Chapter 101: The Restaurant Incident

Classes were already underway in the afternoon as usual, but Song Nianqiang and Big Fatty hadn’t gone to school because some of Big Fatty’s relatives had gotten him into trouble.

The Prosperity Tavern was a three-star hotel in the county. Normally, a meal there would cost up to a thousand yuan, which was already quite expensive. However, Big Fatty’s relatives had somehow spent ten thousand yuan inside, and it still wasn’t enough.

When Big Fatty received a call from the hotel manager, his nose flared with anger. Jumping up and down, he shouted into the phone, “Damn it, shut your mouth! I’m coming right now to pay the ransom!” Then he slammed down the phone.

“Damn!” Big Fatty stomped his feet in fury. Seeing Big Fatty’s enraged expression, Song Nianqiang grew curious. What could possibly have made him so angry? Teasingly, he said, “Fatty, what’s wrong? Did your relatives get cooked by someone?” Big Fatty, still fuming, barely responded. He only said, “Almost. Come with me to the Prosperity Tavern.” Without waiting for a reply, he strode ahead briskly.

Worried that Big Fatty might do something foolish in his anger, Song Nianqiang shook his head and followed. After a short walk, they hailed a taxi and spent ten yuan to reach the entrance of the Prosperity Tavern.

The Prosperity Tavern had quite a history. When it was first established, it was a gathering place for the wealthy. But over time, it declined. Its founder had been the head of the largest gang in the city, back when gang power was rampant. At that time, very few could control the entire city, but the founder of the Prosperity Tavern was one of the rare few.

However, in recent years, the government had cracked down hard on organized crime. The once-dominant gangs faded like ephemeral blooms. Although some remnants remained, they were small and insignificant, barely making a mark. So the government largely let them be.

Today, the Prosperity Tavern remained one of the strongest gang forces in the county. Its owner had inherited the old power, so even relying on past influence, it was far beyond any new rising faction.

“Manager! Get your ass out here right now!” Big Fatty shouted as soon as he entered the lobby, but the manager did not appear. Instead, several men dressed in black came out.

“What’s going on? No noisy business allowed here!” they blocked Big Fatty’s way immediately. Song Nianqiang stepped out from behind Big Fatty and politely said to the men, “Excuse me, please let me through. I’m here to attend a meeting.”

One of the men glanced at Song Nianqiang, hesitated briefly, but then actually stepped aside. There was indeed a banquet just beginning upstairs, and he assumed Song Nianqiang was a guest.

Without looking to the side, Song Nianqiang pushed through the black-clad men and headed straight to the second floor. Big Fatty stood there dumbfounded. “Why can he go in but I can’t?” he shouted, stretching his throat. But deep down, Big Fatty knew he was trying to provoke the men’s attention on purpose.

“He’s a customer here, came to drink. What are you here for?” one of the men blocked Big Fatty, refusing to let him in. “I’m here to pay for those kids you guys are holding. I want to ransom them!” Big Fatty pointed at the man in the center and shouted.

“Oh! No wonder you look so unpleasant. So you’re in cahoots with those reckless brats. Haha, fine, first settle the debt you owe us!” The man sneered, clearly not taking Big Fatty seriously. But Big Fatty wasn’t worried—he trusted Song Nianqiang’s abilities.

“Alright then, tell me how much those kids owe you!” Big Fatty wasn’t short on money; his bank card had at least hundreds of thousands. This was just a meal’s worth of money.

“In total, they owe us 103,780 yuan. We’ll waive the odd change; just give us a neat 100,000 yuan.” A typical lion’s demand. No matter how extravagant a meal was, it wouldn’t cost that much. Sometimes, officials were caught on the news spending tens of thousands on a single meal with public funds, but Big Fatty and his relatives were no officials, so he absolutely refused to pay this sum.

“Only 100,000 yuan? That’s small change. But I came in a hurry and didn’t bring the money with me. How about you show me those brats first?!” Big Fatty knew the black-clad men wouldn’t agree, but his goal was to stall for time, so he asked anyway.

“Nice try, but no way!” The man had no patience left for Big Fatty’s antics. “Since you don’t have the money, you’ll have to follow our rules. I know those kids come from wealthy families, so I won’t make things hard for them. Just tell their parents to bring 100,000 yuan each to ransom them, or else things might get unpleasant.”

The man’s words were a threat. Honestly, Big Fatty was worried something might happen to those kids. They weren’t just his relatives; several were children of his boss’s business partners who came here during the National Day holiday to enjoy the environment of this nationally certified clean county. The boss had no time to look after them, so everything was left to Big Fatty.

“Heh, don’t worry. The money will be here soon. I’ve already sent someone home to get it!” Big Fatty’s bluff was masterful, delivered with such conviction it sounded like the truth. His face remained unflustered, his breathing steady, and his expression perfectly in place.

“If the money’s not here yet, then we won’t entertain you. When you bring the money, we’ll discuss the next steps properly.” The man turned to head inside. Big Fatty wasn’t about to let him leave, so he lunged forward and grabbed one of the men. Just as the man turned to see what Big Fatty was up to, Big Fatty swung a fist and struck him hard in the face.

With a muffled grunt, the man collapsed unconscious to the ground, showing the tremendous force behind Big Fatty’s punch. “Fatty, you refuse to drink the toast but insist on taking the penalty. This is my last warning—get out of my sight immediately or you’ll regret it!” the man growled angrily. If this weren’t his turf, Big Fatty would already be lying flat on the floor.

“Damn it! If you don’t release them, I’m not leaving. Let’s see what you can do to me!” Big Fatty’s voice boomed, likely heard throughout the Prosperity Tavern. Upstairs, Song Nianqiang heard it clearly but still hadn’t located where the kids were being held, growing increasingly anxious.

“Fatty, you’re pushing me too far. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” The men were too brazen to harm Big Fatty openly in broad daylight, but they dared to rough him up. As the man spoke, several others surrounded Big Fatty, the atmosphere tense.

“Ah, Dog Brother, still full of spirit. Looks like last time’s lesson didn’t stick!” Just as Big Fatty prepared to fight, a loud, arrogant voice with a hint of laziness came from outside. Dog Brother’s expression, already grim, darkened further upon hearing it.

“Eagle, this is my place. I welcome you to drink, but if you want to meddle in my business with this fatty, don’t blame me for turning hostile!” Dog Brother gritted his teeth, barely restraining his anger.

Recently, Eagle had somehow acquired a large sum of money, rapidly expanding his influence. His power now rivaled, if not exceeded, Dog Brother’s, threatening to crush him completely.

“Ah! Damn, if it isn’t Fatty! Long time no see, brother. Where you been hanging out? We all rely on you!” Eagle ignored Dog Brother’s words, bowing respectfully toward Big Fatty, who stood surrounded by the men in black.

Seeing this, Dog Brother’s lips twitched fiercely.