CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 179: GETTING BEATEN UP?

"Cut the crap. You’re in for a beating," Xia Liang said.

"A beating? With just these guys?" Xia Liang glanced disdainfully at the handful of young men with bleached-blond hair.

One of them started to turn his head, wondering who was being so bold, but Xia Liang spoke again before he could.

"Tie Lei? What is it now? You want another go? Have you already forgotten the time I beat you half to death, and your mother had to come begging for your medical fees?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Tie Lei whipped his head around and saw Xia Liang’s sly smirk. Instantly, his eyes turned crimson. He snatched up a club and stood, ready to charge.

The man beside him quickly jumped up. "Tie Lei, stop right there!"

The speaker was a young man in his early twenties who bore a slight resemblance to Tie Lei, though he seemed more mature. He actually greeted Xia Liang and Luu Qi.

"Brother Xia, Luu Qi, you’re back for the holidays?"

Xia Liang nodded and glanced at Tie Lei. "Tie Le, if you don’t keep your younger brother in line, someone might actually beat him to death one of these days."

Seeing that Xia Liang not only knew Tie Le but seemed familiar with him, Zheng He’s heart skipped a beat.

"Got it, Brother Xia," Tie Le said. He didn’t say much more, simply standing up. "Since this is your business, Brother Xia, we’ll be leaving."

With that, he led his crew out of the room. Zheng He watched, dumbfounded, as the backup he had called left after a single exchange. He swallowed hard.

"You... what are you going to do?"

Xia Liang shot him a contemptuous look. "What am I going to do? It’s only natural to pay your debts. What do you think I’m going to do?"

Watching Xia Liang crack his knuckles and step forward, Zheng He quickly took two steps back. "I’ll pay! I have money!" he yelped, pulling out a bank card. "There’s 20,000 Yuan on this. The PIN is six sixes."

"Alright!" Xia Liang snatched it from his hand. "Should’ve just done this from the start, shouldn’t you?" He toyed with the card. "I’m telling you, if I check this later and find out there’s no money on it, you’re going to be in a world of hurt."

"I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!" Zheng He waved his hands frantically. He was genuinely scared now, having seen how effortlessly Xia Liang handled Tie Le.

With the money secured, Xia Liang didn’t linger. He and Luu Qi left, found an ATM, and checked the balance. Seeing that there was indeed 20,000 Yuan in the account, he nodded with satisfaction, took the card, and said, "Let’s go. We’re going to find Tie Le."

"Tie Le? Why are we looking for him?" Luu Qi was clearly wary of the man. It was understandable, considering it was his younger brother who had harassed her all those years ago, resulting in Xia Liang beating both brothers to a pulp. Tie Le had backed down today because he was genuinely afraid. After all, when Xia Liang fought, it was like he had a death wish.

"Don’t you want to give them a taste of their own medicine? After how Zheng He’s family treated your cousin?"

Luu Qi certainly did, and she nodded. "But... what does that have to do with finding Tie Le?"

"You’ll see," Xia Liang said, keeping her in suspense.

They soon found Tie Le in a pool hall. Xia Liang walked up and offered him a pack of cigarettes.

Tie Le accepted it but said, "You’re too kind, Brother Xia. Just let me know if you need anything."

Xia Liang waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing. I just want to ask you about something. By the way, are you close with that guy from earlier, Zheng He?"

"I don’t know him well. One of my guys made the introduction. He paid me 3,000 Yuan to teach someone a lesson. It was your side he had a problem with, right?"

"Something like that..." Xia Liang stroked his chin. "Alright then..."

Tie Le was efficient. He immediately called over the subordinate who had made the introduction. "Brother Xia, you can ask him."

"Hello, Brother Xia," the young man with the bleached blond hair said respectfully as he approached.

Xia Liang nodded. "Do you know if Zheng He has a good relationship with his girlfriend?"

Although the Blondie didn’t know why Xia Liang was asking, he answered honestly. "They’re very close. Don’t mind that the guy’s unemployed; he pinches every penny to spend it all on that woman."

Xia Liang’s eyes lit up. "Then do you know where her family lives?"

This time, the Blondie shook his head. "I don’t know that, but I do know where she works. She’s a salesperson named Kong Man at a real estate agency."

"Okay, I got it." Xia Liang patted the Blondie’s shoulder and handed him a premium pack of cigarettes as well. Seeing the fancy cigarettes in his hand, the young man’s face lit up in a wide grin. After all, getting a pack of top-shelf smokes just for answering a few questions was a great deal. "Thank you, Brother Xia! Thank you!" he said immediately.

"Mhm." Xia Liang nodded, gave a final nod to Tie Le, and then left the pool hall.

The moment they were outside, Luu Qi eagerly hurried over. "How’d it go, Bro? Did you find out what you needed?"

"Mhm." Xia Liang nodded, but he still had a few things to prepare.

Under Luu Qi’s confused gaze, Xia Liang led her to a bank. A short while later, they walked out carrying two large cases.

Once they were clear of the bank, Luu Qi couldn’t hold back any longer. "Bro, what did you withdraw one million Yuan for?"

That’s right, Xia Liang’s trip to the bank was to withdraw money. One million Yuan, to be exact. Of course, for someone like Xia Liang with tens of thousands in his account, this required no prior appointment. As long as the bank had the cash on hand, he could withdraw any amount under 500,000 Yuan at any time.

"Didn’t I say it before? We’re giving him a taste of his own medicine," Xia Liang said nonchalantly. "If you don’t have money, how can you expect anyone to listen to you?"

"That’s true." Luu Qi finally understood. First, he found out about Zheng He’s girlfriend. Now, he’d withdrawn a million Yuan. Looks like he’s planning to use money to corrupt Kong Man and make Zheng He suffer the pain of losing someone he loves.

At that thought, Luu Qi couldn’t help but feel it was a shame. "Bro, isn’t this a bit too extravagant?" Although she was looking forward to Xia Liang’s plan, she felt that spending a million Yuan was just too much.

"A million Yuan is a small price to pay for my satisfaction," Xia Liang said, his eyes narrowing viciously. "Don’t worry. What I’m going to make her do is far crueler than anything you can imagine."

It had to be said, Luu Qi had a mischievous streak. Hearing that Xia Liang’s plan was even more cruel than she had imagined, she immediately began to wonder what it could be, pushing all thoughts of the money to the back of her mind. Besides, Xia Liang was rich now.

Soon, Xia Liang and Luu Qi, carrying the two cases, arrived at the Liya Real Estate Sales Building where Zheng He’s girlfriend worked.

As they entered, several saleswomen jogged over, their faces wreathed in bright, welcoming smiles.

"Sir, Ma’am... good afternoon."

"Are you two here to look at properties?"

"Allow me to show you around."

Xia Liang glanced at the name tags hanging on their chests. None of them said Kong Man. He cut straight to the point. "You have a salesperson here named Kong Man, don’t you? Send her over."