Chapter 17, Section 016: Request for Funds

One after another, the bra and underwear sellers crowded around him. Ye Chen hurriedly waved his hands to decline, but he was no match for the enthusiasm of the women on the first floor; before he knew it, they had pulled him into a corner. There, before him, was a mountain of brightly colored ladies’ underwear. Ye Chen’s appetite vanished entirely. So the exquisite lingerie hanging in the shop windows was actually bought by the kilo from the wholesale market?

“How much is it per kilo?” Ye Chen quickly asked.

“Fifty yuan a kilo. If you buy in bulk, I can give you a discount!” one of the women chuckled, her waist pouch bulging with cash, the sight making Ye Chen dizzy. Hell, maybe he should just switch careers and become a lingerie dealer—what future was there in being a bodyguard?

“Maybe next time. If I need anything, I’ll definitely contact you!” Ye Chen said, then dashed upstairs as fast as he could. The women tried to chase after him, but he was gone.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Ye Chen climbed the stairs, clutching a business card. According to the address on it, Venus Decoration Company was on the tenth floor of University City. The first nine floors belonged to the commercial district; the tenth was the start of the office building. At last, he found the company. The sign hanging above the door was chipped, the green iron door installed when University City was first built. Only this company preserved such “history”; all the others had long since remodeled. Ye Chen couldn’t help but marvel—what a peculiar decoration company, not even bothering to decorate their own entrance.

Knock, knock, knock...

Ye Chen rapped on the door of Venus Decoration Company.

“Who is it?” A rough, growling voice sounded from inside, clearly displeased with outsiders. Ye Chen quickly replied, “I’m here to see Bold Zhang!”

Click...

The door swung open to reveal a bald man with a deep knife scar on his scalp, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his face fierce and menacing. He glared at Ye Chen, his tiger-like brows furrowed. “What do you want?”

“Oh, I’m from Tianya Group...” Ye Chen began a vague introduction, just about to step inside.

Bang!

The green iron door slammed shut with a loud crash, nearly smashing Ye Chen’s nose. He stared wide-eyed—what the hell, was that even allowed? Not a word, just slammed the door in his face. Touching his chilled nose, Ye Chen felt a surge of anger. That damn thug had almost ruined his handsome nose.

Bang bang bang!

This time, Ye Chen knocked much harder, using his fist instead of his fingers. He pounded furiously, shouting, “Open up! Open the door!”

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“What do you want!” The man inside flung the door open, his fierce face twisted in rage as he yelled at Ye Chen, “Damn it, what are you doing? Are you looking for trouble?”

Smack!

Ye Chen slapped him without hesitation. He might not be able to beat that demoness Yaoyue, but taking down a few thugs was nothing. The man’s eyes sparkled with stars as he staggered in place, clutching his dark face, dazed. Ye Chen strode inside. Ahead was a table with floral glass, probably the reception desk of this rundown company.

The guys from Venus Decoration Company were clearly frustrated. Usually, the office was filled with brothers playing mahjong, but today, their boss had called everyone to headquarters, leaving only four or five behind. They hadn’t expected anything like this. Ye Chen walked right in; inside, the men were gathered around a table, playing mahjong amid clouds of smoke.

“Hey, what are you doing?” the men glared at Ye Chen.

“I’m here for payment.” Ye Chen smiled calmly, pulling a promissory note and cooperation agreement from his pocket. “Venus Decoration Company owes Tianya Group three hundred and sixty-two thousand yuan in material costs. Will you pay in cash or transfer?”

They exchanged glances, disbelief written on their faces. After a moment of silence, they burst out laughing. The black-faced man who’d been slapped finally came in, still clutching his face, furious. “Damn it, brothers, chop him up for me!”

“Wait!” A man in a white coat suddenly waved his hand from the office area. He stood up, walked toward Ye Chen, and said, “Since you’re bold enough to come here and collect debts, you must have some skill. I wonder, what exactly can you do?”

“Who are you?” Ye Chen asked curiously.

“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is whether you have the ability to get your money back!” The man laughed coldly.

From his gaze, Ye Chen finally realized he was a trained fighter; otherwise, he wouldn’t talk like this. Ye Chen didn’t bother with words and prepared to fight. He smiled and said, “Let’s go!”

The man was surprised that Ye Chen dared to challenge him directly, then grinned. “Don’t anyone interfere, this guy is mine!” He squared up, ready to fight.

Ye Chen didn’t hesitate. Whether host or guest, he swung his fists and charged. The man responded immediately.

“Oh!” As Ye Chen rushed forward, he suddenly exclaimed, “Damn, I just remembered something!”

“What is it?” The man nearly coughed up blood in frustration, seeing Ye Chen just stop like that. He grumbled, “Can’t you wait until the fight’s over?”

Bang!

Ye Chen’s fist hammered into the man’s abdomen, causing him to vomit everything he’d eaten. Ye Chen smirked coldly and said, “Actually, I forgot to tell you—I love sneak attacks!”

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Thud!

The man tried to get up, but hearing those words, he collapsed and lost consciousness. The others immediately grabbed weapons from under the table, their faces dark and murderous as they glared at Ye Chen.

“Damn it, kid, who sent you?” A pale-faced man brandished a gleaming machete, cursing at Ye Chen, “You bastard, you want to die? How dare you mess with Bold Zhang?”

“Yeah, you dare collect money from Bold Zhang? Did you even check with the crematorium in the eastern suburbs before coming?” The black-faced man, now recovered from Ye Chen’s beating, shouted.

Ye Chen glanced at his watch—it was already half past eight. He had to meet Zhang Yantong at the police station to discuss cooperation at nine, but now he was delayed by debt collection. Frustrated, he snapped, “Damn it, pay up now or you’ll regret it!”

Click, click!

The men all raised their machetes and surrounded Ye Chen. Unafraid, Ye Chen reached for his waist—his two cold, gleaming daggers were still there. He flicked the catches open, holding one between two fingers. Suddenly, he threw it; the dagger shot into one man’s arm.

The man instantly dropped his machete, clutching his arm and howling in pain. This was no joke—the sharp dagger pierced muscle, and the stabbing pain shot through his nerves.

The remaining three exchanged glances, their eyes fierce, and moved to flank Ye Chen from three sides, nodding to each other.

“Kill him!” The black-faced man spat and charged with his machete.

“Ah!!” The other two rushed forward, swinging their blades. All three attacked at once. Ye Chen’s brows twitched—such attacks were no threat at all. Compared to Yaoyue’s crescent blade technique, their skills were worlds apart. After nearly a year of being hunted by Yaoyue, Ye Chen’s abilities and evasion had increased dramatically. Now, facing these three, he stood unmoved.

Bang!

As the black-faced man’s vicious eyes drew within two meters, Ye Chen suddenly kicked, his foot smashing into the man’s chest. In that instant, he used the recoil to leap up, his legs like scissors, simultaneously striking the other two men’s throats.

Splat!

The two immediately coughed up blood; their throats were nearly pierced, though Ye Chen had held back—if he’d killed them, it would be trouble. Both fell. The black-faced man’s chest burned, but seeing four of his five men down, he lost his nerve, clutching his machete, uncertain what to do next.

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