Sun Jihong had no choice but to settle the bill. Who knew how long it would take for his older brother Sun Jijun to arrive? If Master Xiong lost patience and left during that time, he wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility.
In reality, compared to truly wealthy families, the Suns were nothing special—merely a newly rich family with limited status.
Sun Jihong had no choice but to settle the bill. He had no idea how long it would take for his elder brother, Sun Jijun, to arrive. If Master Xiong grew impatient and left during this time, he couldn’t bear the responsibility.
In truth, the Sun family was nothing compared to real wealthy families—they were merely small-time nouveaux riches.
A single meal costing the entire fee would not only pain Sun Jihong but also deeply upset Sun Jijun.
Although the Sun family’s business in Huanghai City was managed by Sun Jijun, the family patriarch still kept a close eye on things. Having come from a poor background, the old man lived very frugally. If he found out that his two sons were squandering the family fortune so extravagantly, his stern temperament might lead him to disown them and hand over the entire business to his daughter and son-in-law. If that happened, the fates of these two brothers would be truly tragic.
A simple meal at a small restaurant would have cost just a little over a hundred yuan.
There would have been no issue with going to a high-end hotel, but one ought to behave with integrity. Openly harassing a waitress in front of Xiong Ying—such despicable behavior was just asking for trouble.
Although Xiong Ying usually kept a low profile, he was quite similar to Shui Miao in that he also had a strong sense of justice and loathed evil.
The difference between him and Shui Miao was that Xiong Ying’s methods involved a series of cunning tricks, each more ruthless than the last.
※※※
“Grandpa…”
Shui Miao hadn’t gone far. He was waiting on his bicycle under a large tree by the roadside outside the hotel. When he saw his grandfather emerge carrying a black plastic bag, he initially thought it contained food. Although he didn’t want to accept anything from Sun Jihong, he took the bag and was surprised to find it filled with cash—at least over ten thousand yuan. “Grandpa, did he pay you the fee?”
Xiong Ying smiled faintly at Shui Miao and shook his head gently before explaining what had happened.
It turned out that Xiong Ying knew the hotel manager and had even helped his family with feng shui before.
While Sun Jihong was away making a phone call, Xiong Ying took the remaining two cases of liquor to the manager and sold them to the hotel at cost price, netting a profit of thirteen thousand yuan.
A single meal had earned thirteen thousand yuan from Sun Jihong and cost him fifty thousand, giving Shui Miao a great sense of satisfaction.
However, what concerned Shui Miao more at the moment was something else: “Grandpa, did you really drink eighteen bottles of liquor? How did your stomach handle it?”
“It’s just alcohol. By channeling my inner energy, I can evaporate the excess moisture from my body,” Xiong Ying said proudly, raising his hand for Shui Miao to smell. Shui Miao immediately caught a strong whiff of alcohol. “Heh, once you’ve practiced for a few decades and mastered the balance of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements, you’ll understand the wonders of my cultivation method. Anyway, let’s not linger here too long. Sun Jihong will be out soon. I’ll take you to Shanxi Noodle House for some hand-pulled noodles.”
“Hand-pulled noodles!?” Shui Miao was taken aback. After the incident with Sun Jihong, he realized he didn’t truly know his grandfather—there was a side to him that was completely unknown. Now, Shui Miao found himself increasingly unable to see through his grandfather. His thoughts and actions far exceeded Shui Miao’s imagination, making him seem more like a wise sage. “But Grandpa, didn’t you tell the waiter to inform him that we’d be waiting at the villa?”
“Indeed. If I hadn’t said that, how could I make him anxious and miserable? How could I torment him? Did you think I’d let him off with just losing some money? Let me tell you, my methods have only just begun.” Xiong Ying let out a cold laugh, a faint trace of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. But almost immediately, his expression returned to normal, and he patted Shui Miao’s shoulder kindly, saying, “Let’s go. Didn’t you say you love noodles? My treat. But if you’re not hungry…”
“I’m hungry, I’m hungry… Of course I’m hungry, hehe…”
Shui Miao was exhilarated. His grandfather was so formidable, so impressive, and so domineering. The more he could learn from him, the better equipped he would be to navigate society in the future.
