Chapter 92: The Snake’s Invitation Once More
Brothers Game Arcade.
Chen Xue Wen sat inside, chatting idly with Lai Hou, when a sudden commotion erupted at the entrance. Turning his head, he saw Leopard standing at the doorway, flanked by a gang of men, their presence imposing and aggressive. The noise came from that direction as well.
Two men were trying to enter the arcade, but Leopard blocked their way. One of them had his throat tightly gripped and was shoved against the door frame.
“Damn it, that bastard! He swore not to cause trouble, yet now he’s sending people over to mess with us?” Lai Hou’s expression changed drastically as he looked to Chen Xue Wen. “Brother Wen, should we call the guys and take them on?”
Recently, Chen Xue Wen had recruited seven or eight men to follow him and manage his two game arcades.
Chen Xue Wen waved a hand dismissively. “No need to make a big fuss.”
“The guys you recruited haven’t been through real fights. They’re just a ragtag bunch. If a real fight breaks out, they might just scatter.”
Lai Hou scratched his head, acknowledging the truth in those words. After all, the enemy belonged to Snake. Even the roughest street punks trembled at his name—none of them would dare go against him.
Noticing Lai Hou’s concern, Chen Xue Wen smirked. “Relax, they’re probably not here to start trouble.”
“If they really wanted to take us down, they wouldn’t make such a scene. They’d have planned a sneak attack instead.”
Lai Hou let out a sigh of relief but then lowered his voice. “So, what now? Do we intervene or not?”
Chen Xue Wen’s voice turned cold. “How can we not?”
“They’re blocking our customers at the door, keeping them from entering.”
“If we don’t step in, who will dare visit our arcade in the future?”
With that, Chen Xue Wen grabbed the crystal ashtray from the table and tucked it up his sleeve. Then, he strode towards the entrance.
Even from afar, he could hear Leopard shouting outside, “You bastard! You owe my Brother Snake money, yet you have the guts to gamble elsewhere? What the hell is this supposed to mean?”
“Are you treating my Brother Snake like a joke?”
The man pinned against the door turned red in the face, stammering, “I… I wasn’t here to gamble… I was just passing by…”
“Brother Leopard, please don’t misunderstand…”
Leopard spat on the ground. “Bullshit! You think I’m stupid?”
“I heard you loud and clear, shouting about placing a 1,000 yuan bet, and now you’re telling me you were ‘just passing by’?”
“Damn it! If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll think we’re easy to mess with!”
As he spoke, he pulled a dagger from his waistband and pressed it against the man’s neck.
The man trembled, his voice shaking with fear. “Brother Leopard! Brother Leopard! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again… Please spare me…”
Leopard sneered. “Spare you? My ass!”
“I’ll start with one stab—that’ll count as interest.”
“If I catch you again, it won’t be this simple!”
With that, he raised his knife, preparing to plunge it down.
At that moment, a hand shot out from behind and grabbed his wrist. Before Leopard could react, a crystal ashtray smashed into his head.
A loud crack echoed.
Leopard staggered, nearly knocked unconscious. His head buzzed, but his thick skull kept him from bleeding.
Spinning around, he found himself face to face with Chen Xue Wen. For a moment, he was stunned.
“Chen Xue Wen! You dare hit me?!”
His voice roared with fury.
Chen Xue Wen smirked. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Before Leopard could respond, Chen Xue Wen slapped him hard across the face.
The blow sent Leopard stumbling back. He roared in rage, “F**k you, Chen Xue Wen! I’ll kill you!”
He lunged forward, but Chen Xue Wen was faster, closing the distance in a flash.
Leopard had suffered under Chen Xue Wen’s hands before—he knew fighting up close would not end well. The moment Chen Xue Wen charged at him, Leopard instinctively kicked out, hoping to push him back.
But Chen Xue Wen didn’t dodge. He took the kick head-on, his grip immediately clamping down on Leopard’s leg. In the same motion, he brought the shattered crystal ashtray up and stabbed a jagged shard into Leopard’s thigh.
A blood-curdling scream tore from Leopard’s throat. The stab wasn’t deep, but the pain was excruciating.
His men, seeing their boss wounded, shouted in rage and rushed forward.
Lai Hou, Li Tie Zhu, and Wang Zhen Dong weren’t about to back down. They surged forward, ready for a fight.
The new recruits stood behind, trying to put on a fierce front, though their fear was obvious.
In numbers, both sides were evenly matched. But if it came to a full-on brawl, Chen Xue Wen knew the newcomers wouldn’t hold the line.
Not that he needed them to.
Still gripping Leopard’s leg, he pulled out a bone-cutting knife and pressed it against Leopard’s throat.
Leopard had been about to yell again, but the cold steel silenced him instantly.
He gritted his teeth. “Chen Xue Wen! I don’t believe you have the guts to kill me in front of all these people!”
Chen Xue Wen smiled coolly. “I’m not an idiot. Of course, I wouldn’t kill you here.”
“But stabbing you a few times? That’s a different story.”
Leopard’s face twisted. He opened his mouth but swallowed his words.
A true gangster knew when to back down.
Chen Xue Wen’s voice turned icy. “At Chen Ji Grand Restaurant, Snake swore to everyone that he wouldn’t send people to mess with my arcade.”
“So tell me, Leopard—what’s the meaning of this?”
Leopard straightened his neck. “I’m not here to cause trouble!”
“This guy owes my Big Brother money. I came to collect. What’s wrong with that?”
