Chapter 52 A Gentleman Prefers Words Over Fists

Nie Yunyang took Xiang Tao and left directly. He had no intention of going to inform Cao Weihua, but Dai Zhenxuan knew about his relationship with Cao Weihua, which might cause some concern.

Hou Feipeng certainly did not know about this and might try to put pressure on Nie Yunyang later, but he was not afraid. After all, Hou Feipeng was merely a deputy security manager.

"People obsessed with gambling, even if they possess a vast fortune, will eventually lose it all. I know quite a few formidable figures who ended up ruined and losing their families simply because of massive gambling debts," Xiang Tao muttered softly.

While driving, Nie Yunyang replied, "It is good that you understand. If you ever touch gambling in the future, I will personally clean up the family for you to prevent you from bringing disaster upon your loved ones."

"You do not need to worry about that. If I knowingly break the rule, I can only die to atone for my sins," Xiang Tao said.

Over the years, Nie Yunyang had seen more than enough of the warmth and coldness of human relationships. Back in Yingtian, he had known a friend who was the general manager of a listed company and filthy rich.

Unfortunately, that fellow became addicted to gambling and frequently ran off to Macau. At first, he won tens of millions and loudly proclaimed he was washing his hands of the business, but just a few weeks later he was back at it again. In the end, he lost one billion and threw himself into the sea.

"A small gamble is for fun, but heavy gambling harms the body. If a person cannot conquer their own greed, they will ultimately taste the bitter fruit of their own actions," Nie Yunyang said.

Xiang Tao waved his hand and said, "Let us not talk about this anymore; it has nothing to do with either of us. I am treating you to dinner today, and I will send you the documents shortly. How long will it take for you to get things settled?"

"Once I have taken care of it, you will naturally know," Nie Yunyang said.

"What do you want to eat later?"

"Hot pot, I suppose."

Chongqing was filled with hot pot restaurants everywhere—this was truly no exaggeration—and their accompanying partners were proctology hospitals.

After eating his fill, Nie Yunyang proactively paid the bill, refusing to let Xiang Tao foot it. Although Xiang Tao came from a privileged background, he certainly did not have much pocket money of his own, and no matter how down on his luck Nie Yunyang might be, he would never fleece a high school student.

However, Xiang Tao insisted on treating, so left with no choice, Nie Yunyang told him they could wait until the matter was fully resolved before treating each other.

"Let's go, I'll take you home first," Nie Yunyang said.

He wanted to shake off this burden as soon as possible and go home to get some proper rest. After all, there was still a great beauty waiting for him in the villa at Jinke Ququ River.

However, Xiang Tao did not want to go home yet and instead requested, "Drop me off at GoTo Pure K in Three Gorges Square. A friend of mine is celebrating their birthday there tonight, and we have already made plans. After the birthday party ends, I'll go home by myself."

"No way. Your aunt said I must drop you back on time," Nie Yunyang refused.

Xiang Tao was caught between laughter and tears. "Big Brother, I am just going to attend a birthday party, not go disco dancing at a club. Don't worry, after singing a few songs I will head right back. It's just a bunch of students; nothing will get out of hand."

"Will you really go back by yourself?" Nie Yunyang asked.

Xiang Tao nodded. "A gentleman's word is as good as a team of four horses."

Helpless, Nie Yunyang had no choice but to take Xiang Tao to Three Gorges Square first. He figured it must be to celebrate some girl's birthday, otherwise Xiang Tao would not be so enthusiastic.

Before long, Nie Yunyang dropped Xiang Tao off at his destination. By then, it was already eight o'clock in the evening, and after Xiang Tao left, he drove back the way he came.

Ten minutes later, Nie Yunyang received a call from Xiang Tao: "Nie Yunyang, help! We're being beaten up!"

"Which floor?"

"Third floor."

A muffled and indistinct voice came from the other end of the line before the call abruptly disconnected.

Nie Yunyang immediately made a U-turn and drove back toward Three Gorges Square. If anything happened to Xiang Tao, wouldn't Xiang Sixuan skin him alive?

On the third floor of the Liyuan Vienna International Hotel, the moment Xiang Tao stepped into the KTV, he discovered several burly men surrounding the entrance of a private room, blocking his classmates.

Both sides had consumed quite a bit of alcohol. Over a minor friction, they had begun hurling insults at each other, and the atmosphere was tense.

Xiang Tao knew that the two male classmates present were both wealthy second-generation heirs who were usually rather arrogant, yet they got along quite well with him.

Moreover, with girls present, naturally they were unwilling to back down or show weakness.

