Chapter Thirty-Three: Peril at the Disco (Part Two)

*****From 5:30 this afternoon until 5:30 Thursday afternoon, this channel will feature a major recommendation. During this period, there will be three daily updates of over 9,000 words each. Starting with this chapter, one update will be released at midnight, another at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, and so on until 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Afterward, updates will return to once a day, unless otherwise noted at the end of a chapter. As always, please remember to bookmark, send flowers, and vote.*****

“Big sister, am I amazing or what?” Zhuo Nan beamed, his smile as bright as sunlight.

“Silly boy, sure, you’re the amazing one,” Lan Qian replied, her tone filled with worry. “Come on, we can’t stay here any longer.” She had never experienced anything like this before. Although Zhuo Nan’s fight had been impressive, she knew those men had already called reinforcements.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you, big sister.” As he spoke, Zhuo Nan took Lan Qian’s hand in his.

Despite having been touched and held by Zhuo Nan before, having her hand clasped by his once again made Lan Qian blush. Her mind wandered to the moment he had lifted her by the waist, and she thought, “This brat must have done that on purpose…”

But then—“Zhuo Nan, look out!” Lan Qian, facing him, saw that the thug who had been kicked away earlier was now charging at them from behind Zhuo Nan. Without thinking, she gripped his hand and shifted positions, placing herself in front of him. The thug’s knife was now less than a meter from Lan Qian. The sudden turn of events made everyone squeeze their eyes shut, as if already witnessing Lan Qian lying in a pool of blood…

At the very moment Lan Qian shouted “look out,” Zhuo Nan realized something was wrong. His first instinct was to shield her, but she had used force to pull him back—how could he let a woman protect him?

Zhuo Nan moved so swiftly that you would have missed it if you blinked. “Screw you!” He wrapped his arms around Lan Qian and landed a spinning kick squarely on the thug’s waist. Even so, the thug’s knife inexplicably slashed Zhuo Nan’s thigh, drawing a torrent of blood…

Zhuo Nan hadn’t expected such a minor thug to injure him. He had underestimated them.

Lan Qian, putting herself between Zhuo Nan and the knife, hadn’t thought about anything but protecting him. She hadn’t considered life or death. Only when Zhuo Nan picked her up did she realize that her little brother had saved her once again. But…

“Little brother, don’t scare me—where are you hurt?” Lan Qian was frantic with worry, on the verge of tears.

Though Zhuo Nan was in pain, he could tell the wound hadn’t struck an artery—it was just a flesh wound. A simple bandage would suffice. Still, he wondered how that thug had managed to injure him after being knocked down.

He flashed his signature smile. “Sis, I’m fine. Just a scratch on my thigh, nothing serious…”

Seeing his brave face, Lan Qian’s tears turned to laughter. “Silly boy, always so stubborn. Don’t be so reckless next time…”

“Sis, even if I die, I’ll never let you get hurt,” Zhuo Nan said solemnly.

Lan Qian’s heart swelled with joy. To have a man willing to die for her—what more could she ask? If anyone else had said, “Lan Qian, I’d die for you,” she’d have laughed it off as a tired pick-up line. But this boy, seven years her junior, had proved it with his actions…

As in every movie, when the villains fall, the police arrive. But this time, it wasn’t the police who showed up—

“You little punk, how dare you cause trouble here! I’ll chop you to bits!” A burly man burst through the crowd—the club’s top enforcer.

When his underlings had gone to report, he’d come out, but upon seeing Zhuo Nan, he hadn’t stopped the scuffle. He’d hoped his men could handle Zhuo Nan, or at least injure him, so he could deal with him later without losing face.

Zhuo Nan shot him a sidelong glance. “It’s you?”

Indeed, the newcomer was Sang Qiang, the same man Zhuo Nan had beaten up in jail. As it turned out, Sang Qiang was the chief of the Four Enforcers under Ghost Nan Chao.

Sang Qiang approached Zhuo Nan with feigned concern. Seeing Zhuo Nan wounded, he thought this was a golden opportunity. But if he moved against Zhuo Nan now, the incident in jail would come to light, disgracing him utterly. He’d rather his men deal with Zhuo Nan. If they failed, at least Zhuo Nan would be hurt, and then Sang Qiang could finish the job once Zhuo Nan left.

