Chapter 164: The Test

"Everyone, stop right there!" Hong Chen shouted, halting his steps, and turned his gaze to Brother Xian. "You brought people all this way just for money. Is brawling and fighting doing you any good?"

Brother Xian looked displeased. "Young man, don't forget my people didn't throw the first punch."

Seeing the lackey whom Du Xue'er had bitten climb up from the floor and march menacingly toward her, Hong Chen flickered into his path and pointed at him. "I said stop. Take another step and see what happens."

The lackey reached out to grab Hong Chen's fingers, but Hong Chen countered by twisting his grip. With a sharp *crack*, the man's wrist bone dislocated, and he let out a miserable wail.

Hong Chen didn't press the matter further; he snapped the wrist back into place with a quick maneuver, then gave him a hard shove. The lackey stumbled back three steps, his back slamming against the wall. Hong Chen pointed at him again. "That's one warning. Don't test my patience a second time."

The lackey's expression shifted slightly. He looked hesitantly at Brother Xian. The pressure Hong Chen had applied to his wrist had felt genuinely like it was about to snap, leaving a lingering fear in his heart.

"Put the knife down," Hong Chen instructed, turning to point at Deng Baicai.

Deng Baicai immediately retorted, "What gives you the right..." but the words died in his throat.

In a flash, Hong Chen closed the distance, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted his nearly two-hundred-pound frame right off the ground. With Deng Baicai's eyes bulging like a dead fish's, Hong Chen used his free hand to take the knife from the man's grasp before finally releasing his grip on his neck.

Everyone witnessed how effortlessly Hong Chen had disarmed him. Shock rippled through the room. Lifting a two-hundred-pound lump of flesh with just one hand—just how immense was this man's strength?

Set back down on his feet, Deng Baicai stared in terror, clutching his throat as he shrank backward. The two lackey figures near the stove and the other two whose visibility had improved as the spray dissipated no longer dared to act rashly. They, too, looked toward Brother Xian.

"Well, well. Quite the hidden talent. No wonder Old Cai's eldest daughter is willing to follow you," Brother Xian said, putting on a calm facade, though his heart was pounding. He knew his three lackeys' capabilities well; they could easily handle twice their number of average thugs. Yet, Hong Chen had completely subdued them with just a couple of moves. Failing to intimidate him and lacking the physical dominance to win meant they had lost half their leverage as debt collectors.

Hong Chen didn't respond. His eyes lingered on Du Haitao's face before he reached out and took the boy's wrist, pressing a finger against his pulse. Releasing it after a few seconds, he smiled faintly, "He took a few hits, but it's nothing serious. His constitution is quite sturdy."

With that, he walked over to Du Xue'er. She had just gotten back to her feet, her fine hair slightly disheveled. As Hong Chen's hand reached toward her face, her breath caught, yet she didn't dodge.

Hong Chen gently pinched her chin, turning it slightly to reveal two faint bloody scratches along her left cheek—the result of being kicked by that lackey's shoe tip.

Releasing her immediately, Hong Chen righted an overturned table, pulled up a stool, and sat down unceremoniously. He looked at Brother Xian and pointed to the opposite seat. "Didn't you come to talk about money? Sit down!"

Brother Xian's expression soured. Hong Chen's actions felt like blatant provocation to him, but he didn't refuse. He stepped forward, slumped heavily onto a stool, and took the initiative. "Young man, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you know a few tricks. A debt is a debt and must be settled clearly. I won't hold that little scuffle against you, but the eight million is non-negotiable. Old Cai only has these two children—to put it bluntly, he's counting on them to provide for his old age. Since you're taking them away, you need to provide some accountability."

Hong Chen pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tossed one, which rolled across the table to stop in front of Brother Xian. Seeing it was a cheap brand of Red Pagoda Mountain, Brother Xian's eye twitched, and he ignored it. Instead, he fished two cigars from his pocket, tossed one to Hong Chen, clamped the other between his teeth, and had a lackey scurry over to light it.

Hong Chen twirled the cigar between his fingers for a few moments, set it down, and lit one of his own cigarettes. Taking a leisurely drag, he said, "Since these two siblings are now following me, they are my people. As you said, that was just a minor conflict, and I don't intend to make a big deal out of it. How about you settle for fifty thousand in compensation?"

At these words, Brother Xian's face turned grim, the three lackeys glared menacingly, and both Deng Baicai and the siblings wore looks of sheer astonishment!

