Chapter 111: Fate is in Your Own Hands!
Chapter 111: Fate is in Your Own Hands!
Ha De followed Tang Chen and left. Ha De also asked Tang Chen where they were going. Tang Chen said they should first find a small hotel to stay at. As for why they didn’t go to Junyue, it was because Tang Chen didn’t want to reveal everything to Ha De just yet.
Yang Mi called and asked if he had finished handling his matters. Tang Chen thought to himself that it would be best not to go back for a while, to avoid making Yang Mi worry or anything like that, so he casually said that he was going out of town with Boss Pang to take care of some business.
Yang Mi trusted Tang Chen completely. After just reminding him to be careful and exchanging a few sweet nothings, she hung up the phone.
Tang Chen then made another call to Boss Pang, telling him that if Yang Mi called and asked, he should not let anything slip. He also gave instructions to Fang Wenxin and the others, telling them to be careful of a possible sneak attack from the Mo Sect at any time. Only after that did he finally end the call.
After all that, it was already close to noon. Tang Chen’s stomach was rumbling, so he said to Ha De, “Young Master Ha, let’s go. This Young Master will take you somewhere to fill our bellies first.”
Ha De smiled honestly and said, “Boss Tang, there’s no need to be so polite and call me Young Master Ha or anything like that. Just call me Ha De. I’m not used to people calling me ‘Young Master’ this and ‘Young Master’ that.”
Tang Chen laughed too. This guy’s temper was really quite good, so he said, “Then don’t call me Boss Tang either. I’m not some gangster. Just call me Tang Chen.”
Ha De gave an affirmative sound. The two of them didn’t feel like a kidnapper and a hostage at all; instead, they seemed like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years, chatting and catching up.
They were in the suburbs, so naturally, they couldn’t find a big hotel like Junyue. However, there were plenty of small restaurants. Tang Chen and Ha De casually walked into one, and soon a girl wearing an apron came over.
“You two, what would you like to eat?” She was a typical country girl, the kind who would blush when meeting unfamiliar men, especially when seeing a handsome guy like Tang Chen.
Tang Chen glanced at the menu and ordered two chickens, along with some other small dishes. The waitress left for the kitchen, and Tang Chen and Ha De chatted casually about everyday things.
“Brother Ha, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You probably have never been to a place like this to eat, right?” Tang Chen said with a smile. Indeed, with a family background like Ha De’s, how could he ever come to a small restaurant where even the tables and chairs had grease stains?
Hearing Tang Chen’s teasing remark, Ha De smiled wryly and said, “Tang Chen, do you think having a family like mine is really that great? My dad is the Provincial Governor. To outsiders, that seems like such an amazing thing. Many people envy me; they even think I should wake up laughing from my dreams. But me? I really hate this identity. Just because my dad is the Provincial Governor, ever since I was little and attended the Noble School, I had to be the best in every subject. If my grades showed even the slightest sign of slipping, the teachers and classmates would say to me with sarcasm: ‘Your dad is the Provincial Governor, you can only be number one. Don’t embarrass your parents.’ Hah, that kind of feeling… it’s really hard to take.”
Tang Chen chuckled, then picked up a beer from the table, popped the cap off directly, and took a swig from the bottle. He said, “Small people have their own ways of living, big people have their own sorrows. I get it.”
Ha De smiled bitterly and said, “My dad planned out my life for me when I was very young: what age I should graduate from university, what age I should start working for the government, what age I should get married and have children. When I was around ten years old, I started accompanying my parents to all kinds of social events frequently. Seeing so many hypocritical smiling faces, I really felt like throwing up. Sometimes I feel like I’m not my dad’s child, just a pawn he moves around as he pleases. My life was decided the day I was born. I don’t have any right to change it.”
Tang Chen actually felt some sympathy for this young master. Although he had a background that made everyone envious and jealous, who knew about the pressure and pain he carried?
He once read a line in a novel: In the next life, I never want to be a prince again. At the time, he thought the author was just showing off. How happy it must be to be a prince, worshiped by thousands and all that. But he actually said he never wanted to be a prince again—if that wasn’t showing off, what was?
But after listening to Ha De’s words, Tang Chen suddenly understood. He pushed the beer bottle toward him and said, “Have some. Alcohol is a good thing; it can bring out what’s deep inside you. If you’re feeling upset, just down it in one go.”
Ha De didn’t hesitate. He picked up the bottle directly, took a big gulp, and then choked, spitting it out on the floor. Laughing, he put the bottle back on the table and said, “I’ve never had this kind of beer before. It’s bitter, but the taste isn’t bad.”
“That’s life for you,” Tang Chen said, spouting what sounded like a profound life truth, though upon reflection, it actually made some sense.
“Pretentious!” At that moment, a man at the table behind them muttered the word softly, his tone full of disdain.
Tang Chen frowned, then stood up and walked right over to the man at the back table. He said, “Who the hell are you calling pretentious?”
The man sitting there was a big fatty, about 1.68 meters tall, with a crew cut, a body full of fat, a tattoo on his chest, and a thick gold chain around his neck as thick as a thumb. He looked like a total nouveau riche.
“What’s it to you? I said you’re pretentious, so what?” This guy was named Jiang Zhilong. Clearly, he was someone who mixed in underworld circles, a local gang leader in the area.
The scattered customers around saw this and thought, uh-oh, it looks like a fight is about to break out.
“You’re saying I’m pretentious?” Tang Chen let out a cold laugh and met his gaze fearlessly. “Which of your damn eyes saw this Young Master being pretentious? This Young Master’s class is so high, why would I need to pretend?”
“Young man, forget it, don’t argue,” the boss tried to step in and mediate. But Jiang Zhilong just snorted coldly and said, “You better watch your damn mouth. Don’t curse at me. I’ve done time in prison for a few years; you think I’m afraid of you? And you say you’re not pretentious? You two brats sitting here talking about being the son of a Provincial Governor—cut the crap. If you’re the son of a Provincial Governor, then damn it, I’m the son of the top leader.”
“How can you talk like that? I wasn’t lying!” Ha De also came over at this point. His good upbringing since childhood made him completely unable to understand why telling the truth would be called “pretentious” by this guy.
“Ha De, forget it. Don’t argue with someone like this. This idiot looks like a total fool. He thinks wearing a gold chain makes him rich. Why didn’t you check before going out? Your damn gold chain is rusted, you moron!” Tang Chen curled his lip disdainfully. He genuinely looked down on people who had no money but tried to act rich. If you have no money, just be your poor loser self quietly. Why pretend to be wealthy and put on such a show? Don’t you know it’s tacky?
“Damn you! I’ll kill you!” Jiang Zhilong cursed angrily. Then, amid the startled cries of the other customers, he threw a punch at Tang Chen. It was a well-timed sneak attack, so it should have been easy to hit Tang Chen.
But it was useless. Tang Chen’s eyes turned cold—trying to fight him was just asking for death. He then reached out with his right hand and tightly grabbed Jiang Zhilong’s fist, twisted it hard, and broke his wrist. Tang Chen followed up with a kick to Jiang Zhilong’s waist, then forcefully pinned him down on the table. The bowls of spicy soup and everything else on the table spilled all over the floor.
Tang Chen snorted coldly and said to Ha De, “Ha De, this Young Master tells you: fate is in your own hands.” As he spoke, Tang Chen pressed Jiang Zhilong’s head right into the spicy soup. Sizzling sounds could be heard as Jiang Zhilong screamed continuously but couldn’t break free from Tang Chen’s strength.
“Now prove it to me. Come on, hit this guy who looks down on you hard,” Tang Chen urged Ha De to start hitting, his tone a bit like the Big Bad Wolf coaxing Little Red Riding Hood.
Ha De was still a bit hesitant. He had been a good kid since childhood and had never been in a fight. Asking him to hit someone now—he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
Seeing Ha De hesitate, Tang Chen said coldly, “Ha De, you’re really disappointing me. I thought you were someone with potential, but it turns out you’re just a waste.” With that, Tang Chen grabbed a bowl and smashed it hard on Jiang Zhilong’s head. Blood splattered, and the guy stopped moving.
“Boss, check please. Keep the change.” Tang Chen threw two red bills to the boss in a domineering manner, then swaggered out.