Chapter Forty-Eight: Call Her Sister Guoguo!

Chapter Forty-Eight: Call Her Sister Guo!

Xu Yun slipped the car key into his pocket and walked out of the room unhurriedly. The guests and girls in the corridor were all in disarray, barely dressed and tangled together—a testament to how thriving Fan Nanjie’s business was. No wonder he was always in the mood to come and play.

Run, go on, keep running, Xu Yun thought, but he had no interest in the crowd charging down the stairs. All three exits were blocked by his people—he wanted to see just how they planned to escape.

No one dared to take the elevator, so Xu Yun swaggered in and rode it down alone to the first basement, where he changed into his own clothes in the bathhouse’s changing room. Fan Nanjie’s shouting had emptied even the bathing area; after all, who wasn’t afraid of the police? On a hot summer night, anyone coming here to bathe was hardly a respectable gentleman, and a few newcomers hurriedly pulled up their pants and fled.

Xu Yun left the bathhouse and arrived at the first floor, where a whole crowd was jammed at the entrance. Dan Hongning stood boldly at the main doors, a machete in hand, flanked by Pang Gang and over fifty men, all holding metal pipes and rods, exuding an intimidating presence.

“Anyone who dares leave through this door, I’ll chop them up!” Dan Hongning brandished his blade, radiating a domineering aura. Who said he was just the boss of the Hot Pot City? He’d wielded a knife before he was eighteen!

Two managers stared at each other, clueless as to what was really happening. The guests were dumbfounded—they hadn’t expected such a mess. Wasn’t this supposed to be a night out for fun? Upstairs, they’d heard the police were coming; now, in the blink of an eye, it had turned into a gang war!

The dozen or so security thugs usually guarding the bathhouse were also in the lobby, but faced with Dan Hongning’s fifty men, they didn’t dare make a move. Their leader tried to threaten, “This is Brother Jie’s place! Are you looking to get yourself killed?”

Dan Hongning gritted his teeth. “I don't care whose place this is. Tonight, even Fan Nanjie won’t walk out of here!”

Sensing the situation, some of the smarter girls were already sneaking toward the back door, and the security thugs subtly urged the guests to do the same.

But they didn’t know the back was also blocked. Lyu Feng was the fiercest of the three—almost a hundred men guarded the rear, all brandishing machetes that glinted coldly under the streetlights.

Qiangzi hadn’t expected such a turnout and was utterly impressed by Qiu Yan—how could such a tough guy like Lyu Feng act so meekly in front of her? Who was Qiu Yan, really?

Lyu Feng’s men blocked the back door so thoroughly that even without a word, anyone approaching it lost their nerve—who would dare go out? It’d be suicide.

The hidden passage! That was the only escape route.

But even Fan Nanjie couldn’t get through the hidden passage tonight.

“Brother Jie, I’m sorry, I have no choice,” Kong Zhong said with an awkward grin. “If you want to leave, try the front or back door. I really can’t let you through here.”

Fan Nanjie glared murderously at Kong Zhong, wearing a bathrobe he’d picked up from somewhere. His voice was filled with venom. “Fine, Kong Zhong. I never meddled in your territory, but tonight you’ve got the upper hand. I want to see how long you can keep it—if I don’t ruin you, I’m not a Fan!”

Kong Zhong was nervous, but more fearful of Xu Yun and Qiu Yan. “Brother Jie, I told you I have no choice. Don’t hold it against me. If you don’t believe me, go ask Dan Hongning or Lyu Feng at the front and back doors if they dare let you out.”

“You!” Fan Nanjie was furious, wishing he could tear Kong Zhong apart.

“Get back!” Xiao Fei snatched a machete from Kong Zhong’s men and pointed it at Fan Nanjie. Just thinking about how much this man had forced his uncle to suffer made Xiao Fei’s blood boil.

Fan Nanjie’s jaw trembled, but he swallowed his anger and rushed toward the front door. “Damn it, this is my turf! I don’t believe I can’t get out!”

He was going to lead his dozen thugs to force a way through Dan Hongning’s blockade.

But Xu Yun wasn’t about to give him the chance.

By the time Fan Nanjie reached the lobby, his thugs were already sprawled on the floor in all directions. Xu Yun stood at the reception desk, tapping impatiently, while the cashier nervously stacked bundles of cash for him.

Dan Hongning had witnessed it all—he’d never seen someone so fierce. Xu Yun dispatched a dozen burly thugs with barely any effort, not taking them seriously at all. Three punches and two kicks, and they were all down. His moves were simple, but carried a dominating power—every punch left blood and torn flesh. Dan Hongning felt lucky he’d chosen the right side; crossing this man would be far worse than angering Qiu Yan.

“That’s it?” Xu Yun frowned at the mere hundred thousand on the desk.

The cashier’s legs were already trembling. “That’s all we took in today…”

Fan Nanjie fumed, but seeing his men lying all over the floor, he had no choice but to swallow his pride. “Brother, take the money. For the sake of peace, let’s pretend none of this happened.”

Xu Yun sneered at Fan Nanjie’s attempt at reconciliation. “Take a step back? Yet you’re always the one forcing others to the edge.”

Without giving Fan Nanjie a chance to reply, Xu Yun called over Pang Gang. “Brother Pang, come here. Take this money—it’s for the workers’ lost wages at the hospital. It’s not much, hope you don’t mind. Oh, and there’s twenty thousand in there for Xiao Dan and the other two—they covered for me earlier.”

Only now did Fan Nanjie realize what was really going on. Seeing Pang Gang, he finally understood why he’d lost tonight. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t figure out how a penniless man from the slums like Pang Gang had found someone as powerful as Xu Yun as a backer.

Pang Gang strode over and took the money from Xu Yun. “Words can’t express my gratitude. If there’s anything you need in the future, just say the word—my life is yours!”

Xu Yun just grinned. His phone vibrated in his pocket—a message from Qin Wan’er: My team and I are here. When are you having your people leave? Or should I just arrest the lot?

Xu Yun couldn’t help but laugh—it seemed Comrade Qin Wan’er was getting the hang of working with him. He waved his arm, “Everyone, clear out! You can get your red envelopes from Boss Dan later! Xiao Dan, take Brother Pang with you!”

At that moment, sirens wailed outside. Dan Hongning and his crew panicked and hurried to leave—if they got caught now, it was their own bad luck. He grabbed Pang Gang and bolted.

Seeing this, Fan Nanjie panicked too. His eyes flashed and, in the confusion, he tried to escape. But Xu Yun wasn’t about to let him. In a blink, Xu Yun blocked his path.

“Trying to run?” Xu Yun’s smile vanished. He stopped the terrified Fan Nanjie with a lightning move, delivering a brutal knee strike that nearly made him vomit his last meal.

A cornered beast always lashes out. Now, Fan Nanjie was just that—knowing his only chance was to take out the man in front of him.

Fan Nanjie, mind clouded, swung his arm wildly, sending a hook whistling through the air.

But Xu Yun anticipated it, blocked the punch, and instantly countered with a crushing blow to Fan Nanjie’s face. Blood poured down as Fan Nanjie flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing onto the reception desk and sending the cashier scrambling for cover.

“Pathetic.” Xu Yun shook his hand and looked around—the place was clear; his people were gone. Qin Wan’er entered with a squad of police officers. The guests and girls, still half-dressed, were so terrified they all crouched down with their hands over their heads.

From a distance, Xu Yun whistled at Qin Wan’er, then pointed at Fan Nanjie lying on the floor. Before she could reach him, Xu Yun had already turned and walked toward the back door.

Everyone at the back and secret doors had already withdrawn—only Qiangzi and Xiao Fei remained, waiting for Xu Yun.

“Brother, did you call Officer Qin?” Qiangzi asked, puzzled. “We could’ve handled this ourselves. Why call the police?”

“Are you stupid?” Xu Yun replied. “This is called justified retaliation. Once the police show up, everything changes. Now it’s a case of police-civilian cooperation.” As he spoke, he fished out the BMW car key and tossed it to Qiangzi. “Where’s Fan Nanjie’s car?”

Qiangzi and Xiao Fei exchanged glances—damn, Brother Yun was something else! He’d even taken Fan Nanjie’s car? Soon, Qiangzi found the BMW 5 Series. The three of them got in and drove off without a trace.

“Brother, are we just taking this car?” Qiangzi had never driven such a nice car before and was positively beaming.

Xu Yun tapped him on the head. “Are you an idiot? We can’t keep this car. Sell it cheap somewhere. Fan Nanjie’s looking at three to five years in prison, and no one’s going to check where his car went. If you drive it, you’re just looking for trouble.”

Qiangzi nodded—Brother Yun was right. You couldn’t keep a car like this. But a top-spec BMW 535 was still worth at least a hundred thousand, even as a black-market vehicle. The thought made him press the accelerator a little harder.

The Three Tigers of the South City drove straight to the medicinal restaurant. Dan Hongning relayed everything he’d seen in the lobby to Kong Zhong and Lyu Feng, not exaggerating a bit. When the other two heard how Xu Yun had taken out a dozen of Fan Nanjie’s thugs, they were both skeptical and amazed.

Qiu Yan came downstairs, her face questioning, “What are you three doing here?”

The three exchanged glances. “Sister Yan, we’re waiting for Brother Yun.”

Ruan Qingshuang and Guo Guo, curious, also came down. “Where’s Xu Yun? Why isn’t he back yet?”

“Hello, Sister Shuang!” The three greeted her with utmost respect, startling Ruan Qingshuang.

Guo Guo, quite proud, added, “Call me Sister Guo!”

The three hesitated, glancing at each other, unsure if they should comply. But Kong Zhong took the initiative, grinning obsequiously, “Sister Guo!”

“Guo Guo, don’t mess around,” Ruan Qingshuang admonished, then turned to the three men. “Where’s Xu Yun?”

“Brother Yun should be back any minute,” Dan Hongning replied carefully. “Don’t worry, Sister Shuang.”

A titanium-colored BMW 5 Series screeched to a halt outside the restaurant. Qiangzi jumped out and hurriedly opened the back door. Xu Yun stepped out in style.

Guo Guo’s eyes sparkled. “Wow, Dad, you look so cool!”