Chapter 71: I Do Not Like Them

The reason Qiao Yu and her friends came here to drink tonight was precisely to infuriate Zhou Chun. When he went up to “catch up,” he ran straight into trouble, and a fierce confrontation broke out between the two sides. The girls might have looked delicate and gentle, but could girls who ride heavy motorbikes really be easy targets? In the blink of an eye, bottles were flying across the dance floor...

“Ladies and gentlemen, you all have status—let’s calm down and not act impulsively!” Zhang Qiang hurriedly tried to mediate, not wanting to offend either group, both of whom were VIPs.

Chen Jiao, still gripping a bottle, gave a cold snort at Zhang Qiang’s words. “Him, someone with status? ... Huh? What are you doing here?” The latter question was directed at Yang Meng. She hadn’t expected to see Yang Meng standing by Zhang Qiang’s side.

Zhou Chun, Quan Yajing, and the others also exclaimed in unison when they saw Yang Meng, “It’s you?”

Yang Meng gave them a cheerful wave. “Hey, fancy meeting you again.”

Quan Yajing, quick on the uptake, seized Yang Meng’s arm. “Why are you only just getting here? Did you know your girlfriend was being bullied?” With that, she shoved Yang Meng toward Qiao Yu.

Her intentions were clear: since Yang Meng was with Zhang Qiang—the club owner—having Yang Meng on their side would at least ensure Zhang Qiang wouldn’t play favorites against them.

Zhang Qiang was baffled. Had Yang Meng arranged to meet these girls here? That couldn’t be—hadn’t Yang Meng been drinking with him in the corner all evening? But then it dawned on him: Yang Meng was being used as a shield! Still, from the look of things, it seemed Yang Meng knew both sides.

While Zhang Qiang was still trying to make sense of the situation, Yang Meng swaggered over to Qiao Yu, looked Zhou Chun up and down, and said, “Hey, you—‘Chun’—what’s the deal? Hitting on my girlfriend twice in one day? Want me to smack you?”

He stood tall before Zhou Chun, towering over him by more than ten centimeters—Zhou Chun barely reached 1.7 meters. Zhou Chun felt the intimidation instantly.

“Mr. Zhang! I’m a ‘Prestige Partner’ at your bar! Can’t you even guarantee my basic safety?” Zhou Chun instinctively retreated a step and addressed Zhang Qiang.

At first, Zhang Qiang felt awkward—if he had to choose between Qiao Yu and Zhou Chun, he’d lean toward Zhou Chun. After all, in a nightclub, men were the main spenders. But with Yang Meng taking Qiao Yu’s side, there was nothing more to say.

“Director Zhou, listen to yourself. Our establishment welcomes guests from all walks of life, and of course we guarantee our customers’ safety. If we couldn’t ensure your safety, I’d fire the entire security team!” Zhang Qiang replied with a smile.

Zhou Chun, emboldened by this, cast a smug glance at Yang Meng—only for his grin to freeze as Zhang Qiang turned to Yang Meng, smiling, “Yang, my friend, this is my business, after all. For my sake, can we let this go?”

Yang Meng pointed at Zhou Chun, “Fine, I’ll let this slide for Zhang, but twice is enough—if you mess with my girl again, I’ll hang you from a lamppost like a windsock!”

Zhou Chun bristled. “You damn upstart, have you never suffered a loss? Think you’re untouchable?”

Yang Meng’s expression darkened. “Say that again if you dare!”

Zhang Qiang drew a sharp breath. He dearly hoped Zhou Chun wouldn’t push Yang Meng any further. Yang Meng claimed to run a barbecue joint, but something about him was uncanny. If nothing else, the Longteng siblings showed him far too much respect for someone in his line of work.

He quickly pulled Zhou Chun aside. “Director Zhou, you’re a valued guest, and we’re responsible for your safety—but if you cause trouble yourself, we can’t take responsibility.”

His meaning was clear: Don’t stir up trouble—you can’t handle this.

Zhou Chun hadn’t reached his position as sales director of an international medical device group by being slow-witted. He regarded Yang Meng thoughtfully.

But Yang Meng, now drunk and irritable, was losing patience. “What are you staring at? Want me to gouge your eyes out?”

“You—” Zhou Chun tried to retort, but Yang Meng cut him off. “What about me? Still standing here making a fool of yourself? Get lost—you’re ruining my night!”

Zhou Chun looked to Zhang Qiang for support, but the latter simply stood there, pretending not to hear.

“Fine, fine, fine!” Zhou Chun spat the words out. “Just you wait—this is not the end of it!”

