Seeing that even the police station chief was giving him a wide berth, he decided to wait and see. If it were just him alone, he wouldn't care, but now he needed to protect Sister Liu Li's shop.
However, Lu Chen didn't regret hitting that bastard with a knife this morning. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to swallow his anger. Besides, swallowing his anger wouldn't have brought a better outcome.
Less than ten minutes later, You Haoguo called back, his tone a little more relaxed.
"Alright, alright, we're lucky. Boss An agreed to have dinner with us tonight, giving me face. He'll also have the brothers leave! However, he hasn't stated the conditions yet. But anyway, Lu, bring a 50,000 yuan red envelope tonight as a token. After all, you injured someone, you deserve some compensation. Okay?"
This police station chief is truly pathetic! He doesn't punish evil, and even acts as a go-between for criminal elements.
However, Lu Chen understood him. After all, An Caishen had connections with the police chief, and Lu Chen, as the branch chief, was basically just a slightly larger police station chief. What could he possibly do?
Lu Chen said, "Chief You, thank you for your trouble. I'll compensate you no matter what."
"Don't say that!" Chief You smiled wryly, "We hit it off immediately, helping out is only right!"
Lu Chen chuckled.
What "hit it off immediately"? It was all because of the Zhuang family.
But it really was a thoughtful gesture.
Dinner was at 6:30 PM at Jufu Farm, which sounded simple, but was actually one of Yunzhou City's top-tier manor-style restaurants. A meal there would probably cost tens of thousands of yuan.
Of course, for Lu Chen now, that amount of money was nothing.
Not long after, Lu Chen saw the guys from inside the restaurant coming out in twos and threes. They came out and started spitting into the shop. The disgusting sight almost made Lu Chen jump out of the car and attack them.
Although there were over thirty of them, he figured he could take down a whole bunch with his cursed supernatural abilities.
After they left, Lu Chen got out of the car and went inside. The moment he entered, he smelled a strong stench of urine.
Damn it, they were actually urinating in there!
Lu Chen's face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists to suppress the surging anger.
Suddenly, a voice came from beside him: "Brother Tao, you...you're back? They're all gone? Ah, at least everything's alright. Huh? Why does it stink so much here? Holy crap, they were urinating here? What a bunch of bastards!"
The same anger!
It was Zhou Defa who had run back; he'd probably been watching the whole time. Lu Chen turned his head and froze. Zhou Defa's appearance was truly appalling. His head was swollen like a pig's head, his eye sockets were blackened, and his mouth was split open. Looking inside his mouth, it looked like one of his teeth was missing. His nose was still bleeding.
"What happened to you?" Lu Chen asked in a deep voice.
Zhou Defa chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, raising his hands to try and cover himself, but finding it impossible to hide, he grinned and said with pain, "Actually, they beat me up, but I didn't want you to worry, so I didn't tell you."
Lu Chen was a little annoyed: "Didn't I tell you to leave immediately when you saw them coming?"
Zhou Defa helplessly spread his hands: "There wasn't enough time! The renovation workers were working, and those bastards swarmed in; none of them could escape. They rushed over and started hitting people. You told me to protect the renovation workers, so I grabbed a board and fought them. At least I managed to get the renovation workers out. I got beaten up too, but I managed to crawl out as well."
He then grinned at Lu Chen, "Don't worry, Brother Chen, all the renovation workers are fine. They might have lost a few hairs. I saw those bastards standing there, not leaving, so I let them go home. I also told them that even though the work wasn't finished, they'd still get paid for the day. I thought that was fair, so I made the decision. You don't have any objections, right?"
Lu Chen suddenly felt his eyes welling up. Looking at Zhou Defa's pig-faced appearance, he felt a sense of kinship.
He patted Zhou Defa on the shoulder: "No problem, it's only right. Those bastards, remember what they look like, I'll make you take them down one day."
He paused, then said solemnly, "Defa, thank you for your hard work!"
"It's nothing!" Zhou Defa wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve and said sheepishly, "I reckon you'll give me a raise."
Lu Chen laughed, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Defa, you have a driver's license, right?"
Zhou Defa nodded: "Yes!"
Lu Chen took a bunch of keys out of his pocket, tossed him, and said, "That Roewe is yours now. Park it on the street, you can drive it yourself when you see it. I'll get the transfer of ownership done for you when I have time. From now on, you can get reimbursed for the annual insurance premiums and other expenses with your receipts, and I'll also reimburse you 500 yuan for fuel every month."
Zhou Defa was stunned: "Brother Chen, you...you don't need to drive anymore?"
Lu Chen scratched his head and chuckled, "I have another car. I found a part-time job, and they provided a car!"
Zhou Defa said, "What kind of car? A part-time job comes with a car? Is it as good as a Roewe? This is a brand new car!"
Lu Chen gestured with his chin towards the street, "Look, it's right across the street. It should be even newer than a Roewe."
Zhou Defa turned his head, his eyes widening in disbelief. He exclaimed, "A Hummer? That costs over two million! Brother Chen, what kind of part-time job do you have that provides a car worth over two million! My god! I think this is absolutely the most powerful part-time job in history!"
His exclamation was filled with admiration, flowing like a mountain stream, endless and boundless.
At 6:30 PM, Lu Chen didn't drive his two-million-dollar car; instead, he took a taxi to Jufushan Villa.
This Jufushan Villa is indeed quite nice. Nestled halfway up a mountain by the sea, it resembles the mansion of an ancient official's family, with interconnected halls and a winding, figure-eight corridor that could make one dizzy.
Outside is a parking lot, offering panoramic views of the vast, shimmering sea.
Inside is a small lake with square bamboo boats on its surface. These boats are actually individual dining seats, but they can only accommodate three or four people at most. This makes it perfect for couples. Imagine eating while enjoying the moonlight, drifting on the lake—how wonderful!
For some reason, the first person that popped into Lu Chen's mind when he thought of couples dining together was Shangguan Bei.
It's not surprising, considering they had just had a close encounter today.
Thinking back to that director's dormitory room, where opening the wardrobe revealed it was full of her clothes, including underwear, Lu Chen couldn't help but chuckle. Then, thinking of Shangguan Bei's response, he wanted to burst out laughing.
You Haoguo had booked a room, room number three in the "Xuan" section.
It seems the room numbers at Jufushan Villa are still arranged according to the principles of Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang.
The private room was luxurious, fully furnished and equipped with appliances, except for a bed.
Lu Chen waited a short while before You Haoguo arrived. His expression was quite gloomy. After sitting down, he sighed and repeatedly instructed, "Little Lu, you must behave yourself later, or I won't be able to protect you. Don't even mention me, even if Director Zhuang Taotian were willing to protect you, he'd have a hard time!"
Zhuang Taotian? Recalling the deputy director's sharp gaze, Lu Chen chuckled inwardly.
This Deputy Director Zhuang probably wouldn't want to protect me; he seems to have some ill feelings towards me.
Of course, Lu Chen didn't say this aloud.
Then, Lu Chen took a thick small leather bag from his satchel and handed it to You Haoguo.
You Haoguo took the bag, opened it, and saw five stacks of crisp 100-yuan bills, exactly 50,000 yuan.
He solemnly added, "50,000 yuan?"
Lu Chen nodded: "Not a single one missing."
"That's good. Hopefully, Boss An will be lenient." You Haoguo said, handing the small leather bag back to Lu Chen: "Take this. Give it to him as soon as he comes in."
Lu Chen nodded, but didn't take it. He opened his satchel, gesturing, "It's inside!"
You Haoguo was stunned when he saw another bulging small leather bag inside. He looked at the money in his hand and asked, "What...what's going on here?"
Lu Chen said calmly, "Director You, please don't refuse. If you do, I'll feel bad troubling you. I know you must have suffered some injustice, this compensation is a must! Please accept it quickly, lest people see it!"
You Haoguo was a little stunned: "So much?"
He guessed he had expected Lu Chen to give some compensation, but he didn't expect so much—a full fifty thousand.
Lu Chen said calmly, "It's not much. Regardless of whether Director You can help me, just based on your loyalty, really, I think this is worth far more than fifty thousand! If you accept it, it's a sign of respect, okay?"
When it comes to interpersonal relationships and using money to win people's hearts, Lu Chen, as a former scion of a wealthy family, understood this very well. Money is indeed a good thing; if you know how to use it, it can buy people's gratitude and sincerity.
Although this Director You's abilities were limited, it was worth spending this money to make his acquaintance. This time, he'd inadvertently offended a big boss, one that You Haoguo couldn't control, but as the branch bureau chief, he had plenty of people he could control.
Anyway, it's always good to have good connections, better safe than sorry.
Of course, most importantly, Lu Chen now had so much money. That two million yuan alone was enough for him to live comfortably for a while, not to mention the generous dividends from Flying Eagle later.
You Haoguo hesitated for a moment, then accepted the money.
Then, his smile broadened, and his face softened.
Although he felt a little wronged, fifty thousand yuan was enough to smooth things over.
As they chatted, the waiter came to ask if they could serve the food. He'd asked twice already, but since the main character, An Caishen, hadn't arrived, the food hadn't been served. However, You Haoguo did order some food.
He said, "I specifically asked An Caishen what dishes he likes, let's order first. I reckon he might bring three or four henchmen; he likes being surrounded by a retinue. He likes Canadian Crystal Skull vodka, which costs around 2,500 a bottle here, but a bit more expensive at restaurants. And he can drink a lot, so we need to be prepared for at least three bottles. The food and drinks together will be around 15,000, is that alright?"
Lu Chen shook his head: "It's fine, I've already prepared for him to overeat and drink. I've brought enough alcohol."
"That's good!" You Haoguo chuckled.
7:30, 8:00… and he still hadn't arrived.
You Haoguo called, and the guy, with a loud voice, said he was coming, but he never showed up.
Lu Chen understood; the other party was deliberately messing with him.
You Haoguo sighed: "Little Lu, don't take it to heart!"