Chapter Ninety-One: You Are Quite Bold

Lin Yi said, "If you really want to change jobs, I can have someone arrange something for you."

Chen Sen thought Lin Yi was joking and teased, "Come on, you're just an employee yourself, yet you say you can arrange something for me. You sound like some big boss."

Lin Yi replied seriously, "You're not wrong. I am a big boss."

Chen Sen laughed and scolded, "You're still the same as before—talking big without even batting an eye."

Lin Yi smiled faintly.

Perhaps because their conversation had dragged on, a corpulent middle-aged man burst out from the seafood restaurant, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, clearly a person of authority. At his side, Secretary Li clung to his arm affectionately.

"Dammit, Chen Sen, I pay you a salary, not so you can stand around chatting. If you don't want the job, get lost," the man shouted furiously. The longer he spoke, the angrier he became, and he raised his hand, aiming a slap at Chen Sen’s face. Judging by his practiced movement, he likely did this often.

Chen Sen didn’t dare dodge, only gritted his teeth and stood still. But before the slap landed, Lin Yi intercepted it.

"Let go! Who are you? Why are you stopping me?" the middle-aged man demanded arrogantly.

Secretary Li chimed in sweetly, "Boss, he's just Chen Sen's friend."

"Oh, that explains it."

The middle-aged man withdrew his arm angrily, sizing Lin Yi up and down—his clothes looked cheap, probably not even worth two hundred yuan. Clearly, people attract friends like themselves.

Lin Yi spoke coldly, "Why do you want to hit him?"

The man scoffed, "He’s my employee—I can hit him if I want. If he has a problem, he can quit."

Chen Sen quickly tugged at Lin Yi’s sleeve and gave him a secret look, signaling not to confront the man.

Lin Yi ignored it and continued, "This is the first time I’ve heard that a boss can hit employees at will."

"Kid, I warn you, you'd better stay out of this, or you'll get burned," the middle-aged man threatened, narrowing his eyes.

Chen Sen hurried forward, lowering his voice, "Mr. Zhao, it’s my fault. Please don’t be angry. Come, let’s continue drinking."

Zhao Pan Sheng saw the crowd gathering, realizing now wasn’t the time to discipline Chen Sen. He snorted coldly, "I’ll deal with you back at the office. And keep an eye on your friend—don’t let him offend the wrong people."

With that, Zhao Pan Sheng and Secretary Li headed back inside.

Chen Sen apologized to Lin Yi, "Sorry, Lin Yi, you had to witness that. He’s the boss of Grand Construction Co. We ordinary folks can’t afford to cross him."

Lin Yi had lived in Lancheng for over ten years and was familiar with Grand Construction. The company had assets worth billions, but its reputation was terrible—using unscrupulous means for forced demolitions, with even rumors of fatalities. But Zhao Pan Sheng was wealthy and well-connected; many victims didn’t even have a place to complain.

Seeing Lin Yi silent, Chen Sen thought he was scared, patted his shoulder, and said, "I’ll go back inside."

Lin Yi stopped him, "I’ll go with you."

"What for?" Chen Sen said anxiously. Zhao Pan Sheng was petty; if Lin Yi followed, who knew what humiliation he might face, perhaps even getting roughed up.

Lin Yi shrugged, "I’m here to eat, of course."

Chen Sen wanted to dissuade him, but Lin Yi was already inside. He sighed, "I just hope Fatty Zhao doesn’t go too far."

Lin Yi entered the seafood restaurant, which wasn’t very crowded.

Zhao Pan Sheng and his group sat at the center, and besides Secretary Li, there were several attractive young women. Their cheeks were flushed, likely from drinking.

Behind Zhao Pan Sheng stood two burly bodyguards in suits and sunglasses, intimidating to behold.

Lin Yi was about to find a seat when a clear voice called out, "Lin Yi, over here!"

He looked over and saw Li Xiaonan and Xiong Jinghui. They had just arrived; the table held only an appetizer, with no other dishes yet.

Her voice was loud enough to catch Zhao Pan Sheng’s attention.

"So this girl is actually a virgin," Zhao Pan Sheng’s eyes burned with desire. He’d seen countless women, and instantly discerned Li Xiaonan’s innocence. Compared to the gaudy beauties beside him, her youthful charm was even more alluring.

"Boss, look—it’s that guy who embarrassed you outside," Secretary Li pointed at Lin Yi.

A shadow flickered in Zhao Pan Sheng’s eyes. In Lancheng, he was the local kingpin—when had anyone dared lecture him? If Lin Yi had just left, he’d have ignored him, but he was like a persistent fly, coming right up.

Lin Yi walked over to Li Xiaonan, who greeted him with a sweet smile, "Lin Yi, what a coincidence! You’re eating here too?"

"Yes," Lin Yi nodded.

Li Xiaonan enthusiastically pushed the menu toward him. "Sit down, please! My treat today—order whatever you like."

Xiong Jinghui welcomed him as well, "Mr. Lin, please sit." Lin Yi had helped them many times, and they’d long wanted to invite him for a meal, though unsure of his preferences.

Lin Yi didn’t refuse, smiled, and sat down.

He glanced at the menu—prices weren’t cheap, the least expensive dish nearly three hundred yuan. A meal here would easily cost several hundred.

Lin Yi ordered a lobster and set the menu aside.

Li Xiaonan noticed he had only ordered one dish and asked in surprise, "Lin Yi, don’t you want to order more? No need to save money for me."

She didn’t have much cash, but could afford one meal.

"No need," Lin Yi shook his head.

He had come mainly to help Chen Sen. If he hadn’t seen him, he’d have left, but now he couldn’t sit by.

"Alright, as long as you’re happy," Li Xiaonan said helplessly.

Just then, a man in sunglasses approached, his voice deep, "Miss, our boss Zhao would like to invite you for a drink."

Li Xiaonan frowned in annoyance, "Not interested. Who’s Zhao? Never heard of him."

The man’s face darkened, "Miss, our boss is Zhao Pan Sheng of Grand Construction in Lancheng. Few dare refuse him here."

"Are you done yet? If you like him so much, go drink with him yourself," Li Xiaonan snapped.

If she weren’t trying to behave in front of Lin Yi, she’d have kicked him already. She dealt with men like this all the time.

"Fine, you’ve got guts," the man said grimly.

Usually, invoking Zhao Pan Sheng’s name made even local celebrities cautious.

He left, returned to Zhao Pan Sheng, and reported, "Boss, that girl turned down your offer."

Zhao Pan Sheng frowned, "Useless, must I do everything myself?"

A mere girl—intimidation and money should be enough to make her submit.

With his two bodyguards, Zhao Pan Sheng strode over. Looking at Li Xiaonan’s pretty face up close, his desire surged.

He planted his foot on Lin Yi’s stool, disregarding him entirely, and smiled, "Miss, let your big brother buy you a drink."

Li Xiaonan glared at him, "Get lost. Who wants your drink?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Pan Sheng’s eyes. Women were playthings to him, and this girl dared tell him to get lost—an affront.

Before he could speak, the bodyguard snarled, "Girl, are you looking for trouble?"

The commotion drew attention. Some recognized Zhao Pan Sheng and shook their heads in pity, "This girl’s doomed. Offending Zhao Pan Sheng—she won’t die, but she’ll suffer."

Chen Sen rushed over, speaking quietly, "Mr. Zhao, please don’t be angry. She’s just a girl."

Smack.

Zhao Pan Sheng backhanded Chen Sen’s face, speaking rudely, "Get lost! Who asked you to speak? Know your place—just a lowly worker, and you dare meddle?"

Chen Sen clenched his fists so tightly that his nails broke the skin, but he felt nothing.

After slapping Chen Sen, Zhao Pan Sheng grew even more arrogant, "Girl, you’d better drink with me, or I’ll ruin that pretty face of yours."

The bodyguard handed over a glass of liquor, and anyone could see it was drugged.

Li Xiaonan’s chest heaved with anger—this wasn’t a boss, but a thug.

Zhao Pan Sheng added, "Be good. Drink this, and I’ll give you a hundred thousand."

Bang.

Before he finished, he flew backward.

Lin Yi had struck.

Zhao Pan Sheng crashed through tables and chairs, leftover seafood splattering over him, looking utterly wretched.

Everyone was stunned. Zhao Pan Sheng weighed at least 180 pounds, yet Lin Yi had sent him flying several meters with one kick—this wasn’t a movie. How could a normal person do that?

After two or three seconds, Secretary Li came to her senses and shrieked, running to Zhao Pan Sheng.

"Mr. Zhao, are you alright?"

She ignored the mess, frantically helping him up.

Zhao Pan Sheng’s head spun, his whole body aching, his bones nearly shattered.

"Mr. Zhao, your head is bleeding," Secretary Li said in panic.

Zhao Pan Sheng touched his head—his hand came away red. His eyes blazed as he shouted at his bodyguards, "Break his legs!"

The two bodyguards exchanged glances. Lin Yi’s kick showed he was trained, but so were they. Both were experts, their punches packing over 400 pounds of force—they could fell the city’s underground boxing champion in one blow.

Their aura intensified, and they moved left and right to grab Lin Yi.

Chen Sen panicked, "Lin Yi, run! These two are dangerous!"

Lin Yi smiled calmly, "It’s fine."

"Kid, you dare fight us and still act distracted? Where’s your confidence from?" one bodyguard sneered, swinging a fierce kick at Lin Yi’s neck.

The other launched a powerful punch, like a tiger descending the mountain.

Lin Yi’s smile faded. Without looking, he backhanded them—both flew away like flies.