Chapter 187: Small Temple, Big Evil Winds; Shallow Waters, Many Turtles

“The food is here.”

Soon, Wan Liang and Luo Juan began serving the dishes.

Xu Shaochen had ordered nine dishes in total. When Wan Liang brought them over, each dish was generous in portion.

“Hmm, not bad. You’ve got skills. This place is going to be a hit. You’ll be rolling in money soon.”

Xu Shaochen tasted the food, then gave Wan Liang a thumbs-up. It was indeed a perfect blend of color, aroma, and taste, authentic to the flavors of Haiwen County.

“It’s alright, I guess.”

Wan Liang’s face showed a slight discomfort upon hearing this, but he forced a smile.

“Why are you standing there? Sit down and eat! You two aren’t just going to stand there and chat, right?”

Xu Shaochen patted the empty stool beside him and looked at Wan Liang and Luo Juan, urging them to sit.

Luo Juan and Wan Liang didn’t hesitate and sat down directly. They hadn’t had lunch yet anyway.

“Yo! Boss Wan, you’re having a feast here. Quite the spread you’ve got.”

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, a slightly frivolous voice rang out as three burly men walked in.

Leading the trio was a guy wearing a leather jacket despite the scorching weather. The tips of his hair were dyed yellow, making him look quite comical.

Seeing these three enter, the smiles on Wan Liang and Luo Juan’s faces instantly vanished, turning sour as they had been chatting with Xu Shaochen moments before.

“Get out! Whatever you need to say, do it tomorrow.” Wan Liang’s tone was stiff. He didn’t want to lose face in front of Xu Shaochen.

The yellow-haired man chuckled, curling his lips: “Boss Wan, that’s not very loyal of you. ‘Tomorrow’ becomes ‘the day after,’ and then when will it ever get done?”

“Oh! Is this beautiful lady your friend? Tsk tsk, talk about a phoenix falling into a sparrow’s nest. She’s way too pretty.”

The yellow-haired man’s eyes lit up with greed when he saw Song Xinran.

“What’s going on here?” Xu Shaochen frowned and looked at Luo Juan and Wan Liang, asking.

Wan Liang and Luo Juan exchanged a glance, then gave a bitter smile and briefly explained the situation to Xu Shaochen.

They had opened their store and overcome the most challenging times. Business had just started to pick up, but because of these three, their thriving business turned desolate.

These three men were sent by a second-generation rich kid from the county.

That rich kid’s family owned a factory. He wanted to open a restaurant and had his eyes on Wan Liang’s location.

He intended to buy both Wan Liang’s place and the shop next door to turn it into the biggest restaurant in Haiwen County.

But this place was Wan Liang and Luo Juan’s hard work. There was no way they’d sell, especially not at the low price that rich kid offered.

When they refused to sell, the yellow-haired man and his cronies started causing trouble every few days, scaring off all their customers.

“That’s the situation. It looks like this store won’t stay open much longer,” Wan Liang sighed. He was still holding out on selling, but he knew deep down that he’d eventually have to give in.

He wasn’t the hot-blooded youth he once was and knew he couldn’t fight against the rich kid in Haiwen County. The guy had money, after all.

Xu Shaochen let out a cold laugh: “A small temple with big evil winds, shallow waters with many turtles. Just because you run a factory, you think you can do whatever you want? One might think Haiwen County is owned by his family.”

“And who the hell do you think you are, daring to talk about our Young Master Liu like that? I think you’re tired of living!” The yellow-haired man cursed and pointed at Xu Shaochen’s nose.

Long Yi and Long Er immediately stood up, their cold gazes fixed on the yellow-haired man.

The yellow-haired man instantly cowered, swallowing hard and taking a step back.

Long Yi and Long Er’s eyes were terrifying, like those of killing machines.

“Call your boss and tell him to get over here,” Xu Shaochen said coldly, staring at the yellow-haired man.

Wan Liang and Luo Juan knew Xu Shaochen intended to intervene on their behalf. They were touched, but reason told them they couldn’t let Xu Shaochen get involved.

After all, Xu Shaochen didn’t have connections in Haiwen County, and it would be risky for him to meddle. He might end up making an enemy for no reason.

“Shaochen, don’t do anything rash. If worse comes to worst, we’ll just close the store. Luo Juan and I can go work in the city,” Wan Liang told Xu Shaochen. He’d feel terrible if something happened to Xu Shaochen just because he returned home.

Forcing back his fear, the yellow-haired man said to Xu Shaochen, “Kid, did you hear that? It’s smart to submit when necessary. They’re ready to give up—why are you still meddling…?”

“Smack!”

Long Yi slapped the yellow-haired man, saying coldly, “When speaking to our boss, you should mind your words and tone.”

“You…” The yellow-haired man felt a burning pain on his cheek. He was filled with rage but ultimately held it in, gritting his teeth. “Fine, fine, fine. You want me to call Young Master Liu, huh? Okay, just wait. I don’t believe you can do anything in this little corner of Haiwen County!”

After saying that, the yellow-haired man angrily dialed Liu Wenbiao’s number: “Young Master Liu, it’s Xiao Huang. Something… huh? You’re coming over right now? Fine, fine, I’ll wait.”

A moment later, the yellow-haired man hung up, looking at Xu Shaochen and snorting, “Young Master Liu is really pissed off. He’s bringing people here right now. You better get ready for some bad luck!”

“Shaochen…” Wan Liang immediately looked worried, hesitant to speak.

Xu Shaochen smiled calmly, “Relax, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve got this.”

“Heh, you talk big for someone who’s about to get in trouble,” the yellow-haired man sneered, not taking his words seriously at all.

“Vroom vroom vroom…”

Soon, the roar of an engine resounded, followed by the sound of footsteps as five people approached the restaurant.

The leader was a young man wearing a black suit with slicked-back hair. Four younger men followed behind him, two of whom were carrying bags.

“Young Master Liu, you’re here. These are the ones meddling in our business,” the yellow-haired man hurriedly walked to the door to greet them, his face full of fawning smiles. He pointed towards Xu Shaochen and the others.

Liu Wenbiao nodded indifferently. But when his eyes fell on Song Xinran, they widened instantly, and even his breathing paused.

She was stunning—so beautiful that it made him itch with the desire to spoil her.

In a small place like Haiwen County, he’d never seen such a beauty. Song Xinran stirred up quite the emotion in him.

“Smack!”

Liu Wenbiao backhanded the yellow-haired man across the face, scolding: “You fool! Who told you to cause trouble here? What nonsense!”

“Y-Young Master Liu…” The yellow-haired man was dumbfounded by the slap, looking at Liu Wenbiao with a face full of grievance.

He felt utterly wronged. He didn’t even understand what was happening.

“Step, step, step…”