Chapter 8: The Banquet at Hongmen

“What nerve! I didn’t expect you’d actually dare to show up!” Wang Jinquan sneered as he rose to his feet.

He’d had his son and his men beaten, been forced to return the formula to Su Hanyan, and, worst of all, had his dignity shredded before the entire company. When had Wang Jinquan ever suffered such humiliation? How could he possibly swallow this insult?

So he’d come to see Master Feng and lured Gu Xiangnan here. To his surprise, the brainless fool actually came.

“Didn’t you say there was a problem with Senior Sister’s formula and you wanted to talk to me?” Gu Xiangnan walked toward him as if the surrounding guns aimed at him didn’t exist.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” Wang Jinquan shouted in panic, hurriedly hiding behind a group of his thugs.

In this moment, he was a far cry from the high-and-mighty President Wang he usually was.

A middle-aged man nearby spoke with disdain, “Jinquan, Jinquan, you’re getting more useless with age. Just a wet-behind-the-ears brat and you’re already this scared?”

This was the underground king of Jiangning City, Yang Dianfeng—known as Master Feng.

Before Gu Xiangnan arrived, Wang Jinquan had been vague, merely saying he’d been bullied. With the Wang family’s status in Jiangning, Yang Dianfeng expected a formidable opponent. Instead, he was faced with an immature youth.

“Master Feng, this kid can fight,” Wang Jinquan warned.

But he hadn’t told Yang Dianfeng that Gu Xiangnan could catch bullets with his bare hands and flatten a gun as if it were paper. He feared that, once Yang Dianfeng knew, he’d be too afraid to help him get revenge.

Yang Dianfeng stretched out his hand, and someone immediately passed him a gun. He took it, face impassive, walked over, and pressed the barrel to Gu Xiangnan’s brow.

“I hear you’re tough. I’d like to see for myself what you’re made of.”

Gu Xiangnan seemed utterly unfazed. He casually extended a finger and brushed the barrel aside as if it were nothing.

“And who are you? I don’t even know you,” Gu Xiangnan shot him a glance.

The henchmen all gasped.

This kid had really done it now—this was the underground king! Yet he dared speak to Master Feng with such disdain?

A tremor ran through Yang Dianfeng. His gun hand shook slightly. In that brief brush, he had sensed a tremendous strength, one that left him secretly alarmed.

He tried to resist that force, but discovered he was completely outmatched. Though nearly fifty, years of training had kept him strong—lifting fifty kilograms with one hand was easy for him. Now, he was forced to reevaluate Gu Xiangnan’s abilities.

Gu Xiangnan stepped around Yang Dianfeng and strode straight for Wang Jinquan.

“President Wang, you invited me here only to have guns pointed at me? Am I doing you too much honor?”

His voice was cold and sharp, making everyone in the room shiver involuntarily.

The entire private room was stunned.

This young man was arrogant! With all those guns aimed at him, he seemed not to know fear. He was either a fool or the real deal.

Master Feng had been ignored.

His pride was wounded. He, the underground king of Jiangning, a man of wealth and influence, always respected—how could a kid like this dismiss him?

Wang Jinquan had counted on Yang Dianfeng to stand up for him. But seeing the situation now—dozens of men, each with a gun—none could stop Gu Xiangnan.

He watched, helpless, as Gu Xiangnan approached.

“Brother Lu... you must be tired. Why don’t you sit and rest for a bit?” Wang Jinquan stammered, his legs weak with fear.

At that moment, a furious shout rang out, “Everyone, get him!”

Yang Dianfeng had finally been provoked. Losing face in front of so many men—how could he maintain his authority in Jiangning if he didn’t regain his ground? He had to make this kid pay a heavy price, to show everyone the consequences of crossing Master Feng.

The henchmen all flicked off their safeties, aiming their guns at Gu Xiangnan in unison. A bloody conflict seemed inevitable.

Suddenly, the private room door burst open.

Bai Huabing and Wu Meiyu appeared at the threshold, stunned by the confrontation within.

Everyone inside froze for a moment.

Gu Xiangnan saw Bai Huabing and shouted, “Sister, what are you doing here? Leave! It’s dangerous!”

To everyone’s shock, Yang Dianfeng hurried over to Bai Huabing, his face lighting up with delight. “Wife, what brings you here?”

“Hello, sister-in-law,” the henchmen greeted in unison.

So Bai Huabing was Yang Dianfeng’s wife—and this Oscar Bar belonged to their family. No wonder she’d suggested celebrating here from the start.

Earlier, when Gu Xiangnan wanted to visit Room One, Bai Huabing had been uneasy. When he didn’t return for a long time, she’d come to find him herself.

Now seeing her own husband trying to kill her benefactor, Bai Huabing was furious.

With hands on her hips, she struck a pose ready for a showdown and pointed at the henchmen, demanding, “What the hell! Why are you all pointing guns at my brother?”

Yang Dianfeng was taken aback by her reaction and quickly asked, “Wife, since when did you have a brother? How come I didn’t know?”

“I just recognized him as my brother today!” Bai Huabing huffed. “You know, he’s my savior. Not only can he cure my nodules, but he can also help me conceive.”

She turned to the crowd and declared, “From now on, anyone who bullies him will answer to me, Bai Huabing!”

Yang Dianfeng, resigned, waved his hand. “Put them away.”

The henchmen quickly holstered their guns and retreated to the side, the atmosphere in the room lightening considerably.

Yang Dianfeng, the ferocity gone from his face, now asked Gu Xiangnan politely, “You really can cure her?”

Bai Huabing’s breast nodules were severe—the doctor had recommended surgery. But the operation would surely affect her appearance. Yang Dianfeng didn’t mind; at worst, he’d just have to do without. But Bai Huabing refused. Years of marriage without conceiving had made her sensitive. If the surgery left her disfigured, she’d become even more self-conscious, perhaps even unstable.

Gu Xiangnan nodded solemnly, “Just three doses of medicine and she’ll recover.”

Three doses—three days.

So quickly?

“Dianfeng, I trust he can cure me. My chest used to hurt badly, but after Xiaonan’s massage, there’s no pain at all,” Bai Huabing said.

Yang Dianfeng caught the key point and asked abruptly, “You mean... he massaged your chest?”