Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 45: Chapter 43: Scions of the Elite, Big Shot Wan

Just as Zhou Xianchuan was introducing Wan Ze and the others, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a young man walked in with two bodyguards behind him.

The room fell silent.

Zhou Xianchuan snapped out of it and jumped to his feet in delight. ”Brother Tianrui!”

”Haha, I thought I was seeing things! I can’t believe it’s really you! You didn’t even tell me you were here...” The young man, looking distinguished and handsome in a slim-fit blue suit, walked over and gave Zhou Xianchuan a light, friendly punch on the shoulder as he spoke with a laugh.

”Heh, you know me. I’m a bit shy and didn’t want to bother you,” Zhou Xianchuan said with a wry smile, scratching his head.

”Come on, I know you better than that. I ran into your uncle a couple of days ago. Heard you took up martial arts?” Song Tianrui said with a smile.

Zhou Xianchuan nodded.

But the influential Song Tianrui didn’t seem to care much. ”To stay in shape... I guess that’s fine. Anyway, enough about that. Let me introduce you to my friends.”

He stepped aside, revealing several young, glamorous men and women in expensive clothes standing just outside the door.

”This is my friend, Zhou Xianchuan. His family owns the largest logistics park in Holy City...”

With that, he pointed to a girl in a blonde wig. ”Zhuang Xunyi, the heiress to the Hai Fei Hotel. And this... is Duan Hong. His older brother holds a post at the Saint City Police Headquarters...”

After the introductions, the group was very courteous to Zhou Xianchuan. The Zhou Family practically had a monopoly on logistics in Holy City, so of course, they wouldn’t treat him with anything less than respect.

”It’s great to meet you all. I hope you’ll look out for me here in Holy City,” Zhou Xianchuan said, taking a very humble stance.

The group laughed. Duan Hong smiled and said, ”You’re a good friend of Old Song, so that makes you one of us... By the way, who are these people?”

His eyes swept over the table and immediately landed on Liu Yu, a tall and slender beauty. Her expression was a little cold, though, which was a bit off-putting.

”These are my friends...” Zhou Xianchuan began to explain.

Song Tianrui’s eyes fell on Ke Qing, a thoughtful look on his face. He offered a faint smile. ”Tianke Pharmaceutical. I’ve heard of it. They’ve built up quite a bit of momentum in the last couple of years.”

”Hello, Brother Tianrui.” Ke Yuan stood up, looking a little awkward. He finally understood why his family had told him to get on good terms with Zhou Xianchuan. When it came to the depth of a family’s foundation, the Ke Family was clearly at a disadvantage.

”We should get together sometime,” Song Tianrui said, giving a slight, dismissive nod.

Zhou Xianchuan then moved to introduce Wan Ze. ”This is my good friend...”

”Alright, Xianchuan, we have somewhere to be, so we’ll get going,” Song Tianrui said, cutting him off with a smile and patting his shoulder. ”Put this table on my tab. You all have fun.”

It seemed no one in the room besides Zhou Xianchuan was worthy of his attention.

The two siblings from the Ke Family were barely worth a second glance from him.

As for the rest, they were unfamiliar faces in ordinary clothes. It was obvious they weren’t on the same level. Why would he deign to notice such nobodies?

Zhou Xianchuan froze. He’d wanted to introduce everyone, but Song Tianrui clearly had no intention of listening. With a quick farewell, he led his group away.

After Song Tianrui’s interruption, Ke Yuan seemed to realize the social standing of the man and two women Zhou Xianchuan had brought with him. The smile on his face dimmed a few notches.

Liu Yu was beautiful, but she looked too cold... A rich young master like him had no time to coddle some ice princess.

The young girl with the surname Fang, on the other hand, was looking at him with eyes that practically glowed with avarice.

’Girls who are a little conniving but don’t know how to hide it are the most fun.’

But... Ke Qing shot him a warning glare.

Ke Yuan pouted. ’So boring.’

”Ah Ze, don’t mind him,” Zhou Xianchuan immediately said in a low voice, moving to Wan Ze’s side.

Wan Ze smiled, raising his glass of pulpy orange juice to clink against his friend’s. ”It’s fine.”

