“Tell Chen Erhu and his crew not to move; don’t go anywhere,” Shan Yu said.
“Got it.” Hu Pan immediately turned around and ran downstairs.
Shan Yu gripped Chen Jian’s shoulder and swung himself down off the bed.
“I’ll help you get the wheelchair…” Zhao Fangfang prepared to push the wheelchair stored in the corner.
“No need, Zhao-jie.” Chen Jian stopped Zhao Fangfang while simultaneously pressing Shan Yu back down onto the bed. “Go down and help hold people back for a moment. I’ll be right down.”
“Huh?” Shan Yu stared at him.
“Alright, alright.” Zhao Fangfang ran off in a flurry.
“I’ll head downstairs first to see what’s going on.” Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu. “You just stand by the window and watch the show for a bit.”
“A fight’s going to break out in a minute.” Shan Yu looked back at him. “If you go down there, can you hold Chen Erhu and his guys back?”
Because of today’s meeting, all the security personnel who needed to rotate shifts at the guesthouse over the next two months had been required to show up. As a result, four or five of Chen Erhu’s men were currently on the premises.
Dumping blood on someone’s main gate was an act tailored to spark outrage—provocative, sprinkled with a curse, and combined with the guesthouse’s “haunted house” reputation, it was a clear attempt to prevent Zhenxi from reopening.
Under these circumstances, Chen Erhu’s crew was undoubtedly primed and ready to explode at the slightest spark. To them, a golden opportunity to make a name for themselves had finally arrived.
“No, I can’t,” Chen Jian answered honestly.
“And yet you won’t let me go down?” Shan Yu said.
Who knows if you’re planning to march down there carrying a baseball bat?
“Are you going down to stop them?” Just to be safe, Chen Jian double-checked. Opening next week meant any physical conflict right now would cause huge trouble.
“No, I’m going down to lead them in smashing up all the other places down the road,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian dragged the wheelchair over to the bedside.
Shan Yu stood up, sat in it, and deliberately raised the wheelchair’s footrest to the highest setting to prop up his left leg. “Push me.”
“Isn’t it electric?” Chen Jian asked.
“Having you push me makes it look more tragic,” Shan Yu said, laying his crutches horizontally across his lap.
This setup did look pretty pathetic, fully cementing his status as a paraplegic.
When Chen Jian pushed Shan Yu out through Zhenxi’s front entrance, Chen Erhu and his henchmen were standing on the small lane outside, every single one of them wearing a ferocious expression that practically screamed three words:
Kill the bastards!
Seven or eight people from nearby shops stood at the intersection. Thanks to Chen Erhu’s intimidating crew, they didn’t dare come any closer. A few onlookers were also standing by the side alley further in—likely idle hands from the neighboring guesthouses.
“Take a video as evidence,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian took out his phone and started recording the exterior wall.
The courtyard gate and the walls on both sides were covered in blood over a stretch of about three or four meters. It looked as though whole buckets had been splashed against it, streaming down onto the ground. The scene was undeniably gruesome.
“We can’t just swallow this, can we?” Chen Erhu glared at the relatively calm Shan Yu. “Can we really let this pass?!”
“No way in hell!” Lao Si turned toward the alleyway. “We don’t go looking for trouble, but that doesn’t mean we let others walk over us! Not starting trouble doesn’t mean we’re afraid of it!”
“Keep quiet,” Shan Yu opened his mouth. “All of that got recorded.”
Chen Erhu stared at Shan Yu, the fury on his face practically bursting through his skin.
“Re-record a video without audio,” Shan Yu added.
“Why?” Lao Wu asked.
Shan Yu didn’t answer.
Chen Jian didn’t actually know why either, but he raised his index finger to Lao Si, Lao Wu, and the others, shushing them before recording another sweep from one end to the other.
“Done?” Shan Yu asked.
“Done,” Chen Jian said.
“Boss Shan,” Chen Erhu had switched into his pigsty mode and clearly had no intention of switching back anytime soon, his tone dripping with frustration. “What’s the play here?”
“Hold the meeting first.” Shan Yu tilted his head slightly, and Chen Jian pushed the wheelchair toward the courtyard.
“What?!” Chen Erhu’s outcry sounded like it was exploding right out of the top of his skull.
“Flop house—!” a bald man further inside shouted out.
“Fuck your mother!” Chen Erhu swung his shoulders, turning around to charge over.
“Boss Chen!” Chen Jian had been on guard for him bursting out the entire time. Reaching back, he snagged Chen Erhu’s arm in a firm grip, attempting to use the respectful title to drag him back.
