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Chapter 80: Holding a Grudge

Malang put on her clothes, tidied herself up, and neatly combed her short hair, looking vibrant and energetic. She was a strong woman; even though she harbored indelible nightmares within, in front of others, she was always a clean, confident, and domineering woman.

I was driving Malan's car to Qi Ye's restaurant when my phone rang. I saw it was Xuan Ling calling. I didn't want to answer at first, but then I remembered Xuan Ling was taking care of my mom, and it could be something related to her. So I answered the call.

"Zhao Fei, when are you coming back..."

On the phone, Xuanling's gentle words came through, but they were very quiet and shy. I said, "Just a moment, there's one more thing to take care of..."

"Oh, Auntie is asleep. She stayed up late last night and made a few pairs of slippers. She said the new house needs to be kept spotless. When we get married in the future..."

Xuanling's words were not finished, maybe because she was shy. I smiled and said, "What gift do you want? I'll buy it for you..."

"No need, just come back safe and sound. Zeng Hong and Huang Qin are looking for you. I think you should report it to the police, otherwise, they won't stop."

Hearing Xuanling's concerned words warmed my heart. I said, "Got it, next time I go back, I promise, I promise to put an end to this matter... I have something else to do, bye."

I hung up the phone after I finished speaking, not wanting to discuss too much in front of others. I especially didn't want anyone to know about Xuanling's existence. I hope she remains the quiet woman behind me; it's for her own good.

"The girl saying she doesn't want a gift is all fake. When you go back, buy a better gift, preferably a gem, but gold is also fine," said Ma Lan.

After she finished speaking, she lit a cigarette and started smoking. I felt that she had a strong addiction to cigarettes. I nodded and didn't say anything more.

The car drove to the front of the restaurant, and we got out. It was early in the morning, and there weren't many people in the restaurant. After we went in, we saw Ma Qing at the front desk. She was made up very three-dimensionally. I looked at her rosy lips, white teeth, and snow-white skin. She was wearing a neat and elegant plaid suit, light yellow stockings, and a pair of light blue high heels. She was dressed very formally, giving off an

"Where's Dad?" Malan asked.

"Upstairs, where did you go last night?" Ma Qing asked.

"Where can you go? A hotel, with a man, are you satisfied?" Malan said, and after finishing, she took me upstairs. I looked at Ma Qing; her expression was very uncomfortable, her eyes filled with a sense of anger. I didn't know who this anger was directed at.

We went upstairs to the dining department, and I saw Seventh Master sitting at a table by the window. There were quite a few pastries on the table, which the Ruili Dai people often eat. Malan led me to Seventh Master, she sat down and called out, "Dad..."

Seventh Master didn't look at her, but glared at me and said, "Here to plead for mercy?"

I smiled and said, "Seventh Master, yes..."

Seventh Master picked up a steaming package of nanmi with chopsticks. "Nanmi" is a term in the Dai language that refers to various sauces. Seventh Master dipped a bun in the sauce and took a bite. After tasting it for a while, he said, "Did you see the situation in my shop?"

I looked around and saw no one. I remember when I first came here, the place was bustling with people. Compared to now, it really is quite a bit worse.

I said, "Sorry, Seventh Master, but this matter was initiated by Liu Qiang against us."

"Snap..."

Seventh Master slammed his chopsticks heavily on the table, his face looking very grim. He said, "Do I care who gets to do it first?"We need to talk about principles, but we also need to make money. I've said before, I don't want you guys fighting and killing. None of you listen to me. You promised me well in front, but then you went and smashed someone's store. Are you putting my face on the line?Have you ever respected me?

Seventh Master's words filled me with terror. It was the first time I had seen Seventh Master lose his temper, and it was indeed like thunder. I looked at Ma Qing; she was also very scared, her face pale. She tossed her hair and said, "Oh, Dad, why didn't you let Zhao Fei finish speaking?"Who is Liu Qiang? Why would they go smash his store for no reason?

Seventh Master looked at me and said, "What reason do you have to smash someone else's shop?"

I knew the key moment was coming, the moment to impress Seventh Master. I said, "Seventh Master, a few days ago, Boss Wei, Brother Guang, and I went to gamble on some stones. We won a piece of imperial green and sold it for over 100 million."

After hearing my words, Seventh Master's expression changed, his eyebrows raised slightly. He extended his hand and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, asking, "So what?"

I said, "At that time, Liu Qiang was also there. He wanted to buy shares, but we didn't agree. When we were coming down the mountain, we were ambushed. Luckily, Brother Guang's people were strong and drove the robbers away. Brother Guang analyzed that only Liu Qiang would do such a thing, so we were just taking revenge."

"Nonsense, do you have any evidence? Would he run to Myanmar to rob you?" Seventh Master said.

I looked at Seventh Master's expression; although he said that, he wasn't angry. I said, "Seventh Master, this is a matter between us. If he asks you to mediate, we would accept it. But he is threatening you by cutting off your financial resources, and I think that's wrong. Seventh Master, you are a respected person in the underworld. If they dare to do this, it clearly shows they don't take you seriously. If this happens once, it will happen again."

My words made Seventh Master very angry. He glared at me and said, "As long as you know. When people are out here, they rely on everyone working together. No matter how well you do, once you're squeezed by the crowd, it's hard to turn things around. The same goes for me, Ma Wu. I hate being blackmailed more than anything else. But Ruili's economy is a tourism economy, which relies on people. If they cut off my connections, I would

I said, "Seventh Master, there are still opportunities in Ruili and jade business. Didn't you say before that you wanted to invest in the young lady's raw stone shop?"I think we can take this opportunity to transform.

"Transformation takes time. My business is large, and so are the expenses. I can't afford it," said Seventh Master.

"Seventh Master, if someone doesn't obey, just replace them. I believe you have the ability. As long as you give the order, Brother Guang will spare no effort to help you accomplish this task," I said, keeping my head down.

"Bastard, you've really learned to be ruthless from Qian Guang. As expected, you get what you teach. No need to say more, I can consider the jade shop matter, but the other things, no need to say." Seventh Master said coldly.

I felt a bit scared listening to this. I just said it tentatively, but I didn't expect Seventh Master to react this way. It seems that I can't move against Liu Qiang yet. I need to have enough benefits to make Seventh Master interested.

I looked at Malan; now is her time to step up. Malan understood and said, "Dad, I've already bought the shop for 15 million. It's a 200-square-meter counter in the Jade City. Today, I'm going to stock up with Zhao Fei. Can you lend me some money?"

Seventh Master listened and looked at me, just as he was about to speak, I heard a series of hurried footsteps. I turned around and saw it was Liu Qiang, along with Chen Xi and the skinny monkey. Instinctively, I stood next to Ma Lan. They strode over with an imposing demeanor. Upon seeing me, Liu Qiang sneered, while the other two had icy expressions.

"Seventh Master, good morning. I've already coordinated with Boss Li to try and bring as many customers as possible to you..." Liu Qiang said seriously.

Seventh Master had a very bad expression. He nodded, put down his chopsticks, and didn't say a word. Suddenly, Liu Qiang came over, grabbed my collar, and said, "You dare to be here? Your boss smashed my shop, and you still dare to walk around? You really have no fear of heaven or earth?"

I didn't say anything, but Malan stood up, grabbed Liu Qiang's hand, and said, "You hit someone in my dad's place? Do you respect my dad?"

Liu Qiang glanced at Qi Ye, then released his grip and sat down, a bit dissatisfied. He said, "Qi Ye, that kid Qian Guang is really ambitious. You said not to fight, but he not only killed Fat Pig Zhu, but then came back and smashed my shop. What kind of behavior is this? Clearly disrespecting you. Smashed my shop is a small matter, but it could affect your business, Qi Ye. Look, damn it, such a nice restaurant, not a single customer."

Seventh Master listened and then sneered. I knew that he was definitely furious inside, but he didn't explode. He just looked coldly and wiped the grease off his mouth.

At this moment, Chen Xi stepped forward and said, "Seventh Master, when Fat Pig Zhu was around, our business was doing very well. After Fat Pig Zhu died, everything became difficult. This is all Qian Guang's doing. He wasn't satisfied with swallowing Fat Pig Zhu's shop, and I see he wants to take Liu Qiang's shop as well. At this rate, I, Shouhou, will eventually be eaten by him. And that's not all, I believe that by then

Chen Xi's words were indeed vicious, directly shifting the blame for the war from them to Seventh Master. Now, even if Seventh Master didn't want to get involved, for the sake of his future position, he had to step in.

I can't let this matter develop any further. I said, "Seventh Master, Brother Guang relies on gambling stones. Have you seen him make any moves to expand his business all this time?"

Suddenly, Chen Xi stood up and slapped me hard across the face. I looked up at Chen Xi, gritting my teeth. He pointed at me and said, "You little brat, stop talking nonsense here. Do you even have a say in this?"Damn it, if it weren't for you messing things up here, would we have so many problems?Don't think that just because you're lucky, you can turn the tables. I'm telling you, you'll end up ruining yourself sooner or later. Let's see how lucky you are then.

Chen Xi glared at me, his eyes truly fierce, but I wasn't afraid. I believe that in front of Seventh Master, he wouldn't dare to kill me. I'll hold back this anger for now, but I'll remember it. I'll always remember this slap.

Malan stood in front of me, glaring at Chen Xi, and said, "Uncle Chen, my dad wants to reason things out. It's best if everyone reasons things out. If you are so unreasonable and domineering, aren't you just like Qian Guang? Not even putting my dad in your eyes?"

Malan's words made Chen Xi somewhat annoyed, but he still endured and sat down. Malan turned back to look at me, his eyes filled with concern. I was very touched, but even more humiliated. I remembered this grudge...