Chapter 48: Grand Opening
With He Fei dealt with, Chen Xue Wen finally felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
He returned home with Li Er Yong and the others, diving right back into planning the arcade’s grand opening. In the midst of their discussions, the door suddenly swung open, and Wu Li Hong stepped inside.
“Sister Hong, what took you so long?”
“We’re starving over here!” Lai Hou and Li Er Yong immediately cried out in protest.
Wu Li Hong chuckled. “I was out looking for a place. Just finalized the lease.”
“Tomorrow at noon, you can all come over for a meal at my new place.”
Hearing this, Chen Xue Wen’s emotions stirred slightly. However, he held back from saying anything. He understood his own situation well—keeping Wu Li Hong close wasn’t a good idea.
Lai Hou and Li Er Yong, on the other hand, were taken aback. They exchanged puzzled looks and asked, “You rented a place? Why?”
“Isn’t Brother Wen’s place fine?”
Wu Li Hong simply smiled. “It’s just not very convenient.”
“Alright, carry on with your business. I’ll pack my things and move them over.”
She entered the inner room, and everyone else in the house turned to look at Chen Xue Wen. Even Li Tie Zhu, who rarely put his phone down, glanced up.
Chen Xue Wen snorted. “What are you all looking at? Get back to work.”
“We’ll stick with the plan—open one arcade first. The second one can wait until we stabilize our footing.”
Lai Hou and Li Er Yong hesitated, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.
Inside the room, Wu Li Hong finished packing her clothes. Looking around the place where she had stayed for a while, her eyes reddened slightly. She took a deep breath, suppressing the sadness in her heart, then turned and walked out with a smile.
“Remember, tomorrow at noon, come over for a meal!”
“From now on, just like before, you can come over for lunch every day.”
She cheerfully shared her new address before picking up her bags and leaving.
Everyone watched her go, confused expressions on their faces.
After a long silence, Lai Hou finally blurted out, “Brother Wen, what the hell just happened?”
“How did you manage to piss off Sister Hong?”
Chen Xue Wen shook his head. “She’s not angry…”
“Oh, come on!” Lai Hou scoffed.
“She packed her stuff and left! That’s definitely anger!”
Li Er Yong nodded in agreement.
Chen Xue Wen sighed. “You two clueless fools, what do you know?”
“Just because she moved out, it doesn’t mean she’s angry.”
Li Er Yong shot back, “Hey, hold up. Just because we’re single doesn’t mean we’re clueless.”
“And what, you’re not single?” Lai Hou smirked.
“Brother Wen, I may not have a girlfriend, but I know women a little.”
“It’s obvious Wu Li Hong likes you. Living here, she practically takes care of you like a wife.”
“If she wasn’t upset, why would she pack up and leave?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Dong!”
Chen Xue Wen turned to Wang Zhen Dong, who looked a little awkward but eventually nodded. “I also think… she’s not in a good mood.”
“Brother Wen, did you… unintentionally upset her?”
Li Er Yong didn’t hold back. “Brother Wen, as your brother, let me ask something blunt.”
“Do you look down on Sister Hong?”
“Is it because she used to work at a nightclub? Is that why?”
That finally pushed Chen Xue Wen over the edge.
He glared at Li Er Yong. “What kind of bullshit is that?!”
“When have I ever looked down on her?”
“You think I don’t know what kind of person I am? What right do I have to look down on her?”
“She’s helped me so much—I’ll never forget that!”
Li Er Yong pressed on. “Then why are you treating her like this?”
“She left, and you didn’t even try to stop her. What does that mean?”
Chen Xue Wen was silent for a long time before sighing. “Brothers, let me be honest with you.”
“I’m not an idiot. I know Wu Li Hong is good to me.”
“But think about what we do. We’re fighting for our lives, gambling everything we have.”
“For guys like us, one moment we’re broke, the next we’re rich, and we could die any day.”
“In this kind of life, how could I ever take responsibility for a woman?”
His words left everyone in the room in deep silence.
Li Er Yong sighed. “So it’s not that you don’t have feelings for her…”
“You just don’t want to drag her down?”
Chen Xue Wen murmured, “For someone like me, just surviving this long is already a miracle.”
“I lost my right to talk about love a long time ago.”
The group fell into another heavy silence.
They all knew Chen Xue Wen had already chosen a path with no way back.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Xue Wen waved his hand. “Enough of this.”
“Let’s get back to discussing the grand opening.”
They shifted the conversation back to business, finalizing the last details of the arcade’s opening.
…
Three days later, at the northern corner of Old Square, Chen Xue Wen’s arcade finally opened.
Lai Hou, Li Tie Zhu, and Wang Zhen Dong unlocked the doors and set up the firecrackers they had bought in advance.
At that moment, two young men happened to pass by.
These were the same two who had threatened Chen Xue Wen before.
They had never let go of their grudge, keeping an eye on the place every day to see if it would open.
Now, seeing the doors unlocked and the firecrackers set, they grinned.
Immediately, they ran to Electronic Dynasty, finding Brother Leopard and reporting the arcade’s opening.
Brother Leopard frowned. “The bastard still dared to open?”
“Who the hell does he think he is?!”
“Little Ke, I need to wait here for Brother Snake. You take some guys and wreck that place.”
“If they resist, break their legs and kick them out!”
One of the thugs immediately stood up. “Brother, leave it to me!”
This was Little Ke, Brother Leopard’s younger brother.
After asking about their numbers, learning there were only three guys, he sneered.
“Three guys trying to set up shop at Old Square? They must have a death wish.”
“Watch how I take them out!”
Little Ke gathered seven or eight thugs, wrapping weapons in newspaper, and stormed towards the arcade.
Just as they left Electronic Dynasty, a man at a King of Fighters arcade machine stood up, pulling his cap lower.
As he casually followed them out, he took out his phone and made a quiet call.
“Er Yong, they’re coming. Get ready.”
That man—was none other than Chen Xue Wen.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation