It wasn't just that he knew her; he had helped her with a massive favor back then. To this day, she had yet to repay him for it. Of course, it wasn't that she refused, but rather that He Mingxue simply hadn't had the chance. Then again, he couldn't blame her entirely. After helping her, he had left in such a rush. They had only spoken on the phone once after that, and then they'd lost contact.

Thinking of this, Liu Ergou said nothing more.

Seeing Liu Ergou fall silent, the bald manager assumed he was scared and grew even more arrogant.

"Hmph, I'm telling you, it's too late to be scared now!" he sneered. "Are you ready to be thrown out?"

Looking at the manager's smug face, Liu Ergou remained completely unflustered. Instead, he calmly took out his phone. "I'm not prepared to be thrown out. But I have to ask, are you prepared to be fired? If you're ready, I'll make the call right now."

Liu Ergou's words left the bald manager stunned. He stood frozen for a good ten seconds before finally bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha, me? Fired?" he roared. "What a joke! Look at you, putting on a show. Calling for reinforcements, are we? Go on, call if you dare! I'll have you know, unless you know Boss He, nobody in this world can help you!"

Liu Ergou couldn't help but roll his eyes at the manager's boasting. Not a single person in this world who could help him? What a joke. He could bring in a hardened criminal and see if that person could help. Of course, he was only kidding.

With that thought, Liu Ergou stopped wasting words and found He Mingxue's number in his contacts, dialing it immediately.

Embarrassingly, the first call didn't go through. It rang for a long time with no answer, which made the bald manager laugh even more wildly.

But Liu Ergou didn't panic; he simply dialed a second time.

The phone rang for a long while before it was finally picked up. A moment later, He Mingxue's somewhat weary voice came through the line. "Hello, may I ask who's calling?"

Hearing her voice, Liu Ergou got straight to the point. "Boss He, long time no see. It's Liu Ergou, do you remember me?"

"Ah, Liu Ergou! Of course, I remember! I could forget anyone, but I'd never forget you!" He Mingxue exclaimed joyfully. "Er Gou, what made you suddenly think to call me?"

Hearing the enthusiasm in her voice, Liu Ergou felt a little embarrassed. It was always awkward to call someone just to ask for a favor. Steeling himself, he said, "Um, you opened a restaurant here in the city, right?"

"Yes, there is," He Mingxue confirmed. "If you hadn't brought it up, I might have forgotten all about that place. What's wrong? Is there a problem with my restaurant?"

"Yes," Liu Ergou said. "I came here to eat with a friend today, and your manager's attitude is just terrible. He's actually threatening to throw me out of my private room. I'm terrified," he said with mock sincerity, "so I called to see if you could put in a good word for me. Please ask him not to throw me out!"

As soon as he finished, He Mingxue's voice on the other end of the line turned cold.

"Is that so?" she said sharply. "Alright, I understand. I happen to be in the area today. Tell me which room you're in. I'm coming over right now!"

Liu Ergou told her the room number and hung up.

The bald manager, of course, had witnessed the entire phone call. He didn't want to believe it, but seeing Liu Ergou's confident expression, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear. What if this guy isn't bluffing? What if he really knows Boss He? If that's the case, then I'm... At that thought, the manager broke out in a cold sweat. He glared at Liu Ergou but said nothing more, merely standing to the side with a grim face.

Deng Peng, however, showed no signs of fear. "Alright, you country bumpkin, stop putting on an act! You dare say you know Boss He? If you know Boss He, then I know Boss Zhang! You're hilarious. Stop trying to scare people!"

Hearing this, Liu Ergou wasn't angry at all. Instead, he asked a question. "Boss Zhang? You mean Zhang Xiuming?"

Deng Peng nodded. "Who else? How many other Boss Zhangs are there in this city?"

"Well, what do you know," Liu Ergou shrugged. "That's quite a coincidence. I happen to know Zhang Xiuming, too."

His words left Deng Peng momentarily speechless. A few seconds later, he collapsed onto the table, roaring with laughter.

"Hahaha, you know Zhang Xiuming? Do you have any idea who he is?" Deng Peng gasped between laughs. "Alright, alright, stop, you're killing me! Look, since you put so much effort into your joke, you country bumpkin, I won't have you thrown out. Just leave on your own. How's that? I'm being generous, right? Oh, and you can take the money on the table. Consider it a reward for telling such a great joke!"

Watching Deng Peng laugh until he was out of breath, Liu Ergou simply shook his head.

"I told you, I'm not leaving. Besides, what if Boss He gets here and can't find me? The call has been made. Let's just wait a bit. Ten minutes isn't that long, right? You can spare that much time."

The moment Liu Ergou finished speaking, Deng Peng's laughter died. He looked up, his eyes fixed on Liu Ergou.

"Fine. I was going to let you off the hook, but it seems you're determined to hit a wall before you turn back. In that case, what's ten minutes! This young master has ten minutes to spare. We'll wait!"

After Deng Peng's declaration, the private room fell silent. Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye. When nothing happened, Deng Peng started to laugh, and the bald manager smirked along with him.

"Hahaha, a country bumpkin can really put on an act! Now that ten minutes are up, I'd like to see who you can call now!" the bald manager jeered. He waved his hand, signaling for the security guards to move in and throw Liu Ergou out.

Just then, He Mingxue's voice echoed from outside the private room.

"Throw someone out? I don't recall this restaurant having such a rule. It seems you've all changed the rules in my absence!"

As her words faded, He Mingxue herself stepped into the room. The moment she appeared, a dead silence fell over the occupants. The bald manager froze, his entire body starting to tremble uncontrollably. The security guards had the same reaction. Deng Peng could only stare, his face a mask of pure shock.