Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Subtle Touch

The reason Li Tao had asked for Chen Hongxu’s opinion in advance was, of course, to give himself a proper justification. He had no intention of letting Shunzi off so easily. After all, this was not a matter that could be resolved in a day or two. Even if Shunzi agreed, Li Tao would still need to arrange things with the hospital first. Once money fell into the hospital’s hands, getting it back wouldn’t be easy without some inside connections. That was simply out of the question.

Li Tao, who had been prepared to persistently press his case, was astonished to discover an absolutely stunning woman at Shunzi’s side. Judging by her attire and demeanor, she was clearly quite something herself. So he shifted his target for the moment, generously deciding to set aside his business with Shunzi. After all, he’d already “inoculated” him today and could get straight to the point next time. More importantly, between a fight and a fling—though both require energy—a man with any brains, upon seeing Xue Xi’s appearance, would unhesitatingly choose the latter.

What he hadn’t expected was to be rejected outright, and with such disdain—the woman flicked his hand away with her middle finger, as if he were nothing. Stunned, he glanced at the four tank-top-clad men who looked just as bewildered and unresponsive as he felt. That was when he knew his pride had truly taken a hit.

Li Tao turned back around, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and muttered, “Are young people these days all so oblivious to the ways of the world?”

A shadow flitted through his eyes. He quickly snatched a glass ashtray from the table and, with a sudden burst of energy, hurled it toward Chen Hongxu’s forehead. His posture and the force behind it made it clear he meant serious harm.

The sudden turn of events startled Xue Xi. She leapt back like a rabbit, fleeing without a thought for her boyfriend’s safety. She ran far away, trembling all over, clearly terrified.

“This girl’s acting gets better and better,” Chen Hongxu chuckled to himself, raising his hand without a hint of panic and neatly blocking the ashtray as it flew toward his head.

“You try to steal my girl and now you want to kill me? Isn’t that a bit much?” Chen Hongxu looked at the frustrated Li Tao and spoke coolly.

Li Tao, chalking his failure up to Chen Hongxu’s luck, didn’t reply. Unyielding, he swung again. Chen Hongxu blocked him once more. This happened three times, and even the previously tense Shunzi realized that Li Tao was being played.

Gradually, Li Tao sensed something was off. He kicked the table’s leg and used the momentum to leap back several meters, joining the four men blocking the door. With a grin, he said, “Almost got caught off guard there. Turns out you’re a trained fighter. You kids don’t have enough experience in the real world—let me teach you a lesson: always take out the leader first.”

Then, remembering that he’d just compared himself to a criminal, he spat in annoyance and coldly waved his hand, signaling the four burly men behind him to move in and rough up Chen Hongxu.

At that point, besides Chen Hongxu’s group of three, only Li Tao and his four men remained in the restaurant. Even the owner had vanished, and, as if things weren’t bad enough, had locked the kitchen door behind him. With the exit blocked by Li Tao’s group, escape was impossible.

At Li Tao’s command, the four men slowly began to encircle Chen Hongxu. As for the other two, they didn’t even bother assigning anyone to watch them—clearly, they didn’t see them as threats.

For Chen Hongxu, facing ordinary people like this was no challenge at all. Having witnessed far greater things, he now found it almost guilt-inducing to overpower regular people with absolute strength. Still, this faint twinge of guilt couldn’t affect his mindset or actions. He was, by nature, a cold-blooded creature unconcerned with others’ lives or deaths. Now that this group had chosen to provoke him, if he still hesitated out of guilt, it wouldn’t be bravado—it would be stupidity.

With a cold laugh, Chen Hongxu glanced at Li Tao, who stood by the door looking ready to run at any moment, and said, “Idiots always do idiotic things.”

Without waiting for the others to approach, Chen Hongxu grabbed a basin of pork belly from the table and hurled it at one of the burly men. As he did so, he sprang to his feet and shot forward like an arrow.

Naturally, a single basin could only hit one person, and it should have been easy to dodge such a large, slow-moving object. What caught the four men off guard was that Chen Hongxu, moving as fast as lightning, reached out mid-leap and pressed down on the very basin he’d thrown.

In a move none of them anticipated, he slammed it directly into one man’s face.

Before the four strongmen could even react, one of their number was already down—judging by the man sprawled on the ground with a basin covering his face, he was out of commission.

Chen Hongxu didn’t press his advantage. After all, Li Tao was still standing by the door. If he showed overwhelming strength, Li Tao might abandon his men and flee. But if he kept up this strategy of sudden, lucky attacks—slowly wearing them down—Li Tao might stick around, hoping things would turn in his favor.

It wasn’t that Li Tao couldn’t be caught if he ran, but there was no need to make a scene or draw unnecessary attention. Fame was not something Chen Hongxu was seeking at the moment.

The three remaining men eyed him warily. Chen Hongxu’s speed had unsettled them, but they weren’t about to charge in recklessly. After all, in a fight, speed alone isn’t everything—strength decides the outcome. The three men began to push the tables closer together, narrowing the already cramped space even more.

When they were satisfied with the setup, they resumed their advance, positioning themselves carefully—close enough to come to each other’s aid if one was attacked, but not so close as to be vulnerable to a group assault.

Chen Hongxu couldn’t help but find their busy maneuvering amusing. He glanced at the ever-cautious Li Tao and wondered what was wrong with the guy. With such an evident advantage, why was he still acting like a terrified mouse?

What Chen Hongxu didn’t know was that, despite his gentle appearance, Li Tao was actually trained. He’d always believed manual labor was for the lower classes, while intellectual work was superior. That was why he seldom fought and dressed more like a successful businessman. But just because he didn’t like to fight didn’t mean he couldn’t.

A rare move, paired with a deceptive façade, could easily catch the unwary. But Li Tao knew very well that each of his blows had been heavier than the last, yet his opponent had blocked them with ease. Even if it was luck, it should have hurt. Li Tao was well aware of his own strength. What he hadn’t expected was for Chen Hongxu to remain unscathed, even looking as if he planned to take on all of them. Ever cautious, Li Tao naturally sent his men to test the waters first. If he’d misjudged, he could step in later; if not, he’d have a better chance to run.

Author’s Note:
This is the second update today—where are those flowers and bookmarks?!