Chapter 31: Alley Ambush
When Chen Wujun left Jin Di Finance, his gaze swept over the faces of the others.
“Ji Xiang really isn’t as enthusiastic and friendly as he seems on the surface.”
“These days I haven’t shown up, his henchmen might be thinking all sorts of things, so that’s why they looked at me with that kind of gaze.”
“Ji Xiang also hopes they think that way.”
“His heart is damnable!”
“Next time I get the opportunity, I definitely have to cause trouble for him and his henchmen.”
Chen Wujun went downstairs with a hostile gaze, slipped into the crowd on Long Jin Road, where various stenches and food aromas were mixed together.
Seeing the curry fish ball stall from last time, Chen Wujun stopped, took out two bucks and tossed them on the table.
“Boss, two strings of fish balls!”
Moments later, Chen Wujun took the fish balls, walked to a stool at the entrance of a nearby convenience store and sat down, swept his gaze back, and saw someone staring at him from dozens of meters away.
He’d noticed these people earlier when he went to Jin Di Finance.
But he had deliberately shown his face, so he didn’t care at all.
After finishing the fish balls, Chen Wujun went to the dance hall. It was just when guests were starting to arrive; under the red lights, there were only two tables of guests and some scattered ones.
“Brother Jun, you’re here!”
“Soda!” Chen Wujun took the soda bottle and asked, “Where’s Sister Kai Lun?”
“Sister Kai Lun hasn’t come yet, probably a bit later!” the henchman said immediately.
“Get back to your work!” Chen Wujun nodded, picked up the soda bottle, pushed open the small door, and went upstairs.
At the stairwell, he heard a voice from above: “A Yue, go sweep the floor, you have no eyesight at all!”
“You’re so pretty, it’s a waste not to go dance downstairs! If you went down to dance, you’d definitely be a money tree!”
Chen Wujun went upstairs expressionless and saw the makeup artist applying makeup to a dancer, talking without looking back.
A Yue took the broom to sweep the floor.
Chen Wujun walked behind the makeup artist, grabbed her hair, and yanked it back hard.
“Ah!” The makeup artist immediately screamed and fell to the ground.
Chen Wujun kicked her in the stomach, sending her sliding more than two meters across the floor, knocking over two chairs before hitting the wall.
The other dancers were all startled and quickly stood up and moved to the side.
Chen Wujun walked over, grabbed the makeup artist’s hair and pulled her up, stared into her eyes and said: “Who are you telling to go dance downstairs?”
Only then did she realize Chen Wujun was there, her eyes filled with pain and panic, tears streaming down instantly.
“Brother… Brother Jun, you misunderstood, I meant A Yue is so pretty…”
Chen Wujun let go of her hair, then slapped her across the face with a backhand.
Smack!
Half of the makeup artist’s face swelled up.
Then another slap sent her sprawling onto a chair nearby.
“Brother Jun, don’t hit anymore, I have a cheap mouth, I was wrong!” the makeup artist begged.
“Brother Jun, why such a big temper?” At that moment, a woman hurried over to intervene; it was the one usually in charge of managing the backstage.
Chen Wujun turned his head to glance at the woman managing backstage; she should be Lily.
Lily forced a smile to smooth things over: “Brother Jun, calm down, she’s just got a cheap mouth. This time she’ll remember, she won’t talk nonsense next time!”
Chen Wujun stared at her for a moment, making Lily uncomfortable, before saying expressionlessly to the makeup artist: “I thought you didn’t know where you went wrong. But you do know, so this was deliberate?”
Then he sneered coldly and kicked her in the face.
He turned around, beckoned to A Yue, and went downstairs.
He sat down in a booth on the sofa nearby; A Yue was a bit uneasy. “Lately I’ve heard a lot of people are looking for you, you okay?”
“Am I not right here?” Chen Wujun said.
“They… they just have bad mouths, didn’t do anything… if you do this… won’t there be trouble?” A Yue asked nervously.
“They know about your relationship with me. With you here, you’re my face. Daring to say that is slapping my face!” Chen Wujun’s expression darkened.
“This is in the shop, I can’t go too far.”
Chen Wujun tilted his head back and drank half the soda bottle, his mind turning.
“Sure enough, just as Senior Sister said, for people like us, the most important thing is face.”
“Once you lose face, everyone dares to step on you. Not only outsiders step on you, even your own people do!”
“These days Li Dong has been looking for me, I’ve been practicing kung fu and preparing, without showing my face, so everyone thinks I’m scared.”
“I’m not dead yet, not only do Ji Xiang’s people look at me with contempt, even a makeup artist in Kai Lun’s shop dares to step on me!”
Chen Wujun knew Kai Lun’s situation was different from Ji Xiang’s.
Ji Xiang’s henchmen were all his trusted subordinates.
Whereas Kai Lun rarely went backstage; it was Lily managing it.
But Lily was her trusted subordinate, so it was impossible she hadn’t heard anything.
Therefore, Chen Wujun felt a bit more distant toward Kai Lun.
“No one gives you kindness for no reason!”
“Still need to quickly have my own turf, influence, and industry! Only when you have strength will others fear and respect you!”
