45: You Still Dare to Act Tough With Me?

"Then go get my money ready, *now*!" Shen Yifei (Shen Yifei – a personal name) demanded without ceremony.

Liu Qiang (Liu Qiang – a personal name) broke out in a cold sweat. This kid's combat skills were too formidable; none of his men were a match. He had to think of another way.

"My friend," Liu Qiang began, forcing out an ingratiating smile, "our company always prefers cash transactions. How about this: you wait for me in the lobby on the ground floor. I'll go to the finance office to count the money. Fifteen minutes, tops, and I'll bring the five million in cash right to you."

Shen Yifei said languidly, "Alright, but I advise you not to play any tricks. Otherwise, I'll make you regret it."

"Yes, yes, yes, how would I dare deceive you?" Liu Qiang stammered nervously.

"Then I'll wait for your money downstairs." Shen Yifei couldn't be bothered with more words and walked out the main door.

"Good, good, good!" Liu Qiang bobbed his head so rapidly it looked like a chick pecking at grain.

Although Shen Yifei suspected the other party might be playing tricks, he wasn't worried in the slightest. Even if the bald man (Liu Qiang – referring to his appearance, not a cultural term) called in a horde of people to deal with him, they would just be a disorganized mob, and Shen Yifei wouldn't have to exert any effort.

Liu Qiang was nothing like a General Manager; he was practically indistinguishable from any common thug or street ruffian. Dealing with such people, Shen Yifei found particularly troublesome. If he could use force to make the bald man obediently repay the debt, he'd gladly do it.

Liu Qiang watched Shen Yifei reach the stairwell, a deep sneer curling his lips. "Heh-heh," he thought. "Soon enough, that kid will learn the true meaning of regret!"

As soon as Shen Yifei was out of the stairwell, Liu Qiang swiftly pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Brother Fei (Fei Ge – an honorific used for an older, respected male, often a gang leader)?" Liu Qiang said urgently into his phone. "It's Qiang Zi (Qiang Zi – Liu Qiang’s nickname)! Something's happened here, and I need your help to handle it..."

Liu Xiaoxiao (Liu Xiaoxiao – a personal name) was driving her BMW X6 (BMW X6 – a type of luxury SUV), rushing frantically towards Haisha Textile Company (Haisha Textile Company – a business name).

She was worried Shen Yifei might be in danger, even though the probability was low. Still, having set him up, Liu Xiaoxiao felt a twinge of guilt.

Just then, an incredibly sleek red Ferrari (Ferrari – a type of sports car) roared into view, streaking past Liu Xiaoxiao's BMW X6 like a rocket, hurtling forward.

The suburban area here had little traffic, and that Ferrari was doing at least 150 miles per hour. Behind it, several other sedans and vans followed.

Liu Xiaoxiao wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt as if this convoy of vehicles was also heading towards Haisha Textile Company.

"Could something really have gone wrong?" Liu Xiaoxiao's pretty face turned pale, and her heart immediately seized with panic. She quickly picked up her phone and dialed 110 (110 – China’s emergency police hotline).

Li Fei (Li Fei – a personal name) received Liu Qiang's call and rushed over immediately.

Liu Qiang was considered one of Li Fei's underlings from back when he used to operate in the underworld (underworld – organized crime networks). Haisha Industrial Company (Haisha Industrial Company – a business name) was also one of the companies affiliated with the Huazhong Gang (Huazhong Gang – a criminal organization).

However, Haisha Industrial Company was quite a problem. Its General Manager, Liu Qiang, was a complete idiot, resorting only to violence, fraud, blackmail, and all sorts of other shady dealings. Their company's reputation was utterly ruined, and they had caused the Huazhong Gang trouble many times.

Last night, Li Fei had been made a fool of by some formidable kid, even being forced to call him "Grandpa" (Grandpa – a highly demeaning form of address in this context, signifying complete submission). It had left him in a terrible mood.

Originally, Li Fei couldn't be bothered to make this trip. But on second thought, Liu Qiang was once his underling. With his subordinate in trouble, it wouldn't be right for him, as the one nominally in charge (the "Big Brother" – Da Ge, a term for a respected leader, often of a gang), not to help.

His previous car had been smashed by Shen Yifei. Li Fei valued his cars more than life itself, owning more than just one sports car; that red Ferrari was also his.

