Chapter 158: The Financial Conglomerate Family, the Bei Clan!

Seeing this, Ye Wushang kept his composure, picked up his wine glass, and took a light sip.

At this moment, Bei Chaonan, who had already been humiliated and was burning with suppressed anger, suddenly saw someone stepping out to court death.

As a local tyrant of Jinghan and one of its top prominent young masters, how could he possibly tolerate anyone provoking him?

His face instantly darkened as he glared at Qi Tianfang, barking, "Who the fuck do you think you are? What business is it of yours that I'm picking up chicks?"

"If you don't want to die, get the hell out of here, or else—"

"Or else your mother's—!"

Before the threat could leave his lips, Qi Tianfang suddenly roared and shoved him hard.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the surrounding patrons, who swarmed over, pointing and whispering among themselves.

This instantly caused Bei Chaonan to lose face completely. Above all else, he valued his reputation the most.

Anyone who didn't show him respect would have their entire family wiped out and their ancestral graves dug up!

And yet this blind fool actually dared to lay hands on him. Enraged, he grabbed a bottle of imported liquor and charged forward. "Dared to push me? I'll fucking kill you—"

"Bang!"

Though Qi Tianfang was a pampered young master, he had learned a trick or two from various martial arts masters since childhood.

While the Qi family's immense influence meant he could easily throw his weight around and humiliate others using his family's prestige, he believed that having actual martial prowess would earn him even more favor in the eyes of women.

Especially in front of An Lan.

How could he possibly let slip such a golden opportunity to play the hero saving the damsel in distress?

He immediately dropped low, effortlessly dodging the incoming attack, and smoothly circled around to Bei Chaonan's blind spot.

Reversing his grip on another wine bottle, he brought it down hard against the back of Bei Chaonan's head!

"Crash!"

The bottle shattered, jagged glass shards piercing flesh as blood immediately streamed down from the scalp past Bei Chaonan's ear.

"Ah!"

With a miserable scream, Bei Chaonan clutched his head with both hands and dropped into a painful squat on the floor.

Simultaneously, Qi Tianfang lunged forward, kicked him sprawling to the ground, and spoke with overbearing arrogance: "You piece of trash, can't you keep your eyes open? Is the friend of Qi Tianfang someone you can bully?"

"In this territory of Jinghan, I am the king!"

"If you're a dragon, you coil for me; if you're a tiger, you lie flat for me!"

"Dare to act up again, and I'll make you regret coming into this world!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

The declaration was instantly met with a wave of applause from the crowd.

Especially upon learning that he was Qi Tianfang, the entire lounge practically erupted into excitement!

"So he's Qi Tianfang."

"As the young master of a top-tier family, of course he has the right to say such things and back them up."

"Who on earth in Jinghan City would dare provoke him? That drunkard really had no eyes, daring to mess with his friend—he was simply asking for death!"

"Young Master Qi, we support you! Beat him to death!"

Meanwhile.

After a brief pause to catch his breath, Bei Chaonan slowly climbed back to his feet.

Gleaming with venomous hatred, he glared at Qi Tianfang and gnashed his teeth. "Qi Tianfang, right?"

"If you've got the guts, you fucking wait right here."

"Ruining my game and daring to lay a hand on me—"

"I am never letting you off the hook!"

Qi Tianfang let out a cold snort, placing his hands behind his back as he looked down upon him with haughty fearlessness. "Suit yourself."

"Like I said, in Jinghan City, I am the king."

"I don't give a damn what kind of ghosts or demons you are, get lost before I lose my temper."

"Still not leaving, huh?"

"You wanna test if I'll crack your skull open a second time?"

As he spoke, Qi Tianfang picked up another wine bottle from the table, frightening Bei Chaonan into retreating step by step until he hurriedly bolted through the crowd and vanished from sight.

He had thought the guy was some kind of formidable opponent, only to have him run off at the first sign of real force. Trying to act tough in front of him—did that loser even have the capacity for it?

