Chapter 2129: Have a Try

"Yellow-Hair, you try first and see which one is better." Fourth Brother also lit a cigarette and stood to the side, unhurriedly watching the scene unfold.

Seeing this sudden turn of events, Zhao Desan, who was hiding in the crowd, wished he could slap Hu Tao a few times. He cursed inwardly: Damn it, if this dog-brained thing hadn't tried to show off, things wouldn't have reached this unmanageable point! As he thought this, he began to worry about the situation, especially for He Liping and Li Fang, fearing that these two women would be taken advantage of by these thugs.

"Smack!" A crisp sound rang out. The yellow-haired thug quickly retracted his reaching hand and put it to his mouth, blowing on it repeatedly. He glanced back at Fourth Brother, then turned to He Liping and said, "Damn it, what a spicy bitch!" As he spoke, he laughed instead of getting angry, adding, "I just love this kind of flavorful young married woman. I've decided on you tonight!"

"You... you hooligan!" Although He Liping feigned composure, facing this situation and these shameless thugs, she was still somewhat worried inside.

Zhao Desan had been standing in the crowd behind the two beautiful young women. Seeing He Liping being harassed by the yellow-haired thug, he glared fiercely at Han Wu, who was standing next to Fourth Brother looking anxious. Watching the yellow-haired thug continue to grope and harass He Liping, Zhao Desan thought to himself that he could no longer play the coward. If this woman weren't He Liping but someone else, he might have been able to hide behind the two beauties and play the turtle. But this woman was the second-in-command of his own unit, a woman who held his future and fate in her hands in certain respects. To him, this was actually a good opportunity to show his worth. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid, nor was he trying to be a hero; he understood in his heart that even if he didn't step up today, he wouldn't be able to escape this ordeal. He thought that since he was going to get cut either way, he might as well be heroic about it—at least he could leave some kind of impression in the hearts of the two beauties.

Thinking of this, Zhao Desan squeezed out of the crowd and reached out to pull He Liping behind him. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Li Fang, who was standing where she was, change her expression, showing a look of displeasure. Zhao Desan immediately realized his mistake and quickly extended his other hand to pull Li Fang behind him as well. Then, he said to the yellow-haired thug, "It seems there's no room for negotiation today. But don't you think it's a bit unchivalrous of you to rely on Fourth Brother's backing and your superior numbers?" Zhao Desan was clever; he said this intentionally for Fourth Brother to hear, as a form of flattery.

"Hahaha..." The yellow-haired thug threw his head back and laughed. After laughing for a moment, his expression suddenly changed. He stopped smiling and said viciously to Zhao Desan, "Buddy, you didn't offend me today; you offended Fourth Brother. Fourth Brother is such a renowned figure, and you don't even take his people seriously. Today, I'll let you experience the feeling of dying under a flurry of fists."

Zhao Desan was speechless, completely speechless. How could he reason with a thug who was bent on regaining his prestige in front of everyone? Besides, Fourth Brother had tacitly allowed him to do this. With Fourth Brother, a figure famous in the Xijing underworld, present, Zhao Desan was truly at a loss for what to do for a moment.

"Since I'm going to get cut either way today, I'm not afraid. You can bring it on. But I have one condition: let these two women leave first. Keep me here, and you can do whatever you want to me!" Zhao Desan thought that since this disaster was unavoidable today, he steeled his heart and said righteously to the yellow-haired thug.

At this moment, Han Wu leaned into the ear of Fourth Brother, who was watching the spectacle. He glanced at Zhao Desan and whispered to Fourth Brother, "Fourth Brother, I advise you not to let Yellow-Hair provoke this man surnamed Liu. He is a deputy division chief at the Provincial Construction Commission, and as far as I know, his relative is the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. If you provoke him, it might bring unnecessary trouble to you, Fourth Brother!"

Han Wu had only thought of these words because he was out of options, but surprisingly, they were effective. After hearing this, Fourth Brother's expression changed, and he immediately looked at him in surprise, asking, "You're saying this kid's relative is the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee?"

Seeing that Fourth Brother was moved, Han Wu nodded and added, "He is also sworn brothers with Director Xu of the police station next to the Construction Commission. Fourth Brother, I think it's better if we don't provoke this person."

After Han Wu revealed Zhao Desan's complex network of relationships to Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, who had been in the underworld for many years, knew that the two types of people he most avoided dealing with were the extremely wealthy, who could use money to settle many things, and those in official circles with power and influence. In the end, compared to that massive organization with over 80 million members, people like them in the underworld were not worth mentioning. He didn't want to ruin his future path by offending someone with such a complex background as Zhao Desan. Thus, just as the yellow-haired thug rolled up his sleeves, preparing to lay hands on Zhao Desan, Fourth Brother shouted at him, "Yellow-Hair! Stop!"