Yang Meng leaned in, thrusting his face close. “Why wait? I’m right here—do something now if you have the guts!”

At this, Zhang Qiang signaled to Gao Pei, who immediately took up a cold, imposing stance behind Yang Meng, glaring at Zhou Chun.

Zhou Chun drew a deep breath, gave Yang Meng a thumbs up. “Alright, I admit defeat. You win!” With that, he turned and stormed off.

He felt a twinge of relief. Thankfully, Huo Yan had taken that little chick away; otherwise, if she’d witnessed his humiliation, it might have affected his business.

At least nobody had seen him at his worst today.

Yet Yang Meng sneered. “Come off it, man. Don’t pretend to be a tough guy—you chickened out, plain and simple. I’m only letting you go because of Zhang. From now on, best steer clear when you see me.”

Zhou Chun gritted his teeth. “Are you really going to burn this bridge? We move in the same circles—you want things this ugly?”

Yang Meng scoffed, “As if we’re in the same circle. Now get lost.”

Zhou Chun stamped his foot. “You win!” He turned away in a huff.

Watching him go, Yang Meng called out, “Why stomp your foot before you leave? Makes you look even more like a woman! Alright, Zhang, the annoying guy’s gone—let’s get back to drinking.”

Zhang Qiang signaled the DJ to resume the music, then turned to Yang Meng with a wry grin. “Didn’t expect you to have such a temper. We business folks don’t usually burn bridges like that.”

Yang Meng shook his head. “I’m not usually like this, Zhang—it’s just the booze tonight, makes me lose my temper... Alright, I’ll tell you the real reason: didn’t you notice there are three beauties here? A man’s got to put on a good show in front of beautiful women! Ladies, your problem’s solved. I’ll go back to my drinks.”

With that, he dragged Zhang Qiang back to their table, leaving Qiao Yu and her friends stunned on stage.

You say you wanted to impress the ladies, but you didn’t even invite them for a drink—instead, you just hauled Zhang Qiang away?

Once back at their cozy booth, Zhang Qiang glanced at the bewildered faces of Qiao Yu and her friends and then burst out laughing. “Yang, my friend, you really are a character. Is this all part of playing hard to get?”

Yang Meng raised his glass. “Playing what? I like gentle, sweet women—do any of those look like that to you?”

After clinking glasses and taking a sip, Zhang Qiang asked, “So, you know them?”

Yang Meng nodded. “We’re in the same motorcycle club. Only met today, but I’ve already pretended to be her boyfriend twice. Honestly, women like that are trouble: they’ll grab any man to use as a shield, never considering what might happen if the man they pick ends up on Zhou Chun’s bad side. Women like that are selfish, only thinking of themselves. Frankly, the smartest thing is to keep your distance.”

Zhang Qiang laughed. “If you know the risks of being used as a shield, why help her?”

Yang Meng replied matter-of-factly, “Isn’t it obvious? Because they’re pretty! If they were three ugly women, do you think I’d help? Besides, Zhou Chun is nothing to me. What’s he going to do, bite me?”

Zhang Qiang was silent for a moment, then raised his glass again. “Now I really feel like we should’ve met sooner. You’ve got everything figured out.”

Yang Meng shook his head. “To be honest, Zhang, I used to feel like I was living like a fool. I worked so hard all my life, but I was always poor. I could never figure out why.”

Zhang Qiang asked, “Have you figured it out now?”

Yang Meng nodded. “When you’re poor, you rent the cheapest place, which means it’s far away, so you spend hours on public transportation. Besides working, you have no time to study or improve yourself. So, even though it seems like you’re working hard, there’s really no room for progress. Lately, I finally have time, so I go to the library whenever I can—just hoping for a different life in the future.”

Zhang Qiang nodded in agreement. “Yang, you’re a smart man. That’s a great choice. Tonight, I’ll drink with you till we drop!”

But before he could finish, his phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, Zhang Qiang looked a bit embarrassed. “Ah, Yang, I’ve got an important call I need to take—a business matter. Will you excuse me for a moment?”

Yang Meng grinned. “No problem, Zhang. Go ahead—business first, drinks can wait.”

With an apologetic look, Zhang Qiang stepped away to take the call.

Yang Meng sat alone, pouring himself a drink, when suddenly a bottle of Ace of Spades Champagne was set down on his table. “Hey, Yang! We invited you to drink with us, but here you are sulking alone—are you looking down on us or what?”

No need to look—Qiao Yu and her friends had come over!