Not long after, Liu Qiang spotted a convoy of vehicles approaching from the window. The red Ferrari at the head of the group was exceptionally eye-catching.

Liu Qiang was overjoyed; he knew Li Fei had arrived with his men. He rushed downstairs in a frantic dash.

Shen Yifei was sitting on a public seat in the ground floor lobby. Nearly fifteen minutes had passed, and the bald man still hadn't appeared. He wondered how much longer he'd have to wait.

Just then, Liu Qiang descended the stairs, sprinting towards the main entrance at full speed.

"Trying to run?" Shen Yifei raised an eyebrow and stood up, assuming Liu Qiang was trying to escape.

Soon, Shen Yifei heard a series of ear-splitting roars – the sound of engines.

A Ferrari sports car pulled up beneath the Haisha Industrial Company building. Behind it, a whole procession of vehicles swarmed in, parking along the roadside.

The car door opened, and Li Fei, dressed in a black suit, strode out. Behind him, one by one, his underlings (underlings – subordinate gang members) emerged from their vehicles. Each bore the fearsome tattoo of an Azure Dragon (Azure Dragon – a mythical creature representing power and protection in Eastern mythology) on their right arm, their presence imposing.

Liu Qiang scurried forward, bowing and scraping as he greeted, "Brother Fei, you've arrived!"

As he spoke, he handed over a cigar.

Li Fei took the cigar, and Liu Qiang eagerly pulled out a lighter to light it for him.

Li Fei glanced at Liu Qiang and said coldly, "You've caused enough goddamn trouble. Don't bring any more my way in the future!"

"Yes, yes, absolutely!" Liu Qiang quickly replied. "But today, Brother Fei, you *must* sort things out for me!"

Li Fei snorted. "You said someone was causing trouble at Haisha Textile Company. Where is he?"

"That kid sitting in the lobby!" Liu Qiang pointed towards the ground floor lobby, a brutal glint in his eyes.

"Everyone, follow me." Li Fei exhaled a puff of smoke, speaking with an indifferent air that clearly displayed his authority as a boss.

The group of underlings followed him.

Liu Qiang led Li Fei into the company lobby.

From his seat in the corner, Shen Yifei stood up expressionlessly. The bald man had indeed gone to find backup. Collecting a debt really was a bit too troublesome.

What was amusing, however, was that the backup Liu Qiang had brought was *him*! The very guy who had been forced to call him "Grandpa" just last night.

"Brother Fei, that's him! That's the kid!" Liu Qiang pointed at Shen Yifei, a savage smile spreading across his face. He could already envision the kid being beaten to his knees and begging for mercy (begging for mercy – literally "calling him 'Dad', a sign of complete submission).

Li Fei's gaze turned to Shen Yifei, and he immediately froze.

For a moment, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He blinked a few times, then looked at Shen Yifei again.

Li Fei was completely dumbfounded, his face turning an ashen green with fright. *How* had he run into this kid again?

Shen Yifei walked over unhurriedly, glancing at Liu Qiang with a sneer. "Bald man, instead of just obediently paying back the money, you ran off to call for backup?"

A chill ran down Liu Qiang's spine under Shen Yifei's gaze, but remembering Li Fei was backing him up, his heart immediately relaxed. His face contorted in contempt, he roared, "You f***ing punk, you still dare to bluff me? Do you even know who this is standing next to me?!"

Listening to Liu Qiang's words, Li Fei's face had already turned a deep crimson, and in his mind, he was cursing Liu Qiang's ancestors for eighteen generations. *Liu Qiang, you son of a bitch!* he raged inwardly. *Of all people to provoke, you had to bring back this malevolent star (malevolent star – a term for an extremely dangerous or troublesome individual)! You want to die, and you drag me into it?!*

"I don't care who he is," Shen Yifei sneered coldly. "One question: are you paying the money, or not? If you don't, then I'll just have to beat you until you do."

Liu Qiang shivered all over in fright, quickly retreating a step. He tugged at Li Fei's clothes and stammered, "Brother Fei, this kid is freakishly strong! Quickly, help me deal with him!"

Shen Yifei glanced at Li Fei and chuckled. "So, you and this bald man are in on this together?"

Li Fei's expression shifted several times. He stammered incoherently, "No, no, no!"

Ever since the street racing incident last night, Li Fei was acutely aware of Shen Yifei's abilities. Although he had numerous underlings behind him, they would all be utterly useless against Shen Yifei.