Liu Erleng's sinister smile froze, his swollen eyes widened in disbelief.
He simply couldn't believe his eyes!
These thugs may not be any experts in fights, but they have the advantage of numbers and brute force. How could they be so easily defeated?!
Where did this monster come from?!
Xu Kuo patted non-existent dust off his hands, his gaze sweeping indifferently over his groaning underlings on the ground, before finally settling on Liu Erleng, who was trembling with fear.
He walked towards Liu Erleng step by step, his pace slow, but it made Liu Erleng's heart tighten and he panicked.
"You...you stay away!" Liu Erleng felt his scalp tingle under Xu Kuo's icy gaze, his legs went weak, and he actually took two steps back. His voice trembled with tears, "I...I was wrong! Brother! Uncle! I was wrong! Please forgive me! I'll never dare to do it again!"
The arrogance from before vanished, leaving only a heart full of fear.
He now realized that he had messed with a tough opponent.
Xu Kuo walked up to him, looked down at him, and sneered, "Now you know you're wrong? Too late."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his foot and kicked Liu Erleng hard in the stomach!
"Ouch—!" Liu Erleng arched his body, screamed, and flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground. He was in so much pain that he almost fainted.
Xu Kuo didn't even glance at him, his voice icy: "Go, call your brother-in-law who's in charge. I'm waiting."
Liu Erleng winced in pain, feeling both angry and scared, but he dared not talk back.
Looking into Xu Kuo's sharp eyes, he stammered and yelled at a terrified underling who hadn't been beaten yet, "What the hell are you standing there for?! Go... go get my brother-in-law! Go now!"
The younger brother felt as if he had been granted a pardon and ran away as fast as he could.
Not long after, only five or six minutes later, the henchman returned with his men.
Walking in front was a middle-aged man around forty years old, wearing a slightly worn Zhongshan suit, with a hairstyle common among cadres in that era, and a bureaucratic arrogance on his face.
Beside him followed a woman in her thirties with curly hair, thick makeup, and bright red lips. She was Liu Erleng's older sister, Liu Fangling.
Upon seeing her younger brother lying on the ground groaning and with his face swollen like a pig's head, Liu Fangling immediately let out a piercing scream: "Oh no! Er Lengzi! My brother! What happened to you? Who beat you up like this?!"
She rushed over like a gust of wind, shoved Xu Kuo aside who was blocking her way, and without caring about the dust on the ground, went to help Liu Erleng up, crying and shouting, "Which bastard beat you up like this! Tell me! I'll get justice for you!"
The man in the Zhongshan suit, Wang Cheng, frowned as he surveyed the scene. His gaze fell on Xu Kuo, who stood calmly, and then on the groaning thugs lying on the ground. He was furious.
He cleared his throat, adopted an official air, and addressed Xu Kuo with an air of authority: "My name is Wang Cheng, and I'm in charge of this farmers' market. Was it you who did it?"
He looked Xu Kuo up and down, noticing that he was dressed plainly and didn't seem to have any background, and his contempt intensified.
"Young man, you've really gone all out! Do you know the consequences of injuring someone? It's considered gang fighting and disrupting market order! If you don't want to be arrested and locked up by the security team, you'd better think carefully about how to pay compensation!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Kuo sneered and met Wang Cheng's gaze sharply.
"Compensation? What makes you say that, Manager Wang? It was your brother-in-law, Liu Erleng, who harassed my...wife in broad daylight with malicious intent. I intervened to teach him a lesson; it was self-defense. If anyone should be compensated, it should be him paying for our emotional distress!"
He emphasized the word "wife" and glanced at Jiang Xiuying, whose face was slightly flushed but whose eyes were firm.
"You're talking nonsense!" Upon hearing Xu Kuo's words, especially the word "wife," and seeing Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying standing together, Liu Fangling immediately flew into a rage. Forget about helping her younger brother, she stood up abruptly, pointed at Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying, and started cursing.
"You little bastard! And you little bitch! You two are hooking up and you even dared to hit my brother! I think you're a pair of adulterers! Compensation? Bah! Today you two have to kneel down and kowtow to apologize to my brother! You also have to come up with two hundred yuan for medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress! Not a penny less!"
Two hundred yuan!
The people around couldn't help but gasp when they heard the number.
In an era when the average worker's monthly wage was only twenty or thirty yuan, two hundred yuan was an astronomical sum!
Liu Fangling is really asking for an exorbitant amount!
Xu Kuo was so angry at the woman's shamelessness and greed that he laughed: "Two hundred yuan? Heh, you really dare to ask for it."
He shook his head and looked at Wang Cheng: "Manager Wang, since you're here, I think it would be fairer to have Secretary Wen handle this matter. Liu Erleng harassed women and instigated a brawl; there needs to be an explanation."
Mentioning Secretary Wen, Wang Cheng's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his arrogance and sneered, "Looking for Secretary Wen? Hmph, Secretary Wen is busy directing the gala right now, how could he have time to bother with your trivial matters? Let me tell you, I'm the one who calls the shots in this area!"
He knew in his heart that if this matter reached Secretary Wen, he, as the person in charge, would not get away with it either, since Liu Erleng was his brother-in-law and had often caused trouble by taking advantage of his name.
This matter must be suppressed as soon as possible!
Wang Cheng's eyes flashed with malice as he threatened Xu Kuo again: "Kid, I'm giving you one last chance! Kneel down right now, kowtow to your brother Liu Erleng, apologize, and pay up! Otherwise, I'll call the security team right now to arrest you!"
Xu Kuo's eyes grew even colder, and he showed no sign of backing down: "Is that so? Then I'd like to see whether it's faster for you to call for help or for me to find Secretary Wen."
As soon as Wang Cheng finished speaking, the disdain in his tone was very unpleasant.
Seeing her husband so assertive, Liu Fangling was even more pleased. She was convinced that Xu Kuo's earlier statement about "finding Secretary Wen" was just a bluff, and who he was trying to scare.
She glared fiercely at Xu Kuo, plotting how to get back at him for that slap, and then extort him for a hefty sum!
She lunged forward, her sharp nails slashing at Xu Kuo's face, cursing, "You little bastard, still dare to talk back! I'll tear your mouth apart! You think you can run away now!"
In her eyes, Xu Kuo was just a hothead. He had attacked her brother earlier by sneak attack. Now that her man had arrived with his guards, the boy must be terrified. He would be captured easily!
However, Xu Kuo merely shifted his body slightly and nimbly slid his foot, causing Liu Fangling's determined grab to miss its mark, causing her to stumble and nearly fall.
This completely enraged Liu Fangling!
Unable to catch Xu Kuo, she immediately turned her attention to Jiang Xiuya, who seemed easier to bully!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
