Chapter 3#
The Liar Who Deceives Himself#
Lin Xiaodong didn’t take this little episode to heart.
He spotted the deadbeat’s license plate number. When they were about to leave the restaurant, he was wearing the professional debt collection uniform issued by the company, which was printed with “Debts must be paid.” With a twist of his foot, he flopped down right under the other party’s car wheels with a “thud.”
His expression was even incredibly peaceful.
“What is going on?”
The bodyguard opened the car door and took a look, then immediately shouted with a scowl: “Get up! You hoodlum, is this a place where you can just make trouble?”
He also shouted to the onlookers: “Everyone, don’t be fooled by this little punk! This kind of person specifically targets rich bosses to stage accidents and scam money. They’re a famous gang of scammers!”
It seemed that Boss Qi and his people had been pestered by Brother Long’s men more than once, and they had long since developed thick skins.
While clarifying to the public, the bodyguard leaned over and said to Lin Xiaodong in a threatening tone: “If you want money, go back and wait obediently. Is President Qi someone who can owe you money and not pay it back? Don’t make it difficult for everyone!”
He looked like someone who was used to being arrogant.
But Lin Xiaodong didn’t buy it.
The young man lay limply on the ground and opened his eyes “weakly”: “Who’s staging an accident? You’re being too unreasonable. You hit someone and then you’re cursing. And I’m just wearing a piece of clothing casually, what’s it to you?”
The bodyguard’s eyes widened: “You!”
The farce soon attracted the attention of the hotel and the guests coming and going. The people in this area were either rich or noble. Although the deadbeat never got out of the car, Lin Xiaodong noticed out of the corner of his eye that the bodyguard’s expression had clearly become anxious.
In broad daylight, this man didn’t dare to be too reckless, but he still gave Lin Xiaodong several kicks in secret, making him grimace in pain. He quickly winked at the others nearby.
I can’t take it anymore!
Seeing that something was wrong, the bald man and the others immediately surrounded them.
Following Lin Xiaodong’s instructions, the bald man knelt on the ground with a “plop” in a “tiger landing” style in front of everyone, giving the bodyguard a big scare.
He wailed while hugging Lin Xiaodong: “Brother! My poor brother! Our family has the old and the young, and we’re both depending on us brothers!” The bald man cried while pulling the bodyguard’s trouser leg, beating his chest and stomping his feet, “My brother has been weak and sickly since he was a child. He lost his mother at three and his father at seven. When he was at school, he was bullied and pushed into the river, which left him with a chronic illness. Even now, he walks with a limp! What a crime!”
Bodyguard: “You, let go! Let go!”
Lin Xiaodong closed his eyes tightly. The bald man’s rhythmic howling was a bit unbearable for him, and his eardrums were buzzing.
But who asked him to come up with this idea himself?
For that hundred thousand yuan, he endured!
Gu Xi sat in the back seat of the car and watched this scene from a distance. Recalling the little scammer who was jumping around and coming up with bad ideas in the small bamboo forest just now, a faint smile couldn’t help but curve his lips.
“President Gu, what are you laughing at?”
The secretary followed his gaze and soon saw the farce not far away.
He stared at Lin Xiaodong’s uneven yellow hair on the ground. He really didn’t understand what was worth his boss’s attention about such a rogue punk.
Although he hadn’t been with Gu Xi for long, the secretary thought he knew his boss’s taste quite well—he liked clean, scholarly young boys.
But most of the time, this kind of liking was limited to appreciation. Gu Xi would never touch a minor.
This was also why the Gu Group established a student aid fund.
“Do you need me to step in and handle it?” the secretary asked softly. “The principal of High School No. 1 is still waiting for you in the hotel ahead.”
Gu Xi was silent for a moment and said: “Call Qi Jianghe over.”
“Okay.”
The secretary went to make a phone call. Gu Xi picked up the folder he had placed on the back seat and scanned it casually.
The first page was the list of outstanding students attending the next banquet.