“Brother, are you alright?” Sang Qiang asked, his face full of concern.

Zhuo Nan saw through him—Sang Qiang was probably delighted and wouldn’t act now. But once they left, another fight was bound to ensue.

He thought to himself, “So Zhang Xinhong is connected to Ghost Nan Chao, able to get his chief enforcer into jail for business…”

Since he couldn’t avoid it, he might as well play along. The Four Enforcers? Ghost Nan Chao, tonight I’ll cripple one of your best men.

“I’m fine. Just need to rest a bit, sorry to interfere with your business. Oh, and about that incident the other day—my apologies, it was all a misunderstanding.” Zhuo Nan spoke sincerely, making Sang Qiang think his plan had worked.

“Don’t mention it, I’ve already forgotten. You’re sure you’re alright?” Sang Qiang’s concern was so convincing that even Lan Qian felt grateful.

“I’m fine, sis, help me to the side to rest.” Zhuo Nan, still holding Lan Qian’s hand, limped to their previous table.

Seeing blood still flowing from his thigh, Lan Qian was worried. “Little brother, maybe we should go to the hospital first.”

Zhuo Nan shook his head. “No need. We’ll leave after a short rest.”

“But your leg…” Lan Qian began, but a sharp glance from Zhuo Nan silenced her. She wondered why he’d look at her like that.

“Brother Qiang, could you do me a favor?” Zhuo Nan tilted his head to call Sang Qiang over.

“Brother, just say the word.” From his expression and tone, Sang Qiang seemed the picture of camaraderie.

“Could you bring that kid over here?” Zhuo Nan pointed at Grass Carp, who was lying not far away.

Of the four thugs, Grass Carp had taken the lightest beating and had probably recovered by now.

Sang Qiang had two men drag Grass Carp over. The boy’s head drooped, and he could barely stand.

“Wake him up…” At Zhuo Nan’s command, the two men grabbed a cup of juice from the table and poured it over Grass Carp’s face.

“No, don’t—please, don’t hit me anymore!” Grass Carp pleaded as soon as he came to, drawing laughter from the onlookers.

Zhang Ning, hiding upstairs, felt a sense of foreboding when he saw Grass Carp brought before Zhuo Nan. Tonight’s plan had failed, and he needed to slip away.

But as he tried to leave, Zhuo Nan turned and called out loudly to his position, “Officer Zhang, don’t be in such a hurry to go!”

Lan Qian was taken aback—which Officer Zhang? Following Zhuo Nan’s gaze, she spotted Zhang Ning on the second floor. The lighting was dim, but as a colleague, she recognized him immediately and suddenly suspected he might be involved in tonight’s events.

Zhang Ning hesitated at Zhuo Nan’s call, but continued walking, head down. Zhuo Nan turned to Sang Qiang. “Brother Qiang, please stop him for me.”

Zhuo Nan knew that as long as he didn’t embarrass Sang Qiang, they’d remain on good terms, and Sang Qiang would be happy to help.

Sang Qiang signaled, and two minions blocked Zhang Ning’s path on the second floor. “What do you want? I’m a police officer…” Zhang Ning announced his identity as soon as he was stopped.

The two men hesitated upon hearing this.

Lan Qian spoke up: “Zhang Ning, since you’re already here, why not come down and have a chat?”

Zhang Ning was guilty and afraid, but to refuse would be to admit his involvement in orchestrating the attack.

“Heh, Lan Qian, I was just waiting for some friends—they’re not here yet…” he replied, forcing a smile as he descended to where she stood.

Lan Qian snorted and looked away, leaving Zhang Ning awkwardly scratching his head.

Zhuo Nan gave Zhang Ning a meaningful smile, then turned to Grass Carp: “Why did you come after us tonight?”

The question startled Zhang Ning, but he quickly composed himself. “Lan Qian, I saw what happened earlier. I’ll take these men in right now…” As he spoke, he reached out to grab them.