However, if Chen Erhu were that easy to cool down, he wouldn’t have been a thug in the first place. Right now, he was impossible to hold back, and with Lao Si and Lao Wu charging right alongside him, the situation instantly turned critical.
Fortunately, Sanbing chose to defect at the crucial moment, teaming up with Chen Jian to wrap his arms around the crew and push them back. Even Zhao Fangfang joined in: “Oh dear God, don’t fight, don’t fight…”
Finally, Hu Pan lunged forward and shoved Chen Erhu hard. “Stand still!”
Chen Erhu stumbled back from the shove and came to a halt.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Hu Pan got right up in his face. “All you know how to do is fight? Is that the only trick you’ve got at your age?!”
“You think I won’t…” Chen Erhu pointed at her.
“I don’t believe you!” Hu Pan kept her face inches from his.
Shan Yu reached out to adjust the wheelchair’s control, backing half a position out from the gate. He turned his head toward the group down the lane, his voice laced with coldness: “Who just shouted?”
“Flop house!” The bald man shouted again. “I shouted it!”
Shan Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up his crutch, and pointed it toward the man. “Come over here.”
The bald man stood his ground without moving.
“If you’re scared, shut your mouth,” Shan Yu said.
“Who the fuck is afraid of a cripple like you?” The bald man spat on the ground.
Shan Yu looked at him for two seconds, gave a faint smile, and controlled the wheelchair to turn back toward the courtyard. “Then keep shouting.”
Stung by the taunt, the bald man instantly took large strides over. “Got business with me, asshole?!”
Shan Yu’s wheelchair backed out and spun half a turn on the spot to face away from the approaching man, and just as the bald man took another step forward, the wheelchair suddenly rocketed backward two meters, pulling right up against his front.
Chen Jian had no idea the wheelchair possessed that kind of speed and agility; he hadn’t even had time to stop Shan Yu.
What are you doing?!
Didn’t we agree not to get physical, Boss?!
The bald man slammed on the brakes and raised his hand, likely planning to shove the wheelchair away. The moment Chen Jian lunged forward to grab the chair, Shan Yu raised his left hand, snapping his wrist back to lock onto the bald man’s wrist.
The bald man yanked hard to free himself, but the wheelchair was locked in place. Combined with the weight of the chair and Shan Yu’s strength, his attempt failed.
Next, Shan Yu pressed down and yanked the man’s wrist to the side. With force applied laterally and no point of support, the bald man was hurled directly into the courtyard wall. Momentum carried his head into the surface with a dull, heavy thud.
Chen Jian was now convinced that Shan Yu worked out purely to beat people up.
And as it stood, nobody here was worthy enough for Shan Yu to pull out a move more advanced than this one.
Then again, maybe this was the only move he knew…
“Fuck!” The impact was far from light, and worse, he had slammed right into the wet blood on the wall, smearing blood all over his head and clothes.
Just as he tried to charge forward, Chen Erhu and his men surged up to block his way.
“Don’t lay a finger on him,” Shan Yu said in a low, heavy voice.
This time, Chen Erhu managed to hold back from hitting him, though the way his crew surrounded the bald man made it clear they could start swinging at any moment.
“You did this, didn’t you?” Shan Yu slowly turned the wheelchair, staring at the bald man through the gaps between his men. “You’ve got blood all over you. Got it on yourself while splashing it, didn’t you?”
The bald man hadn’t recovered from his raging fury yet, and hearing this sent him over the edge. “Fucking bullshit! Don’t you go spouting lies!”
“Then where’s the blood on you from?” Shan Yu asked.
“It was your fucking…” The bald man pointed at him.
“What could he possibly do to you?” Chen Jian interjected. “He’s a cripple.”
Shan Yu tsked.
“Playing dirty, are we?!” the bald man roared, pointing back at his own group. “A whole crowd over there saw the whole thing!”
“They’re all in it together!” Hu Pan’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Lying through your teeth together, obviously!”
“The security cameras are running, and we’ll definitely find out who did it,” Shan Yu said. “This is for everyone’s good—we’re all doing business in the same neighborhood. If we don’t catch the culprit, who knows whose shop will be targeted next?”
“And when someone else gets hit, don’t blame us for coming over to applaud!” Sanbing yelled, pointing at the crowd.
Though Chen Erhu’s gang hadn’t laid a hand on anyone, there were more of them today than usual, and backed by Shan Yu, they looked exceptionally fierce and menacing. The other side clearly didn’t want the conflict to escalate further; a few people walked over and dragged the bald man back.
