C22 Who will Hit Who!

"Anyone else want to step up?"

Chen Fann casually rubbed his nose, glancing at Yellow Hair and his cronies sprawled on the ground, his demeanor utterly relaxed.

"If any of you still want to challenge me, come on!"

The bravado of the crowd had vanished. They backed away, none eager to be Chen Fann's next target. Yellow Hair, witnessing the retreat, bellowed at them.

"What are you scared of? Get in there and fight! There are weapons right there—grab them and beat him down. If there's trouble, Young Master Xu Yuan has our backs!"

Emboldened by these words, two of the henchmen grabbed makeshift weapons—one a cup, the other a stool—and hurled them at Chen Fann's head and lower back.

The onlookers gasped, anxiety etched on their faces. Lin Yuer let out a terrified shriek. But the outcome was baffling; with a simple deflection, Chen Fann shattered the stool.

The cup was easily dodged. In one swift motion, Chen Fann rose to his feet and delivered a punch to the cup-wielding subordinate, sending him flying into the ceiling and crashing down in a heap.

Liu Mengyu stood there, mouth agape, unable to reconcile the image of the frail scholar Chen Fann with the display of raw power before her. She half-wondered if this was all an act, but if it were, the performance was Oscar-worthy.

Meanwhile, Chen Fann remained the picture of ease, addressing the group with a smirk. "For the amount Xu Yuan's paying you, I'd expect more. Honestly, I feel like he's not getting his money's worth."

Yellow Hair seethed at the taunt, powerless against Chen Fann. Clenching his teeth, he spat out a threat. "You little punk, you think you can just assault us? I'm calling the cops to handle you!"

In a classic case of the aggressor playing the victim, they twisted the story against Chen Fann. Unfazed, Chen Fann knew he had witnesses on his side.

It didn't take long for Yellow Hair's lackeys to summon the police. Within ten minutes, officers arrived at the scene. Just seconds before, Yellow Hair and his gang had sprawled out on the floor, transforming from thugs to purported victims in the blink of an eye.

"Oh no, Officer, thank goodness you've arrived. You've got to take our side in this!"

Yellow Hair blurted out in a whiny voice upon seeing the police, clutching his head and feigning agony.

The officers on the scene were the same ones as before, and their expressions turned stern at the sight of Yellow Hair and his cronies. They were well aware that these individuals were infamous troublemakers, usually the ones causing problems for others. It was unheard of for them to be on the receiving end, filing a complaint as victims.

"Yellow Hair, what's this all about? You're usually the one doing the bullying. What's happened that you're on the receiving end now?"

Upon hearing this, Yellow Hair looked even more wronged, hastily shaking his head and pleading with the officer, "Oh, Captain Zhang, that's really not fair. We've been beaten black and blue; how could we possibly be the bullies here?"

Captain Zhang found Yellow Hair's lament somewhat peculiar. He noticed injuries on the cat and saw that Yellow Hair's lackeys were in even worse shape, covered in blood. Yet Chen Fann didn't have a scratch on him. Could it be that Chen Fann was the one who had turned the tables on them?

"Young man, give me the full story, what exactly happened?"

Chen Fann was about to speak when Yellow Hair cut him off, addressing Captain Zhang loudly, "This establishment is nothing but a den of iniquity. Their practices are utterly filthy. Just yesterday, I discovered a slew of cockroaches and dead rats here. And today, they had the audacity to charge 9999 yuan for an osmanthus cake. They attacked us simply to prevent me from reporting them!"

Yellow Hair's tale grew more and more pathetic, tears streaming down his face, leaving Captain Zhang bewildered. He pointed to Yellow Hair's henchmen and pressed, "Let's skip the details for now. I just want to know what you're doing here with these guys. Don't tell me you all came just to dine?"

"We..."

Yellow Hair was at a loss, unable to confess to Captain Zhang that his true intention was to force Chen Fann to shut down.

"Look, I'll be straight with you. You ought to quit looking for trouble. Everyone has their limits, and when you push too far, there's a price to pay. That's a simple truth you, of all people, should be well aware of after all your years on the streets, right?"

"Captain Zhang, I get what you're saying, but here's the thing: that kid really did a number on us this time. You can't just turn a blind eye, can you? That wouldn't be fair to us. Aren't you supposed to enforce the law impartially?"

Clearly, Yellow Hair was banking on Captain Zhang to deliver justice on his behalf. If Captain Zhang refused, it was evident that Yellow Hair wouldn't take it lying down.

In this situation, Captain Zhang found himself between a rock and a hard place. He had little respect for Yellow Hair and his crew, but now, with Chen Fann unscathed and Yellow Hair's group on the receiving end of a beating, punishing Chen Fann would mean siding with the wrongdoers. Yet, ignoring the incident didn't sit right with him either.

"Excuse me, are you Little Zhang?"

Amidst his quandary, Captain Zhang suddenly heard the voice of an elderly man. He quickly turned toward the sound and spotted a septuagenarian sitting at a table behind him.

At the sight, Captain Zhang's nerves instantly tightened. He recognized the elder as his former superior. Back in the day, he was just a rookie in the police force, and it was this very leader who had paved the way for his rise to captain.

With deep gratitude for the elder, Captain Zhang had always sought an opportunity to express his thanks, but the right moment had eluded him. He hadn't expected such a chance encounter today.

"Old leader, when did you arrive? I didn't notice you earlier. I'm terribly sorry. I hope you won't hold it against me."

"Hehe, no worries. It's not a big deal. You're on duty, after all. I just wanted to step out and get a taste of the world again, maybe find something good to eat," the old man replied, chuckling. He glanced at Captain Guo's shoulder, his face breaking into a smile of satisfaction.

"I always said you had the makings of a leader and would earn your promotion. It looks like my judgment was spot on!"