Chapter 41: This Is a Matter of Dignity
Lai Hou realized his phone had been stolen, and he was on the verge of losing it.
He jumped up immediately, shouting for everyone to block the front and back doors of the restaurant. “I’m telling you, this phone—no matter what—we must find it today!”
“Otherwise, nobody’s leaving!”
Chen Xue Wen chuckled. “Hou, it’s not that serious.”
“If it’s really gone, we’ll just buy another one. Next time, don’t show off so much.”
Lai Hou waved his hand furiously. “Brother Wen, you don’t get it.”
“This isn’t about money! This is about dignity!”
“If the brothers outside find out my phone got stolen, how am I supposed to show my face in the streets after this?”
Chen Xue Wen sighed, exasperated but willing to help. He got Li Tie Zhu and Li Er Yong to block the exits.
However, Lai Hou’s phone was already turned off. Finding it wouldn’t be easy.
Chen Xue Wen told Lai Hou to think carefully about who he had interacted with when he went to the restroom earlier.
After some thought, Lai Hou identified five people.
“Damn it, those are the only five people I came into contact with. It has to be one of them!”
“Call them out, search them one by one! The phone is definitely still on one of them!”
Chen Xue Wen rolled his eyes. “Are you out of your mind?”
“If someone stole it, they’d have transferred it immediately. What do you think you’re going to find by searching them?”
Lai Hou hesitated. “Then… Then let’s gather everyone and search them all!”
Chen Xue Wen scoffed. “You think you’re the king of the world? You can’t just search whoever you want.”
“Besides, even if they moved it, they might have stashed it somewhere instead of passing it to someone else. How do you plan to search for it?”
“And do you think this restaurant will let you create a scene by frisking customers?”
Lai Hou growled in frustration. “Then what do we do? Call the police?”
“No way! I have a reputation to uphold in this line of work.”
“If word gets out that I had to call the cops over a stolen phone, I’d be the laughingstock of the streets!”
Chen Xue Wen was speechless. This guy really valued his pride.
After a moment’s thought, he leaned in and whispered something to Lai Hou.
Lai Hou’s eyes lit up. “Brother Wen, you’re brilliant!”
“Alright, let’s do it!”
Lai Hou eagerly ran off to discuss the plan with the restaurant owner.
The owner was also displeased to hear that someone had stolen something in his establishment—it was bad for business.
After hearing Chen Xue Wen’s plan, he immediately agreed. “That’s a clever idea.”
“I’ll fully cooperate!”
The restaurant owner gathered his staff and gave them instructions.
Soon, the waiters began making a commotion in the hallway, loudly shouting, “Someone’s phone got stolen, and they reported it! The law enforcement team is on the way!”
“They said no one is allowed to leave until the matter is resolved!”
The disturbance quickly drew the attention of other diners, causing a bit of chaos.
At that moment, Lai Hou and the owner stepped forward.
Lai Hou deliberately raised his voice. “Damn it, that phone cost me over seven grand! If they catch the thief, they’re done for!”
“Once I find out who it is, I’ll press charges!”
The owner frowned. “Finding it won’t be easy.”
“The phone has probably been passed along or hidden somewhere by now.”
“Even if we recover it, we might not catch the thief.”
Lai Hou smirked. “No worries!”
“The phone still has fingerprints on it.”
“Once the law enforcement team arrives, they’ll check the prints and catch the culprit!”
While the two talked, Chen Xue Wen stood quietly among the crowd, observing the five people Lai Hou had mentioned.
As soon as Lai Hou mentioned fingerprints, one of the young waiters visibly flinched.
The waiter subtly backed away, slipping into the hallway when no one was watching.
Chen Xue Wen smirked and casually followed.
The waiter hurried into a secluded corner near the restaurant’s back kitchen. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, he reached into a flowerpot and pulled out a phone.
He used his sleeve to furiously wipe it down, erasing any fingerprints.
Then, he wrapped it in his uniform and prepared to put it back.
Just then, a voice spoke behind him. “Since you’ve taken it out, don’t bother putting it back.”
The waiter jolted in terror, and the phone slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground with a loud clatter.
He scrambled to his feet, stammering, “Ah—I… I just found this phone here.”
“I was about to turn it in to the boss…”
Chen Xue Wen sneered. “You really think I’d believe that?”
“Or do you think your boss will?”
The waiter broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively glanced at the window.
Chen Xue Wen chuckled. “Don’t bother.”
“This is the third floor. Even if you jump, you won’t get away.”
The waiter turned pale as a sheet. After a moment’s hesitation, he suddenly dropped to his knees, his voice shaking. “Big Brother, I… I was wrong. I’ll never do it again…”
Then, he froze, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at Chen Xue Wen. “Brother Wen!? It’s you!?”
Chen Xue Wen was startled as well. He took a closer look and realized the waiter did seem familiar.
After a moment, he remembered.
The man was Wang Zhen Dong, an old prison mate from Peaceful City Prison.
Back then, Wang Zhen Dong had been in a similar situation as Chen Xue Wen—bullied constantly.
After Chen Xue Wen beat Scarface and his crew into submission, Wang Zhen Dong had been the first to pledge loyalty to him.
Of all the inmates, he was one of the few who hadn’t made an enemy of Chen Xue Wen.
“Wang Zhen Dong!?” Chen Xue Wen asked, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Recognizing him, Wang Zhen Dong let out a sigh of relief and quickly explained his situation.
He had been released ten days ago.
But finding a job after serving time was nearly impossible.
With no money and no options, he ended up working as a waiter here.
Yet, even after landing a job, he had nothing—he couldn’t even afford food.
So when he saw Lai Hou strutting around with his phone, temptation got the best of him.
After finishing his story, Wang Zhen Dong pleaded, “Brother Wen, I didn’t know he was your friend.”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared, no matter how desperate I was!”
“Brother Wen, please give me a chance! I just got out…”
“If they catch me again, I won’t get off lightly.”
Chen Xue Wen smirked. “Since you still call me ‘Brother Wen,’ I won’t let the law enforcement team take you in.”
“Let’s just forget this happened.”
Wang Zhen Dong let out a breath of relief and bowed repeatedly. “Thank you, Brother Wen! Thank you!”
Chen Xue Wen studied him for a moment. “But working as a waiter here isn’t much of a future, is it?”
“Are you interested in working with me instead?”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation