Chapter 63 - 41 "Given the Cold Shoulder
Chapter Forty-One: [A Cold Reception]
Hu Licking Dog also knew the internet café boss lady—he and Chen Yan were university classmates. Although they weren’t roommates, they often stayed up all night in the internet café. They even got caught a few times during check-ins and had to write reviews together.
Hu Licking Dog was struck by the boss lady’s beauty the first time he saw her and pursued her ardently for a few days.
But the boss lady wasn’t interested in someone like Hu Licking Dog, and he eventually gave up.
Chen Yan thought for a moment: "I don’t have the boss lady’s phone number. Can you send it to me?"
"Huh?" Hu Licking Dog was taken aback: "You’re the closest one to her, and you don’t have her number?"
"Enough with the nonsense, just send it to me."
"Okay, okay. I’ll send it once we hang up."
After hanging up, Hu Licking Dog sent a number—he still had the boss lady’s number. He had gotten it back then under the pretext of booking an overnight machine. Quite a few students had her number.
But Chen Yan had never thought to add it.
With the number in hand, Chen Yan dialed it for the first time.
She hung up immediately.
Not surprising. She’s probably busy dealing with something and not in the mood to answer calls from unknown numbers. Plus, there’s a lot of spam calls these days.
Chen Yan dialed again.
The second time, she finally answered.
Chen Yan quickly spoke first: "Boss lady, it’s me, Chen Yan."
"...," there was a pause on the other end, then a familiar slightly hoarse female voice came: "Xiaoyan?"
Chen Yan calmly said: "I heard you’re in some trouble over there?"
Upon hearing this, the boss lady paused again, then burst into tears: "My brother was taken away."
"Which brother? The second, third, or fourth?"
"All of them, they were all taken away."
What the hell?
Chen Yan was stunned, then asked: "What happened?"
"They got into a fight."
Thankfully, Chen Yan felt slightly relieved—at least it wasn’t murder.
In about a minute, the boss lady explained the situation in a halting manner.
Her three brothers, who could practically stand guard at the door like guardians, got into a fight outside.
And it was supposedly related to some kind of revenge.
Fortunately, the other party wasn’t seriously injured, just some superficial wounds, nothing too severe.
But those three brothers... how should I put it, they’re not too bright.
If you’re going to do shady things, at least find a secluded place.
They actually did it in a shopping mall.
The mall, with cameras everywhere?
As a result, they ran away at the time, but the police came knocking on their door the next evening.
The boss lady was now getting ready to meet the victim.
She planned to apologize and discuss compensation. The most critical thing was to get a letter of forgiveness from the victim.
With that letter, she could seek a lighter punishment.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yan promptly said: "Send me the address, and I’ll go with you."
"Huh? Xiaoyan? You..."
"Quit talking, boss lady," Chen Yan quickly said. "You’re just a woman going to apologize and negotiate compensation. If the person is still angry and shouts at you, someone has to stand in front of you, right?"
The boss lady didn’t speak as if still hesitating, and after a few seconds, she said softly: "Xiaoyan, really, there’s no need. I’ll..."
"Enough. Send the address over, and we’ll talk more when we meet."
Having said that, Chen Yan hung up the phone.
A few seconds later, the boss lady sent over the address of the victim.
Upon seeing the address, Chen Yan’s expression immediately became quite interesting.
"Luoyun House?"
What the hell?
Whom did the boss lady’s three brothers beat up?
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Chen Yan arrived first at the street where Luoyun House was located, stood by the roadside and waited for a while. He saw the boss lady asking for directions from passersby as she walked over.
The boss lady looked significantly more haggard, with dark circles under her eyes, clearly having had little sleep in the past few days.
She was wearing a windbreaker that obviously didn’t match with her shoes, and her hair was hastily tied up, barely taken care of.
Chen Yan walked up, grabbed the boss lady’s arm, and led her to the roadside. The boss lady was startled, but seeing it was Chen Yan, she anxiously said: "Xiaoyan, the place is just ahead, let’s hurry..."
"No rush." Chen Yan pointed towards Luoyun House: "I’ve already checked, the place is right there. But before we go in, tell me the whole story again."
The boss lady looked a bit anxious, but Chen Yan still dragged her to the teahouse opposite Luoyun House—where he had sat for tea the last time he had scoped out Luoyun House.
Leading the boss lady into the teahouse, he found a window-side table and ordered a pot of tea.
The boss lady was clearly in no mood for tea, anxiously saying: "Xiaoyan, I know you want to help me, but this is something you young kids can’t handle. Listen to me, either go back now, or if you come in with me, just stay at the side and don’t speak."
"Hmm?"
The boss lady sighed: "My three brothers are always causing trouble. Over the years, I’ve dealt with this kind of thing so many times.
They fight, get into trouble, and every time I have to go to the victim’s house to apologize, compensate, and plead for leniency. With a letter of forgiveness, the punishment can be reduced a lot—I’ve had experience.
This time, I’ve asked around, the victim isn’t severely injured but is still angry.
When we meet, no matter how angry the victim is or how harsh their words, don’t defend me. My brothers hit someone. It’s only right if I get scolded. Do you understand?"
Actually, the boss lady had been hiding some thoughts, afraid speaking them aloud would hurt young Chen Yan’s pride.
In the boss lady’s eyes, Chen Yan was just a kid, a naive big boy who had only graduated a few months ago—what does he know about society? How could he help?
She appreciated his enthusiasm and sentiment for coming along, but deep down, she thought she couldn’t count on this young guy and would still need to handle things herself.
Chen Yan could roughly guess the boss lady’s thoughts, but he didn’t spell it out—after all, who wouldn’t think that way? The boss lady’s mindset was understandable.
Chen Yan didn’t put a label on himself saying: "I am an expert."
In such a serious matter, why should people trust unconditionally?
"We’re already here, a few more minutes won’t hurt. Tell me the details again. I may or may not be able to help, but perhaps I can offer some advice," Chen Yan said patiently.
"...Alright." Looking at Chen Yan’s young face, the boss lady finally nodded.
·
The story was pretty much what had been said over the phone.
However, the boss lady’s brothers fought because—according to the boss lady’s speculation—they must have taken some job for money.
The three brothers were ill-tempered and had no real survival skills, often engaging in these shady activities—not committing major crimes, but never-ending minor issues.
Otherwise, how could her three brothers living near University City get involved with people from Luoyun House and beat them up?
Based on the boss lady’s understanding, they must have had some sketchy friends pay them to do this dirty work.
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"No wonder why a few days ago, the three of them suddenly gave me a couple thousand yuan, saying they earned it from some job outside for me to buy New Year goods with. That money is probably their payment."
Chen Yan nodded: "What’s the name of the victim?"
"...Luo Qing."
Chen Yan’s mouth twitched.
It was indeed Uncle Qing.
Why am I not surprised at all?
Such a coincidence.
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The incident went like this: in a shopping mall, Uncle Qing was wandering leisurely with someone when the boss lady’s three brothers suddenly rushed out, hitting him right in the nose, catching him off guard, then proceeding to kick and punch him.
Uncle Qing was not as angry about the injuries as he was about the humiliation.
His carefully groomed white hair, always neatly combed, was a significant part of his persona for creating an aura of respect in any situation.
The boss lady’s three brothers, full of malice, were so bad they didn’t just stop at hitting him.
Someone brought hair clippers and pinned Uncle Qing down, buzzing his carefully styled hair until it looked like a dog’s chewed-up attempt at a hairstyle!
·
Chen Yan wasn’t surprised that Qing got beaten—his behavior was despicable.
Given his ways, it wasn’t only Fang Boss he’d crossed, there must’ve been many others.
It wasn’t surprising he got some comeuppance.
But what made Chen Yan wonder was if this might be Fang Boss’s doing, somehow connecting him to the matter—since he’d exposed Qing’s scam.
The sandalwood mixed with Resentful Bone Powder had caused Fang Boss months of bad luck, illness, fractures, and financial losses.
Fang Boss wasn’t a good guy either, once discovering the truth, revenge was inevitable.
Chen Yan wouldn’t blindly support without reason; if the brothers had harmed an innocent, he’d simply assist quietly and offer compensation.
But as the one harmed was someone like Qing, things were different. He deserved it!
His values were simple: at the core, it’s wrong to hit people.
But if it’s someone vile getting beaten, it’s a different story.
·
"Don’t be too anxious. Whether they get that letter or not, your brothers will still be in for a while. With it, they stay fewer days," Chen Yan slowly said: "Your brothers are not young anymore, it’s high time they stop this behavior. Let them learn from their mistakes; it’s not necessarily bad."
The boss lady looked at him and sighed: "That’s true, but... I’m still worried. It’s nearly New Year, can’t let them spend it in detention..."
Chen Yan didn’t reply but thought another way. Traditions about the season didn’t mean much to him.
He found the cultural importance of certain dates and occasions perplexing. But he stayed silent. The boss lady’s brothers were in trouble, and these were her true family members.
"Let’s go. I’ll accompany you to see the guy who got hit."
Knowing the full story now, Chen Yan guided the boss lady out and crossed the street to Luoyun House. They approached an attendant once inside, and the boss lady stated her intention...
Only to be met with...
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"No visitors?"
The boss lady was stunned, face anxious: "I..."
The staff, seemingly pre-briefed, shook his head: "Uncle Qing said no guests, especially not from the assaulters’ families. They’re strictly denied."
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