Chen Wujun calculated in his mind: if Senior Sister couldn’t take Li Dong’s turf this time, he’d take out one of Ji Xiang, A Hao, Hua Zai Rong, or Cun Bao and take their position.
He preferred a financial company; big profits, and he had some understanding of debt collection.
Then he’d ask Kai Lun for Lily; if she wouldn’t give her, he’d get people himself.
He didn’t believe the makeup artist had that much courage.
After eight, Kai Lun finally came to the shop.
As soon as she came in, she heard about the backstage incident. After figuring out the situation, she had someone call Lily over, then took a bottle of baijiu and a cup, sat down across from Chen Wujun, and poured two cups.
“Jun Zai, I just heard about the backstage thing, I don’t usually manage it much.”
“Sister Kai Lun, I know you’re busy, how could you have time for backstage trifles!” Chen Wujun smiled.
“Don’t blame sister, I really didn’t know about this. A Yue too, why didn’t she tell me when something like this happened?” Kai Lun smiled somewhat helplessly; she could hear the distance in Chen Wujun’s words.
Moments later, Lily hurried to the table.
“Sister Kai Lun!”
“Lily’s here, what do you say we do about this?” Kai Lun leaned on the sofa and asked Chen Wujun.
“Sister Kai Lun giving so much face, if I don’t let it go I’d be in the wrong!” Chen Wujun said with a beaming smile.
“Anyway, it’s not a big deal, have a drink, admit fault, and that’s it.”
Lily watched them talk, her heart pounding in her throat, and quickly poured herself a cup.
“Sister Kai Lun, Brother Jun, it was my fault, I didn’t manage the people below well!” She finished and downed the cup.
This cup was two taels.
Chen Wujun watched her beaming, saying nothing.
Lily gritted her teeth and poured another cup; Chen Wujun still hadn’t spoken.
Lily downed three cups in a row, covered her mouth on the verge of vomiting, her face flushed red.
Only then did Chen Wujun say: “One cup was enough, but you drank so much.”
“Sister Kai Lun, let’s leave it like this!”
“Alright, since Jun Zai said so, we’ll let it go this time. If there’s a next time, you can stop working!” Kai Lun had been leaning on the sofa watching; now hearing Chen Wujun speak, she said to Lily.
“Thanks Sister Kai Lun, thanks Brother Jun!”
“Go back to work!”
Lily stumbled away.
Chen Wujun said to Kai Lun: “With this happening, A Yue can’t stay working here. I’ll take her away in a bit!”
“Sure!” Kai Lun smiled, knowing in her heart that Chen Wujun’s resentment hadn’t dissipated.
Anyway, she’d already given enough face.
She just didn’t want to fall out with Chen Wujun, not because she was afraid of him.
Although Chen Wujun was Sha Jiu’s junior brother, she’d followed Sha Jiu for many years too; Chen Wujun couldn’t climb over her head.
By the time he really rose up, this little thing wouldn’t count for anything.
“Just now several tables kept looking this way, all looking at you, Sister Kai Lun. Go tend to your business!”
“Then you guys chat!” Kai Lun beamed and got up to leave accordingly.
……
“I won’t come back anymore?” A Yue asked softly after Kai Lun left.
“Tomorrow go find a house to live in first.” Chen Wujun said.
Although his place hadn’t been exposed yet, it might be found out by Li Dong anytime.
He planned to have A Yue rent a house on the surface, right near his place.
That way he’d go back openly every day, but actually go to A Yue’s every night.
Around nine, Chen Wujun looked at his watch and said to A Yue: “Wait here first, I’ll be back in a bit.”
He finished the soda, felt the folding knife in his pocket, and went out.
Long Jin Street was still lively at this time, with pedestrians off the night shift, people out for late-night snacks, pleasure-seekers and gamblers, and even kids running around on the street.
Various shops and stalls were still open.
Chen Wujun held out his hand to the henchman, who immediately pulled out a cigarette: “Brother Jun!”
Chen Wujun didn’t have much of a smoking habit, but suddenly wanted one.
After lighting up and standing there taking a few drags, he could see people staring from afar, but pretended not to know.
After a few drags, he tossed the cigarette butt into the stinking gutter ahead and walked toward one side.
After walking a hundred meters or so, he saw several muscular youths standing by the roadside ahead looking at him with hostile gazes.
He glanced back; the people tailing from behind had followed.
Chen Wujun directly ducked into the alley beside.
“That kid wants to run! See where he runs this time.” The youths blocking ahead all showed ferocious grins.
They hadn’t just arranged people on the street; there were people in the alley too.
“Go!”
……
After rushing into the alley, Chen Wujun immediately heightened his focus; the street’s clamor and bustle quickly faded.
Just before reaching the corner, he heard faint breathing sounds, so he slowed his steps and pulled out the folding knife from his pocket, opening it.
As he neared the corner, several people suddenly emerged from the shadows, swinging wooden sticks and steel pipes at his head.
“Kid, you’ve been hiding so long and still dare come out? Where you gonna run this time!” One tall, muscular youth wearing a tight vest, holding a stick, slowly walked out with a ferocious grin.
