Chapter 67: The Threat
Chapter 67: The Threat
In no time, the three men approached Jiang Cheng.
The leader of the group placed the watermelon knife on the stove, and as he opened his mouth, a strong smell of alcohol and blood wafted towards them.
"Kid, show us your stall permit," he demanded, his voice carrying a hint of intoxication.
Jiang Cheng forced a smile, "Big brothers, I'm a senior member of the Falcon Fist Gym. My membership is still valid, and here's my premium membership card. Please have a look, big brothers."
He took out the membership card he had prepared earlier and handed it over.
The three men exchanged glances, their faces clearly showing disbelief.
If this were a street vendor at a shop, they wouldn't doubt it, and some of them wouldn't even need to look at the vendor or the gym's faces.
But why would a sweet potato vendor be able to afford a premium membership that costs five thousand a month?
"Let me see," the leader shouted, snatching the membership card.
The two men behind him also gathered around.
They examined the photo on the card and then looked at Jiang Cheng.
"It does look like the same person," one of them muttered.
"What about the date?" another man asked.
"The date is also correct," Jiang Cheng replied.
The atmosphere suddenly turned silent.
The three men seemed reluctant to accept the truth, examining the card repeatedly.
Jiang Cheng remained silent, patiently waiting.
After a while, the leader finally looked up, staring at Jiang Cheng. "Kid, is this card real?"
"Of course, it's real," Jiang Cheng said with a smile. "If you don't believe me, I can take you to the Falcon Fist Gym to confirm. It's not far from here; we can walk there in a few minutes."
The leader was stumped by Jiang Cheng's words.
Jiang Cheng had made his point clear; was there any need to discuss the card's authenticity further?
Moreover, with no professional equipment, a mere street vendor couldn't possibly forge such a card.
"Kid, how can you make so much money selling roasted sweet potatoes in a month?" one of the men behind him asked, his face filled with doubt.
"That's right," Jiang Cheng replied. "This is a premium membership card. It costs five thousand to activate for a month, plus the cost of the sweet potatoes and daily expenses. You've made quite a profit this month, haven't you?"
Hearing this, the leader narrowed his eyes.
It seemed that Jiang Cheng's explanation was indeed reasonable. The hand that was about to return the card withdrew slightly.
Jiang Cheng, controlling his temper, explained, "Big brothers, you're joking. A small business like this, how much profit can it make? I bought this premium membership card to prevent any trouble on the way back, in case thugs stopped us. I had to borrow money from others, too."
"Is that so?"
The three men showed no reaction to the word 'thugs.'
They didn't believe that Jiang Cheng had borrowed money, especially such a large sum.
Who would lend several thousand to someone else?
"There must be some secret to your roasted sweet potatoes. The other vendors can't afford the gym's premium membership like you do."
"Big bro, you're joking. What secret could there be to roasting sweet potatoes? It's just a matter of practice."
"Is that so?" The leader scoffed, his face clearly showing his disbelief.
Jiang Cheng didn't respond; he just smiled at him.
Zhao Shixiong had said that these people from the Wild Wolf Gang were now like homeless dogs. The gym's reputation was usually enough to deter them, but that might not be the case now.
Therefore, it was best to avoid any conflicts with them.
"Kid, name your price," the leader suddenly said. "Tell us the secret to your sweet potato roasting, and we'll pay. But let me tell you, we don't have much money on us, so don't ask for too high a price."
As he finished speaking, the two men behind him also revealed eager expressions.
You're right, this kid definitely has a secret recipe.
In a few days, they'll be leaving here. If he has a secret recipe for roasted sweet potatoes, he can just teach it to a few street vendors and sit back to collect money. Wouldn't that be great?
Of course, making them sell roasted sweet potatoes on the street themselves is out of the question. People who are used to making quick money can't bear the hard work of earning money honestly.
"Big Bro, I really don't have any secret recipe."
Jiang Cheng looked helpless, "I buy fresh sweet potatoes directly from the grocery store, then roast them in the stove. At most, the roasting time is a bit different from others, but this is purely based on personal feeling and experience, and can't be described in words."
"What if I insist you describe it in words?"
A cold gleam flashed in the eyes of the leader.
"What do you mean, three big brothers?"
Jiang Cheng's expression changed, "Are you trying to force a sale? I'm a premium member of the Falcon Fist Gym."
"Should've known you'd say that."
The other party didn't just not fear, but laughed, "Yes, you are a premium member of the Falcon Fist Gym, but so what? We haven't done anything to you. We just want to do business with you. If you're not satisfied, you can go to the gym and see what they can do to us."
"Exactly, kid, it's only because you're a premium member of the gym that we're talking to you nicely. If it were someone else, try it out?"
"Kid, the gym can protect you for a while, but can it protect you for a lifetime? Have you ever thought about that? If we do something to you and run far away, do you think the Falcon Fist Gym would chase us to the ends of the earth for you?" The last person said, almost a naked threat.
They naturally didn't dare to provoke the core members of the gym.
But they felt they could take a chance with a premium member. If things went bad, they could just run away. And Jiang Cheng was just a street vendor. Buying a premium membership was like a sheep in wolf's clothing—looks intimidating, but is actually easy to take down!
Jiang Cheng fell silent.
He had the impulse to kill these three right away.
He knew that none of these gangsters were good people, and the facts proved it.
He did have some experience and insights, but how could he give them to these three trashy individuals?
But if he didn't give them anything, they clearly wouldn't let it go. If he fought them, it would likely provoke retaliation from the Wild Wolf Gang.
Should he temporarily play along and then report it to the gym later? Or should he write them some irrelevant and ambiguous information to fool them?
A cold snort sounded.
The leader seemed to see through Jiang Cheng's thoughts and said, "Kid, don't even think about fooling us. Don't think that just giving us the recipe will be enough. We'll take it to the street vendors, and if what you write isn't valuable, we'll definitely make you pay!"
"What are you doing here?"
At that moment, a somewhat familiar voice sounded behind the three Wild Wolf Gang members.
It was Bai Wei, dressed in a training uniform, but her face was icy, completely different from her usual cheerful and lively self.
"Jiang Shidi!"
"Jiang Shidi!"
Several voices called out in succession.
It turned out to be Sun Xiaoli and others, almost all the premium members from the second floor, each smiling and greeting Jiang Cheng.
"Bai Shexie?"
Jiang Cheng only then noticed Bai wei and her group's arrival.
He was surprised but also felt it made sense.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
