Chapter 55: Blocking Du Jiu

Su Pingnan had drunk a bit too much. It had indeed been some days since a few of them had drunk, and everyone was really excited. The party didn’t end until midnight, and Lin Zunyi even came by once more, laughing as he clinked cups with Su Pingnan. Unlike the somewhat irritable old man of the past, Lin Zunyi now had a ruddy face and a noticeably larger belly. For a top chef, Jinxiu Pavilion was undoubtedly his paradise.

“Master Lin, those two best apprentices of yours—I expect I’ll need them after the New Year,” Su Pingnan said to Lin Zunyi, downing the wine in his cup in one gulp.

“Well, those two brats can indeed hold their own now. Boss Su, are you opening branches?” Lin asked. Su Pingnan nodded and said, “Yes, next year we’ll open one in Tiandu and another in Fengcheng.”

Lin Zunyi was happy for his two apprentices as well, saying, “Boss Su, you truly have ambition.”

Su Pingnan laughed heartily; his plan was for Jinxiu Pavilion to first open as high-end restaurants across the southern cities to accumulate experience, then turn it into a mid-to-low end chain restaurant nationwide. The 180 arcade shops—those high profits would last only a few years before being converted into supermarkets or restaurants. In any case, there was time. No need to rush now.

The feast ended in good spirits. Xiao Zhuang’s wound hadn’t fully healed and he’d only had a little red wine, so he was naturally the best person to drive Su Pingnan back.

Every twenty-odd minutes, Du Jiu would stand to stretch. Su Pingnan was too busy and Du Jiu had been staking out for seven or eight days already—he wouldn’t miss today’s chance. The snow grew heavier, but luckily there was no wind. Fist-sized flakes fell in profusion, and under Jinxiu Pavilion’s brilliant lights they had a peculiar beauty.

“Sir, this umbrella is for you.” Du Jiu turned and saw a delicate, frail-looking girl in a Jinxiu Pavilion hostess qipao standing prettily in front of him.

Seeing the man before her stand up and look at her with tiger-like eyes, Cao Li was startled and stepped back a few paces. Cao Li was from Su Pingnan’s village and had worked at Jinxiu Pavilion for a long time. Su Pingnan had always treated his fellow villagers well, and she was satisfied with her life. She was on reception duty today, so when she saw a man dressed like an old farmer squatting across the road for a long time, the kind-hearted Cao Li suddenly thought of her brother back home still farming and couldn’t bear to see him in the snow like that, so she brought him an umbrella.

Du Jiu was just about to speak when he saw the man from the sketch appear. A few burly young men surrounded him, respectfully escorting him away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw several black SUVs approaching slowly, and the man said in a gentle tone, “I don’t need it. Don’t be afraid.”

Du Jiu immediately decided to go all out—his sister couldn’t wait that long. He needed that money. After today, Su Pingnan’s whereabouts would be unpredictable, so there was no time to delay. He was confident in his skills and believed he wouldn’t be taken down here.

Before Cao Li could register what the man’s “don’t be afraid” meant, she saw him nimbly vault the street-side iron railing like a cat, his whole body bent forward as he sped toward her boss.

“Ah!” Cao Li couldn’t help but cry out—after all, Su Pingnan was usually very good to his own people.

Su Pingnan reacted quickly. Upon hearing the woman’s cry, he turned and saw a hulking figure charging at him like an arrow.

Su Wenwen was standing closest to him. His alcohol-clouded mind instantly cleared. “Someone’s going to go after Su Pingnan!” With virtually no hesitation, he crossed his arms in front of his chest like a cross and slammed into the charging figure.

Su Wenwen’s loyalty to Su Pingnan’s use of force had become blind faith. He believed that if he could take the person’s first impact, then no matter who it was, they wouldn’t be a match for his boss.

Pfft! The impact sounded, and Su Wenwen felt as if he’d struck a moving train. His whole body flew backward, everything went black, and he had no idea what happened after that.

Guo Guangyao and Yang Qianli’s reactions were a fraction slow, and by the time they reacted, they saw Su Wenwen fly backward. The two shouted angrily at once, and Guo Guangyao leapt forward to lock his arms around the intruder’s waist.

Du Jiu dropped his hips so his elbow instantly came down onto the neck of the man holding his waist, and with a furious shout he, with one hand, lifted Guo Guangyao—who weighed nearly 85 kg—and slammed him hard onto the ground.

Yang Qianli spoke little and stood guard in front of Su Pingnan. Seeing Guo Guangyao lifted like that, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. With a step and a thrust, a cold gleam flashed in his hand and he aimed straight for the opponent’s waist.

Du Jiu sneered coldly—these people were indeed fierce and brave, able to react so quickly under his momentum without flinching. These were real tough men.

Backstep, sidestep, whip-kick. When the swoosh of the incoming kick sounded, Su Pingnan’s normally calm face finally showed a hint of gravity.

Su Pingnan had discovered last time in Xiangnan that after being reborn, his strength and agility had inexplicably increased a great deal. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Yang Qianli’s collar and yanked hard. Du Jiu’s vicious whip-kick grazed past Yang Qianli’s ear, the gust of wind it generated making Yang break out in a cold sweat.