In the blue-background ID photo, Lin Xiamian was wearing a brand-new school uniform from High School No. 1, with light in his eyes and a clean smile.
Time passed minute by minute.
More and more people gathered at the hotel entrance. Cars couldn’t get in or out, and the road was completely blocked.
Finally, even the guests couldn’t help but complain about Qi Huaishui, who owed money and didn’t pay.
Qi Huaishui had been blocked at the restaurant entrance for nearly two hours.
Because he refused to get out of the car and negotiate face-to-face from beginning to end, the cars behind him formed a long line. There were so many people at the door that even the police cars couldn’t drive in. The deafening sound of horns made his face turn more and more sour.
“Fine, you want to play rough with me, right?”
Qi the Second sat in the car, his gaze gradually becoming sinister.
Amid the screams of the crowd, the car that was originally parked in front of Lin Xiaodong suddenly started.
If Lin Xiaodong hadn’t been quick to roll to the side with his head in his arms, the wheels probably would have crushed his body.
“Xiaodong!”
The bald man cried out. Looking at the young man curled up on the ground with cold sweat on his forehead, he was so scared that he couldn’t even speak clearly: “Are you… are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lin Xiaodong forced a smile, “it’s just… it seems my foot is twisted.”
System: “To be precise, it should be a tear of the soft tissue around the joint caused by excessive movement—”
Lin Xiaodong: “Shut up, my foot is just sprained.”
System: “…”
It closed its mouth aggrievedly.
Someone was injured, and it was a deliberate attack in broad daylight with solid evidence. Now, even if Qi the Second wanted to run, he couldn’t.
When the police forced him out of the car, he was still cursing.
But when he saw a middle-aged man squeezing through the crowd in a rage, he instantly fell silent.
“You bastard!”
Qi Jianghe came up and slapped him.
“You owe money and don’t pay, and now you dare to hit someone with your car! Qi Huaishui, you don’t want your face, but I still want mine!”
The slap was loud, and the scene instantly became dead silent.
Lin Xiaodong watched coldly as Qi Jianghe scolded Qi Huaishui in front of so many people until he couldn’t even lift his head. He thought this President Qi was indeed not simple; he had some skills.
The bald man plucked up the courage to interrupt: “President Qi, we are also getting paid to do a job. Look at the money today…?”
Qi Jianghe closed his mouth and turned to look at him.
Although Qi Jianghe had a much better reputation than his brother, the man’s gaze was frighteningly cold, making the bald man, who had been in society for nearly twenty years, feel a chill in his heart.
Fortunately, he finally relented: “Send the bank card number, I’ll pay for him.”
The bald man immediately beamed with joy. He took out his mobile phone and sent a message to the employer. Then, with a broad smile, he bowed to him repeatedly: “President Qi is so generous! Then we won’t disturb you anymore.”
He gave his brothers a wink, and they picked up Lin Xiaodong, who was still lying on the ground, and ran away.
“Brother, they’re just a few punks. Why did you listen to them?” Qi Huaishui asked unwillingly, clutching his face.
“Shut up!” Qi Jianghe gritted his teeth. “How many people’s business did you delay by blocking this place? Do you know President Gu was also behind you?”
After saying that, he forcefully pulled the unwilling Qi Huaishui to the back of a black Porsche and knocked on the window with a smile: “President Gu, I’m really sorry for the trouble my younger brother has caused you.”
The window rolled down a crack.
But the person who appeared in front of Qi Jianghe was not Gu Xi, as expected, but Gu Xi’s secretary.
“President Gu told me to tell you,” he said calmly, “keep your own house in order.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Qi Jianghe said with a smile, his eyes desperately trying to peek behind him. “It was indeed my lack of discipline this time. I wonder if President Gu has time. I’d like to treat you to a meal to apologize—”
“No need.” Gu Xi interrupted him directly. “Do you have the bank card number?”
Qi Jianghe was stunned for a moment: “Yes, but what do you want my bank card number for?”