Seeing this, Zhou Xianchuan breathed a sigh of relief. Then, in a tone mixed with resentment and apprehension, he explained, ”Song Tianrui’s family is in the restaurant and entertainment industry. Basically all the luxury restaurants in this area, plus the karaoke bars and pubs over on East Street, are owned by his family. I’ve also heard he has connections to some of the top local figures... That’s why nobody dares to get on his bad side.”

Wan Ze simply listened as if it were all just a story.

Worried he was neglecting Liu Yu and the girls, Zhou Xianchuan started cracking jokes, which soon had everyone roaring with laughter.

Soon, everyone warmed up to each other.

Ke Yuan and Fang Xiaoxi ended up talking the most, while Wan Ze and Liu Yu quietly drank their beverages.

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance.

Wan Ze tilted his cup toward her in a silent toast. Liu Yu mirrored the gesture, took a sip, and then lowered her head. The tips of her ears flushed red, and the corners of her lips curved up slightly, as if she found the small interaction rather amusing.

After the meal ended, Zhou Xianchuan gave Wan Ze a signal. The two of them excused themselves and went to the front desk, where they found that, sure enough, Song Tianrui had already settled the bill.

”I said it was my treat, but now I’m the one who owes him a favor... I’m out of my league. I just can’t outplay him,” Zhou Xianchuan said in frustration.

Wan Ze chuckled. ”You look pretty happy about it to me. You scored a huge free meal.”

”Hahaha, of course you’d know me best, Ah Ze... Hehe, it would be a waste not to take the free meal. Want to find something else to do tonight?”

Just as Zhou Xianchuan asked, Liu Yu and the others came out of the room, chattering away about something.

”Wan Ze, Zhou Xianchuan! Ke Yuan suggested going to an arcade. You guys in?”

Zhou Xianchuan looked at Wan Ze.

Wan Ze suddenly seemed to spot someone. His eyes flickered for a moment, and he then said to Zhou Xianchuan, ”You guys go have fun. I’m going to sit this one out.”

”Ah Ze...” Zhou Xianchuan hesitated. If his best friend wasn’t going, it wouldn’t feel right for him to go alone.

Wan Ze gave him a light punch on the arm and laughed. ”Come on, man. If you want to go, then go. You know me, I’m focused on my training now and don’t have a lot of free time. Just go have fun and be safe.”

”So you’re sure? You won’t think I’m a bad friend?”

”Get outta here. Of course I know you.”

”Hehehe.”

”I’m not going either,” Liu Yu suddenly added, glancing at her watch. It was getting late. ”Xiaoxi, are you heading home?”

”I...” Fang Xiaoxi hesitated, glancing from Liu Yu to Ke Yuan. Finally, she steeled herself and said, ”You can go on ahead, Ah Yu. I’m not ready to call it a night yet.”

Liu Yu was taken aback. Normally, she would have stayed to keep Fang Xiaoxi company, but her family was already urging her to come home. She could only nod. ”Alright... Zhou Xianchuan, you’d better take good care of Xiaoxi, or you’ll have me to answer to!”

”Don’t worry,” Zhou Xianchuan quickly promised.

The others waved goodbye and headed out.

Liu Yu and Wan Ze strolled toward the exit.

As they reached a corner in the hallway, Liu Yu hesitated for a moment before asking, ”Where... where do you live? My family is coming to pick me up. They can give you a ride home.”

”No, it’s alright. I just ran into a friend,” Wan Ze said with a smile. He glanced at the dark sky outside the window. ”Is your ride here yet? I can wait with you for a bit.”

”No, no, it’s fine! My brother’s already here... Well, I’ll be going. See you tomorrow.”

”See you tomorrow.”

Wan Ze watched the young woman walk briskly out of the restaurant. An attendant pushed open two immaculate, bronze-tinted glass doors, and a blast of cold air rushed in, sweeping the hair from her forehead. Sure enough, an SUV was parked at the entrance.

Wan Ze looked away, not noticing the car had military license plates.

「Meanwhile」

Several burly men in black suits appeared behind him. The leader, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, spoke with deep respect. ”Mr. Wan, it’s been a long time. We insist you do us the honor.”