Chapter 6: Collect the interest first

"Luochen, aren't you going to shake hands with him?" Zhang Xiaoman reminded, but Luochen remained indifferent.

Chen Chao withdrew his hand, but anger simmered within him. He had some reputation in Tongzhou, and his circle consisted of wealthy second-generation individuals. With his background, this was the first time someone dared to disrespect him publicly, and it was by a country bumpkin. This fueled Chen Chao's determination to find an opportunity to deal with Luochen. However, Chen Chao smiled and asked, "Brother, do you plan to develop in Tongzhou?"

"Hehe, I'm a friend of Xiaoman. If you're going to be in Tongzhou, we can hang out together in the future. I still have some influence in this area," Chen Chao said with a smile, but his inner thoughts were a cold sneer, challenging Luochen to play with him in Tongzhou, where Chen Chao believed he had the upper hand.

"Sure." Luochen smiled faintly, masking his own hidden smirk.

"By the way, Xiaoman, you mentioned your friend is looking for a job. How about arranging for them to work at my company under my name? What do you think?" Chen Chao suggested suddenly, fully aware of Luochen's background, and intentionally flaunting his company in front of everyone to diminish Luochen's status.

Before Zhang Xiaoman could respond, her mother chimed in, "Little Chen is impressive, so young and already owning a company. And he's a civil servant himself. Luochen, you should learn from him."

Chen Chao, hearing this, wore a smug expression on his face and provocatively looked at Luochen, essentially asking, "What can you do against me?"

"Come on, let's eat."

"Little Chen, why don't you taste Auntie's cooking?" Zhang Xiaoman's mother brought two dishes to the table.

Chen Chao seemed to be a frequent visitor, feeling completely at ease. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating, indicating that he was familiar with this place, probably a regular at Zhang Xiaoman's house.

What Chen Chao didn't notice was the fleeting cold smile in Luochen's eyes.

After just a few bites, Luochen put down his chopsticks, walked to the door, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and walked away.

Seeing Luochen leave, Chen Chao felt even more triumphant, thinking that Luochen left because he couldn't handle the embarrassment.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaoman also followed Luochen out.

"That Luochen, don't get the wrong idea. I have a normal relationship with him. You have to trust me!" Zhang Xiaoman looked a bit flustered, clearly afraid that Luochen might misinterpret something.

"Okay," Luochen nodded, but inside, he was coldly amused. "Just a normal friend?"

"Do you remember you were traveling in Mount Tai a few days ago? I saw the news this morning; it said the place got struck by lightning," Zhang Xiaoman changed the subject.

"I haven't heard about it," Luochen didn't respond directly but had a cold smile on his face. He was waiting for something interesting to happen.

At that moment, there were sudden "plop" sounds from inside the house, followed by more and more splashing noises.

Zhang Xiaoman turned in confusion and walked inside, but as soon as she entered, she immediately stepped back out in an instant.Holding their noses and covering their mouths, tears streaming from their eyes, everyone quickly fled the scene. 

The stench was unbearable, filling the room with a nauseating odor, and the "plop" sounds continued to echo.

Had someone dared to enter at that moment, they would have found Chen Chao, who was now completely drenched in foul-smelling gas. Even the room itself felt suffocated.

Chen Chao himself was taken aback, tears streaming down his face because of the overwhelming stench. 

He couldn't endure it any longer, so he rushed outside. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop passing gas, and it was incredibly odorous.

The entire room was filled with an unpleasant odor, and Chen Chao's continuous flatulence made the situation even worse. 

This was happening in the home of the girl he was pursuing, in front of her parents. While a few farts might have been overlooked, the constant emission of gas had made the entire room unbearable.

Especially for someone as particular as Chen Chao, this embarrassing and awkward behavior was making him wish he could disappear. 

When Chen Chao emerged from the house, he noticed Zhang Xiaoman's family, who had been vomiting on the side. Their dinner had been ruined by his incessant flatulence.

Luochen had already moved away from Chen Chao, standing at a safe distance.

"I say, my friend, are you trying to stink up the whole neighborhood?" Luochen teased.

"You!" Chen Chao wanted to retort, but the "plop" sounds continued, and the terrible smell persisted. Even Zhang Xiaoman's mother was giving him a strange look now.

Although no one else had said a word besides Luochen, the disgusted glances from Zhang Xiaoman and her family made Chen Chao feel increasingly embarrassed.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, he now felt utterly mortified. His face was burning as he yearned to escape.

Luochen, on the other hand, had secretly flicked his cigarette with his fingers. Unnoticed by everyone, the cigarette seemed to turn into a bullet, piercing the tire of Chen Chao's Porsche Cayenne.

Immediately after, with a loud "bang," one of the car's wheels burst.

This sudden noise startled everyone.

As Chen Chao, already feeling embarrassed and eager to drive away, attempted to take a step, the car tire exploded right in front of him. He cursed internally, wondering why he was having such a bad day. It seemed like fate was against him.

"Watch out!" A cry rang out just as Chen Chao froze in place. It turned out that a potted plant on the third floor windowsill, precariously perched on the edge, had fallen straight onto his head.

"Splatter!"

Blood gushed out, and Chen Chao was knocked out cold. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was unconscious. Throughout the ordeal, Luochen remained calm.

Entering Zhang Xiaoman's home, Luochen casually waved his hand, and the foul odor disappeared instantly—this was naturally Luochen's doing.

In the late evening, Luochen took out two aluminum foil bags containing tea leaves. These were brought by Luochen's father for Zhang Xiaoman's father.

Zhang Xiaoman's mother gave the tea leaves a disdainful look and sneered, "This is your first gift to our family, how generous of you!"