Chapter 23: Old Friends

For most of his past life, Chen Yu spent his time revolving around Li Qingwan; he did not have many close friends, and even fewer friends of the opposite sex, but Ning Ruoxue counted as one. After he was framed and imprisoned, she had constantly been searching for evidence to exonerate him.

It was a pity that in the end, she still could not clear Chen Yu of suspicion, but Chen Yu would never forget that sentiment of hers.

"Ning, Ning..."

For a moment, Chen Yu did not know what to do; he had a thousand words stuck in his throat, yet he did not know how to step forward and greet her.

After all, he was no longer the Chen Yu of the past.

She walked up to a bar, hesitated for a moment, and went inside.

Chen Yu hurriedly followed her in.

"A cocktail," Ning Ruoxue said to the bartender as she sat at the bar.

The bartender nodded, put on gloves, and skillfully began to mix the drink.

Ning Ruoxue seemed to have something on her mind; she finished the cocktail quickly, and she asked the bartender for another.

Chen Yu sat behind her, his mood somewhat complicated for a moment.

Just then, a young man walked up to her side, gave a lecherous grin, and said, "Beauty, all alone? Let me buy you a drink."

"Not interested." Ning Ruoxue did not even glance at the man; she had encountered far too many people like this trying to pick her up.

"Don't keep people at a distance; let's get to know each other, my name is Zhang Zihao," the man said, casually revealing the Water Ghost watch on his wrist. "How about this watch, can I buy one night with you?"

"Get lost," Ning Ruoxue spat out.

"You damn bitch, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit; there isn't a woman I want to play with that I haven't gotten my hands on," Zhang Zihao said in a rage. "What are you acting so high and mighty for in a place like this? Name your price, I'll keep you for the month."

Ning Ruoxue did not say a word; she grabbed the glass of wine in front of her, splashed it onto Zhang Zihao's face without hesitation, set the glass down, and turned to leave.

"You're courting death." Zhang Zihao was furious; he grabbed Ning Ruoxue's wrist, and with his other hand, he raised his palm to strike.

Suddenly, a hand gripped Zhang Zihao's wrist, and at the same time, a low voice came over: "If you have something to say, say it properly; don't resort to violence."

"Who are you?" Zhang Zihao turned his head to look, only to see it was Chen Yu.

"I am Chen Yu," Chen Yu said calmly.

"Chen Yu?" Ning Ruoxue, who had been three parts drunk, suddenly raised her head; her gaze met Chen Yu's, and her heart trembled slightly.

The person before her had the same name and surname as her late friend, but he was definitely not the same person; yet, his eyes were incomparably familiar.

"Courting death." Zhang Zihao sneered, grabbed a wine bottle, and smashed it toward Chen Yu's head.

But as his hand tightened, the bottle was snatched away by Chen Yu, who then backhanded the bottle against Zhang Zihao's head.

With a crash, the bottle shattered, and Zhang Zihao clutched his head and let out a miserable scream.

"You dare hit me? Do you know who my uncle is?" Zhang Zihao clutched his head, looking at Chen Yu in disbelief.

"I don't know, and I don't care," Chen Yu said calmly. "Even if your uncle came, I would still hit you just the same."

"Fine, fine, kid, you just wait for me." Zhang Zihao scrambled up and turned to leave.

"Thank you." Ning Ruoxue stared fixedly at Chen Yu; she did not know why, but she always felt that there was an aura about him that was very similar to her late friend.

"No need to thank me; you should leave quickly, that kid will call people down in a moment."

"Aren't you leaving?"

"If I leave, he will still trouble you later; I have to resolve this trouble," Chen Yu smiled.

"If you aren't leaving, I'm not leaving either." Ning Ruoxue simply sat back down.

"You're affecting my performance by staying here." Chen Yu was left between laughter and tears; even after a lifetime apart, she was still the same as before.

"Who was fighting here just now?" Just then, a group of people walked over in the bar; the leader was also an acquaintance—it was the cousin of the body Chen Yu had been reborn into, Chen Minglin.

"Chen Yu, it's you?" Chen Minglin was slightly stunned. "You were the one fighting just now?"

"That's right, it was me," Chen Yu nodded. "Cousin, do you work here?"

"I'm in charge of security here," Chen Minglin said with a hint of pride on his face. "How many years has it been since you went back to see your dad?"

"Is he... doing well?" Chen Yu's expression was somewhat complicated; he had been estranged from his father for nearly ten years, and only he himself knew that this Chen Yu actually missed his father very much.

But in the eyes of outsiders, after graduating, he had not attended to his proper duties and had squandered his father's family fortune, having already severed the father-son relationship.

This cousin was from his eldest uncle's family, and what he liked most was watching the Chen Yu family make a fool of themselves.

