Everyone in the Group is a Main Character, Except Me Who's the Villain

78: Are you Chu Feng?”Young man, what are you going there for so late? That area is quite chaotic, filled with all sorts of shady characters.”

The driver clearly knew something; seeing Fang Ming alone, he offered a kind warning.

Fang Ming replied casually, ”Just taking care of some business.”

”Business, huh...” The driver clicked his tongue and didn’t ask further.

The taxi bumped along the potholed road for over twenty minutes, soon entering the East Suburb Shanty Area.

Most of the streetlights here were broken, and the few remaining ones were pitifully dim, barely illuminating the uneven concrete road underfoot.

Densely packed self-built houses lined both sides, their plaster peeling, with power lines crisscrossing in mid-air like spiderwebs.

”Stop right here,” Fang Ming said, pointing to an intersection ahead.

The driver stepped on the brakes, stopping in front of a five-story building. Fang Ming paid the fare and got out, carrying his backpack.

He went to a public restroom near the drop-off point to change his clothes, shoes, and socks, put on the thousand illusions mask and a peaked cap, and threw his backpack to Gu Bai as per their usual routine.

As time passed, Fang Ming arrived at Liu Qiang’s door, following the address Chu Yao had given him.

Knock, knock, knock. He rapped on the door.

Click!

The lock turned, and the security door was pulled open a crack, an oily fat face squeezing through the gap.

It was Brother Bin!

Seeing only one man standing outside, his brow furrowed instantly, the fat on his face bunching up. ”Who the hell are you?”

”I’m here to pay the money on behalf of Chu Yao.”

Fang Ming spoke in a low voice, clearly having altered his vocal cords again by stimulating his pressure points.

He pushed the door open and entered, his gaze landing on Liu Qiang in the corner. ”Are you Chu Yao’s uncle?”

Liu Qiang had noticed Fang Ming long ago and nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

”Yes, yes, I am...”

”That’s fine then.” Fang Ming beckoned Brother Bin with his finger. ”Give me your bank account number. I’ll transfer the money to you.”

He spoke decisively, as if three hundred thousand was no more than thirty.

But then again, of the million USD the Soldier King had given him, he’d used less than ten thousand. Adding this three hundred thousand, it still wouldn’t even total fifty thousand USD.

However, hearing this, Brother Bin, who had closed the door, became even more suspicious.

He was just a small-time thug, not qualified to meet Qin Xiao, but he knew that today was a setup specifically targeting Chu Yao.

His superiors had given him photos of Qin Xiao and Chu Yao; the goal was to force Chu Yao to personally beg Young Master Qin.

But now... Chu Yao hadn’t come, and Young Master Qin hadn’t come either?? The person who showed up was a complete stranger?

How was the show supposed to go on?

Brother Bin’s eyes darted around, and the fat on his face bunched up into a fake smile again. ”Brother, are you a friend of Chu Yao’s?”

”Sort of,” Fang Ming replied succinctly.

”Then why didn’t she come?” Brother Bin probed. ”This money is what her uncle owes. If the person concerned doesn’t show up, it’s... hard to clear this debt.”

”As long as the money is paid, what difference does it make who pays it?”

Fang Ming grew impatient. ”Hurry up. Bank account number!!”

The smile slowly faded from Brother Bin’s face. He stared at Fang Ming for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned, revealing a set of rotten teeth stained yellow by smoke.

”Brother, you’re right. As long as the money arrives, it’s fine. But... three hundred thousand was last week’s price. With compound interest and the delay, it’s now four hundred thousand.”

As the words fell, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly froze.

In the corner, Liu Qiang’s face turned pale instantly. His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but he was slapped back into silence by a thug’s hand on his shoulder.

Fang Ming, however, didn’t panic at all. Hearing this, he looked up calmly at Brother Bin.

”Raising the price on the spot?”

”That’s just the rule.” Brother Bin shrugged, looking helpless. ”In our line of work, every day of delay means another day of interest. If you’re not willing, that’s fine too!!”

”Pay the three hundred thousand principal first, and the remaining hundred thousand in interest... we can settle that slowly.”

After saying this, the two thugs behind him cooperatively took half a step forward, tapping the steel pipes in their hands against their palms with muffled thuds.

Fang Ming was silent for two seconds. Then, suddenly, he laughed.

”I heard before that although you moneylenders are corrupt, you at least follow the rules of the underworld. It seems that was just a rumor.”

Brother Bin’s face darkened. ”What do you mean?”

”I mean...” Fang Ming looked up, his gaze suddenly sharp as a blade. ”If you had been sensible just now, you would have gotten three hundred thousand. Now... you won’t get a single cent.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Ming threw a punch.