Zhuo Nan slapped his hand away. Zhang Ning, enraged, glared at him. “Kid, what do you think you’re doing? You were fighting too—I’ll take you in as well.”

Zhuo Nan stared coldly at him. “You can arrest me later. Let me finish my questions first.”

Lan Qian, standing by, said icily, “Zhang Ning, I was involved too. Are you going to arrest me as well?”

“Lan Qian, I would never—” he began, but she cut him off. “If you’re not arresting me, then step aside and keep quiet.”

Zhang Ning had no choice but to step back, subdued.

Zhuo Nan fixed his gaze on Grass Carp. “Tell me, who sent you after me?”

Grass Carp was still defiant. “Screw you, kid—if you don’t finish me off today, I’ll get you next time…”

Zhuo Nan looked at him and sighed. “Damn, thugs always sound like movie villains.” He couldn’t be bothered to waste more time. “Brain, any way to make him talk?”

“Simple. Leave it to me.”

A few seconds passed. Zhuo Nan spoke again: “I’ll give you one more chance. If you don’t talk, I’ll cut off your hand.” He bent to pick up the knife Grass Carp had dropped earlier.

Lan Qian wanted to intervene, but seeing Zhuo Nan’s demeanor, she held her tongue. Sang Qiang was secretly shocked—not only was this youth skilled, he was ruthless. It was a good thing he wasn’t a gangster, or he would be a formidable foe.

In fact, Zhuo Nan’s threat was for show; “Brain” had already taken control of Grass Carp’s neural system. Zhuo Nan’s words were just to make onlookers believe that Grass Carp was only talking under grave threat.

Grass Carp looked at the knife in Zhuo Nan’s hand, then back at Zhuo Nan. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk—it was Zhang Ning who sent us. He said if we crippled you tonight, he’d cover for us if we ever got in trouble.”

“Bullshit, you little liar!” Zhang Ning roared, lunging at Grass Carp. Zhuo Nan had anticipated this—he lifted his uninjured leg and kicked Zhang Ning to the floor. Lan Qian gasped, but did not go to his aid.

Zhang Ning clutched his stomach on the ground, unable to get up. He tried to speak, but could only glare at Zhuo Nan, his eyes burning with hatred.

Zhuo Nan continued, “What else did he say?”

Grass Carp answered honestly, “He said if we could capture the woman, we just needed to drug her…”

Lan Qian was appalled. She knew all too well what “drugging” meant. Furious, she strode over to Zhang Ning and slapped him hard across the face—twice. Red marks bloomed on his cheeks.

As the pain faded, Zhang Ning scrambled up, grabbing Lan Qian’s hand. “Lan Qian, listen to me—he’s lying! I’d never do that, you have to believe me…”

“Believe your own nonsense!” Lan Qian exploded, her outburst shockingly crude. Zhuo Nan was sure he’d heard right.

Once again, Zhang Ning collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.

“Little brother, I never thought he would…” Lan Qian began, but Zhuo Nan silenced her with a gentle finger to her lips. “Sis, don’t say it. As long as you understand, that’s enough. Too bad you didn’t get to use the plan I gave you last time, but at least you saw his true colors. This fight wasn’t in vain.”

She recalled Zhuo Nan’s earlier suggestion—to use a few women to seduce Zhang Ning…

“Well, that’s that, sis. Let’s go…” He took Lan Qian’s hand, turned to Sang Qiang, and said, “Brother Qiang, sorry for disrupting your business tonight. I’ll come by another time to apologize properly.”

Sang Qiang looked stunned, then smiled. “No need to be so polite, brother. Would you like me to send someone to escort you home?”

“No need, Brother Qiang. We’ll be on our way.” With that, Zhuo Nan led Lan Qian out with long, confident strides.

After Zhuo Nan had left, Sang Qiang beckoned a subordinate and whispered, “Tell all the brothers—finish him tonight.”

The young man was confused—hadn’t the boss just been chatting and laughing with the guy? Why the sudden change? But seeing Sang Qiang’s fierce expression, he suddenly understood. That’s why he was just a lackey, and Sang Qiang was the boss…