School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert
/ School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert Chapter 173 – Chapter 173 – 174: Calming the Situation
Chapter 173 – 174: Calming the Situation
“Where have I seen him before?” Xiao Han asked curiously.
“Right, the owner of No. 7 Restaurant!” Yang Lu exclaimed, shocked.
“Ah, a fellow restaurateur!” As soon as Xiao Han heard it, he immediately understood all the complexities involved. Not only Xiao Han, but Yang Lu and Li Dapang probably understood as well. Now that they knew the other party was in the same business, everything would be easier. Xiao Han smiled and said, “You're the owner of No. 7 Restaurant, aren't you?”
“You… you recognize me?” The other party was taken aback and hastily shook his head, “No, no, no, I'm not!”
“Heh heh…” Xiao Han chuckled and said, “It seems that our Hanmen Catering has taken quite a bit of business from you.”
“You're talking nonsense.” The man was shocked and hurriedly looked at Huo Jianguo, saying, “Deputy Director Huo, this kid is slandering me, you must arrest him and then interrogate him thoroughly. They're all the heads of Hanmen Catering, catch them all.”
“Quite a bold statement, seems like you have a pretty close relationship with this deputy director, huh?” Xiao Han revealed the hidden truth with a single phrase.
“Kid, don't talk rubbish,” Huo Jianguo glared at Xiao Han and said, “Everything will be handled fairly. You all are suspected of using toxic food in your business, so halt your operations and undergo rectification for three months. Also, I need to take your business license.”
“What right do you have to take it?” Xiao Han couldn't help but retort, “You're not the Bureau of Industry and Commerce!”
“You just have to make a big deal out of this, don't you?” Huo Jianguo, unfazed, lit a cigarette and then said, “Let me tell you, if this gets to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, it won't be a small matter anymore.”
At that moment, Yang Lu quickly pulled Xiao Han aside.
“Xiao Han, let's just keep the peace,” Yang Lu said urgently, “This deputy director is no good either, I guess he's planning to eat both the plaintiff and defendant. He wants us to halt business and rectify for three months, likely he's looking for some hush money.”
“Sister Yang, we can't be helping a tyrant,” Xiao Han said earnestly, “The country is advocating for an anti-corruption and integrity campaign, we absolutely can't be involved in this kind of thing.”
“Xiao Han, this is society, this is reality,” Yang Lu said earnestly, looking at Xiao Han, “If you want to keep running your business, then you must have good relations with these Bull Ghosts and Snake Gods. Maybe it's them making trouble today, but tomorrow, or the day after, there'll be someone else. If you're on good terms with the police station, maybe there won't be so much trouble.”
“Right!” Li Dapang nodded and said, “These guys consume people without spitting out the bones, if you don't give in today, you'll be at a greater loss later. Closing for three months, we're talking about millions every month. Better to give them a hundred thousand to spend on cigarettes.”
“Hmph, we absolutely must not give in to them,” Xiao Han said defiantly, snorting coldly, “If there's a first time, there'll be a second time.”
“These people are just jealous I'm making money,” Li Dapang spat, “The owner of No. 7 Restaurant is in good terms with the police station. They made such a big fuss because they're relying on the police station's relationship. So, we have no choice but to give in.”
Xiao Han looked at Li Dapang incredulously and said, “Big Fatty, this isn't like your character, is it?”
“Xiao Han, just like Sister Yang said, this is society, this is reality,” Li Dapang replied.
Xiao Han seemed to also accept that if they didn't give in today, the consequences could be very serious. Even though he knew this was a frame-up and that someone was deliberately causing trouble behind his back, he felt helpless to respond or retaliate.
This is society, this is reality.
How many people living at the bottom of society have to accept this reality? How many living in the lowest strata endure such oppression without any means to fight back? They must obey, and they must honestly accept this reality?
Xiao Han, full of upright and righteous qi, now felt somewhat at a loss.
“Do we really have no other choice?” Xiao Han said with a look of disappointment.
“There's no other way,” Yang Lu nodded and said, “Otherwise, they won't let it go easily. Even if we dodge the bullet today, tomorrow, the day after… sooner or later, they will continue to persecute us. So, we just have to accept it. Pay money to avoid disaster, that's the unwritten rule of the industry.”
“Sigh…” Xiao Han sighed deeply.
The Hanmen Training Class was left undisturbed because of the priority attention from the Education Bureau, while the Apple Authorized Store was also targeted initially. But then, with Liu Si's investment, naturally, no one dared to come looking for trouble anymore.
Only Hanmen Catering seemed unprotected. Moreover, Hanmen Catering indeed took a lot of business away from the restaurant industry in Wangjiang District. This was almost like a tragedy for them. Nearly all business in Wangjiang District was rapidly being absorbed by Hanmen Catering, particularly affecting No. 7 Restaurant. Originally, No.
7 Restaurant's daily turnover was about twenty to thirty thousand, but now it had dropped directly to ten thousand. The impact was too great, so the owner of No. 7 Restaurant was on the verge of collapse.
