Chapter 261: Chen Dongqiu Offers to Treat

“Bi… Big Brother, please let us go! We promise to turn over a new leaf and never do anything wrong again.”

The four burly men who had been so fierce moments ago suddenly became timid, looking at Xu Shaochen with pitiful expressions, pleading incessantly.

“Call the police and have them dragged away.”

Xu Shaochen said to Mei Liangxin, who was behind him. Seeing how pitiful the four men looked, he didn’t even feel like hitting them.

“No, no, no, Big Brother, you can hit me! You should beat us instead!”

The four of them, upon hearing this, immediately changed their expressions and clung to Xu Shaochen’s leg, begging him to hit them.

“Let go, I don’t hit people.”

Xu Shaochen kicked away the person clinging to his leg, reprimanding him righteously.

Xu Shaochen believed in freedom, harmony, civilization, prosperity, and democracy. He was a famously excellent young man. How could he possibly resort to hitting someone?

Mei Liangxin’s mouth twitched twice. You don’t hit people? How can you say that with a straight face? Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning? He took a step to the side, just in case the lightning hit him by mistake.

“No!” The leader of the burly men shouted and lunged forward to grab Xu Shaochen’s leg again. “Big Brother, are we even considered human? We’re just a bunch of animals! Hitting animals doesn’t count as hitting people, so hit us!”

“No, get lost.”

“No, you have to hit us. If you don’t, it means you look down on us. Big Brother, hit us!”

“Yes, kick me! Use your foot to kick me!”

Passersby who saw this scene were all dumbfounded. Were they seeing things, or had these people gone mad?

Why were they doing such strange things?

This was the first time they had ever seen someone begging to be beaten. It was truly shameless.

“How about this, I won’t call the police or hit you. How about I give you all a chance?”

Xu Shaochen was getting a bit impatient, but then he suddenly thought of something and smiled at the four men.

The four of them immediately perked up, nodding eagerly like pecking chickens, looking at Xu Shaochen with hopeful expressions.

Heaven have mercy on them; they had been in the highway robbery business for three months. During these three months, not only had they not earned a single penny, but sometimes they even had to cover the travel expenses of the penniless people they tried to rob.

Today, they had finally steeled their resolve not to be soft-hearted and to be proper villains—only to run into a ruthless person like Mei Liangxin, who valued money more than life.

They were all law-abiding citizens; if the police got involved, they’d end up with criminal records. And criminal records stay with a person for life.

The most frustrating part was that they hadn’t even stolen a single cent. If they ended up with an ‘attempted robbery’ charge, that would be a huge loss.

So at this point, if Xu Shaochen asked them to do something, even if it meant eating dirt, they would have to do it.

“Go get me a top-quality coffin. Here’s my contact information. Of course, you can also try running away.”

Xu Shaochen said calmly, tossing a business card to the four men.

“No, no, no, Big Brother, don’t worry. We absolutely won’t run.”

The four of them quickly shook their heads. Run? That’s impossible. Xu Shaochen had a gun. Even if they had a hundred guts, they wouldn’t dare run.

“Go on then.”

Xu Shaochen waved his hand, and the four men scrambled away, clutching the business card.

“Why do you need a coffin? Preparing for rainy days? Isn’t that a bit too soon? You probably have a few more years left.”

After the four men left, Mei Liangxin looked at Xu Shaochen curiously.

“Shut up.” Xu Shaochen snapped at him angrily before explaining, “The coffin is a gift. I’ll be attending a wedding in a couple of days. I can’t just show up empty-handed, can I?”

“You… are really a piece of work.” Mei Liangxin paused for a moment before spitting out four words.

He couldn’t help but think about which poor soul had the misfortune of offending Xu Shaochen and would receive a coffin as a wedding gift. It really was their unlucky day.

“Let’s go.”

Xu Shaochen didn’t want to bother with Mei Liangxin anymore, so he got into the car with Liu Rushuang.

“Wait for me!”

Seeing this, Mei Liangxin quickly followed.

……………………………

The three of them returned to the hotel.

But just as they reached the hotel entrance, they ran into Chen Dongqiu again.

“Miss Liu, Mr. Xu, are you just coming back from outside?”

Chen Dongqiu greeted them first, walking up to them with a warm smile and a perfectly natural demeanor.

“Yes, are you heading out, Mr. Chen?”

Ever since Xu Shaochen mentioned that Chen Dongqiu had an interest in her, Liu Rushuang no longer felt as natural around him as she once did. Instead, she became guarded.

Thinking back, before Xu Shaochen arrived, she and Chen Dongqiu had often ‘bumped into each other’ everywhere: in the elevator, the hallway, the hotel lobby, even when she went out for a meal.

At first, she didn’t think much of it. After all, they were both staying in the same hotel, so it seemed like a coincidence.

But after Xu Shaochen mentioned it, she realized something was off. How could there be so many coincidences in the world?

“Yes, I’m going to discuss a contract. Since we’ve met by chance, how about I treat you both to dinner tonight?”

Chen Dongqiu said, looking mostly at Liu Rushuang, his gaze growing hotter the more he looked at her.

Only he, Chen Dongqiu, was worthy of this woman. She shouldn’t be lying in someone else’s bed.

“Well…” Liu Rushuang glanced at Xu Shaochen. Of course, she was leaving this decision to him.

Xu Shaochen smiled, “That would be too much trouble. How about we treat you instead?”

“Mr. Xu, you’re too polite. Whoever treats, it’s all the same. How about I treat today, and you can return the favor next time? Let’s exchange numbers; we’ll meet tonight at Yipinju.”

There was no way Chen Dongqiu would let Xu Shaochen treat them. After all, tonight’s dinner was part of his plan against Xu Shaochen.

He planned to make Liu Rushuang lose faith in Xu Shaochen and create doubt in their relationship. Only then could he make his move.

“All right, see you tonight.”

Xu Shaochen agreed. No matter what Chen Dongqiu had in mind, he was outwardly acting like someone who simply wanted to make friends. If Xu Shaochen refused, it would seem suspicious.

After exchanging phone numbers, Xu Shaochen took Liu Rushuang to the elevator.

As he watched them leave, a cold smile appeared on Chen Dongqiu’s lips. He then pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Did you arrange everything I asked?… Hmm, just make sure there are no mistakes. You know how I am. That’s all. Wait for my call.”

After hanging up, Chen Dongqiu left the hotel feeling triumphant.

He wasn’t really going to discuss a contract. Instead, he was heading to the docks. A shipment of smuggled watches had just arrived from Hong Kong, and he had to personally oversee it.