These people were just employees earning a pittance every month. They didn’t want to offend their bosses, so they’d go along with doing shady stuff, but faced with a gang of pigsty hooligans who harassed local businesses full-time for zero pay purely out of dedication to the thug lifestyle, it wasn’t worth getting beaten up for—nor was it likely to get them a raise.
As soon as the group retreated, Shan Yu turned to look at the intersection nearby.
The onlookers immediately began to scatter in all directions. With no outlet for his burning rage, Chen Erhu led his men out to chase them down, cursing every single one of them out.
By the time they returned to the dining area for the meeting, Chen Erhu’s face was still dark with frustration.
“I’ve gotta say,” Chen Erhu looked at Shan Yu, “that move of yours didn’t feel satisfying at all. Seriously, not at all!”
“So what did you want to do?” Shan Yu stood up, shifting from the wheelchair to a regular chair. “Have you guys charge over and start a brawl, and then what? Someone gets hurt again, and before my guesthouse even reopens under the ‘haunted house’ label, we get hit with a charge for brawling and fighting. How about after that I take you all out to feed on the wind? I’ll fan the breeze, and you guys can strain your jaws, keeping your mouths open to catch it.”
“…So we just let this matter slide?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Tonight…” Shan Yu started to say.
Hearing this, Chen Erhu perked up immediately, leaning in closer. “Tell me.”
“Bundle up tightly,” Shan Yu said. “Splash it back. Tomorrow, take a couple of guys over to watch the show and shout a bit while you’re at it.”
“Shout what?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Flop house,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Erhu froze, remaining silent for quite a while before uttering, “How childish.”
“So you know it’s childish,” Shan Yu remarked. “And yet you wanted to fight back.”
“Fuck.” Chen Erhu slumped back into his chair.
“Are we really splashing them back?” Lao Wu asked.
“Splash them,” Shan Yu said.
“Won’t they know it was us?” Sanbing chimed in.
“Where’s the proof?” Shan Yu said.
“What if they have security cameras too and record it?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Then let them show us,” Shan Yu said. “We’ll take a look and say, ‘Ah right, that’s the guy. The one on our recording is this exact same person.'”
“But it clearly won’t be the same person—we don’t even know what the culprit looks like,” Sanbing said.
“Then how would they know? If they know it’s not the same person, that proves they were the ones who did it in the first place,” Chen Jian explained.
“The manager’s got a sharp head on his shoulders,” Shan Yu gave a thumbs-up.
“What if they want to see our security footage?” Zhao Fangfang asked.
“Handed it over to the police—tell them to go ask the police for it,” Shan Yu said.
“Are we really turning it in? Are we reporting this to the police?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Report my ass. Nobody’s reporting this to the police,” Shan Yu said. “We don’t have security cameras either. Our cameras expired last year—they’re just for show.”
Chen Erhu fell silent again, seemingly lost in thought.
“This issue isn’t big enough to warrant getting physical,” Shan Yu said. “You disgust me; I disgust you back. No losses taken, no escalation—and that’s that.”
Chen Erhu still said nothing.
“There are very few things that violence can solve,” Shan Yu continued. “Boss Chen, when you brought your men to my place that day, did you ever consider that violence wouldn’t get the job done?”
Chen Jian glanced at Shan Yu.
Boss, that day they didn’t even get the chance to use violence.
The one who used violence was you.
“Everyone came here to make an honest buck,” Shan Yu said. “Making money is what matters most. They simply don’t want us making money. What’s the point of hitting them? Making money is the only thing that actually counts.”
“Damn it. Are we opening next week or not?!” Chen Erhu asked.
“Yeah,” Shan Yu nodded.
“We are definitely opening next week! I want to see what other shameless tricks they’ve got up their sleeves!” Chen Erhu slammed his hand on the table.
“Shall we start the meeting?” Fearing Chen Erhu’s emotions might boil over again, Chen Jian quickly cut in.
“Everyone, find a seat,” Shan Yu said. “Before we start the meeting, I want to hold someone accountable first.”
“Hold accountable? What does that mean?” Chen Erhu looked at him.
“It means investigating responsibility,” Chen Jian explained.
“I know!” Chen Erhu snapped. “I’m asking whose responsibility we’re holding accountable!”
“Where were my twenty-four-hour security patrol officers?” Shan Yu looked at him. “Where were the security personnel who were supposed to be patrolling the perimeter of the guesthouse, including the lane by the entrance, twenty-four hours a day?”
Chen Erhu went quiet.
