CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43 WAITING WITH BATED BREATH

The immense force sent Xue Long sprawling to the ground. Before the man could get up, Pei Donglai said coldly, "What are you staring at? Get on with it."

At his words, the onlookers immediately pounced on Xue Long, mercilessly beating him. Vying with each other, their ferocity knew no bounds. This was no longer just about competing for the position of deputy captain. Even a blind man could see that personal grudges were clearly involved.

Xue Long’s screams, like a pig being slaughtered, instantly reverberated throughout the security office. It seemed as if everyone turned a deaf ear, beating him with even more gusto.

After some time had passed, Lin Xiao decided it was enough. "Alright, that’s enough!" he said calmly.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears. The frenzied group quickly stopped, each of them looking at Lin Xiao with an eager-to-please expression.

Lin Xiao gazed at the nearly lifeless Xue Long. "Ah, Xue Long, how could you be so careless? Don’t climb so high next time. Look at you, what a mess you’ve fallen into."

Upon hearing this, Pei Donglai suddenly said coldly, "You all heard what Captain Lin said, right?"

Everyone hurriedly nodded. A few quick-witted individuals even chimed in cooperatively, "Xue Long really was careless to fall off the table!"

"Yeah, far too careless!"

"..."

Lin Xiao smiled. This Pei Donglai is quite something. Not only did he dare to be the first to act, but now he was able to keep everyone in line.

"What are you standing around for? Go notify Vice President Xue," Pei Donglai commanded sternly.

No sooner had he spoken than someone quickly left the security office.

「At the same time」

Su Qingning felt deeply uneasy. Although she had left the matter for Lin Xiao to handle, she knew Xue Long was no pushover. Lin Xiao’s methods were clearly not enough to deal with him. While Su Qingning disliked Xue Long for bullying others with his connections, she didn’t want Lin Xiao to suffer for it either.

After some thought, she remembered Xue Dashan. He was Xue Long’s uncle. If he intervened, things would be much simpler. With this in mind, Su Qingning called Xue Dashan.

"President Su, what are your instructions?" Xue Dashan asked with a chuckle.

"Come to my office," Su Qingning replied coolly.

"Okay!"

Su Qingning hung up. It wasn’t long before Xue Dashan arrived.

"President Su, what can I do for you?"

"Do you know about Xue Long threatening to go on strike?" Su Qingning asked bluntly.

Xue Dashan nodded, a look of helplessness on his face. "President Su, I’m aware. Frankly, I tried to talk him out of it, but the kid won’t listen to me. He even declared that as the captain of the security team, he couldn’t just stand by and watch his men get bullied!"

Su Qingning’s heart sank. "Xue Dashan, you are the Vice President of the bar and its protector. I know Lin Xiao was wrong to hit someone, but if Xue Long really goes on strike, it will inevitably affect the bar’s business. Let’s do this: you come with me to the security office. I’ll have Lin Xiao apologize in person and compensate the two guards for their medical expenses. What do you think?"

However, Xue Dashan shook his head. "President Su, an apology and compensation for medical expenses might not be enough. I asked Xue Long, and he said the security team members have serious grievances against Lin Xiao. If we don’t fire him, it might cause a public outcry!"

At these words, Su Qingning’s face instantly became frosty. She inwardly cursed Lin Xiao again. That man is more trouble than he’s worth.

"Fine, then we’ll fire him!" Su Qingning said, fuming.

Hearing this, a flash of smugness crossed Xue Dashan’s eyes. He could hardly restrain himself from thinking, You stinking beggar, you’re still too green to fight me.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Su Qingning’s office door was suddenly pushed open. A security guard rushed in, panicked.

Seeing the guard, Su Qingning’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that damn hooligan Lin Xiao got beaten up? Severely? Otherwise, this guard wouldn’t be so frantic.

Before Su Qingning could speak, Xue Dashan roared, "Liu Dazhuang, what’s all the panic about? And don’t you know to knock before entering?"

"President... President Su, Vice... Vice President Xue! It’s trouble! You need to come quick!"

BOOM.

At these words, Su Qingning’s mind went blank. She bolted toward the security office, taking two steps at a time.

A vicious grin spread across Xue Dashan’s face. If he wasn’t mistaken, the stinking beggar had most likely been beaten to a pulp. He had it coming. Thinking this, he hurried after Su Qingning.

The two of them rushed into the security office, and the scene before them was an instant shock. Su Qingning had assumed Lin Xiao was the one who had been beaten, but to her utter disbelief, it was Xue Long. And he was beaten badly.

A jolt of shock went through Su Qingning’s heart. Could that damn hooligan have done this?

Seeing the barely conscious Xue Long, Xue Dashan’s rage finally boiled over. "Who the fuck can tell me what happened here?"

"Captain Xue insisted on dancing on the table," Lin Xiao said. "I told him to be careful not to fall, but he wouldn’t listen. He told me to get lost and claimed this bar belongs to you, Vice President Xue, so he could do whatever he wanted. The next thing we knew, he fell. I didn’t dare move him, so I had someone call you."

Hearing this, Su Qingning’s expression darkened. That damn hooligan couldn’t even come up with a better lie. Only a fool would believe such a ridiculous excuse.

Xue Dashan grew even more furious. He bellowed, "Lin Xiao, do you take me, Xue Dashan, for an idiot?"

Damn it, how could a fall leave someone covered in blood? How could a fall make a face swell up like a pig’s head?

"Vice President Xue, how can you say that? If you don’t believe me, you can ask them!" Lin Xiao said, his face a picture of innocence.

Xue Dashan knew asking Lin Xiao was pointless. His gaze swept across the twenty or so security guards, finally landing on the man who had struck the first blow.

"Pei Donglai, I’m asking you, what exactly happened here?" Xue Dashan said coldly. "But before you speak, let me make one thing clear. If you dare lie to me, you know the consequences."

Pei Donglai asked apprehensively, "Vice President Xue, should I really tell the truth?"

"Speak!" Xue Dashan commanded.

At this, Su Qingning’s stunning face became extremely grave. From Pei Donglai’s reaction, she realized it was almost certainly Lin Xiao who had ordered the beating. If Pei Donglai revealed the truth, Xue Dashan would definitely not let it go. Su Qingning knew Xue Dashan had a fiery temper, and on top of that, he was a Martial Artist. If it was confirmed that Lin Xiao was responsible, Xue Dashan would not let him off easy. It would be better for Lin Xiao to apologize now.

"Lin Xiao, apologize!" Su Qingning suddenly shouted.

Lin Xiao was completely dumbfounded. "Wife, why should I apologize?"

"Shut up! You beat someone, so of course you apologize!" Su Qingning said angrily.

Xue Dashan snorted. "President Su," he said in a harsh tone, "my nephew has been beaten this badly. An apology is hardly going to solve the problem."

"Xue Dashan, rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory resolution for what happened to Xue Long."

"Fine, I’ll be waiting to see it then," Xue Dashan said coldly.

Su Qingning’s gaze fell on Lin Xiao. Looking at this flippant man, she had the sudden urge to bite him, preferably to death. That way, he would never cause her trouble again.

Just as Su Qingning was about to angrily reprimand Lin Xiao, Pei Donglai suddenly spoke up. "President Su, Vice President Xue, it wasn’t Captain Lin who hit Xue Long!"