Chapter 10: The Price of Arrogance

Lu Shi had long noticed a group of people walking toward him.

He simply turned off his phone and leaned back on the sofa, waiting.

He couldn’t be bothered to dodge anymore. Even if he stood up to leave, they’d probably block him.

Huo Qian strolled over with a smile and sat down beside him. “What a coincidence, meeting again. How about a few drinks?”

Lu Shi refused flatly. “No.”

Huo Qian wasn’t put out. Unlike those who were waiting for a show with hidden agendas, he was just genuinely curious about Lu Shi’s alcohol tolerance.

“My treat. Order whatever you want.”

“Do I look like I’m short on cash for drinks?”

Lu Shi had been sitting too long, and his lower back was acting up. He was about to stand and stretch when someone mistook his movement for an attempt to flee.

“Young Master Huo inviting you for a drink is a courtesy. Don’t be ungrateful!”

“Exactly. Do you think you can act so cocky in the capital just because you’re the Chen family’s biological son? Why didn’t your family send Chen Youxuan away? Why did they throw such a lavish party for his birthday? Isn’t it to tell everyone that even if he’s not blood-related, he’s still dearer than a real son?”

The speakers didn’t bother lowering their voices. Those nearby turned their heads, eager for gossip.

Lu Shi had initially planned to respond calmly, but now irritation was creeping in.

Huo Qian wanted to challenge him to a drinking contest—he hadn’t said no. He just thought the cocktails at this bar were terrible.

And standing up was solely to stretch his back. Could the world please allow someone with a bad back to exist?

Since when was that arrogance?

A guy from another table, unrelated to the conflict, couldn’t stand it anymore. Ignoring his friends’劝阻, he suddenly stood up.

He had a head of woolly curls and a smattering of freckles on his face.

“Hey, don’t you think you’re going too far, bullying people like this?”

One of the troublemakers, a guy with a tin foil perm, turned around and let out a sharp snicker.

“And who’s this brave soul? Oh, it’s you, you stinking nouveau riche.”

Tin Foil Perm shoved his hands in his pockets, completely dismissive. He deliberately slammed his shoulder into the guy and raised his voice.

“Did I say anything wrong? You raise a dog for eighteen years, and you’ll grow attached. Never mind a person. But you sure learn fast who to latch onto. If you like being a dog so much, why don’t you—”

His hair was suddenly grabbed.

Before anyone could react, Tin Foil Perm was yanked by that hand and slammed headfirst into the wall.

Ding Wei, who had rushed over after a panicked phone call, let out a stunned, “Holy shit!”

Tin Foil Perm slid down the wall, his face twisted in pain, unable to speak.

Lu Shi hated the feel of that hair. He shook his hand in disgust.

His next words made everyone else freeze.

“Relax, your nose isn’t broken. I know my limits.”

“Are you crazy?!” Tin Foil Perm clutched his face, features nearly distorted. He gasped painfully. “My father is the deputy director of the Pheromone Control Bureau!”

“Then you should be even more careful about what you say and do out here.”

Lu Shi slowly bent down, grabbed the guy by his clothes, and yanked him up.

He smoothed the rumpled collar, as if he hadn’t just smashed the man into a wall.

“Doesn’t your family have a scroll painting hanging in the basement?”

Lu Shi’s voice was so low that only the two of them could hear.

Within two years, this guy’s father would be investigated for bribery and corruption. Behind that painting was a vault filled with gold bars and antiques he’d collected over the years. It had made headlines back then.

The guy’s pupils contracted sharply. Panic flickered across his face. “How—how do you…”

“Do I need to spell out what’s behind the painting?”

Lu Shi gripped his shoulder, subtly suppressing any attempt to struggle.

“From now on, when you see me, either stay far away or tuck your tail and take another route. Got it?”

Pain was the longest-lasting memory.

This was a trick Lu Shi had learned from Lu Jinguo.

First, leave an unforgettable impression with violence; then state terms or threats. The effect was far better.

At least, young Lu Shi had often been left with no choice but to submit.

When Lu Shi let go, everyone saw that Tin Foil Perm looked like he’d zoned out, standing there as if his soul had left his body.

It seemed Lu Shi had beaten him into submission.

Huo Qian didn’t want any friction with Lu Shi. He stood up, intending to sling an arm around Lu Shi’s shoulder like he did with Shen Zheming, as a friendly gesture. But before his hand could make contact, he felt a gaze like an icicle stab into him.

Huo Qian followed the source of that glare and chuckled. “Shen Zheming? What wind blew you here? You never come to places like this.” He paused, then added deliberately, “Didn’t you say everyone here was riffraff?”

Shen Zheming walked in, and the bar’s lively atmosphere instantly chilled, like an ice cube dropped into boiling water.

He wore a baseball cap pulled low, making his face look somewhat gloomy.

“I never said that.”

Lu Shi realized something and turned to Ding Wei. “You called him?”

Ding Wei nodded belatedly.

He honestly hadn’t expected Shen Zheming to arrive so fast. From the call to his appearance at the bar, it couldn’t have been more than five or six minutes.

Seeing Shen Zheming, Huo Qian knew the night was over. He complained, “Shen Zheming, the moment you show up, the party dies. I wanted to have a couple of drinks with Lu Shi. Why do you have to butt in?”

From under the brim, Shen Zheming shot Huo Qian a sidelong glance. “I was just nearby. Got a problem?”

“How could I?” Huo Qian turned his head and called out to Lu Shi, “Guess we’ll have to take a rain check!”

Ding Wei tugged Lu Shi away. At those words, Lu Shi wanted to say something.

But when he turned, he nearly bumped straight into Shen Zheming.

Shen Zheming looked down, the screen of his phone glowing. “Sleeping in class so you could come here tonight?”

Maybe because they were so close, Lu Shi could even feel the slight vibration in Shen Zheming’s chest when he spoke.

“I…”

He opened his mouth, but it really was the truth.

Lu Shi had always prided himself on a silver tongue honed at negotiation tables and cocktail parties. Someone had once said he could spin black into white to gain an advantage.

Yet now, this one question left him speechless.

They left the bar, and the curly-haired guy who had spoken up for Lu Shi followed.

Ding Wei clasped his hands in a salute. “Thanks, buddy. You’re a real one!”

Curly scratched his head sheepishly. “Actually, I should be thanking him.”

Lu Shi was mildly surprised. “Thanking me?”

“Yeah!” Curly nodded emphatically. “I’ve run into that guy several times before. He looks down on me because my family’s nouveau riche, always taunting and humiliating me. I was afraid of his family’s influence and never dared to fight back.”

“But today you stood up for me. Thank you so much!”

Curly’s starry eyes shone with admiration.

Shen Zheming turned his head to look at the person beside him.

Lu Shi averted his gaze and rubbed his neck awkwardly. “No need. It was just convenient.”

Even if that guy hadn’t jumped in, there would’ve been someone else. Lu Shi would’ve beaten them up anyway.

And since Huo Qian had brought a crowd today, he’d planned to make a scene. He’d already reserved tomorrow’s gossip headlines, so no one would be dumb enough to provoke him again.

“By the way, Young Master Shen—can I call you Brother Shen?” Ding Wei looked at Shen Zheming cautiously. After getting a nod, he continued, “Thanks to Brother Shen for coming just in time today!”

The night wind tousled the stray hairs on their foreheads.

Lu Shi ran a hand through his hair, looking straight ahead as he teased casually. “Actually, I could’ve handled it without you. But still, the crown prince of Jushang Bank coming all the way here late at night to help me out—I’m truly touched.”

Shen Zheming: “Then won’t you say thank you?”

Lu Shi: “…”

Ding Wei: “?!”

Brother Shen could actually joke? Even if the joke was a bit dry.

Curly stared at them with innocent eyes.

Lu Shi found Shen Zheming unexpectedly particular, different from the image he’d imagined. He wasn’t always so serious.

“Thank you, Young Master Shen. Thank you, Brother Shen. Out of ten, what score would you give?”

Lu Shi stood sloppily, his unzipped jacket hanging loosely on him.

Shen Zheming paused for two seconds, then evaluated, “Two or three.”

Because the tone clearly lacked any sincerity—just said for the sake of saying.

“If Brother Shen has no further instructions, we’ll head back…” Lu Shi listlessly pulled his jacket together.

He lifted his foot to step down the stairs when a sudden, unbearable sting exploded at the back of his neck. It felt like someone was stabbing his gland.

Lu Shi clapped a hand over his nape. The sharp pain darkened his vision, and he nearly missed the step.

The two beside him were startled out of their wits.

“Holy shit! What’s wrong?!”

“Watch it!”

As Curly’s alarmed cry landed, Lu Shi felt someone catch him.

Though this wasn’t the first time they’d had physical contact, Shen Zheming was still a bit shocked when he instinctively caught Lu Shi.

Lu Shi was really thin, really light. His baggy clothes hid it well, but when Shen Zheming wrapped an arm around him, he felt that the clothes were mostly empty space.

It was hard to imagine someone so thin could fight so fiercely, with such devastating force. Those fast, accurate, ruthless moves must have been forged through countless beatings.

Lu Shi grabbed the only thing he could—the fabric of Shen Zheming’s clothes.

Shen Zheming frowned, his voice low and questioning. “What’s wrong?”

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