Just as Xiang Tao tried to step forward to mediate, he was shoved hard, his feet slipped, and he crashed straight to the ground.

Seeing this, the five male classmates instantly grew furious, rushed forward, and began brawling with the burly men, plunging the scene into absolute chaos.

Xiang Tao felt deeply depressed. What terrible luck! He had only wanted to attend a birthday party, yet he found himself dragged into this mess.

They were merely students, while the opponents were large and towering; naturally, once a fight broke out, they would suffer.

At a loss for what to do, Xiang Tao could only call Nie Yunyang. Who would have expected someone to notice him mid-call and slap him across the face?

Just as his head was ringing with a buzzing sound, he suddenly noticed three female classmates walking out of the private room, one of whom was none other than his goddess.

Filled with righteous fury and burning blood, Xiang Tao yelled at the three female classmates to get back inside, and then plunged into the fray himself.

Yet how could six underage students possibly be a match for seven burly men?

In less than five minutes, Xiang Tao and his companions were beaten to the ground, lying there and wailing incessantly.

"Aren't you lot quite fierce? Get up and keep fighting then," shouted the leader of the men.

The students no longer dared to talk back. Having taken a few punches, Xiang Tao could only swallow his grievances and remain silent; he was no fool and knew that trying to act tough now would only invite another beating.

"Big Brother, we know we were wrong. We are truly sorry. Our friends had a bit too much to drink and lost their cool. Please don't lower yourselves to our level as a bunch of kids!"

Xiang Tao picked himself up and said with extreme composure.

"Wrong my ass! You little punks, if you have the guts, kill me right here. As long as I don't die, I will definitely find people to cripple the lot of you," said one of the wealthy young heirs through gritted teeth.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than he received a kick that made him wince in pain.

"Looks like you guys have quite some backing. I'll give you a chance—make your phone calls right now and summon your people. We'll wait right here, and whoever runs away is a coward," the leading man said with utter unbridled arrogance.

Inside the private room, two of the girls were trembling with fear, but Xiang Tao's goddess remained relatively calm and had already called the police.

The KTV security guards had also called the police, but they dared not come over for fear of getting beaten up. After all, this was merely a job to earn a living, and it was not worth risking their lives for.

Hearing these words, Xiang Tao realized that the other party consisted of ruthless individuals, but he still braced himself, hoping to defuse the situation. He forced a smile and said, "Big Brother, there is no need for this. We can apologize or pay compensation."

"Alright, each of you kowtow to me eight loud times, and today's matter will be considered settled," the man said.

Xiang Tao forcefully suppressed the anger raging in his heart and said, "Big Brother, stop joking around."

"Then why were you acting like a hero sticking your neck out?"

Enraged, the man swung his hand and slapped toward him.

Nie Yunyang had already arrived at the scene long ago, but he had not rushed to intervene. Seeing Xiang Tao's fearless demeanor in the face of danger, he looked at the kid in a completely new light. Compared to the cowardly look when he was beaten a few days ago, he had indeed grown quite a bit.

Seeing that Xiang Tao was about to take a heavy blow to the face, Nie Yunyang swiftly grabbed the man's arm and said, "My friend, enough is enough. Why harass a few students? Does it make you look very imposing?"

The man froze, not expecting anyone else to dare meddle in his affairs. Both ends of the corridor were crowded with onlookers and staff members, yet not a single soul dared to step forward to mediate.

The man looked to be in his early thirties. He slowly turned around, glared at Nie Yunyang, and sneered, "What kind of nobody are you, daring to order me around right to my face?"

"Nie Yunyang, you're finally here! Did you call my aunt?"

Xiang Tao also noticed Nie Yunyang and instantly let out a sigh of relief.

Nie Yunyang shook his head and said, "I rushed all the way here to save you; when would I have had the time to make a phone call?"

Xiang Tao wore a dumbfounded expression, feeling like crying without tears.

Nie Yunyang released the man's arm, but who would have thought that this fellow would turn malevolent, raising his fist to smash it toward Nie Yunyang?

Nie Yunyang sidestepped to dodge the blow, drove a knee straight into the man's chest, and then lifted his entire body up and hurled him away.

"A gentleman uses his words, not his fists. Why must you people be so stubborn?"

Seeing this, the other six burly men charged at Nie Yunyang without the slightest hesitation. Nie Yunyang remained entirely unfazed—wasn't this just taking on multiple opponents at once? He was already well used to it.

In an instant, the entire corridor plunged into chaos once more, and the surrounding crowd let out wave after wave of astonished gasps...