"Everyone, apologies for interrupting your good time."

"Let's put it this way: all your tabs tonight are on me, Qi Tianfang."

"Drink whatever you want, dance however you please."

The announcement was greeted with another round of thunderous applause.

"Thank you, Young Master Qi."

"Young Master Qi is truly generous. Not only did you play the hero, but you're also this magnanimous."

"You are by far the finest young master I've ever laid eyes on."

Praises and flattery rang out endlessly from the crowd.

Before long, as the onlookers dispersed, Su Xiaoding looked at Qi Tianfang. For the first time, she was witnessing such a masculine and dominant side to him.

She hadn't thought much of him in the past, but his performance today had genuinely taken her by surprise.

Subconsciously stepping forward to link her arm through his, she teased playfully, "Tianfang, you were amazing."

"My heart was in my throat when you started fighting, but who knew you actually had martial arts up your sleeve?"

"And treating everyone afterwards—you really know how to carry yourself."

Qi Tianfang chuckled, maintaining a breezy, effortless demeanor. "It's nothing. Who told that piece of trash to dare bully Miss An?"

"Besides, buying everyone drinks was just my way of showing that Qi Tianfang isn't short on cash. If I'm happy, I'd let them drink for three days and three nights straight."

"Though, what does puzzle me is that as Miss An's friend, certain people just sat there as steady as an old monk on a rock."

"What's wrong? Are you putting on an act of profound depth, or are you simply too cowardly to step forward, knowing how to do nothing besides hide in the back and sip your drink?"

His words carried a heavy subtext.

His gaze flickered toward Ye Wushang, who was still quietly sipping his wine.

Su Xiaoding's fury instantly flared up to the boiling point, and she shot Ye Wushang a look of utter disgust. "A loser is always a loser."

"When the crucial moment arrives, besides dropping the ball, what else are they good for?"

"Weren't you shouting at the top of your lungs about protecting An Lan?"

"And the result?"

"Someone comes along to bully her, and not only do you refuse to stand up and help, but you actually cower in the background. What kind of friend are you?"

"It's thanks to An Lan constantly sticking up for you that you've gotten this far—she must be completely blind!"

An Lan wore an awkward expression, instinctively opening her mouth to defend him, when Ye Wushang calmly set down his wine glass, leaned back against the sofa, and replied indifferently, "I actually did intend to help, but the guy already ran away, so there wasn't much I could do..."

"Ha!"

Hearing this, Qi Tianfang burst into mocking laughter. "Can you possibly be any faker?"

"You were 'intending to help'? More like you were preparing to bolt at a moment's notice, right?"

"Don't think I don't know—you were about to clear out just now. If I hadn't stepped up to deal with that piece of trash in time, who knows where you'd have scurried off to..."

"I meant I was going to help *you*," Ye Wushang interrupted, shaking his head. "After all, you're Miss Su's boyfriend, and Miss Su is An Lan's best friend."

"Since we're all technically in the same boat, I simply didn't want to see you get beaten into a pulp. You're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin—you completely fail to recognize a good intention."

"Shut your mouth!"

Su Xiaoding snapped, letting out a cold hiss. "You useless parasite, not only are you completely incompetent, but you love to brag."

"You actually have the audacity to claim you were going to help Tianfang? If Tianfang hadn't been there just now, An Lan might have been seriously violated!"

"Xiaoding, don't waste your breath on this loser. He doesn't even draft his lies before he speaks; they just roll right off his tongue."

"Frankly, sitting at the same table with a person like this insults my dignity."

"I suggest we kick him out. I refuse to sit here with him another minute!"

Having just beaten Bei Chaonan, Qi Tianfang's ego was swelling rapidly.

And this good-for-nothing not only failed to show any restraint, but he even had the nerve to throw snide, sarcastic remarks his way.

He was practically itching to chase him out into the street, where his outside lackies could ambush the bastard and beat him until he crapped his pants.