The yellow-haired thug, who had just raised his arm, heard Fourth Brother's voice and immediately stopped. He turned back and asked with a puzzled look, "Fourth Brother, wha... what's wrong?"

"Stop. Let's end this here today. Since Han Wu knows this kid, let's give Han Wu some face. Let's just end this here!" Fourth Brother said to the yellow-haired thug in a serious, commanding tone.

Han Wu added, "Yellow-Hair! You and I have gotten to know each other through this fight today. For my sake, stop making trouble, how about it?"

Compared to Han Wu, Yellow-Hair was a junior. Naturally, he knew the rules of the underworld. Since both Fourth Brother and Han Wu had spoken, he couldn't say anything more. He glared fiercely at Zhao Desan, then said to Fourth Brother and Han Wu, "Fourth Brother, Brother Han, since you've spoken, let's just let this matter pass!"

Zhao Desan was extremely good at reading the situation. Seeing that the situation had changed again, he immediately stepped forward with a smile, extended a hand to the yellow-haired thug, and said, "Come, brother, we've gotten to know each other through this fight today. You showed mercy today; if I, Zhao Desan, can be of any help in the future, I will certainly do my best and not shirk!"

Zhao Desan's words were full of loyalty. In front of Fourth Brother and Han Wu, the yellow-haired thug had no way to refuse. Although he was a bit unwilling, he still very reluctantly extended his hand and shook hands with Zhao Desan symbolically. The grudge for today was considered settled.

After shaking hands, Zhao Desan, in order to break the awkwardness of the scene, said to everyone very generously, "Brothers, tonight's misunderstanding was caused by me, little Zhao. I'll treat everyone to drinks tonight!"

"Let's go, brothers, let's go drink!" Han Wu was the first to respond to Zhao Desan's suggestion.

Fourth Brother also smiled, and the group crowded around Fourth Brother as they walked out of the dance hall. The customers watching the spectacle voluntarily cleared a path. Watching Fourth Brother walk out of the dance hall, surrounded by Han Wu and the other brothers, Zhao Desan returned to He Liping and Li Fang and said, "Two sisters, you go back. I'm going to go drink with those thugs." Saying this, he turned and quickened his pace to catch up with the main group.

Watching Zhao Desan's departing back, and thinking about how he could show such sophistication when encountering such a major sudden situation, and finally end a scene that was full of gunpowder and on the verge of breaking out in such a harmonious way, He Liping's fondness for Zhao Desan deepened even more.

Watching the group walk out of the dance hall in a grand procession, Hu Tao began to shake his head and rub his hands, engaging in hindsight, "Damn it, I hadn't even had my fill of fun and they all ran off!"

Seeing Hu Tao's posturing, Li Fang rolled her eyes at him and retorted sarcastically, "Forget it, why didn't I see you speak just now? You didn't even dare to let out a fart, what are you showing off for now!"

He Liping pursed her lips and smiled secretly to the side, then asked Hu Tao, "How is your business with that Zheng Jie going?"

"It's going quite well, quite well," Hu Tao replied, feigning composure.

Li Fang stared at Hu Tao with a strange look and said, "You've taken it to the bed, haven't you?"

Hu Tao cast a sidelong glance at Li Fang, and seeing that she had already walked far away, he chuckled noncommittally and said, "Isn't it just this business deal that Deputy Director He introduced to me?"

He Liping smiled slyly and said, "Zheng Jie's husband doesn't have that ability anyway, so it's only right to take care of her life while taking care of her business."

While chuckling, Hu Tao used the corner of his eye to look in the direction Li Fang had left. Seeing her walking toward the exit of the dance hall, he became a bit flustered and said to He Liping, "Deputy Director He, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"Go ahead!" He Liping looked at him with a knowing look and said.

Hu Tao quickly turned and quickened his pace to chase after her toward the dance hall entrance.

Watching Hu Tao chase Li Fang out of the dance hall entrance, He Liping raised her wrist to check her watch and found that it wasn't late, only 10:30. She had originally intended to bring Zhao Desan tonight to let him understand the close relationship between Li Fang and Hu Tao, and bit by bit lead him toward the truth of the wage-chasing incident. But who knew that, just like the first time she brought Zhao Desan here, they would clash with these thugs again, wasting so much time and leaving no chance to have a proper chat with Zhao Desan.

With a feeling of extreme regret, He Liping lifted her feet and walked toward the dance hall entrance. Just as she was about to reach the entrance, her phone rang. She received a message. She was a bit surprised—who would be sending her a message so late? She took her phone out of her purse and looked, only to find that the text message was from Zhao Desan: Sister He, wait for me in the dance hall for a few minutes, I'll be over right away. ===== CHAPTER 2130 =====