Chapter 17: Pardon the Interruption

Outside the Nightingale Club, a crowd had gathered. Besides members from the Sichuan and Hunan gangs, there were many other guests as well.

Sensing something was amiss, most of these guests began to withdraw—some drove away, while others stayed a bit further off to watch the commotion.

Soon after, a group of young women dressed in revealing attire emerged. They were the club’s hostesses, stepping out to avoid the turmoil but not venturing far, instead hiding nearby to observe. Their appearance drew the appreciative gaze of many passersby.

Finally, the manager appeared, accompanied by a group of waitresses. These waitresses were quite attractive in their own right; with a change of clothes and some grooming, they could rival the hostesses.

Cao Yang’s eyes lingered repeatedly on the hostesses. When the waitresses came out, he withdrew his gaze and scanned the crowd for Li Yan’s figure.

After several rounds of searching without success, he stopped a waitress to ask, “Sister, have you seen Li Yan? Why didn’t she come out with you?”

“Li Yan? Who’s that?” The waitress clearly didn’t know her.

“She’s my sister—tall, slim, quite pretty, and just started here a few days ago.”

“Oh, you mean the new girl?” The waitress snapped, “She’s the one who caused all this trouble. She spilled wine on the Hunan big brother. He’s still inside, and tonight’s going to be rough for her!”

Cao Yang frowned at this. Li Yan had spilled wine on a guest? And that guest was the Hunan big brother?

He found it hard to believe. From what he knew of Li Yan, she was stingy, timid, and meek—never someone to provoke others. She wouldn’t dare splash wine on a customer.

Even if the guest was unreasonable or tried to take liberties with her, she would endure rather than act out like that.

But the waitress had no reason to lie.

...

The club had been cleared out. The Hunan gang tried to take control, but the Sichuan gang blocked them. Both sides stood at the entrance in two lines, armed and glaring at each other.

They stared each other down, waiting for their leaders to give the order to strike.

Amid this tense atmosphere, Cao Yang strode boldly into the club.

Neither gang’s men recognized him, but seeing his confident demeanor, they assumed he was a trusted lieutenant of the opposing leader and let him pass.

...

Inside, the crowd was even denser than outside. Nearly a hundred people filled the hall to capacity.

At the innermost corner, two men sat facing each other in a private booth.

“Iron Xiong, what do you mean by this?” Jim, the Sichuan gang’s leader, asked sharply.

“Jim” sounded foreign or like a minority name, but in fact, he was a pure Sichuan Han Chinese.

His real name was Xia Fei. As a child, his nickname was “Flying Chicken Mother.” Over time, friends dropped the “Flying” and just called him “Chicken Mother.” Later, as he gained status, few dared call him that directly, so some called him Jim instead, which he used as his English name.

“I mean? I should be asking you! I came to spend money at your place, but you’re unwelcoming. Then your waitress splashes wine on me—that’s just bullying!” The man called Iron Xiong snapped angrily.

His real name was Yu Tie, just over thirty years old, head of the Hunan gang’s territory here. His bulky build earned him the nickname “Iron Xiong.”

Iron Xiong was theatrical by nature, speaking with vivid intonation and gestures.

Jim looked at the trembling Li Yan nearby upon hearing Iron Xiong’s words.

He was the actual person in charge of the Nightingale Club but was unfamiliar with this girl.

“You’re new here?” he asked coldly, his expression grim.

“Yes, boss,” Li Yan nodded shakily.

“Why did you spill wine on a customer?”

Li Yan glanced cautiously at Iron Xiong and whispered, “I didn’t. When I was pouring, he grabbed my hand and splashed it on himself.”

“Damn b*tch! Are you saying I’m falsely accusing you?!” Iron Xiong was furious, cursing at Li Yan. If Jim hadn’t signaled him to stop, he might have struck her.

Jim believed Li Yan’s words. He also knew Iron Xiong was deliberately causing trouble today. A few days ago, their men lost a protection fee dispute over a venue, so Iron Xiong was looking for an excuse to stir trouble.

Knowing this was one thing, but what could be done?

Fight? Jim wasn’t willing—not out of fear of the Hunan gang but because there was little benefit. This was his own venue. If a brawl broke out, the Nightingale Club would be closed for at least three months for renovations.

“Enough, Iron Xiong. Why make things hard for a young girl? She spilled wine on you—just clean it off. If that’s not enough, I’ll buy you a new set.”

“Forget that! This jacket was sewn stitch by stitch by my mother. You gonna pay for that? Can you afford it?”

Jim rolled his eyes. The logo on the jacket was still intact—it was his mother who had sewn it on!

“Well, what do you want? If you really want to fight, I’m not afraid of you. At worst, you wreck the Nightingale, and I’ll come over to your turf and keep you company.”

“Hahaha...” Iron Xiong laughed heartily. “You trying to scare me? In front of all my brothers? Do you think I’m scared?”

“If you don’t believe me, try it.”

He fixed Jim with a steady stare before bursting into laughter again. “Brother Jim, just kidding. But this jacket really was sewn by my mom.”

“This jacket is priceless to me, but to give you face, I’ll offer a friendly price—pay me one million, and it’s settled.”

Jim rolled his eyes again. “One million? You really dare say that.”

“Mother’s love is priceless!”

...

“I won’t give you a single cent. Either you start fighting now or get lost!”

“Oh come on, Brother Jim, don’t be angry. You can bargain. If one million is too much, fifty thousand is okay, too.”

“I said, not a cent. I even want you to compensate me for the losses I’ll suffer tonight.”

“So, no deal, huh?”

“No deal.”

Iron Xiong looked at the trembling Li Yan. “Little girl, you’re quite pretty!”

Li Yan lowered her head, too afraid to speak.

“You wet my clothes, your boss won’t pay for it. What do you think you should do?”

“I…” Li Yan was too scared to utter a word.

“How about this: you kneel down and apologize to me, then go sell at my place. Once you’ve earned me one million, I’ll let you go. How’s that?”

“No…”

“No?”

“I’ll decide later. For now, you kneel and apologize!”

Li Yan looked toward Jim, hoping her boss would come to her rescue.

But Jim turned his head away, ignoring her. To him, she was just a waitress, a newbie. If Iron Xiong wanted to use her to get at him, he wouldn’t fall for it.

“Kneel down!” Iron Xiong suddenly shouted, his face terrifying.

He pressured Li Yan mainly to slap Jim in the face—humiliating his employee in his own club and seeing how Jim would respond.

But Jim was shameless enough to ignore it. Humiliate if you want; he wouldn’t take the bait. She was just a waitress, not worth it.

Li Yan trembled violently, tears streaming down, ready to kneel.

At that moment, a voice she knew all too well rang out.

“Sorry to interrupt. Have you seen my sister?”