"Right, throw him out!" Su Xiaoding nodded, turning her gaze to An Lan. "An Lan, you have nothing left to say this time, do you?"

"There has to be a limit to how much you shield him. You were just bullied to that extent, and he sat there completely unfazed."

"If Tianfang hadn't been there, God knows what would have happened."

"If you keep defending him after this, you're simply being unreasonable, aren't you?"

An Lan's cheeks flushed.

The situation earlier had indeed been perilous, and honestly, if not for Qi Tianfang, she wouldn't have known what to do.

In truth, the person she had secretly anticipated stepping forward the most was Ye Wushang.

Yet he had remained firmly planted on the sofa, watching with an attitude of utter indifference.

It left a knot of contradiction in her heart.

Was he completely unconcerned about her safety, or did he have some other agenda entirely?

"I believe Wushang isn't that kind of person."

"Since he didn't move, he must have had his reasons."

"Let's hear what he has to say first."

An Lan couldn't bear to completely disregard her best friend's feelings, yet she desired even more to understand what was going on inside Ye Wushang's head.

Turning to him, she bit her lip and asked, "Wushang, what did you actually mean by what you said just now?"

Ye Wushang poured himself another glass, lifted it, and gently swirled the liquid. "No need for me to explain. Why don't you all just look toward the entrance?"

"The entrance?"

The three of them stared blankly.

Before they could react, a sudden, thunderous crash echoed through the lounge as dozens of figures came flying backward, smashing heavily onto the floor of the main hall!

Immediately following were the sounds of agonizing moans and wails, piercing screams of pain, and mouthfuls of blood being sprayed across the tiles!

"Fuck your mother, Qi Tianfang! Get your ass out here right now!"

"If I don't kill you today, I'll change my last name!"

Hearing this, Qi Tianfang frowned and turned his head, only to discover that the man storming in was none other than the very same guy he had beaten just moments ago!

That wasn't even the main point. The crucial part was that this man had brought two to thirty hulking, towering brutes with him. And the people he had just sent flying were none other than Qi Tianfang's own thugs—the ones he had laid in wait by the entrance specifically to ambush Ye Wushang and teach him a brutal lesson!

Not a single one of them was left intact.

Either their limbs were fractured, or their faces were beaten to a bloody pulp.

Now they lay scattered across the floor, unable to climb back up, writhing in sheer agony!

"Th-This... what is going on here?"

Qi Tianfang panicked, losing his composure entirely.

Su Xiaoding's eyes widened, and she asked instinctively, "Tianfang, if I'm not mistaken, aren't the guys lying on the floor the enforcers your Qi family keeps on the payroll?"

"How did they..."

"I understand!"

Before she could finish, An Lan suddenly cried out, spinning around to look at Ye Wushang. "Wushang! When you said you were staying back to help Qi Tianfang... did you already know that guy was going to come back for revenge?"

Ye Wushang downed the rest of his wine in a single gulp and opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly Bei Chaonan charged forward at the head of his fierce-looking mercenaries!

Wherever they passed, the surrounding patrons scrambled wildly out of the way, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

Though Qi Tianfang held high social standing, the fact that this brute had brought such a large mob meant he was clearly out for blood. Things were starting to look genuinely dangerous!

"You bastard!"

Bei Chaonan snatched up a fresh wine bottle. Before he could hurl more abuse, Qi Tianfang puffed out his chest, attempting to rely on his intimidation tactics. "Try hitting me if you've got the balls!"

"Let me tell you, I'm the young master of the top-tier Qi family! If you dare lay a single finger on me, the Qi family will never let you—"

"Bang!"

Without a second thought, Bei Chaonan smashed the bottle directly across Qi Tianfang's forehead!

A crisp shattering sound echoed, blood sprayed wildly, and Qi Tianfang collapsed straight to the ground.

Simultaneously, Bei Chaonan planted a heavy boot squarely on his chest, roaring down at him, "The Qi family is worth shit!"

"No matter how arrogant they are, are they more arrogant than my plutocrat family, the Bei family?"