Chapter 14: My Good Brother, Si Xu

“Haha… Of course it’s me. Do you have time? Let’s grab a drink.”

“Sure, do you still remember the barbecue stall near the orphanage?”

“Of course, see you soon.”

Ye Feng casually slipped his phone into his pocket, hailed a taxi, and sped off in the direction of the orphanage.

Third Brother’s Barbecue.

Ye Feng had just arrived when a young man in a white tracksuit approached. His face was troubled, and there was an untended stubble at the corners of his mouth.

“Brother, hey!” He waved, and even after years apart, Ye Feng recognized Si Xu at a glance.

“Ye Feng, I’ve missed you so much all these years!” The worry vanished from Si Xu’s face, and he stepped forward to give Ye Feng a hug.

“Brother, order whatever you want, it’s on me!” Si Xu said generously. “It’s been so long—how have you been?”

“I got married, and I’m working as a sales rep at a company for now. What about you?” Ye Feng didn’t mention that he was the chairman of Hengda Group, fearing it might distance their friendship.

“Congrats! As for me, I started my own company, and the business is pretty good.” There was a hint of resignation in Si Xu’s smile.

Ye Feng noticed the look on Si Xu’s face, sensing he was hiding something, but he didn’t pry.

“Come on, take a look—what do you want to eat?” Si Xu quickly changed the topic, handing Ye Feng the menu.

Just then, a gang of thugs, wielding clubs, walked over. Leading them was a man with a knife scar across his face.

Biao Zi had come today to treat a few brothers to a meal. He scanned the place, spotted Si Xu, snorted coldly, and strode toward him.

Biao Zi slapped his palm on the table, making it shake. “Well, well, look who it is—President Si! Eating at such a fancy place, you must be rolling in money.”

Seeing him, panic flashed across Si Xu’s face, but he quickly concealed it. “Brother Biao, what brings you here? I’m having dinner with a friend right now. If there’s anything, can we talk later?”

Si Xu’s brows furrowed in a pleading manner, his tone exceedingly polite, afraid Biao Zi would expose his troubles.

Biao Zi ignored Si Xu’s expression, grabbed a chair, and sat beside him. He turned to Ye Feng, saying, “Since you’re friends, you won’t mind me sitting here, right? President Si and I are good friends too. Isn’t that so, Si Xu?”

Biao Zi’s fierce gaze made Si Xu nod hurriedly, terrified of provoking the man beside him.

Ye Feng frowned in displeasure. “Who are you? Does Si Xu owe you something?”

Ye Feng saw Si Xu being threatened by the scar-faced man and immediately deduced that Si Xu must be in his debt, otherwise, why would he be so afraid?

“Straightforward. Brother, I like dealing with clever people. Si Xu borrowed money from me, promised to pay it back in a month, but now it’s been three months and I haven’t seen a dime. What do you think I should do?” Biao Zi looked at Ye Feng with a mocking grin.

“How much? I’ll pay it for him.”

Ye Feng thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be money—something he never lacked.

“Big talk! Not much, just a million.” Biao Zi guessed from Ye Feng’s attitude that he must be wealthy, otherwise, who would agree to pay off the debt without knowing the amount?

“Brother Biao, I only borrowed five hundred thousand, when did it become a million? You’re just being greedy.” Si Xu shot up from his seat at the inflated sum, attracting the attention of those around.

“Look, isn’t that Biao Zi? Heard he hacked someone to death recently, and still didn’t get arrested.”

“He’s the most notorious thug in Licheng.”

“Look at him—someone’s going to be unlucky again.”

The crowd whispered about the scar-faced man.

Biao Zi stood up and slapped Si Xu across the face. “Even bank loans have interest, let alone my money. You’ve owed me for so long, shouldn’t you pay me some interest?”

Five bright-red finger marks burned on Si Xu’s cheek. The sudden slap crushed his dignity as a man. Just as he was about to retaliate, Biao Zi’s men pinned him down, making him unable to move.

Si Xu struggled in vain, wishing he could sink into the ground in humiliation.

“Ye Feng, go, don’t worry about me. You can’t take him on.”

Si Xu didn’t want to drag Ye Feng into this. He assumed Ye Feng was just an ordinary guy, no match for these thugs who were infamous in Licheng—even the local police couldn’t do anything about them. He didn’t want Ye Feng to get hurt because of him.

Seeing his old friend being bullied, Ye Feng’s anger flared. He clenched his fists beneath the table and spoke in a low voice: “Let him go!”

“Haha… Another hero. If I don’t, what can you do to me?” Biao Zi said arrogantly.

“You’re asking for trouble—don’t blame me.” Ye Feng stood and punched Biao Zi in the face, making him grimace in pain.

“What are you all waiting for? Get him! Break him!” Biao Zi shouted to his men.

A minute later, the gang lay sprawled on the floor. Seeing all his men beaten down, Biao Zi was too scared to utter a word, his arrogance vanished.

With a heavy thud, he dropped to his knees, the sound of his kneecaps hitting the floor making everyone wince.

“Big brother, I was wrong, please spare me!”

“How much does he really owe you?” Ye Feng stared at Biao Zi.

“He doesn’t owe me anymore. I don’t want it. Take it as my tribute to you.”

Ye Feng strode over and stomped on Biao Zi’s ankle with all his strength, causing a scream so loud it echoed through the restaurant. Sweat poured from Biao Zi’s forehead in beads.

The onlookers stared at Ye Feng in astonishment, then burst into applause, amazed he had handled Biao Zi and his men single-handedly.

Ye Feng produced a sixty-thousand check from nowhere, tossed it in Biao Zi’s face, and sneered, “Fifty thousand is the principal. The extra ten thousand can be your medical expenses.”

“The debt is settled. If you harass Si Xu again, it won’t just be a broken bone next time.” With that, Ye Feng led the stunned Si Xu away.

After Ye Feng left, he didn’t see the awe in Biao Zi’s eyes, who finally fainted from the pain.

Si Xu, still in shock, grabbed Ye Feng’s shoulder. “Brother, thank you for what you did today.” His face was full of gratitude.

He never imagined Ye Feng was so capable, single-handedly subduing those thugs and paying off the debt for him. His heart overflowed with thankfulness—after so many years, Ye Feng’s strength far surpassed what Si Xu had ever imagined.

“We’re brothers, don’t be so formal.” Ye Feng smiled.

“I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,” Si Xu said earnestly.

“No rush. Come on, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Alright! We won’t leave until we’re drunk.”

The two hailed a taxi and left.

They arrived at a small bar. Because they were both good-looking, many women came over to chat, but Ye Feng and Si Xu politely turned them all down.

“Brother, wait a moment. I need to use the restroom.” Ye Feng patted Si Xu’s shoulder, then staggered off toward the bathroom.

Once alone, Ye Feng took out his phone and called Secretary Tao. The other end answered with a lazy voice.

“Hello, who is this?”

“It’s me, Ye Feng.”

“Oh… Chairman Ye, is there something you need?” Hearing Ye Feng’s voice, Secretary Tao immediately perked up.

“Yes. This afternoon, find a legal representative from Si Xu’s company and arrange a partnership. But don’t mention my name, understand?”

Ye Feng didn’t want Si Xu to know he was helping him, fearing it would hurt his pride. So he decided to keep it secret for now.

“Understood, Chairman Ye.”

Secretary Tao waited until Ye Feng hung up before putting away her phone and carrying out his instructions.

When Ye Feng returned from the restroom, Si Xu joked, “Let’s call it a night; otherwise, your wife might start worrying.”

Ye Feng thought about it and realized he’d been out for quite a while, so he nodded. “We’ll meet up again next time.”

And so, the two left together, their friendship renewed.