chapter 19

Chapter 19

Heizi drove even faster this time, running countless red lights along the way.

A journey that should have taken more than ten minutes was finished in just five.

Looking at the tavern ahead, marked with a Red Rose sign, Zhang Bei took a deep breath.

“Let’s go!”

Heizi nodded, picked up two small boxes, and got out of the car.

Zhang Bei pushed open the main door.

The entire tavern was noisy, with all kinds of people sitting together, drinking beer.

Zhang Bei finally spotted Xu Qian.

At that moment, Xu Qian was being supported by a man in a suit, still sipping a cocktail.

Seeing this scene, both men breathed a sigh of relief.

“Boss, you finally came!”

Seeing Zhang Bei, Xu Qian’s eyes filled with tears as she moved away from the man.

Zhang Bei’s face darkened. “Getting bold, huh? Daring to sneak out on your own!”

Xu Qian blushed and lowered her head, saying nothing. She knew very well how serious the consequences were this time.

The contract had clear rules: as students, they were not allowed to leave the dormitory without notifying Zhang Bei.

This was a regulation added by the school, meant to protect the students’ safety.

If Xu Qian had done this at a stricter school, she would have been disciplined without question.

The man in the suit beside them lit a cigarette and lowered his voice.

“Bro, you know the rules, right? I saw her first.”

Zhang Bei frowned, his gaze fixed on Xu Qian.

“Aren’t you leaving yet? Want me to call the school?”

Hearing Zhang Bei’s words, Xu Qian quickly stood up. “No, I’ll leave right now!”

The man, seeing himself ignored, instantly grew furious.

He grabbed Xu Qian. “I’m asking you, do you know the rules or not!”

Xu Qian was startled, broke free from the man’s grip, and hid behind Zhang Bei.

Only then did Zhang Bei turn his attention to the man.

“She’s my employee. I’m taking her with me.”

Seeing his hunt fail completely, the man’s face turned grim.

“Damn it, two punks coming to cause trouble.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a crowd gathered around them.

“Do you know what happens when you break the rules?”

Heizi rolled his shoulders, a smile on his face.

“Old rules?”

Zhang Bei lit a cigarette. “Did you bring it?”

Heizi licked his lips. “All in the trunk.”

The small box was opened, revealing a steel-made baton.

“Step aside.”

This was clearly said to Xu Qian.

Though Xu Qian had been drinking, she knew things had reached a point where she couldn’t intervene.

The man standing at the back of the crowd sensed something was off.

Though he could summon a crowd with a word, most of these people were just there to intimidate.

Of course, if they could scare someone into buying drinks, that was fine too.

But the two men holding batons looked increasingly familiar.

Zhang Bei had no intention of stopping. With a single swing, a figure screamed and collapsed to the ground.

On the other side, Heizi was not to be outdone, charging into the crowd, his baton flying up and down.

Three minutes later, Zhang Bei put away his baton and looked at the man before him.

The man’s face was pale; he never expected these two would actually dare to fight.

Looking at the people lying on the ground, he finally remembered something.

“You’re the Black King of Hell!”

As soon as he spoke, his gaze shifted to Zhang Bei.

“Then you must be the Strategist?”

Hearing these two nicknames, Heizi scratched his head.

“After all these years, people still remember?”

Zhang Bei patted the man’s shoulder. “Remember now?”
Speaking of the origins of these two nicknames, we have to go back to their rebellious phase.

The two grew up together, and during middle school, they became obsessed with martial arts novels.

Heizi pestered his father to hire a boxing champion to teach him how to fight.

The lively Zhang Bei also joined Heizi in learning.

Back then, both families were rather naive, thinking that even if the kids didn’t learn much, at least it would be good exercise.

No one expected this would last for three years.

They kept learning from middle school all the way to high school.

By then, the two finally decided to do something big.

Punish evil and promote good!

Whenever it got late at night, the two would quietly go to places full of shady characters.

There was no shortage of dirty business in those places, which gave them plenty of opportunities to show off their skills.

The local gangsters at the time never expected that these two teenagers could fight so well.

This went on for two whole years, until their rebellious phase finally passed.

“Feeling better now?”

Hearing Zhang Bei’s words, Heizi nodded, “It’s true, I haven’t exercised in a long time.”

The man shrank back, lowering his head, “I didn’t know it was you two. You’ve already beaten me, can we call it even now?”

He was genuinely scared. Back in the day, some of the punks beaten by Heizi refused to give in.

As a result, for a whole month, those gangsters got beaten up every night.

You could say, they’d just get out of the hospital during the day, and be sent right back in at night.

It was from that time that the two’s reputation really started to grow.

In the end, the little punks were driven into a corner and turned themselves in to the police.

Xu Qian placed a black bag on the ground, “Boss, this is what you asked me to bring.”

Zhang Bei nodded and handed the bag to Heizi.

“I’ll leave it to you. I’m taking her out first.”

He pulled Xu Qian out the door, and screams echoed from behind them.

Zhang Bei got into the car and turned to Xu Qian, “Now it’s time to talk about you.”

Xu Qian’s eyes shimmered with tears, “Boss, I know I was wrong. I really won’t dare again!”

Zhang Bei waved his hand, “Adults have to take responsibility for their actions. Do you know what would have happened if I hadn’t come?”

“Y-yes, I know.”

“As long as you know. Get in the car, go back and apologize to Li Yang and the others. They’re all worried about you.”

Xu Qian nodded quickly, sneaking glances at Zhang Bei.

“Boss, can you not notify the school?”

Zhang Bei leaned back in his seat and rubbed his temples, “Just this once. Don’t let it happen again.”

A few minutes later, Heizi finished up and got into the driver’s seat.

The car started. Since the Amusement Park was in the suburbs, there were no buses this late.

So Heizi had to drive Xu Qian back again.

Once she was away from the boss, Xu Qian’s true colors showed.

“Big brother, you and the boss are so good at fighting!”

Heizi nodded, “Even if you praise me, I still have to take you home.”

Xu Qian’s smile froze, then she quickly changed the subject.

“What was in the bag the boss asked me to bring?”

“Money, or you could call it medical expenses.”

“That must be a lot, right?”

“Not really, just a token.”

The drive to the suburbs was a bit long, and along the way, Xu Qian turned into a curious child, wanting to ask about everything.

Heizi picked a few things he could answer and told her.

Cocktails taste sweet and sour, but they actually pack quite a punch.

Xu Qian’s face was completely red, “Heizi, what do you think love is?”

Heizi glanced at her, “I don’t know what love is, but if you throw up in the car, washing it will cost two hundred.”