Hong Chen chuckled. "That's just my personal thought..." As he spoke, a cell phone ringtone cut through the air. Hong Chen pulled out his phone, glanced at the screen, and answered. After offering a couple of hums, he hung up and told the lackey closest to the door, "Open it. My friend is here to deliver the money."

"Deliver the money?"

"Didn't you ask for eight million? I just sent a message to a friend."

Frowning, Brother Xian gave a subtle gesture. The lackey peeked through the peephole for a moment before turning back to report, "Two people." Seeing Brother Xian nod, he unlocked the door.

***

Luo Song walked in. Seeing so many people crammed into such a small space, he cast a suspicious look at Hong Chen. Hong Chen turned to Du Xue'er and said, "Briefly explain what happened here."

Du Xue'er was quite articulate. In just a few sentences, she laid out the whole situation, hitting every key point while leaving out all unnecessary embellishments.

Hearing this, Luo Song's expression darkened slightly as he looked at Brother Xian. "Who is your ultimate boss?"

Brother Xian paused. "Little brother, and you are?"

"Never mind," Luo Song said, shaking his head. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "There's a guy named Brother Xian in front of me, in his fifties, dyed yellow hair. Help me find out who his boss is. Have his boss call him immediately and instruct him to follow my orders."

Brother Xian's face drained of color. After Luo Song hung the phone up, Brother Xian said in a deep voice, "Little brother, are you trying to intimidate me?"

Luo Song flicked his phone casually, expressionless. "You aren't even qualified for me to intimidate you. I'm just having Little Ma check someone for me."

"Who is Little Ma?"

"Have you ever heard of King Ma?"

*Clack!*

Brother Xian's cigar slipped from his fingers, rolling across the table before dropping onto his trousers, burning a hole through the fabric. Yet, Brother Xian didn't even notice. His face was painted with absolute terror, and the three lackeys shared the exact same expression, as if they had just seen a ghost.

King Ma was the supreme boss of the debt-collection agency's director. In Brother Xian's circle, King Ma might not have been an emperor, but he was certainly one of only three or four kings. Who in their world didn't know him?

Lacking any sense of situational awareness, Deng Baicai chimed in, "Brother Xian, forget Little Ma or King Ma! Even if King Yama himself came here, nobody is leaving this room without handing over that eight million!"

Brother Xian shot him a glare so dark and murderous it made the skin crawl. "Do you want to die?"

Deng Baicai turned pale with fright, swallowing hard. Ignoring him entirely, Brother Xian looked at Luo Song with grave solemnity. "Little brother, it's my fault for failing to recognize Mount Tai. We're all just trying to make a living here. Please give me your name so I can report back to my superiors..."

Before he could finish, Brother Xian's phone rang. Seeing it was his boss calling, Brother Xian's pupils constricted. He let it ring four or five times before finally answering. A cold voice blasted from the earpiece: "A-Xian, the young man standing next to you bears the surname Luo. Listen to me very carefully: follow every single one of his instructions to the letter. If Young Master Luo is dissatisfied even slightly, you, your wife, your daughter, your son, and your son-in-law will all vanish from this earth."

The call lasted barely half a minute, yet beads of sweat on Brother Xian's forehead had already merged into streams, washing his face pale white. He stood up and asked with trembling caution, "Are... are you Young Master Luo?"

Luo Song nodded. "Did your boss tell you to follow my instructions?"

Brother Xian nodded vigorously like a pounding pestle. Even if the three lackeys were dense, they finally understood: this newly arrived young man possessed a backing so colossal that even Brother Xian couldn't afford to offend him!

Luo Song turned to Hong Chen. Hong Chen stretched lazily and said, "They wanted eight million. Whether we give it, how much we give, and how we handle it is up to you. These two siblings are my people now, and since they were beaten up, fifty million—make that fifty thousand—in compensation. That's final."

He stood up and told the siblings, "Say your final goodbyes to your foster father. We're leaving!" With that, he walked straight out the door.

Barely half a minute later, the two siblings caught up with him outside. Luo Song and his bodyguards hadn't left yet since transferring fifty thousand would take a brief moment, so Hong Chen waited. He spoke quite bluntly to the siblings: "When I didn't step in right at the start, it was a test of my own devising. I wanted to see how the two of you would handle an emergency—first to test your character, and second to test your resourcefulness. Don't harbor any resentment. We've known each other for less than twelve hours; trust between people doesn't happen at first sight, it requires time and shared experiences to build."

