Chapter 48: A Matter Of Two Words

The person on the line was Su Anxi, asking when Su Pingnan would be going home for the New Year.

Su Pingnan didn’t have a definite date either. He just said he’d definitely go back, then hung up uncertainly.

He’d booked three rooms at a relatively upscale hotel in Xiangnan. It was supposed to be an upscale one, but Su Pingnan thought it still couldn’t compare to the budget hotel being built back in Ertai Town. The idea of turning Jinxiu Hotels into a nationwide chain popped up again. Su Pingnan let out a self-deprecating laugh—was he complaining he wasn’t busy enough?

With him were several young men who’d been scraping a living with him since the freight yard days. The ones he brought out all seemed cut from the same mold—big, sturdy bodies and unruly gazes.

Now in Xiangnan, the young men naturally wanted to have some fun in the city, but their boss hadn’t said anything about that, so they held back.

Su Pingnan smiled. “Xiangnan’s street food are famous. Since we’re here, we shouldn’t coop ourselves up in the room. I’ll take you guys out to check them out.”

Xiangnan was just beginning construction on a future new district. The lively snack streets were still concentrated in the old town.

They found a place to park and started exploring the place. It was a rare chance for Su Pingnan to relax, and he planned to lead them to eat their way from one end to the other.

Su Pingnan wore a well-fitted suit with a black overcoat and walked with calm confidence. The four other young men trailed closely behind him, constantly receiving assorted snacks handed out by their boss. Only when eating did their previously subdued faces reveal an uncontrollable feral edge, showing the youthfulness their age demanded.

No matter how crowded the snack street was, no one dared to stand in front of Su Pingnan. His aura was very imposing, especially when he didn’t smile.

Su Pingnan was enjoying himself. He’d buy heaps of different snacks, take a bite, then hand them to his four henchmen.

The four ate happily, immediately feeling that Xiangnan was ten—no, a hundred—times better than Wucheng.

Su Pingnan decided he’d clarify things with Li Luoran’s parents tomorrow and then let that little girl show him around—he had a good feeling about the city.

As he idly scanned around, his eyes met a cold stare.

A familiar face.

A familiar face known from the Sihairen gang that plagued the freight yard back in Wucheng.

Razor Chen Liu.

This guy was skilled with a blade—his razor could silently slit a faux-leather bag without anyone noticing.

At this moment, Chen Liu stood at an angle, a blue jacket slung over his left arm, his gaze coldly fixed on the relaxed Su Pingnan in the crowd, with a hint of bloodthirst.

Chen Liu’s expression was strange—he’d once been a big shot in the Sihairen faction in Wucheng who could get money without having to do much, but after being beaten like a dog, he had shamefully fled to his fellow townsman, the rising boss, Chen Tianfu, in Xiangnan—and it was all thanks to the man standing before him now.

Su Pingnan stopped, coldly watching the hostile man a short distance away across the bustling crowd.

The four young men almost immediately sensed the seriousness of their Brother Red Robe. Their childish, greedy expressions vanished, and their former unruliness and fierceness returned to their faces.

They were excited—if Su Wenwen and Guo Guangyao could follow the Brother Red Robe and beat others to become great men, so could they!

Su Pingnan calmly took out a cigarette and lit it, tossed the rest to a henchman named Xiao Zhuang, then beckoned with a finger toward Chen Liu with a look full of provocation.

A wolf never gives up on meat even if it has to travel a long way to find some—Su Pingnan, despite being a protected man now, was not going to bow his head now.

“Brother Red Robe, they’ve got nine people,” Xiao Zhuang said cleverly, subtly nodding toward several burly men standing behind some disabled beggars on the busy street.

“The gear’s in the car, I’ll fetch it,” another henchman immediately said in a low voice.

These days, the streets were chaotic—car bandits and road bullies often robbed travelers. When Su Pingnan and his crew ran long trips, they usually kept some weapons in the car.

“Don’t split up,” Su Pingnan said quietly, his eyes glancing to a glowing iron skewer used for barbecue nearby as he revealed a tiny smile.

Chen Liu and his kind were seasoned street rogues. Unlike students like Huang Tian who’d never weathered storms before, these were men who’d had blood on their hands.

Su Pingnan glanced back at his four henchmen—there wasn’t an ounce of cowardice or fear in their eyes, only endless excitement and a thirst for blood.

“You’ve got to be ruthless,” Su Pingnan said slowly as he turned, tossed a bill to the barbecue vendor, and handed the red-hot iron skewers to his henchmen.

Xiao Zhuang felt no fear—only trembling excitement. Known since childhood for his fighting, he thought this was a god-given chance: if he performed well, he’d be the next Yang Qianli or Guo Guangyao!

The five men waving iron skewers drew curious looks from nearby stall owners. Following Su Pingnan’s gaze, they all saw Chen Liu.

The stallholders didn’t know Su Pingnan, but they all recognized Chen Liu and immediately reacted. Anyone who dared to stare at Chen Liu and his henchmen like this were definitely equally vicious people. Several stall owners moved their stands back, and soon a clear space opened between Su Pingnan and Chen Liu.

“What a coincidence,” Chen Liu said with a sinister grin as several Sihairen members gathered around.

“What a coincidence.”

Su Pingnan was still smiling, said slowly: “This is a matter of two words—I don’t think we need to waste time catching up, do we?”

Chen Liu’s eyes glinted fiercely. “A matter of two words?” His hand under his coat had already gripped the razor he’d sharpened to a keen edge.

“Yes.”

Su Pingnan nodded, standing nonchalantly as he beckoned to Chen Liu with a curled finger.

“Horizontal and vertical—two words. The winner gets to remain standing, the loser will lie down forevermore.”