"Who are you calling an old swindler?" Xu Feng roared.

He snatched up a chair and swung it toward Old Liu, but in his rage, he missed and smashed the large Sui Dynasty censer next to him.

"What! You dare to destroy shop property!?" Old Liu bellowed. "This Master is telling you, even if your own father were here, he wouldn't dare speak to me like that! All of you, seize him!"

At Old Liu's command, the security guards behind him surged forward and pinned Xu Feng to the ground. Faced with armed security, the few hoodlums with Xu Feng didn't dare to make a move. They were all bark and no bite, only shouting empty threats.

"Let Manager Xu go, or you'll face the consequences!"

Xia Liang just smiled faintly, took out his phone, and dialed a number. Soon, a voice came from the other end.

"Who is this?"

"Xu Tongzhou, right? I'm waiting for you on the first floor of Wanlai Mall."

"Who are you?"

"Your son damaged my property. If you don't come, you'll have to bear the consequences!"

After saying that, Xia Liang hung up. He knew Xu Tongzhou would come. He then glanced at Old Liu.

"Old Liu, how much was that censer again?"

Old Liu thought for a moment before saying, "I think it was... one-tenth of a Yuan..."

"Hm?" Xia Liang frowned.

"One Yuan." Old Liu finally nodded, his tone firm.

「An hour later.」

Xu Tongzhou finally arrived at the mall, where he saw his son restrained with his hands behind his back, his face and clothes covered in soup. Xu Tongzhou's expression soured.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Xia Liang gestured toward his shop. "Your son's masterpiece."

Xu Tongzhou didn't seem interested in wasting words with Xia Liang. He simply took out his phone. A notification chimed.

*Alipay transfer received: one-tenth of a Yuan.*

"Can you let my son go now?" Xu Tongzhou asked.

Xia Liang just shook his head with a light chuckle, saying nothing.

Xu Tongzhou's face immediately darkened with displeasure. "What else do you want?"

"Mr. Xu," Xia Liang said slowly, "you still owe me two Yuan."

"What? Two Yuan!" Xu Tongzhou's eyes widened as he stared incredulously at the young man before him.

I thought I was ruthless enough, but this young man is even more so?

Thinking this, Xu Tongzhou sneered. "Young man, you need to pick your targets carefully when you're trying to extort someone. Don't try to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to bait it."

"Who said I'm extorting you?" Xia Liang asked, his expression serious. "One Sui Dynasty censer, the medicinal meal from earlier, a Taishi Chair from the Qing Dynasty... oh, and let's add the fee for floor damage, plus compensation for the mental distress of my two employees. Hmm... let's round it up to a modest two and a half Yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Tongzhou's mouth twisted in anger. Setting aside everything else... wasn't that just an ordinary bowl of Mao's spicy mix? How did it become a 'medicinal meal'? And what 'mental distress' could possibly cost so much? All of this together isn't worth two and a half Yuan!

With this in mind, Xu Tongzhou scoffed. "Young man, I can sue you for extortion!"

Xia Liang clapped his hands and addressed the crowd. "Look at Mr. Xu, everyone. Now that's a man of refinement." He then turned to Old Liu, feigning a reprimand. "Old Liu, remember this: a gentleman uses his words, not his fists. You really should learn from Mr. Xu, understand?"

Old Liu laughed coldly. "Learn from this utterly unscrupulous old swindler? I'd rather find a block of tofu to smash my head against and be done with it!"

Hearing this, Xu Tongzhou frowned deeply at Old Liu. As a man who prided himself on his philanthropy, he detested being called an "old swindler." But beyond his indignation, he felt a nagging sense of familiarity. He looks familiar... I feel like I've seen him somewhere before.

Even though they worked in completely different industries and their paths wouldn't normally cross, they were from the same social stratum, so it was likely they had met once or twice. But for the life of him, Xu Tongzhou couldn't place the face.

"What is it, old swindler?" Old Liu smiled lightly. "Feeling like you know me? Thinking you've seen me somewhere before?"

This question hit the nail on the head. He's asking the very question on my mind.