“It was me.” Sanbing glanced at his boss and raised his hand. “I was responsible for the lane outside last night…”
“It wasn’t him,” Chen Erhu interrupted Sanbing. “It was originally him, but I wanted to step out for a smoke, so I swapped with him and went around back to smoke… That must’ve been when they came. I didn’t look at the wall afterward either…”
“The guesthouse hasn’t opened yet, and there aren’t many tourists,” Shan Yu said. “Walking around late at night without sleeping or playing cards is boring—I can understand that. But now everyone knows that this whole trouble could have been avoided in the first place.”
Chen Erhu let out a sigh.
“Just pay attention from now on,” Shan Yu added simply, offering no further lecture.
“Done holding accountable?” Chen Erhu looked at him.
“Done,” Shan Yu said.
“Dock my pay then. It’s fine, I deserve it,” Chen Erhu offered.
“No need,” Shan Yu replied. “Over the next few days, the courtyard, exterior walls, and the lane outside all need fixed up. The manager can’t handle it all on his own, so give him a hand.”
“Alright,” Chen Erhu looked at Chen Jian. “Whatever needs doing, just assign it to me.”
“Okay,” Chen Jian acknowledged.
“Official meeting starts now.” Shan Yu leaned back in his chair and waved a hand toward Chen Jian. “Manager.”
Manager what?
What’s the manager supposed to do?
Chen Jian hastily pulled out the sheet of paper Shan Yu had given him yesterday from his pocket. He had already filled out the content following Shan Yu’s outline and just needed to read along, yet he was still terribly nervous.
In all his years of growing up, the only other time he had faced a crowd like this—where everyone’s eyes were fixed on him—was years ago when creditors had turned up at his door all at once.
“This is Zhenxi’s expan… oh, no, not expansion…” Chen Jian looked at the words he had written on the paper. After the word “Zhenxi,” he had added (needs a name change; remember to ask Shan Yu). Why on earth did I write that line? Has my brain deteriorated to the point where I thought I’d forget even that?
“…our guesthouse’s very first meeting…” Chen Jian forced himself to continue.
“What expansion?” Chen Erhu asked in all seriousness. “What Zhenxi expansion?”
“There is no expansion,” Chen Jian said.
Beside him, Shan Yu let out a very low throat-clearing sound. Chen Jian glanced at him, initially thinking the boss was giving him some sort of hint, only to realize when he looked over that Shan Yu was simply struggling to suppress a laugh.
“What do you mean ‘there is no expansion’?!” Chen Erhu was thoroughly annoyed at failing to understand the very first sentence of the meeting.
“It means he read the wrong word!” Hu Pan rolled her eyes at him.
“Right.” Chen Jian took a breath and reread the paper, moving to the self-introduction section. “I take it everyone knows each other by now?”
“We know each other,” Chen Erhu said, folding his arms as he stared at Hu Pan.
“Knowing each other or not isn’t much of a big deal,” Hu Pan retorted.
“We’ll all be colleagues from now on. Let’s have everyone state their names once,” Chen Jian said, suspecting that if he didn’t interrupt, these two might start bickering right on the spot.
Though it was a somewhat strange request, everyone cooperatively stated their names one by one.
“Shan Yu,” Shan Yu chimed in as well.
Chen Jian looked at him and held back a public sigh.
“Next, I’ll go over the specific positions and work arrangements. If anyone has questions or suggestions, you can bring them up afterward…” Chen Jian looked up, scanning the group sitting scattered in various slouched postures.
It really is quite a sight…
When he looked at Shan Yu, the man wasn’t slouched, but resting his finger against his temple with a half-smile as if watching a play—which made the already unconfident Chen Jian feel even less secure.
Watching a play, are you? Then you perform first.
“Before that, there’s a rather important matter—the renaming of Zhenxi,” Chen Jian said. “I’ll let Boss Shan tell everyone about it.”
Shan Yu raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, then sat up straight with a smile.
“Are we really changing the name?” Zhao Fangfang asked.
Everyone turned to look at Shan Yu together.
“Da Yin,” Shan Yu announced, then leaned right back in his chair, tilting his chin toward Chen Jian. “Manager, continue.”
What?
That’s it?
In addition to his shock at the brevity of the response, Chen Jian hadn’t forgotten Shan Yu’s instruction that “you guys can just applaud and pass it.” So, he raised his hands and clapped.
Hu Pan was the first to join in, followed by Sanbing, and soon everyone was applauding.
“Da-what now?” Chen Erhu asked Sanbing beside him while clapping along.
“Da Yi,” Sanbing said.
“Isn’t that a tea shop?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Maybe we’ll sell tea leaves in the future,” Sanbing replied.
