The winter night at ten o'clock was a time for rest for most families.
But for nightclubs like this one, it was peak hours.
This was evident from the parking lot in front of the nightclub, packed with various vehicles.
Li Qianfan had to park his car by the roadside and walk nearly three hundred meters to reach the entrance of the nightclub.
Despite the crowded parking lot, there were few people besides the security guards at the entrance.
"Good business," Li Qianfan said with a sigh standing at the entrance of the nightclub, and entered after paying for the ticket via mobile payment.
Ming Yuan Nightclub followed the trend in its ticketing system.
Men had to pay to enter, while women were free.
It truly embodied the concept of "ladies first."
He pushed open the glass door—
Hoo!
Good heavens!!
A wave of heat mixed with alcohol, nicotine, and the stench of sweat immediately hit him, almost knocking him over.
The turbid air was also a characteristic of nightclubs at night.
The well-dressed gentlemen and ladies who appeared decent and demure during the day transformed into visible hormones once they arrived here.
Looking in from the entrance, the place was swarming with people.
Strangely, Li Qianfan didn't hear any "action" music that would instantly ignite the blood and make one uncontrollably sway.
Instead, he heard men's angry shouts and girls' screams.
"Someone is fighting inside the nightclub. And the situation is quite unusual; otherwise, the music wouldn't have stopped."
Li Qianfan immediately understood.
Fights breaking out in nightclubs were commonplace, nothing to be surprised about.
However, a conflict that would cause the nightclub's music to stop and everyone to crowd around was not common.
After all, the security personnel in nightclubs were not just for show.
To create the most relaxed environment for everyone, security would quickly appear at the start of any conflict and escort the parties involved to the security office for handling.
They would do their best not to disturb others.
As for those who couldn't be taken away—
It could only mean that the matter was very serious, or that one of the parties involved in the conflict had an identity that the nightclub security feared.
"Who dares to cause trouble on my turf?"
As Li Qianfan frowned, he vaguely heard a man's furious roar: "Yao Dongping, you dare to help a white man bully my sister! Tonight, I won't let you off!"
Huh.
This voice sounded familiar?
How did it sound—
As Li Qianfan thought this, he suddenly realized who the angry man was.
Indeed.
The next moment, he heard Yao Dongping's voice say with a cold laugh, "Tang Wenyuan, don't make baseless accusations. Mr. Roben merely accidentally brushed against your sister. With so many people here, isn't it normal to bump into each other? On the contrary, you, without a word, injured Mr. Roben with a bottle. Heh, to tell you the truth, you're in trouble."
Li Qianfan keenly caught a term here.
"Your sister."
The sister mentioned by Yao Dongping could only be Tang Wenyuan's sister.
How many sisters did Tang Wenyuan have?
The image of a little girl flashed in his mind.
She was his best friend in his early childhood.
Big eyes, curly hair, rosy lips, and a naturally sweet voice when she called out to "gege."
Tang Xiaoni.
Li Qianfan preferred to call her "Little Mud Soup."
Just as he thought of this, he heard a voice, anxious and also with that natural sweetness, say, "Gege, let's go. There's no need to argue with them here."
Whoosh—
The girl's voice gave Li Qianfan a momentary illusion, instantly transporting him back to his childhood playing house with Tang Xiaoni more than ten years ago!
This was mainly because Tang Xiaoni was the only good friend Li Qianfan had before the age of eight in Sijiu.
Zi Ye was his younger siblings, his family, not friends.
"Go?"
Yao Dongping scoffed, "Tang Xiaoni, if your brother had smashed my head with a bottle tonight, we could have settled it privately. But unfortunately, the person Tang Wenyuan hit tonight is Mr. Roben! We can't settle this privately. Your family elders will have to get involved, and you'll have to be prepared for the possibility of an international dispute if handled improperly."
"Little Mud Soup, get out of the way."
Tang Wenyuan, wearing a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves and holding a broken bottle in his right hand, had a face hollowed out by drink and color, now contorted in ferocity.
He put his sister behind him with his left hand, glanced at the foreigner leaning against the bar, holding his head,
And asked Yao Dongping with a sinister grin, "I've been roaming Sijiu for over ten years, and I've never had to involve my family to settle problems, even if I caused heaven to fall. Tonight, surnamed Yao, you've opened my eyes! I want to see how remarkable this damn white trash is."
"Tang Wenyuan!"
Yao Dongping roared, "Watch your mouth! You're one of the Four Young Masters of Jinghua, so who the hell isn't? Your Tang family runs rampant in Sijiu, but when has my Yao family ever feared you?"
Tang Wenyuan was known as one of the Four Young Masters of Jinghua.
