Chapter 77: I’m Not Afraid to Overestimate Him, Only to Underestimate Him!
Less than half an hour later, Zhou Jing Feng’s men arrived with the money—one hundred thousand, not a cent short.
Chen Xue Wen motioned for Lai Hou to take the money, then smiled at Zhou Jing Feng. “Thanks, Brother Feng.”
“Since we’ve got the money, let’s go get some new phones.”
“You guys, don’t forget to thank Brother Feng for his generous gift!”
Lai Hou and the others immediately burst into laughter. “Many thanks, Brother Feng!”
Zhou Jing Feng’s lips twitched, but he couldn’t say a word.
As Chen Xue Wen and his crew walked away, he suddenly remembered something. Turning back, he looked at Zhao Qiang, who was standing at the rear. “Manager Zhao, Xiao Man and the others might be late for work tonight.”
“You’re not going to mark them as late or absent, are you?”
Zhao Qiang, having just witnessed Zhou Jing Feng being thoroughly humiliated, was already trembling in fear. Hearing this, he forced an awkward smile. “Brother Wen, you must be joking.”
“Xiao Man, you girls don’t need to worry. I… I’ll mark you all as on duty. Go have fun.”
Chen Xue Wen shook his head. “On duty? That doesn’t seem right.”
“If they take leave, then they won’t make money tonight, right?”
“Manager Zhao, you’re not telling me this is beyond your capability, are you?”
Zhao Qiang’s face changed again, and he quickly replied, “No, no! It’s not leave; it’s counted as an escort job.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Chen Xue Wen grinned. “Escort job? Then the money…”
Zhao Qiang immediately said, “It’s on me! I’ll cover it.”
Satisfied, Chen Xue Wen patted him on the shoulder. “Manager Zhao, much appreciated!”
With that, he led his people away with grand, unhurried steps.
Watching them leave, Zhou Jing Feng and Zhao Qiang both let out a long breath, as if they had just survived a brush with death.
Zhou Jing Feng clenched his jaw and turned to the subordinate with the missing front tooth. “Are you fucking stupid?”
“In that situation, you wanted to point fingers at Chen Xue Wen? Do you have a death wish?”
“Damn it, even if he got locked up for this, how long would it be? A few days at most?”
“And when he gets out, how many lives do you think you have to spare?”
The beaten-up subordinate finally understood why Zhou Jing Feng had spoken the way he did earlier. Because in a case like this, no matter what, they couldn’t take Chen Xue Wen down.
But if they provoked him, the consequences were something they couldn’t afford to bear!
After leaving the street stall, Chen Xue Wen and his group stopped at a secluded spot.
From the bag of cash, Chen Xue Wen pulled out twenty thousand. “This is for me and Li Hong.”
“The rest, split it among everyone.”
Lai Hou’s eyes widened. He lowered his voice. “Brother Wen, you’re… splitting it all?”
Chen Xue Wen shot him a look. “Didn’t I already say? Everyone gets ten thousand each.”
“Give them their share, and they can all get new phones.”
Hearing this, Lai Hou immediately took the money and started distributing it.
Wang Zhen Dong, Li Tie Zhu, and Lai Hou each got ten thousand.
The remaining fifty thousand was split among Wu Li Hong’s five sisters.
The five girls looked at the stack of cash in front of them, exchanging glances. Their expressions were filled with excitement, but they hesitated to reach out.
After all, ten thousand per person was a lot.
They wanted it, but they felt too embarrassed to take it.
Seeing their thoughts, Wu Li Hong smiled. “Brother Wen is giving it to you. Just take it.”
“You can all get new phones, so it’ll be easier to stay in touch next time.”
Hearing this, the girls were overjoyed and quickly took their share.
Then, they looked at Chen Xue Wen with sweet smiles. “Thank you, Brother Wen!”
Chen Xue Wen chuckled and nodded. “We’re all family, no need to be polite!”
“Come on, let’s find a phone store and get new phones. Makes things more convenient.”
He then led the group to a mobile store to pick out new phones.
With cash in hand, the girls were thrilled, growing much closer to Chen Xue Wen’s group.
Inside the store, the five girls picked out their favorite models.
Chen Xue Wen noticed that four of them chose relatively expensive phones, while only Xiao Man selected a modestly priced women’s phone—around two thousand.
She carefully tucked the remaining money away.
Wu Li Hong whispered, “Xiao Man’s family situation is rough, kind of like mine.”
“Her parents are both in the hospital. She has to support them.”
Chen Xue Wen nodded, saying nothing, but he took note of it.
Afterward, he took the group to a nightclub for a night of fun.
