Ham's Western Restaurant was located at the junction of the old and new districts of Xicheng. The architecture was a blend of Western and Chinese styles, and the ambiance was elegant.
Long Xiao didn't understand Western cuisine, so Lin Xuan ordered for them, and also requested a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
To the sound of soft music, the two ate steak and drank wine, gradually dispelling their worries.
"Lin Xuan, how has work been lately? Have you resolved the loan issue? Do you need my help?" Long Xiao asked.
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "I only managed to secure twenty million, which can barely sustain us for a few days. After Grandma's birthday banquet, I'll think of another way."
After a few more exchanges, a waiter approached with a bottle of red wine.
"Miss, this is a complimentary bottle from our manager."
Lin Xuan looked at the server in surprise and asked, "I don't know your manager. Why would he send me wine?"
The server glanced dismissively at Long Xiao and said, "Our manager said a beautiful flower shouldn't be planted in dung. Whatever this loser can give you, he can give you a hundred times more."
Long Xiao waved his hand impatiently, "Scram. Don't ruin my mood."
The server didn't leave, nor did she look at Long Xiao again. Her gaze remained fixed on Lin Xuan.
"Beautiful lady, life is short, and the future is long. Why waste your time with a loser?"
"I told you to scram, did you hear me?" Long Xiao shouted.
To be seduced in front of him, like this, greatly angered Long Xiao.
The Western restaurant was quiet. Long Xiao's loud roar drew the attention of all the diners.
The server, startled, took a step back. Not far away, a young man in black, wearing pointed leather shoes, stood up and, with two subordinates, walked towards Long Xiao and Lin Xuan.
The young man approached their table, picked up the red wine, and said, "This beautiful lady, I am Hei Gou. Xi Cheng Hu Ge is my elder brother. I manage a hotel and three restaurants. If you follow me, I will fulfill your every wish."
In Xicheng, Donghai, Xi Cheng Hu Ge and his Tian Yun Chamber of Commerce were household names. The Lin Group's main businesses were in Xicheng, so most of the Lin Group's supplies were transported by the Tian Yun Chamber of Commerce.
Normally, they settled shipping fees once a month. For some unknown reason, a few days prior, they received notification from the Tian Yun Chamber of Commerce that the fees would be settled weekly.
Tomorrow was Monday, the day for freight settlement. Lin Xuan was worried about this matter. Jin Shaohuai had repeatedly offered to help if she encountered any difficulties.
Jin Shaohuai had pursued Lin Xuan relentlessly during their school days. Despite being a rich second-generation, his character was extremely poor, and Lin Xuan did not wish to have any dealings with him.
Hei Gou, seeing Lin Xuan seemingly contemplating after he revealed his connection to Xi Cheng Hu Ge, felt immensely proud.
"Beautiful lady, Xi Cheng Hu Ge is the king of Xicheng. If you follow me, you can..."
Before Hei Gou could finish, Long Xiao stood up. He took a step back, and his two subordinates stepped forward, reaching to grab Long Xiao.
Long Xiao grabbed their outstretched hands. With two sharp cracks, their wrists were broken by him.
The two men cried out in pain. Hei Gou stared at Long Xiao in shock. He hadn't expected Long Xiao to dare to act. Did he not want to live?
"How dare you touch my men!"
Long Xiao smiled and said, "Go back and tell Ah Hu, my name is Long Xiao."
Seeing Long Xiao's arrogant demeanor, Hei Gou suddenly burst into laughter. "Who do you think you are, telling me to tell Brother Hu? In Xicheng, anyone who dares to lay a hand on the people of my Tian Yun Chamber of Commerce is dead."
Clearly, Hei Gou was unaware of what had happened at Xi Cheng Hu Ge's villa that afternoon.
Long Xiao reappeared abruptly. Before Hei Gou could react, Long Xiao kicked him out five or six meters. He fell to the ground, and the wine bottle in his hand was thrown away.
"You dare to sneak attack me!"
Hei Gou jumped up and lunged at Long Xiao with a move called "Vicious Dog Pounces."