And Yao Dongping happened to be one of the Four Young Masters as well.
The "江湖地位" (influence/status in the underworld) of the Tang and Yao families in Sijiu was equal.
Therefore,
When Yao Dongping said he wasn't afraid of Tang Wenyuan (the Tang family), he wasn't bragging.
It was a fact.
"What's going on here?"
A clear, cold female voice suddenly came from the crowd.
Li Qianfan, who had already squeezed into the crowd and was craning his neck to look inside, immediately knew who had arrived.
Murong Mingyuan, the owner of Ming Yuan Nightclub, known as the "Night Asura of Sijiu's nights," had finally arrived fashionably late.
With a rush.
As Murong Mingyuan's voice echoed, the onlookers immediately parted to make a path.
Murong Mingyuan, wearing a black butterfly mask, a black tight leather outfit, and black knee-high boots, walked forward with several escorts.
Dressed head to toe in black, Murong Mingyuan perfectly accentuated the exquisite curves of her sexy figure.
The wild aura she exuded made all the men present's eyes light up!
Li Qianfan only glanced at her once.
Then his gaze fell behind Tang Wenyuan.
Behind Tang Wenyuan stood several young men and women.
Their faces showed expressions of panic.
Li Qianfan saw the girl he wanted to see.
Tang Xiaoni—
Standing just over 1.5 meters tall, her shoulder-length hair was still naturally curly, looking like permed large waves.
She still had a round face, long eyelashes, large eyes, and rosy lips.
Although Tang Xiaoni was petite, her figure was incredibly sexy.
The first impression she gave was of an anime protagonist.
Those with vulgar thoughts would immediately think of four words.
"Child-like face, bountiful…"
Seeing the eternally young Tang Xiaoni, the beautiful memories buried deep in Li Qianfan's memory for over ten years became even clearer.
He couldn't help but smile.
Then he frowned, "Little Mud Soup, you're a hot commodity in the entertainment industry now. Why are you in a place as mixed as a nightclub?"
Yao Dongping's words once again drew Li Qianfan's attention.
"Murong, it's like this. Tonight, when I brought Mr. Roben and others to the nightclub to relax, Mr. Roben saw Tang Xiaoni and wanted to befriend her. During their conversation, he was accidentally jostled, and Mr. Roben unintentionally touched Tang Xiaoni. But Mr. Roben immediately apologized to her. However, Tang Wenyuan then shouted that Mr. Roben had molested his sister. Without a word, he hit Mr. Roben with a bottle."
As Yao Dongping spoke, he pointed at the foreigner.
In the past—
Murong Mingyuan would never have been taken seriously by Yao Dongping!
After all, Murong of Sijiu was only considered a quasi-second-tier influence in Sijiu, with dozens of established families.
When Yao Dongping, who liked Murong's wildness, wanted to pursue her, he was rejected by his family.
The Yao family felt that the Murong family was not worthy of a marriage alliance with the Yao family.
But now—
Yao Dongping spoke very politely to Murong Mingyuan.
There was no other way.
After all, beneath Murong Mingyuan's elegantly styled hair, there were four characters tattooed on her neck, glowing like will-o'-the-wisps.
Even as one of the Four Young Masters of Jinghua, Yao Dongping couldn't afford to offend, nor dare to offend, those four characters.
Murong Mingyuan looked at Roben.
Before she could speak—
Tang Wenyuan angrily shouted, "Bullshit! Yao Dongping, do you think I'm blind and deaf? Didn't you hear what that white pig said to Little Mud Soup, and didn't you see that white pig deliberately patting Little Mud Soup's butt!?"
Yao Dongping scoffed, "Do you have witnesses?"
Tang Wenyuan immediately said, "We can check the nightclub's surveillance!"
The fact that he dared to suggest checking surveillance proved that Roben had indeed deliberately molested the doll-like Tang Xiaoni.
Yao Dongping fell silent.
Roben, pressing his forehead with a handkerchief, had recovered his senses.
He cast a sinister glance at Tang Xiaoni.
Then, with an arrogant expression, he said to Tang Wenyuan, "Since you say I molested that woman, then I molested her, fine. I don't want to argue with you. I won't even pursue responsibility for injuring me. However, in the Sijiu region of the Eastern Land, you won't get any special medicine for treating mutant red eye disease from International Ruixue!"
Upon hearing this—
Many people's expressions drastically changed.
The highly contagious mutant red eye disease!
After breaking out in the Tianjin region, many people in Sijiu had contracted it.
Reportedly, those who fell ill suffered from persistent high fever, loss of appetite, and their eyes turned red like vampires.
Therefore, many people called this disease "Vampire Disease"!!
Fortunately, International Ruixue, when the "Vampire Disease" (hereafter, mutant red eye disease will be named Vampire Disease, as will the Guanyin worm that will sweep across Europe and America) first appeared, developed a cure for patients, "The Illuminator," at the fastest possible speed.
Although "The Illuminator" was priced at a steep 2999 yuan per box and the treatment period lasted two to three years, bringing immense financial pressure on ordinary families,
As long as it could save a life—
Money was just external possessions!
At ten o'clock this morning, International Ruixue officially announced that patients in the Eastern Land would be able to use "The Illuminator."
The company facilitating "The Illuminator's" arrival in the Eastern Land was the Yao family's "Fuyin Pharmaceuticals" in Sijiu.
This Roben was the chief representative sent by International Ruixue to the Eastern Land.
He was treated as an honored guest by the Yao family.
The night Roben arrived in Sijiu, he wanted to experience the local nightlife firsthand, so the Yao family assigned Yao Dongping, a skilled member of the family, to accompany him to Ming Yuan Nightclub for relaxation.
After Mr. Roben encountered the doll-like Tang Xiaoni, instead of a romantic encounter, his head was smashed.
Who—
Wouldn't get angry!?
Roben, a highly capable individual, immediately seized this opportunity.
He decided to use this incident to further highlight the fatal weaknesses of "The Illuminator" and create a fear of "Vampire Disease" in Sijiu.
This would create a phenomenon of "one pill hard to find"!
And further drive up the price of "The Illuminator"!!
Everyone present was shocked—
Yao Dongping also looked anxious and urged, "Mr. Roben, please calm down."
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Yao, I can't calm down."
Roben's face turned ashen, and he waved the blood-stained handkerchief. "To be frank, this international metropolis of Sijiu has greatly disappointed me. I regret choosing Sijiu as the launch city for 'The Illuminator' over Shanghai when I had to choose between the two cities. Mr. Yao, I need to return to my residence immediately to consult with headquarters and cancel Sijiu's launch qualification, transferring it to Shanghai."
"Mr. Roben, please don't!"
Yao Dongping saw that Roben was not joking and became even more anxious. "Please rest assured, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer regarding your injury!"
Roben coldly asked, "Can you do it within five minutes?"
Five minutes—
Yao Dongping was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "Okay. I'll try my best!"
Time was tight and the task was heavy.
Yao Dongping turned abruptly and shouted sternly at Tang Wenyuan, "Tang Wenyuan! I order you now to apologize to Mr. Roben immediately!"
Tang Wenyuan laughed in anger, "Apologize to a white pig? Yao Dongping, have you lost your mind?"
"If you don't apologize to Mr. Roben!"
Yao Dongping, disregarding the argument with Tang Wenyuan, continued to shout sternly, "International Ruixue will not launch 'The Illuminator,' which can curb the Vampire Disease, in Sijiu! If it is launched in Shanghai, let alone the patients in Sijiu region being unable to get the medicine immediately, accelerating their condition and endangering their lives. The key is that the original price of 2999 yuan per box might double or even triple! For the patients in the Sijiu region, who are at risk of contracting the Vampire Disease at any moment, this would be a disaster!"
"And you!"
Yao Dongping stepped forward, pointing at Tang Wenyuan's nose,
And angrily questioned, "Can you and your Tang family bear this responsibility?"
Tang Wenyuan's face changed drastically.
He was indeed proficient in all sorts of vices,
But Young Master Tang was intelligent.
He knew who he could afford to offend and what he absolutely could not do.
If—
Because of him, the launch city announced by International Ruixue at ten o'clock this morning was changed from Sijiu to Shanghai.
Then this would be an absolute bad omen for Sijiu, which was currently "talking about ghosts and changing color."
It was something that Tang Wenyuan, and even the Tang family of Sijiu, could not bear.
"For a trivial matter, you disregard the lives and economic well-being of countless patients."
Yao Dongping shouted again, "Tang Wenyuan, can you and the Tang family bear it!?"
Tang Wenyuan subconsciously took a step back.
His usual calm demeanor, as if he could face even the king of heaven, completely vanished.
"Murong."
Yao Dongping then looked at Murong Mingyuan. "Although this is a conflict between me and Tang Wenyuan, it ultimately happened in your nightclub. Therefore, you surely bear the responsibility of considering the patients with Vampire Disease in Sijiu, am I right?"
Murong Mingyuan nodded.
Yao Dongping was right.
The matter concerned the lives and property safety of patients with Vampire Disease in Sijiu. Whether Roben had molested Tang Xiaoni was secondary.
Under no circumstances should International Ruixue's chief representative in the Eastern Land, Roben, change the launch city in a fit of anger!
Once patients with Vampire Disease broke out and couldn't get "The Illuminator" in time, or had to purchase it at a price far exceeding 2999 yuan.
Then,
Ming Yuan Nightclub would also become the target of public criticism.
This was something Murong Mingyuan did not want to see.
She looked at Tang Wenyuan and said lightly, "Young Master Tang, for the sake of the greater good, I advise you to apologize to Mr. Roben."
Tang Wenyuan's jaw twitched.
He couldn't understand—
Given his background, not only could he not seek justice after his little sister was molested, but he also had to apologize to Roben!
The key was that
The onlookers were also looking at him with accusing eyes.
"Damn."
Tang Wenyuan was getting desperate.
Just as he was about to yell, "What damn greater good? I don't give a damn. I only care about holding this white pig accountable for molesting my sister," Tang Xiaoni pulled him aside forcefully.
"Gege, don't worry about this for now."
After pulling Tang Wenyuan aside, Tang Xiaoni walked up to Roben and bowed. "Mr. Roben, I'm sorry, we were wrong."
She was the one who was molested by Roben.
Yet she had to apologize to Roben!
This made Tang Xiaoni's heart ache. As she apologized with her head down, tears of grievance welled up in her large eyes.
However, she understood clearly.
No matter what, she had to endure this humiliation.
Otherwise, the Tang family would surely suffer losses she couldn't bear!
As Tang Xiaoni apologized—
Silence fell over the scene.
Many saw the tears of humiliation in Tang Xiaoni's eyes.
They also saw Tang Wenyuan, who realized he had to do this, wishing he could bite his lip until it bled.
And they saw Roben's face filled with mockery and smugness!!
But.
No one spoke.
Because they all knew that the increasingly terrifying Vampire Disease was spreading in the Sijiu nights.
And International Ruixue was the protector of all patients' lives and property!
Even Tang Xiaoni (the Tang family), the original victim, did not dare to offend the protector.
Who—
Dared to step forward and accuse Roben?
Even the nightclub owner, Murong Mingyuan, who had a significant background, had unconscionably advised Tang Xiaoni to apologize to Roben, hadn't she?
"Gege, let's go."
Tang Xiaoni wiped her tears quickly as she looked up and was about to push through the crowd to cry her heart out outside.
But Roben spoke. "Wait."
Tang Xiaoni stopped.
Tang Wenyuan's face turned ferocious. "Idiot, what else do you want!?"
Seeing that Roben was unwilling to let it go, even the onlookers and Murong Mingyuan showed displeasure.
Yao Dongping, with a fawning smile, asked, "Mr. Roben, what are your conditions for forgiving their barbaric behavior?"
Roben pointed at Tang Xiaoni and said slowly, "Let her accompany me for three nights, and this matter will be settled."
Yao Dongping was stunned.
Murong Mingyuan's brown eyes flickered.
The crowd was filled with anger!
Tang Wenyuan was furious—
But Roben preempted him, "You can refuse. After all, I'm only proposing my terms for forgiveness, not forcing you to do as I say. You have three minutes to consider. Three nights, no negotiation."
Having completely taken control of the situation and wanting to leverage this incident to gain maximum benefit for International Ruixue, Roben calmly picked up a glass of wine from the bar counter, raised his left wrist, and looked at his blue-glowing watch.
He began to count down the time!
Tang Xiaoni trembled with anger.
But she tightly held her brother's arm, worried that he would impulsively escalate the situation.
At this moment.
Tang Xiaoni suddenly realized that even though she was the little princess of the Tang family, and even though she was a "little elf" in the singing and screen world with tens of thousands of fans,
She had little power to resist when openly bullied by a foreigner.
"Tang Wenyuan."
Yao Dongping, his eyes devoid of their earlier schadenfreude, looked at Tang Wenyuan and asked slowly, "Do you know now how much trouble you've caused?"
Tang Wenyuan—
Also trembled all over, and with heavy, ox-like breaths, his eyes fixed on Roben began to redden.
But what good would that do?
He truly didn't know what to do anymore!!
Looking at Roben again.
He held a glass of wine and slowly sipped it.
His gaze, filled with greed, lust, baseness, and lewdness, swept over Tang Xiaoni's face and body.
In his mind, he began to fantasize, "Wouldn't such a petite person be the most comfortable to hold?"
Three minutes—
Roben put down his wine glass, glanced at his watch, and then looked up.
Before he could say anything—
A young man's voice from the crowd was the first to speak, "The three minutes are up."