Once they had their fill, Chen Xue Wen took Wu Li Hong home.
As for Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong, those two weren’t willing to leave. At the nightclub, they had already draped themselves over two girls.
Chen Xue Wen didn’t bother interfering. After all, men had their needs.
However, he did warn them: Play if you want, but always pay what’s due!
He didn’t want his brothers getting tied down or exploited by anyone.
Late at night, in a teahouse in the southern part of the city, Fifth Master Hou sat with Fang Ru and Lawyer He, sipping tea.
Suddenly, Lawyer He’s phone rang.
He answered, listened for a moment, then hung up with a bitter smile. He turned to Fifth Master Hou. “Fifth Master, that Chen Xue Wen is stirring up trouble again.”
“The law enforcement team just called me, asking me to rein him in before things get out of hand.”
Fifth Master Hou glanced at him. “What did he do this time?”
Lawyer He recounted the events surrounding Zhou Jing Feng.
Fifth Master Hou remained silent, while Fang Ru furrowed her delicate brows, sneering, “That Chen, always stirring up trouble.”
“Just ate a live snake at Snake’s table and made a name for himself, and now he thinks he’s unstoppable?”
“First, he took care of Li Yue Dong, and now he’s beaten up Zhou Jing Feng.”
“The moment he gets a little success, he becomes this arrogant? People like him—little men intoxicated by sudden power—will never achieve greatness.”
Lawyer He merely smiled, saying nothing, his gaze fixed on Fifth Master Hou.
Fifth Master Hou’s expression remained indifferent as he picked up the long-stemmed pipe beside him. He took a deep inhale, letting the smoke swirl around him before exhaling slowly. Then, he looked at Lawyer He and spoke softly, “Handle it for him. This is a minor issue, no need to let it escalate.”
Lawyer He immediately nodded respectfully. “Understood!”
He rose and left to take care of the matter.
Fang Ru’s expression darkened as she lowered her voice. “Fifth Master, what do you mean by this?”
“That kid is clearly useless. Why bother helping him?”
Fifth Master Hou glanced at her, his voice calm. “Chen Xue Wen took thirty grand in cash and ten gold bars from the Zhou family. He also extorted over a million from Zhou Jing Hui.”
“Right now, he’s already quite wealthy.”
“But, have you noticed? Has he spent anything on himself?”
Fang Ru froze for a moment, her expression subtly shifting. “Fifth Master, you mean—?”
Fifth Master Hou didn’t answer directly but continued, “For the past few days, a woman—who used to work in a club—has been with him constantly. That shows he isn’t indifferent to women.”
“Yet, last time he was here, even with you personally making a move, he didn’t take the bait.”
Fang Ru’s face flushed slightly, her gaze turning colder.
She was confident in her beauty and charm, yet she had lost to a former hostess in Chen Xue Wen’s eyes. That was an insult she could not stomach.
“Fifth Master, what exactly are you saying?”
Fifth Master Hou’s voice remained gentle. “I’m simply telling you that this man is not someone blinded by newfound power.”
“On the contrary, you should be cautious.”
“A man who can suppress his own desires is a truly terrifying one.”
“Chen Xue Wen is cunning, meticulous, and unpredictable.”
“You cannot judge his actions by common sense.”
Fang Ru hesitated, then frowned. “Fifth Master, aren’t you overestimating him?”
Fifth Master Hou chuckled lightly. “I’m not afraid of overestimating him—only of underestimating him.”
He turned his head, noticing the astonishment on Fang Ru’s face. Smiling, he added, “Here’s a clue for you.”
“Have you realized that Li Er Yong, who always followed Chen Xue Wen around, has been missing for some time?”
Fang Ru’s expression changed drastically. “Fifth Master, are you saying that Li Er Yong—?”
Fifth Master Hou nodded. “As the saying goes, ‘create diversions to hide true intentions.'”
“Chen Xue Wen is causing a stir in Peaceful City to attract attention.”
“But his real play? That’s likely hidden with Li Er Yong.”
Taking another slow drag from his pipe, he exhaled in the dim light before murmuring, “The New Year is coming soon, and that’s when the arcades make the most money.”
“Every year during this period, the arcades in Peaceful City rake in over twenty million.”
“If I’m right, Chen Xue Wen is planning to take Snake down before the year’s end.”
Fang Ru’s eyes widened in shock. “Before the year ends? That—that’s impossible!”
“His strength is nowhere near Snake’s. How does he plan to fight him?”
Fifth Master Hou gazed into the darkness outside and spoke softly, “I’d like to know that too.”
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