Fortune Delight Restaurant, second floor, Plum Blossom Hall.
Because of what Ian Song just said, the atmosphere grew tense like never before. Blade Bao stared at Ian with a gloomy look, his voice squeezed out through clenched teeth: "Shane, it’s not that I don’t want to give you face. It’s just that your little friend here isn’t giving me any face at all."
Shane Xie’s face turned bitter. He knew that if he kept pleading, things would only get worse for him under Blade Bao’s command, and Bao might even hold a grudge. But Shane believed that loyalty mattered in this business. Last time, Ian Song spared him, so now he owed Ian a favor—and favors must be repaid.
So.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, can you give him one more chance for my sake?"
At those words, Blade Bao’s face grew even darker. Ian Song was a bit surprised too—he hadn’t expected Shane Xie to stick his neck out for him in this situation. Turns out not all street thugs are scum; some do have a sense of loyalty.
So Ian didn’t want to make things hard for Shane. He stepped forward, looked at Blade Bao, and said, "Tell your men to leave the private room. If you do, I’ll let this go. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you get even fatter today."
Blade Bao suddenly laughed: "Shane, you see? It’s not that I, as the boss, won’t give you face—it’s just that this brat is way too arrogant. If I let him off, sure, you get to save face, but where does that leave mine? Don’t you agree, Shane?"
"Boss, I get it. But in this world, loyalty matters. He owes a favor, so I have to ask..."
"Enough! Don’t disrespect the chance I’m giving you!" Blade Bao snapped, cutting Shane Xie off angrily.
"Shane, I appreciate the thought, but you really don’t need to plead for me! I’m not worried about this little crowd at all!" Ian Song’s voice rang out again, full of confidence. He’d barely touched any alcohol since returning to the private room, just in case those guys came looking for trouble.
"You’ve got a big mouth, kid. Brothers, get him! Just don’t kill him!" Blade Bao said, his voice cold and sinister.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Ian Song vanished from where he stood. Suddenly, Blade Bao felt a hand clamp down on his neck. The thugs who were about to charge froze in place—it was their boss, Blade Bao, who had fallen into Ian’s grasp.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Ian didn’t hold back—he landed several hard slaps on Blade Bao, making his already chubby face look even more swollen.
After taking several big slaps, Blade Bao was nearly ready to explode with rage. The fire in his beady little eyes was about to burst out. He desperately wanted his men to tear this infuriating kid to pieces, but the strong, solid hand on his neck kept him from making any sudden moves.
"Zach Zhang, you guys get behind me," Ian called out.
On hearing Ian’s warning, Zach Zhang and his two friends snapped out of their daze and hurried behind Ian. Just moments ago, they’d thought they were doomed, but Ian’s ferocity stunned them—he’d taken down the enemy boss in a single move, leaving the thugs afraid to act. It was like watching a legendary general snatch the enemy commander from the middle of an army.
So intense—was that epic or what?!
"Grab those three!" Blade Bao suddenly shouted.
Several quick-reacting thugs immediately flanked Zach Zhang and his friends, lunging at them from both sides. The three turned pale with fear.
Just then, Ian Song let go of Blade Bao, snatched up two empty beer bottles from the table, and hurled them with lightning speed—both bottles smacked the faces of the thugs closest to Zach.
Smack! Smack!
Both men screamed and collapsed in pain.
At the same time, Ian darted toward Zach and his friends, his fists flying in a rapid barrage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more thugs went down screaming, and Ian reached Zach and his friends, shielding them behind him.
Over ten thugs shouted in unison, surging toward Ian Song with such force that the whole private room seemed to shake.
Zach and his friends had never seen anything like this before and were seriously worried—if Ian couldn’t hold them off, would they end up hacked to pieces?
Seeing more than ten thugs charging in, Ian narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he stepped forward and grabbed the edge of the round table.
"Up!"
With a low shout, Ian hoisted the round table and swung it out in a wide arc.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of crashes followed as most of the charging thugs were struck, falling to the ground with screams.
"Go!"
With that, Ian knocked down seven or eight thugs in one go, then hurled the round table toward the door, flooring another group.
Blade Bao, who’d made it to the doorway, watched this scene and couldn’t help but gasp—just how fierce was this kid?
With the table gone, the private room suddenly felt much more spacious.
Whoosh!
Ian Song darted out again.
With Zach and his friends present, Ian unleashed his full strength. Moving like a phantom through the crowd, he knocked down thug after thug, leaving them screaming on the floor. In less than a minute, out of more than thirty gangsters, only Shane Xie—stunned—and Blade Bao outside the door were still standing.
"Now it’s your turn!"
Ian flashed a grin at Blade Bao, nearly scaring him out of his wits—Bao spun around and tried to run.
Whoosh!
Ian darted out, quickly grabbed Blade Bao, and dragged him back into the private room, tossing him onto the floor.
"Ian, you—you’re just too awesome! I’ve decided, from now on you’re my boss!" Zach Zhang said excitedly.
"Count me in too, Ian! I want to follow you!"
"Me too!"
Eric Xie and another guy quickly chimed in.
Ian shot them an annoyed look and said, "What do you mean, ‘acting like gangsters’? Don’t forget, we’re all students!"
"Ian’s right—it’s not about acting like gangsters, it’s about sticking together! Eric, you too, don’t you agree?"
"Exactly! If we stick with Ian, we’ll get the good stuff!" Eric Xie said quickly.
Ian couldn’t be bothered with these knuckleheads. He turned to Blade Bao and said, "So, Blade Bao, how do you think we should settle this?"
Blade Bao plastered on a flattering smile and said, "I was blind and didn’t recognize greatness. I messed with you, Ian. How about you treat me like a fart and just let me go?" With more than thirty of his men wiped out, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and beg for mercy.
Of course, just because he gave in for now didn’t mean he’d stay submissive forever. Once he got past this crisis, he planned to get back at this cocky kid.
"Zach Zhang, didn’t he slap you earlier? Now’s your chance to slap him back—do you dare?" Ian suddenly said, looking at Zach. Earlier, Blade Bao had slapped Zach, and Ian hadn’t stepped in because he wanted Zach to learn a lesson. If Zach had listened and left the restaurant, he wouldn’t have been trapped in the private room.
"Why wouldn’t I dare?" Zach sneered, walked over to Blade Bao, squatted down, and slapped him several times left and right. Afterward, he even spat on him and said disdainfully, "Damn, your face is so thick it made my hand hurt!"
As for Blade Bao, he was both shocked and furious, but he forced himself to swallow his anger at that little punk.
Ian glanced at the bodies scattered all over the floor, unsure how to handle the aftermath. Suddenly, he spotted Shane Xie and had an idea. He said to Blade Bao, "Fatty, I’m only letting you off today because of Shane. If you cross me again, I’ll skin you alive."
"Thank you, Ian. Thank you so much," Blade Bao said gratefully.
"Let’s go," Ian said to Zach and the others.
But as he reached the door, Ian suddenly turned back. "Oh right, Fatty."
Blade Bao, who had just gotten up, quickly nodded and bowed. "What is it, Ian?"
"Don’t forget to pay for the damages to the private room!" Ian said with a grin.
"Don’t worry, Ian, I’ll pay double!" Blade Bao promised immediately.