Xia Liang smiled. "You should just tell Mr. Xu."

Old Liu chuckled. "Ah, Master Xia Tian has figured it out again, I see." He then turned to Xu Tongzhou. "That public works project from last year... you were the one who won the bid, right, Mr. Xu? You hired my friend's construction team for the job, remember? I happened to see the purchase order that day. Mr. Xu is quite the frugal man..."

Having known Xia Liang for so long, Old Liu had picked up a few things. His simple words left the crowd confused, but to Xu Tongzhou, they landed like heavy hammer blows.

"You're... Liu Zhendong?" Xu Tongzhou finally realized, staring at Old Liu in shock. Old Liu just smiled without a word.

"Old Liu, we've always kept to our own lanes. As far as I know, I've never offended you," Xu Tongzhou said cautiously after a long pause. "Are you setting me up? Is this a deliberate trap?"

"Who said you didn't offend me?" Old Liu's eyes widened as he shot a sideways glance at Xu Feng. "Your idiot son here tried to hit me just now!"

As he spoke, Old Liu pointed at his collar. "Look what a mess your 'good' son made of my collar!"

"Huh?" Xu Tongzhou was stunned. He glanced at his useless son and cursed inwardly. Damn this useless son of mine! After another long pause, he finally said, "Old Liu, I apologize on my son's behalf. Are you really not going to give me even this little bit of face?"

Before Old Liu could answer, Xia Liang smiled. "Of course not. We have the utmost respect for Mr. Xu."

Xu Tongzhou frowned. "I'm speaking to Old Liu. Why are you interrupting?"

To Xu Tongzhou's complete surprise, Old Liu flew into a rage at his words, glaring daggers at him. "Xu Tongzhou, you dare insult Master Xia Tian? You must be courting death!"

With that, Old Liu waved his hand decisively. "Get him!"

The surrounding security guards didn't care who Xu Tongzhou was; they just rolled up their sleeves and moved forward.

Xia Liang smiled and held up a hand. "Old Liu, wait a moment."

Old Liu immediately nodded respectfully, and the security guards backed down.

Xia Liang looked at Xu Tongzhou with an indifferent expression. "Mr. Xu's person is worth a fortune. What would we do if he got hurt?"

Though the words sounded like a compliment, Xu Tongzhou knew they were laced with malice. A sense of alarm grew in his heart. Who is this young man? Why is Liu Zhendong so obedient to him? Liu Zhendong is a significant figure in his own right... how could he listen to a mere boy like that?

Xu Tongzhou's expression flickered between anger and apprehension.

Xia Liang smiled faintly. "To this day, one of your quotes remains a classic in my mind, Mr. Xu: 'Beggars can't be choosers... especially about a spoiled bun.'"

Xu Tongzhou instinctively took a step back, cold sweat beading on his forehead. But Xia Liang continued as if he didn't notice. "Mr. Xu, have you ever considered the impact if that wise saying of yours got out? All these years, the public's charity has been completely misplaced! Do you have no shame whatsoever?"

"You!" Xu Tongzhou glanced around warily and said in a low, cold voice, "You'd better have proof for what you're saying!"

Old Liu laughed. "Master Xia Tian's words are all the proof we need. You can test that if you don't believe it!"

Xia Liang also smiled but said nothing, simply watching Xu Tongzhou, waiting.

After a long time, Xu Tongzhou finally spoke. "What exactly do you want?"

Xia Liang chuckled. "Not much. Just compensation for the damages to my shop."

Xu Tongzhou clenched his fists tightly, only relaxing them after a long moment. "Two and a half Yuan is too much. I can't pay that," he said. "Besides, these things aren't worth that much!"

Although he could certainly afford two and a half Yuan, Xu Tongzhou was notoriously stingy.

"Not worth that much?" Xia Liang laughed softly, then pointed at Su Qianyun and Xu Wanying. "Mr. Xu, do you know who these two employees of mine are?"

Xu Tongzhou scoffed. "Even if they were Fairy Ladies from the heavens, they wouldn't be worth that much, would they?"

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