Xiao Han's sigh made it seem like he had consented. However, Xiao Han's sigh was merely a lament for the real world.
“So… should I go talk to them?” Yang Lu broke the silence and said, “Later, I'll find someone familiar to send a red envelope to Deputy Director Huo.”
“Yes, yes!” Li Dapang nodded.
Xiao Han fell silent. In fact, he didn't want to fuel the malpractices either. But the world was like this. Alone, one simply couldn't make a change. The dark corners of the world could send shivers down one's spine.
Yang Lu turned and walked over.
Just as Yang Lu was about to find Deputy Director Huo to plead their case, suddenly, Liu Si arrived with some people.
Who was Liu Si? Liu Si was the big shot in Wangjiang District, the man who's orders were never questioned in Wangjiang. His power in the district was vast, a number of the Municipal Committee leaders were well-acquainted with him. From Municipal Committee leaders to the local Bull Ghosts and Snake Gods, all were familiar with him.
Of course, ordinary people wouldn't dare to cross Liu Si either, they'd all give him some face more or less. The people from the streets would call him Fourth Master Liu. Even some of the Municipal Committee leaders would address him as Mr. Liu when they saw him.
The term 'Mr.' is an honorific—a word used to signify respect. Literally, it means a person who was born before oneself, elder in age; it also signifies someone who first encounters something unfamiliar, hence extending to a person who is considered a teacher due to their earlier exposure to knowledge.
In ancient times, calling someone 'Mr.' implied learning from them, reaching their level of expertise or being taught by them. Later, it became a form of respectful address. In the modern context, 'Mr.' is an address for men.
Thus, it can be seen that 'Mr.' was originally a term of respect. Even the leaders of the Municipal Committee respected Liu Si. This showed just how formidable and remarkable this guy Liu Si was. He had carved out a realm for himself in LJ city and defended his own status fiercely.
“Fourth Master?” Deputy Director Huo's face turned pale with shock.
“Oh, is that Director Huo?” Liu Si was dressed in a linen Tang Suit with a black cloak over it, holding a jade smoking pipe in his hand, followed by several brothers, with Li Shan close behind him. He looked quite distinctive at first glance. Liu Si smiled and said, “I didn't expect to bump into you here!”
“Heh heh…” Deputy Director Huo said awkwardly, “Fourth Master, what brings you here?”
“Well, I heard some gossip that someone was going to smash up my place, how could I sit still?” Liu Si glanced at Deputy Director Huo and continued, “So, I had to hurry over and see for myself. I hear someone's been food poisoned? Shall we visit the hospital to see what's going on?”
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“No, no, no!” As soon as he heard this, Deputy Director Huo quickly shook his head and said, “That's not necessary. I just came to investigate the situation. I heard that Hanmen Catering has CCTV, and they also found relevant evidence. This is simply a slander. I suspect it might have something to do with competition among peers.
Fourth Master, rest assured, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly when I am back and will give you an explanation!”
“Look at you,” Liu Si said upon hearing this, amused: “Alright, then you go back first and help out with the investigation. I'll find out more about the situation here!”
“Sure, sure, sure.” Deputy Director Huo hurriedly nodded, then said, “I'll go and investigate right away.”
“Alright then, I won't see you off,” Liu Si replied.
“Fourth Master, I'll take my leave first then,” Deputy Director Huo smiled slyly and turned to leave.
“Deputy Director Huo!” At that moment, the ringleader of the troublemakers hurriedly shouted, “This… this matter isn't over yet, they haven't paid compensation, we… we can't just leave like this!”
“You fool!” Deputy Director Huo glared at him fiercely, then said, “Make a fuss if you want, what's that to me. I advise you to leave quickly, don't complicate things!”
After saying that, Deputy Director Huo turned and left.
The middle-aged man looked baffled as he watched Deputy Director Huo go. He was just a restaurant owner, not well-versed in underworld matters. If he had to claim acquaintance with any gangsters, it would probably be the few hoodlums charging protection fees on their street. These guys hadn't even entered the realm of real gangsters, let alone being figures on the streets.
Had he actually known some people from the underworld, he likely would have naturally come to know Liu Si as well. Regrettably, he knew nothing about Liu Si.
Therefore, the middle-aged man had no plans to leave; he still led his group, blocking the scene.
“We won't leave without compensation!” the middle-aged ringleader yelled.
“Just tell me, how much do you want?” Liu Si turned and glanced at them.
“How much?” The middle-aged man sneered, “Let me tell you, no less than one million. If it's less than that, we won't leave!”
“One million?” Liu Si was taken aback, then laughed, “You sure have a big appetite. One million's enough to buy you two arms.”
“What do you suggest, Fourth Master?” Li Shan asked eagerly.
“Give him one million,” Liu Si replied.
“Heh heh, I get it!” As soon as Li Shan heard this, he immediately nodded.
Then, Li Shan promptly gave an order to two of his underlings behind him. They understood immediately and drove off to get the money. It wasn't long before they returned with one million in cash. They carried the one million to the scene and laid it out there.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com
Chapter end
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