The siblings held no grievance and nodded one after another. Hong Chen pulled out a stack of bank cards and shoved them into Du Xue'er's hands. Amidst her bewildered gaze, he explained, "Xue'er's face is injured, and Haitao took a few punches. This fifty thousand in compensation is what you're owed. Half of it will go toward paying off the debt, and that's how it will be from now on: half of your earnings goes toward clearing the debt, and the other half is yours to keep. There are twenty-two thousand on this credit card, and I'll give you another three thousand in cash later. When you arrive in Qing City, you're strangers in a strange place; you need to have some money on you."

Seeing the siblings exchange a hesitant look, wanting to speak but holding back, Hong Chen raised a hand to stop them. "Until your debts are fully paid off, my word is final. No objections."

The siblings exchanged glances again and nodded in unison. Du Xue'er murmured a soft, "Thank you," before asking, "Yesterday, those people called you 'Young Master Chen'... What should we call you from now on?"

"My name is Hong Chen. Call me Young Master Chen."

***

Ten minutes later, Luo Song emerged. He had transferred forty-two thousand to Hong Chen and handed over eight thousand in cash. As for the eight million, Luo Song never brought it up, and Hong Chen didn't ask. Hong Chen immediately handed three thousand of the cash over to Du Xue'er.

From inside the dilapidated house came Deng Baicai's ear-piercing screams, serving as a parting chorus to their departure...

Emerging from the shantytown, Luo Song suggested they go get breakfast. Hong Chen was only about forty percent full, and neither of the siblings had eaten, so he agreed.

Over half an hour later, stepping out of a Cantonese-style restaurant, Luo Song offered to personally drive Hong Chen back to Qing City, but Hong Chen declined, though he accepted the offer of a designated luxury vehicle.

Two hours later, they arrived back at the villa. Hong Chen tipped the driver five hundred for his trouble. Standing in the courtyard, the siblings stared around with wide eyes, looking like country bumpkins entering the grand gardens of a lord's estate.

"Tomorrow is Monday. I'll arrange for Haitao to report to the Hongcheng Group. Usually, Haitao will need to rent his own place, but the company provides a housing subsidy. Xue'er will live here; you'll be responsible for the indoor and outdoor cleaning of Villa Number Six," Hong Chen instructed briefly before opening the door to let them in.

Once in the living room, Hong Chen had Du Xue'er grab a few cans of drinks from the refrigerator before they all sat down on the sofa.

Taking a few sips of his drink, Hong Chen's expression turned serious as he looked at Du Xue'er. "Next, I'm going to lay down a few rules. First, as a domestic helper, keeping your mouth shut is the most important thing. I don't want my private life leaked, nor do I ever want to find out that my helper has been bought out to become a pair of eyes planted around me."

"Second, I usually live in this villa alone, though friends visit from time to time. As the helper, you are not permitted to bring outsiders here. Haitao can come to visit Xue'er, but only when I am present."

"If you violate either of these rules, even once, there will be no second chances. The consequences will be severe!"

This was the first time since meeting him that Hong Chen had spoken with such solemnity. Du Xue'er felt a tightening in her chest, but her gaze remained resolute. "Don't worry, Young Master Chen. Even if someone puts a knife to my throat, I will never do anything to betray you. Coming to Qing City with you, my brother and I already decided to place our futures in your hands."

Hong Chen waved a hand dismissively. "It's not that dramatic. If someone puts a knife to your throat, just agree to their demands first, then tell me, and I'll handle it. That doesn't count as betrayal."

He then turned his attention to Du Haitao. "As for my expectations of you: once you enter the Hongcheng Group, you must be fully dedicated. I recommended you, and as long as your capabilities are up to par and you contribute to the company, your path to promotion will only be faster than anyone else's. Don't engage in any shady dealings that harm the company for personal gain; if you do that, even I won't be able to save you."

Seeing Du Haitao nod in prompt agreement—he wasn't even seventeen yet, so three years without romance was nothing; if he had urges, he could go to bars, KTVs, or worst case, a massage parlor—Hong Chen swept his gaze over them both once more. Pondering for a moment, he delivered his final rule: "The last requirement: no romantic relationships for the next three years. This is my selfish rule because men and women in relationships often make irrational decisions for each other. I need to prevent anyone from using you two to scheme against me, especially you, Xue'er. Understood?"

Du Xue'er agreed just as readily, though a fleeting thought crossed her mind, causing a delicate flush to tint her cheeks. Especially when Hong Chen's gaze landed on her, her heart skipped a frantic beat, and she shyly averted her eyes.