"Heh, he hasn't been angered to death yet. Chen Yu, the people who spend money here are not ordinary; you've caused big trouble this time," Chen Minglin sneered.

"Oh, really? How big of a trouble?" Chen Yu smiled.

"But considering you're my cousin, I'll resolve this trouble for you." Chen Minglin put on an air of 'I've got you covered' and turned to ask, "Who was the one fighting?"

"Manager Chen, the one who was just here is the one who got beaten; he was hit with a wine bottle by your cousin," the bartender whispered.

"Then who is the one who got beaten?" Chen Minglin asked.

"Young Master Zhang," the bartender's face looked somewhat unpleasant.

"Which damn Young Master Zhang?" Chen Minglin asked impatiently.

"Young Master Zhang Zihao," the bartender's voice trembled slightly.

"What did you say?" Chen Minglin's originally arrogant face instantly turned deathly pale. "Zhang Zihao?"

"Yes."

"Chen Yu, you're dead; you've provoked big trouble. I can't save you this time, you're on your own," Chen Minglin almost roared.

"I never intended for you to save me anyway," Chen Yu glanced at Chen Minglin.

"Fine, you're awesome, just keep acting tough; in a moment you won't even be able to cry. You idiot, do you know who Young Master Zhang is?" Chen Minglin shouted.

"I don't know, who is he?" Chen Yu asked.

"His uncle is the boss of Fengling; it's a matter of minutes for him to make you die. You can go die if you want, but don't drag me down with you!" Chen Minglin now felt like he wanted to die.

Zhang Zihao was one of the three great evil young masters of Fengling and often hung out in various nightlife venues; their bar was originally a small one, but who would have thought that the evil young master would actually come here.

If tonight's matter was not handled well, he would be doomed along with it.

"Tie this kid up for me, and wait for Young Master Zhang to come and deal with him," Chen Minglin said furiously.

"Yes, General Manager Chen." Several nightclub security guards stepped forward, intending to grab Chen Yu.

"I am a lawyer; whoever touches him, I will sue you until you rot in prison," Ning Ruoxue, standing to the side, said sternly.

"Screw your lawyer, get him for me!" Chen Minglin cursed, and several security guards rushed toward Chen Yu.

Chen Yu suddenly stepped forward and delivered a heavy kick to one of the security guards; with a *bang*, the guard flew backward, knocking down the two people behind him.

A chaotic noise erupted, and many tables and chairs in the bar were knocked over.

"Chen Yu, you..." Chen Minglin was furious.

*Slap! * His response was a loud slap across the face from Chen Yu.

"You bastard, you dare hit me!" Chen Minglin was incensed; he had always looked down on Chen Yu, yet this brat actually dared to hit him? He turned and lunged at Chen Yu, but Chen Yu took the opportunity to kick him flying.

*Thud! * Chen Minglin landed heavily on the ground; he was kicked so hard he saw stars and couldn't get back up for a moment.

"Chen Minglin, being a dog is fine, but don't lick so disgustingly." Chen Yu frowned; he knew his cousin's nature—in front of rich people, he was just a dog, and after all these years, he hadn't changed a bit.

"Chen Yu, you... just you wait, Young Master Zhang won't let you off." Chen Minglin's mouth was full of blood.

"I'll wait for him to come," Chen Yu smiled.

Suddenly, a massive crowd of people rushed into the bar, kicking over tables and chairs along the way; the bar's music stopped, and the interior lights turned on.

With his head wrapped in gauze, Zhang Zihao shouted aggressively, "The bar is closed for business today; everyone unrelated, get out!"

Seeing that trouble had broken out, the people enjoying themselves in the bar left silently; after all, fights were too common in bars.

"Young Master Zhang, I intended to capture him and hand him over to you for disposal, but this brat is too good at fighting." Chen Minglin endured the pain, got up, and ran to Zhang Zihao's side.

"Grandson, you didn't run after hitting me; I'll give you credit for having guts." Zhang Zihao didn't even glance at Chen Minglin; he glared hatefully at Chen Yu and waved his hand, saying, "Da Hei, hack him to death; I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

"Don't worry, Young Master Zhang, I'll definitely cripple him today." A burly man sneered, pointed at Chen Yu, and said, "Kill him."

As soon as his voice fell, several bodyguards reached to their waists, each drew a machete, let out a shout, and slashed toward Chen Yu.

Chen Yu flashed, snatched the machete from the hand of the leading burly man, and backhanded him with the blunt side of the blade; with a *slap*, the man screamed and collapsed to the ground, his face beaten into a bloody mess.

Immediately after, four machetes slashed down in unison; Chen Yu gathered his Qi, swung the machete in his hand backward, and with a *ding-ding-ding*, the four machetes in the hands of the men behind him were all snapped in two.