Chapter 49: The Master Is Coming to Inspect! The Bigger the Commotion, the Better!

"The police car is here. Get ready for a good show," Liu Feng remarked as he stepped out of the teahouse, looking down at the thugs sprawled across the ground and the tightly shut storefront.

“Hmph! Do they really think being able to fight is enough? In this world, you need power to survive! What a pack of nobodies!”

Tang Xiwei, standing nearby, hesitated, wanting to tell Liu Feng that she’d just seen someone lead that group of men into the shop. After a moment’s thought, she decided against it. It must have been a friend of Chen Luo’s—another student, by the look of him. It probably didn’t matter much, so she began to—

"Please step aside, everyone. Police business!"

Wu Shengshui arrived at the storefront with four or five officers in tow. By now, a sizable crowd had gathered. Assigning two auxiliary officers to disperse the onlookers, he led two others over to Wang Hu.

"As expected, it’s Wang Hu. Judging by these injuries, the other side must be trained fighters. Seems Liu Feng wasn’t lying," he muttered, then turned toward the shop and gently pushed open the door.

"Police investigation. Were you the ones fighting here?"

Wu Shengshui stepped inside, and his eyes widened in shock. Over a dozen burly men stood in a row at the center of the shop, their posture and bearing unmistakably that of former soldiers.

If they tried to arrest this many toughened veterans, their small team would stand no chance. He’d underestimated the situation—he hadn’t even brought a gun.

Wu Shengshui touched his waist, signaling to his men to call for backup.

"Well, if it isn’t Director Wu himself," Zhou Zheng emerged from behind Yu Dongshan, holding a bottle of cola, a broad smile on his face. He’d had Yu Dongshan and the others come in to see if anyone else would show up to cause trouble, but hadn’t expected Wu Shengshui to arrive instead.

"Young Master Zhou?" Wu Shengshui was momentarily stunned. Why was the eldest son of the Zhou family here? He’d met Zhou Zheng once at the station when Zhou Zheng had come to see his cousin, Zhou Nianhua.

"This shop belongs to you? And these men are all yours?"

"Not exactly. Some are mine, the others are friends."

With that, Zhou Zheng walked up to Wu Shengshui and handed him a chilled cola.

"Alright, Director Wu, you’ve asked your questions. Now it’s my turn. Who set up this whole mess—sending Wang Hu to stir up trouble and then calling the police?"

"The Liu family. Liu Feng!"

Wu Shengshui gave Liu Feng up without hesitation. He didn’t work for the Liu family; he was only here as a favor. Now, with Zhou Zheng present, a word from him could cost Wu his job. The difference in power between the two families was beyond comparison.

"Oh, so it was him. I almost forgot about Liu Feng," Zhou Zheng mused, recalling that Mr. Wen had mentioned Liu Feng when assigning him this task. He hadn’t expected Liu Feng to act so quickly—sending local thugs to cause trouble, calling the police to escalate matters, and smearing Chen Luo’s business before it had even opened.

What a childish scheme. Liu Feng was as brainless as ever.

And that woman just now—if she was with Liu Feng, then by the information he had, she must be Tang Xiwei, who’d had grievances with Chen Luo in the past. Since that’s the case, she should be dealt with too. But not too quickly—they needed to be crushed repeatedly, brought to the brink of despair, to pass the test set by the master!

Yes, that was the way.

"Young Master Zhou, how would you like us to proceed?" Wu Shengshui asked cautiously.

"Director Wu, just do your job by the book. It was Wang Hu and his cronies who came looking for trouble and tried to wreck the shop. My men acted in self-defense, and we have video evidence," Zhou Zheng replied as Yu Dongshan handed over a phone with clear footage, sufficient as proof.

"Understood, Young Master Zhou," Wu Shengshui responded, heading out to arrest Wang Hu and his men, but just as he left, Zhou Zheng called out.

"Director Wu, if Liu Feng asks, don’t mention me. Understood?"

Wu Shengshui immediately grasped Zhou Zheng’s intent—he was preparing to move against Liu Feng, or rather, the Zhou family was about to declare war on the Liu family. He needed to keep his head down and stay out of the way of these giants clashing.

"I understand, Young Master Zhou," Wu Shengshui replied, then stepped outside, called for backup, and handcuffed Wang Hu.

"W-wait, we’re the ones who got beaten up! Why are you arresting me?" Wang Hu panicked.

"Wang Hu, enough. It was your boss Liu Feng who reported a fight here. You’ve been played and don’t even know it."

Wang Hu stared blankly for a moment, then looked up and shouted toward the second floor, "Liu Feng! Liu Feng, you bastard! You set me up! Just you wait till I get out!"

With a final glance upstairs, Wu Shengshui bundled Wang Hu and his gang into the police car. As soon as they were inside, Liu Feng called. Wu Shengshui answered in a cold tone.

"Director Wu, why did you only arrest Wang Hu and not the people inside the shop?"

"Liu Feng, we’ve confirmed Wang Hu was the instigator. We’re taking him in according to the law. I have work to do. Goodbye."

The dial tone buzzed in Liu Feng’s ear, leaving him dumbfounded. How could a deputy director dare hang up on him? Was he not afraid for his job?

"What’s going on? Isn’t he your friend? Why won’t he listen to you?" Tang Xiwei stamped her foot anxiously. What had seemed a sure thing was suddenly falling apart. This matter was crucial to winning over Wen Xiu, the wealthy young heir. If she failed, she might never get another chance like this.

Chen Luo! Chen Luo! Go bankrupt already! Die, just die! Your whole life, you’ll be nothing but a stepping stone for me to climb out of my class and into wealth. Just accept your fate!

"Don’t worry, darling, I have another plan. This afternoon, I’ll have my cousin, who handles restaurant licensing at the commerce office, come up with an excuse to shut the shop down," Liu Feng said, picking up his phone.

Meanwhile, inside the shop, Zhou Zheng was also on the phone. "Dad, I need your connections. That little punk from the Liu family is trying to wreck Chen Luo’s shop."

…

1 p.m., Hangzhou University, men’s dormitory.

"Phew, finally done," Chen Luo stretched, having finished all his class duties.

"Let’s see, class ends at four-thirty this afternoon. I’ll take the class officers out for skewers, and check on the renovation progress while I’m at it," he thought, picking up his phone to send Zhou Zheng a message.

[Thank you for your hard work, senior. I’ll come by after five this afternoon.]

Message sent, Chen Luo lay down to catch a nap—he was exhausted. He didn’t notice the tiny camera above his bed, focused squarely on him.

Elsewhere, Zhou Zheng, discussing renovation plans with Liu Hua, saw the message, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

As expected! The master would be coming to inspect the results this afternoon.

Liu Feng, make as much trouble as you can this afternoon! Otherwise, how can I prove my crisis management skills in front of the master?