Chen Xue Wen spat. “Collecting debts? At my arcade? You crossed the line.”
“By your logic, I could grab a few debtors and start ‘collecting’ over at Electronic Dynasty. Would your boss be okay with that?”
Leopard’s face darkened. He had no retort. He had hoped to intimidate Chen Xue Wen, but instead, he had been humiliated.
Taking a deep breath, Leopard muttered, “Forget it. I won’t argue over these two guys.”
“I came to deliver a message from my Big Brother.”
“He says he wants to invite Brother Wen for another meal at Chen Ji Grand Restaurant tonight.”
“Let’s see if Brother Wen has the guts to show up this time.”
Chen Xue Wen frowned slightly, just as a group of law enforcement officers appeared at the alley’s entrance.
As soon as the commotion broke out, several Law Enforcement Team members rushed over.
“What’s going on here? Stop right now!”
The squad leader shouted as he ran forward. After yesterday’s incident, the Law Enforcement Team had tightened patrols in this area. They had come running after hearing the disturbance.
Chen Xue Wen saw them and suddenly smiled. He let go of Leopard, swiftly hiding his Bone Cutting Knife before patting Leopard on the shoulder. “You handle this with the Law Enforcement Team first.”
Leopard froze. Handle what? I’m the victim here!
I got smashed with an ashtray, slapped across the face, and my thigh is still bleeding. How the hell am I supposed to ‘handle’ this?
Seeing Leopard’s confusion, Chen Xue Wen chuckled. “If I get taken back by the Law Enforcement Team for questioning, do I still attend Snake’s banquet tonight?”
“Leopard, you came to invite me, but you’re sending me to the Law Enforcement Team instead.”
“Tell me, will Snake be mad?”
Leopard instantly understood. His stomach churned, and he felt like coughing up blood. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have just delivered Snake’s message and left. This mess wouldn’t have happened!
By now, the Law Enforcement Team had arrived. Their squad leader surveyed the scene, his gaze landing on Leopard. “What happened here?”
Only Leopard looked roughed up, so naturally, they asked him first.
Leopard’s expression stiffened. He stammered, unsure how to respond.
Seeing this, Chen Xue Wen smirked. “Oh, it’s nothing major.”
“This brother here tripped while passing by and accidentally knocked over my ashtray.”
“The shattered glass from my ashtray happened to cut his leg.”
As he spoke, he glanced regretfully at the broken shards on the ground. “Sigh… My Crystal Ashtray… I bought it for eighteen thousand, and now it’s gone. Such a shame!”
Leopard’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
You bastard, Chen Xue Wen! You sure can spin a story!
And what’s with this ashtray costing eighteen thousand? Didn’t you just say it was glass?
The Law Enforcement Team members clearly didn’t buy it. The squad leader gave Chen Xue Wen a cold look before turning to Leopard. “What really happened?”
Leopard’s face was frozen in awkwardness. He remained silent.
The squad leader spoke kindly. “Don’t worry. Tell us the truth. We’ll protect you.”
“If anyone threatens you, we’ll take care of it.”
“We’ll ensure justice is served!”
Leopard nearly vomited blood. I am being threatened, but I can’t say it!
If you arrest Chen Xue Wen, how will Snake’s banquet proceed tonight?
If I go back empty-handed, Snake will crack my skull open!
In the end, Leopard muttered, “Sorry… I… I wasn’t watching where I was going…”
The Law Enforcement Team members were stunned. If the victim himself said so, what could they do?
The squad leader was clearly dissatisfied. “Are you sure?”
Leopard nodded. “I’m sure!”
The squad leader frowned, glancing at Chen Xue Wen, then back at Leopard, before finally sighing. “If that’s the case, be more careful next time.”
With that, he prepared to leave with his team.
But Chen Xue Wen wasn’t done. “Wait a minute. What about my ashtray?”
“I spent eighteen thousand on that Crystal Ashtray. Shouldn’t I be compensated?”
The Law Enforcement Team exchanged looks before turning to Leopard.
Leopard wanted to die. Why are you looking at me? Are you expecting me to pay?
The squad leader asked, “You broke the ashtray. He says it’s worth eighteen thousand. Do you acknowledge that?”
Leopard’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and spat out a single word: “Yes!”
The squad leader hesitated. He didn’t believe the ashtray was worth that much, but since Leopard accepted it, the Law Enforcement Team couldn’t interfere.
He gave Leopard a deep look. “Since you acknowledge it, then about the compensation…”
Leopard’s eyes were bloodshot. He glared at Chen Xue Wen, then clenched his teeth and said, “I… I’ll pay!”
Chen Xue Wen grinned. “Great. I’ll wait right here for you to bring the money.”
“Luckily, the Law Enforcement Team is here to witness it.”
The Law Enforcement Team members nodded in agreement. They, too, wanted this matter resolved peacefully.
With a grief-stricken face, Leopard sent someone to fetch the eighteen thousand yuan and handed it over to Chen Xue Wen.
He had considered arguing that the ashtray wasn’t worth that much, but he didn’t dare.
The sooner this matter was over, the better. Otherwise, if the Law Enforcement Team accused Chen Xue Wen of extortion and took him in for questioning, tonight’s banquet would be ruined.
So he could only swallow his pride and accept it.
But in his heart, his hatred for Chen Xue Wen deepened tenfold.
This bastard—how could anyone be this shameless?!
Absolutely outrageous!
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation