"Fourth Brother, are we taking Baldy with us to collect that bastard’s debt?" Li Qiuzhe asked with a frown upon hearing Qin Fan’s words.

"With your foundation, age, experience, and temperament, it won’t be easy to establish yourself in Jinling’s underworld. And Baldy is an asset that will let you achieve more with less effort! An indispensable one! But I still respect your decision, Boss. If you want, he will permanently disappear from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region starting tomorrow as punishment for setting you up," Qin Fan said, looking at Li Qiuzhe with a serious expression.

"Forget it! Fourth Brother, I was just angry for a moment! You’re right. To get a firm foothold in Jinling’s underworld, Baldy is invaluable to me! So, let’s do it your way!" After a moment of thought, Li Qiuzhe shook his head and spoke decisively.

"Alright, I’ve set the stage and paved the way for you. This is as much as I can do. After today, you have to walk this path on your own! But I trust my intuition, Boss. It won’t be long before the name ’Brother Ze’ resounds throughout the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region!" Qin Fan chuckled, nodded, and put his hand on Li Qiuzhe’s shoulder. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Heh heh..."

Li Qiuzhe was skeptical of Qin Fan’s so-called intuition. He scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward, dry laugh.

Then he continued, "By the way, Fourth Brother, can you answer a question for me?"

"I know what you’re going to ask. You want to know who I am, right? And why Baldy is so terrified of me?" Qin Fan said with a casual laugh, as if he had been expecting it.

"Mhm!" Not just Li Qiuzhe, but Li Yunzhe also nodded vigorously. The two of them stared anxiously at Qin Fan, awaiting his answer.

"That Young Master Chang you mentioned, Chang Yuanyi, is an acquaintance of mine. Because word got out last time that Baldy was going to the school to grab someone, Young Master Chang and I taught him a lesson. You understand, a mere Baldy is nothing in the eyes of people like Chang Yuanyi. That’s why he’s afraid of me, and why he showed up on campus to beg for your forgiveness. There, I’ve laid it all out. You shouldn’t have any more questions, right? Haha—"

Qin Fan deflected the entire issue with a light laugh, simply saying they were ’acquainted.’

To be honest, Qin Fan didn’t want Li Qiuzhe and the others to know too much about his true identity at this stage. Knowing too much wouldn’t be good for them. It would surely put them under immense pressure and could even create distance between them.

"Just an acquaintance?" Li Qiuzhe and Li Yunzhe’s eyes widened in unison. They clearly didn’t accept that answer.

"Yes, we’re just acquaintances. It’s not a deep connection, so don’t overthink it," Qin Fan said.

"Boss Qin!"

Just as Qin Fan finished speaking, Baldy emerged from the restroom. His face was still swollen and bruised, but he had washed away the blood. With puffed-up cheeks, he called out. Then, turning to Li Qiuzhe, he added in a guilty and awkward tone, "Brother Ze!"

This succession of calls broke Li Qiuzhe from his train of thought. He stopped dwelling on Qin Fan’s identity and simply gave a sullen nod in response.

"Alright, let’s go," Qin Fan said with a smile, slipping his hands into his pockets and starting to walk.

"Boss Qin, where are we going? Should I call for more men?" Baldy asked awkwardly, trailing behind Qin Fan.

"No need!" Without another word, Qin Fan briskly led the way down the stairs.

"Boss!"

Upon seeing Baldy’s battered face, his subordinates immediately cried out and started to crowd around him, but he shooed them away in a panic. Under a barrage of curious and focused stares, the four of them walked out of the teahouse one after another.

The flashy red BMW’s engine roared to life, with Baldy’s imposing SUV following close behind. They sped off toward the west side of the city.

「Outside a chess and card room.」

When Qin Fan and the others stepped inside, the expressions on the faces of the lookouts at the door immediately changed. Panicking, one pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Brother Tao, Baldy and that dumbass who got stabbed in the ass last time are here again!"

"Alright! Hold your positions! Don’t make a move. I’m going to find Boss Fu. Wait for my signal!" a deep voice crackled over the walkie-talkie, followed by the sound of urgent, retreating footsteps.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The knocks sounded on the door of a luxuriously decorated room. After a voice called, "Come in," a young man pushed the door open and entered.

"Xiao Tao, what’s wrong?" the middle-aged man in the bedroom asked with a frown.

"Boss Fu, East Town’s Baldy and that kid who got stabbed in the ass last time are back! I saw them on the surveillance feed. There’s another guy with them, and he gives off a dangerous vibe! I wasn’t sure how to handle them, so I came to ask for your instructions," said the young man called Xiao Tao.

"So they’re here to collect debts again! Heh! Looks like they didn’t learn their lesson last time. Damn it! Follow me!" the middle-aged man said grimly, then turned and strode out of the room.

"What’s going on here?" Li Qiuzhe muttered, completely baffled, as they stood in the first-floor lobby of the card room.

What’s happening? Why isn’t anyone stopping us? Is it possible these guys don’t remember him and Baldy? That’s impossible! He got stabbed right here! A lot of people saw it happen!

"Looks like our timing is perfect. The man himself is here," Qin Fan said playfully, pausing his steps.

As soon as Qin Fan’s voice fell, a crisp sound of applause echoed from the stairwell.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Baldy, oh Baldy, you really don’t learn, do you? Don’t you fucking think that just because Chang Yuanyi slept with your sister, you have the capital to strut around like this? Others might be afraid of you, but in my presence, who the hell do you think you are?"