Hei Gou was one of Xi Cheng Hu Ge's "Black and White Dogs," and they had practiced "Dog Boxing" since childhood. Their strength was comparable to Xi Cheng Hu Ge's Four Great Vajras.
Dog Boxing emphasized unscrupulous practical combat. Techniques like gouging eyes and kicking the groin were classic moves in Dog Boxing.
Although Dog Boxing was flexible and unpredictable, Long Xiao's physique, modified by his ancestors, far surpassed that of ordinary people in speed and strength. Even peak experts of the Yellow Realm could not withstand a single move from Long Xiao.
Long Xiao stood still, watching Hei Gou. Just as Hei Gou's hands were about to grab him, Long Xiao suddenly moved, evading his grasp, and struck Hei Gou's chest with his right hand.
With a bang, Hei Gou was sent flying like a cannonball, his chest in intense pain, and the sound of cracking ribs echoing.
As Hei Gou hit the ground, Long Xiao's foot stepped on his lower leg.
"Call Ah Hu and tell him to come here immediately."
"You expect to see Brother Hu just like this..."
Before Hei Gou could finish speaking, Long Xiao applied force with his right foot. With a crack, Hei Gou's lower leg was broken.
With a muffled groan, Hei Gou stared at Long Xiao with wide-open eyes, as if wanting to bite him to death.
"Don't look at me like that. Call Ah Hu."
Hei Gou knew that if he didn't make the call, Long Xiao would not hesitate to break his other leg.
He took out his phone and dialed Xi Cheng Hu Ge. Hei Gou said, "Brother Hu, I've run into some trouble here. Someone wants to see you."
"See me? I don't have time. Don't call me with such trivial matters in the future."
As Xi Cheng Hu Ge was about to hang up, Hei Gou urgently said, "Brother Hu, he says his name is Long Xiao and he wants you to come immediately."
Upon hearing Long Xiao's name, Xi Cheng Hu Ge quickly said, "It's Brother Long! That's great. Tell him I'll be right there."
Hei Gou was also taken aback when he heard Brother Hu call Long Xiao "Brother Long," feeling as if he had misheard. In his memory, Xi Cheng Hu Ge had only respectfully addressed Sister Hong in such a manner; he had never called anyone else by such a title.
Long Xiao sat back down and continued eating his steak.
Lin Xuan felt that Long Xiao had changed. It was as if the person sitting opposite her was no longer the spineless good-for-nothing who only knew how to live off her, but a man with strong arms who could give her a sense of security.
More than ten minutes later, Xi Cheng Hu Ge, with bandages on his head and arms, stumbled into the Western restaurant and rushed towards Long Xiao.
"Brother Long, save me! Please save me!"
Long Xiao looked closely. Black malevolent energy had engulfed Xi Cheng Hu Ge, making him appear as if he were shrouded in black smoke.
"How can this be? Didn't I draw you a talisman? Why is there still so much malevolent energy?"
"Brother Long, I was wrong. Save me."
It turned out that after Long Xiao left Xi Cheng Hu Ge's villa, he had thrown the talisman into the grass. Upon returning to the villa, he had arranged for the injured men to be treated and had also gone to the hospital himself.
As dusk approached, Xi Cheng Hu Ge had just returned to his villa from the hospital when he tripped on the steps and hit his head.
Entering the villa, the glass door inexplicably shattered, the electrical circuits caught fire, and misfortunes followed one after another.
Sensing that something was amiss, Xi Cheng Hu Ge remembered Long Xiao's talisman and frantically searched the grass with his subordinates.
They found the talisman, but it had been soaked by the dew and was no longer usable.
He thought of finding Long Xiao to draw another one, only then remembering that besides his name, he knew nothing else about Long Xiao.
He called Xiao Hui to inquire about Long Xiao's whereabouts, but the call didn't go through. Just as he was preparing to go to the hospital to find Xiao Hui, he received Hei Gou's call.
As he left the villa, he had two car accidents along the way and tripped again after getting out of the car.