C18 Let Him Come and See Me!

Xiao Ge turned with a hint of annoyance and spotted two familiar faces, Xiaoqi and Xiaoba, the short-haired young men who had been with Wang Manzi earlier that day.

"Your hands healed up that fast?" Xiao Ge asked, genuinely surprised. His gaze landed on the shiny new gold necklace around Xiaoqi's neck, and his surprise grew. "You've got quite the collection of gold necklaces there!"

Xiaoqi instinctively stepped back, seemingly worried that Xiao Ge might snatch his necklace, though he was probably more concerned about having his hands dislocated again.

"Xiao Ge, we're not here to stir up trouble," Xiaoba interjected. "Our boss wants to have a word with you."

Xiao Ge fished a few slices of mutton from the hotpot, popped them into his mouth, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed before responding at a leisurely pace. "If your boss wants to see me, he should come here himself."

"Our boss isn't well enough to leave home," Xiaoba offered by way of explanation.

Surprised, Xiao Ge turned back to Xiaoba. "Not well? What, did he break his leg or something? You guys really need to aim higher. How can you follow a boss who's laid up?"

"Xiao Ge, cut the crap. Our boss is perfectly mobile," Xiaoqi retorted, visibly irritated. "Are you too scared to meet with our boss? Is that it?"

"Your attempt to provoke me is pretty amateurish. It won't work on me," Xiao Ge said, his words muffled by the food. "Like I said, your boss is the one who wants to meet, not me. So, he should be the one to come find me."

"Xiao Ge, our boss genuinely can't come out. Name your terms. What will it take for you to agree to meet with him?" Xiaoba pressed.

Xiaoba wasn't keen on groveling; it was just that before they had come, their boss had made it clear they had to bring Xiao Ge back with them. Failing to do so meant they couldn't face their boss.

"If it's not a broken leg, then what's keeping him from stepping out?" Xiao Ge mused aloud. "Hmm, your boss does sound intriguing. I've always been driven by curiosity."

"So, you're saying you're willing to meet our boss?" Xiaoba couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at Xiao Ge's words.

"Sure, I'll meet your boss, but there are a few conditions you'll need to agree to," Xiao Ge said with a nonchalant drawl. "First off, you're picking up the tab for my meal."

"No problem," Xiaoba responded quickly.

Xiao Ge then turned to Xiaoqi. "And you, hand over your necklace."

"What the hell, you want my necklace again?" Xiaoqi blurted out, swearing. This kid was crossing the line!

"You don't have to give it to me. I'm not exactly eager to meet your boss," Xiao Ge replied, and without further ado, he went back to leisurely savoring his lamb feast, paying no mind to Xiaoqi and Xiaoba.

Xiaoqi glared at Xiao Ge, fighting the urge to charge at him and give him a beating, but he knew he was no match for him. After a torturous thirty seconds, he angrily bit down on his lip, removed the gold necklace he had only been wearing for less than half an hour, and slammed it on the table. "You're damn impressive, I'm done with necklaces!"

Xiao Ge casually picked up the necklace, weighed it in his hand, and shook his head. "This chain isn't thick enough, barely 20 grams. It's nothing compared to the one you had before."

Xiaoqi's fists tightened again. This guy was insufferable, and he was at his breaking point!

"I'll take care of the bill!" Xiaoqi decided, unable to contain his frustration but not wanting to risk another broken hand. Best to be out of sight and away from this infuriating kid.

But upon seeing the bill, Xiaoqi cursed again, "Damn, can this guy eat any more? Over 2,000 for hot pot mutton?"

Minutes later, a fuming Xiaoqi returned to the table and glared at Xiao Ge. "Are you ready to go with us now?"

"Can't you see I'm not finished eating?" Xiao Ge shot back, clearly annoyed. "Wait until I'm done. And just so you know, I really hate being interrupted while I'm eating."

Xiaoqi was so enraged he felt like he could spit blood. This jerk was the epitome of a bully. So what if he was tough? Once this guy met the boss, Xiaoqi was determined to give him a piece of his mind and vent all the frustration he'd endured today!

Endure, I must endure!

After what felt like an eternity, but was actually half an hour, Xiaoqi, who by now imagined himself as a ninja turtle, watched as Xiao Ge finally finished his leisurely lunch. With a casual wipe of his mouth with a napkin and a satisfied burp, he murmured, "That hit the spot."

He rose to his feet at a snail's pace, turned around, and upon spotting Xiaoqi and Xiaoba, his face registered surprise. "Oh? You guys are still here waiting for me?"

At his words, Xiaoqi felt like he was on the verge of spitting blood, and Xiaoba wasn't far behind. It dawned on them that for the past thirty minutes, this guy had completely ignored their existence!

Thankfully, Xiao Ge quickly added, "Alright, since I'm somewhat intrigued by your boss, I'll come along and take a look. Lead the way!"

Relieved by his response, Xiaoqi and Xiaoba's frustration eased. Their efforts hadn't been for nothing, after all.

They quickly escorted Xiao Ge out of the hotpot restaurant and into a sedan parked out front. Though it was just an 80% new BYD, it was a significant upgrade from the rickety van they'd driven earlier in the day.

The BYD cruised down Ningcheng's southern road for about ten minutes. As they reached the outskirts of the city and veered off the main thoroughfare, a few minutes later, they pulled up in front of a standalone two-story villa.

The villa wasn't particularly large, occupying roughly 300 square meters. At the iron gate of the yard stood two short-haired young men, looking every bit the part of Xiaoqi and Xiaoba, complete with scorpion tattoos on their right arms.

Inside the villa's living room, Xiaoqi and Xiaoba introduced Xiao Ge to four more short-haired young men, similarly attired and marked with identical scorpion tattoos. Two were lounging on the sofa while the others stood by the staircase.

"Xiao Ge, head down these stairs; our boss is waiting for you below," Xiaoba directed, leading him toward the staircase.

"Your boss sure has peculiar tastes. Prefers living in a basement?" Xiao Ge remarked with a hint of surprise, eyeing the staircase that clearly descended below. Opting for a basement dwelling in a perfectly good villa suggested that this so-called boss had quite the unusual preference.

Despite sensing something eerie, Xiao Ge was far from frightened. His curiosity was piqued, and without further ado, he made his way down the staircase. He was eager to find out who this enigmatic boss was, shrouded in such ancient mystery.

Descending to the lowest level, a chill greeted him, the basement's temperature noticeably cooler than above. Before Xiao Ge stood a door, a firmly closed iron door that seemed to promise answers just beyond its threshold.