Bang. A muffled thud.

”Ah!!”

Brother Bin was caught off guard and struck in the nose. He only had time to scream before clutching his bleeding nose, completely incapacitated.

”I’ll f*cking kill you...”

The thug on the left reacted, swinging a steel pipe at Fang Ming. But they were just thugs following a small-time hoodlum; in terms of height, weight, and street fighting skills, they weren’t even in the same league as Zhou Zihao’s bodyguards.

Fang Ming didn’t need a weapon to deal with them.

Before the steel pipe could land, he had already sidestepped and delivered a kick like a cannonball to the man’s ribs.

Bang!

The kick was so fast and heavy that the thug couldn’t even scream before being sent flying.

The thug on the right naturally didn’t stand idle, but Fang Ming moved as if he had eyes in the back of his head. With a strange maneuver, he caused the steel pipe to miss.

Before the man could react, Fang Ming grabbed his wrist and twisted it against the joint!

Crack!

The crisp sound of bone snapping was exceptionally jarring in the quiet living room.

”Ah!!!”

The thug’s scream was cut short as Fang Ming drove a knee into his abdomen. The rest of the cry turned into retching ”ugh” sounds as he collapsed on the floor, clutching his stomach and curling into a ball.

The entire process took less than five seconds.

Fang Ming picked up the steel pipe from the floor and kicked over Brother Bin, who was crouching and wailing.

”Come on, tell me, what the hell is your name?”

”Bro—Brother... it’s a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding!”

Brother Bin clutched his bleeding nose, tears and blood smearing across his face. ”Three hundred thousand, just three hundred thousand. I’ll give you the account number right now!”

”Too late.”

Bang!

Fang Ming swung the steel pipe with force, striking Brother Bin’s calf.

”Ah!!!”

Another round of ghostly wails and screams.

Fang Ming ignored him, leaning down to fish the IOU out of his pants pocket. He glanced at it—black ink on white paper, signed and thumbprinted, amount three hundred thousand, borrower Liu Qiang, lender Wang Bin.

”Is this your IOU??” Fang Ming slapped the note down in front of Liu Qiang.

Liu Qiang shivered as he leaned in to look closely, then nodded vigorously. ”Yes, yes, this is the one!”

”The original?”

”Well...” Liu Qiang wasn’t quite sure. He looked again. ”It should be.”

Fang Ming stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly raised his foot and stepped on Brother Bin’s wrist as the latter tried to reach for a dagger.

The pressure wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to make Brother Bin grimace in pain.

”I don’t like leaving loose ends when I do things.”

Fang Ming’s voice was calm, yet it carried a chill. ”If I find out you’ve hidden any copies, or if you ever dare to trouble this family again... you’re dead!!”

”Ah!!!!”

Fang Ming applied a little more pressure with his foot. Brother Bin’s face contorted in pain as he repeatedly promised.

”I wouldn’t dare, absolutely wouldn’t dare! Brother, please let me go. I promise I’ll never step foot in this shanty area again!”

”Get lost.” Fang Ming withdrew his foot and confiscated the daggers from the three of them.

Brother Bin felt as if he’d been granted a grand amnesty. The two thugs also scrambled to their feet, supporting him as they stumbled out the door.

As the security door closed again, the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance.

The living room fell silent, save for Liu Qiang’s heavy breathing and the tick-tock of the old-fashioned wall clock.

Fang Ming took the IOU and pulled a lighter from his pocket.

Flick!

A flame flared up, and the IOU was set ablaze.

Liu Qiang watched the scene blankly. It wasn’t until the IOU had completely burned to ash that he managed to regain his senses.

”Bro—Brother, thank you, thank you so much. Are you Yaoyao’s boyfriend? Why... why do you look a bit familiar?”

As he spoke, he carefully scrutinized Fang Ming’s face.

This face... was indeed familiar. The rugged contours, the deep eyes, and that cold, hard temperament radiating from his bones—yet Liu Qiang couldn’t for the life of him remember where he had seen it.

Fang Ming didn’t answer, just watched him quietly.

A few seconds later, he suddenly grinned.

With that smile, the coldness on his face instantly shattered, replaced by an indescribable quality.

”Uncle,” he said. His voice was still low, but his tone carried a hint of playfulness. ”Don’t you recognize me?”

Liu Qiang was stunned.

Uncle!

His eyes widened as he stared intently at Fang Ming’s face. An image buried in his mind for many years gradually became clear.

”You... you are...” Liu Qiang’s voice began to tremble, his eyes bulging. ”Xiao Feng? Chu Feng??”