“I’m not asking for yours,” Gu Xi said coldly. “I’m talking about the creditor’s bank card number. Remember to send a few more tens of thousands over as medical expenses.”
After saying that, he directly had the secretary close the window.
“Driver, drive.”
Watching the Porsche drive away, Qi Jianghe stood up and gradually regained his expressionless appearance.
“This is too arrogant,” Qi Huaishui spat. “Who does he think he is? Brother, our family’s business doesn’t need much help from Gu Xi. Do we need to be so low and flatter him like this?”
“You know shit,” Qi Jianghe said. “On the docks, as long as it’s an industry related to ships, which one isn’t controlled by the Gu family? Gu Xi is the local tyrant of this area, the ’land emperor’. His words are more effective than the mayor’s!”
“Then we just accept it?” Qi Huaishui still couldn’t swallow his pride.
“We can’t move Gu Xi for the time being, but those few punks who made trouble, and the people behind them…”
Qi Jianghe snorted coldly. Today, he had lost all his face. How could he not take revenge?
“We must let them know that the Qi family is not to be trifled with!”
“One hundred thousand yuan. Even a bone fracture would be worth it.” Lin Xiaodong was still happy when he was sent to the hospital. “Guangtou, we’re rich!”
“Save it, a bone fracture! If you were really hit and disabled, even a million wouldn’t be worth it!” The bald man was so anxious that his bald head was sweating, and he couldn’t help but scold him. “I told you this method was too risky, but you wouldn’t listen. Now something has happened! How can I explain it to Brother Long?”
“Anyway, we brothers can eat and drink well for a long time. What’s wrong with that?” Lin Xiaodong sat on the chair and watched the doctor write the prescription, saying indifferently, “My brother’s dormitory fees are also settled. When I save a bit more, maybe I can even send him abroad to study.”
The bald man was silent for a while, then suddenly said earnestly: “Xiaodong, I know you might not like to hear what I’m saying, but I still have to say it. Your brother is your brother, not your son. Even sons can be unfilial. You’re so good to him, aren’t you afraid he’ll really kick you away after he’s successful?”
“With Lin Xiamian’s cowardice? I wouldn’t even dare give him the courage!”
“People change!” the bald man frowned. “You’re still young. Although I haven’t read as much as you, I’ve seen far more people than you. I’ve also met your brother a few times. To be honest, the feeling he gives me is not very good.”
Lin Xiaodong’s movements paused.
He looked up with interest, stared at the bald man, and asked: “What’s not good about it?”
The bald man was momentarily at a loss for words.
He was clumsy with words and couldn’t think of any terms. Plus, he was afraid of making Lin Xiaodong unhappy, so he could only shut up resentfully.
“I know you’re worried about me,” Lin Xiaodong patted his arm with a smile. “Don’t worry, Guangtou, I know what I’m doing.”
But when he saw the message of the bank transfer, his mouth immediately stretched to the back of his head.
The Qi family was so generous! They didn’t even count when they sent money. Was this only a hundred thousand? It had even doubled!
“Get ready,” he said deeply to the System. “I’m going to start getting carried away.”
System: “…”
“I have money!”
Lin Xiaodong cheered, limped to the restaurant, and bought two large boxes of crayfish.
Garlic, spicy, and thirteen-spice—all of them!
When he got home, Lin Xiamian hadn’t come back yet. Lin Xiaodong sang as he opened the takeout. Just as he was about to enjoy the feast alone, he heard the familiar voice of the little rascal at the door—
“Come in, my brother should… Brother, why are you back?”
There was a movement at the door. Lin Xiaodong hopped over on one foot like a kangaroo, but suddenly found a thin and small girl standing next to the youth, carrying a blue backpack. She looked quite pretty.
Seeing him, the two of them showed bewildered expressions at the same time.
Translator’s Note: “Thirteen-spice” (Shisanhxiang) is a popular Chinese spice blend used for seasoning.