※※※
Ten minutes later, Sun Jihong arrived at the villa. When he found no one there, he grew anxious. After searching around the villa twice, he immediately called Sun Jijun. Sun Jijun had originally planned to arrive later to maintain the lie that he was out discussing business. But upon hearing that Xiong Ying had left, he grew frantic and rushed over in his car.
“What’s going on? How could Master Xiong leave without even saying a word?”
Sun Jijun was tall and slender with handsome features. Dressed in a white suit, holding a white phone, and wearing white shoes, he looked every bit the rich second-generation boss.
In contrast, Sun Jihong seemed much more immature, like a greenhouse flower unaware of the storms of the real world.
“I… I don’t know. After I finished calling you and went back, he was gone. He even took two cases of Shenlong Liquid with him. That meal… cost me fifty thousand yuan.” Sun Jihong was flustered, his face red with anxiety, afraid his elder brother would scold him.
Hearing this, Sun Jijun shook his head repeatedly. “That’s impossible. That’s not like Master Xiong… You must have done something wrong. Quickly, tell me everything that happened.”
Not daring to hold back, Sun Jihong hurriedly recounted the events.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Jijun suddenly asked, “What did you do before Shui Miao left?”
“Nothing… I just sent a text to a friend.”
Sun Jihong quickly shook his head, though inwardly he recalled secretly touching the waitress’s leg.
“Wrong, you’re lying!” Noticing Sun Jihong’s evasive eyes, Sun Jijun grabbed him by the collar. “Out with it! What did you really do?”
If he didn’t speak up now, his brother would resort to violence.
Sun Jijun had a fiery temper, and Sun Jihong, afraid of being beaten, hurriedly begged for mercy. “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I secretly touched the waitress’s leg… and maybe Shui Miao saw it.”
“You idiot! You’re digging your own grave!”
Sun Jijun slapped Sun Jihong across the face, then pointed at his nose and yelled, “How did I end up with such a foolish younger brother? Master Xiong is a man of integrity, and his disciple must be too. How dare you do something so vulgar in front of them? No wonder they targeted you! First, you caused a huge mess at this villa, and before that was even resolved, you go and mess around with women again. Are you trying to ruin me?”
Sun Jijun slapped Sun Jihong twice more, this time hard enough to make his lip bleed.
Stunned by the beating, Sun Jihong was then thrown to the ground by Sun Jijun, who proceeded to kick him ruthlessly.
“I’ll beat you to death, you bastard!”
“Causing trouble and dragging me into it… I’ll kill you…”
Sun Jijun continued kicking and cursing.
After being kicked a few times, Sun Jihong suddenly scrambled to his feet and shouted, “Enough! You’re no saint either! You’ve slept with that woman too!”
“You little brat! You’re asking for it!!”
Sun Jijun fearfully glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, pounced on Sun Jihong again, pinning him to the ground and beating him mercilessly. “I’ll teach you to spout nonsense, I’ll teach you…”
“I’m not spouting nonsense! I saw it with my own eyes…”
Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Pushed to the edge, Sun Jihong mustered his strength and shoved Sun Jijun away. The two brothers fought like mad dogs.
※※※
Behind the villa, a head peeked out furtively. It was none other than Wang Yong, who had earlier introduced Xiong Ying to the Sun family. Wang Yong had bought the wooden basin and, seeing that it was still early, thought he might make it in time for lunch. He hurried over, only to witness this shocking scene…
Wang Yong took a careful look, then quickly pulled his head back and tiptoed away…
“Haha! This is a goldmine! I’ll extort a fortune from them later!”
Thrilled that he had dirt on the Sun brothers, Wang Yong ran excitedly toward the villa gate. But just as he reached the entrance, a bicycle suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he collided with it, sending both man and bike tumbling to the ground…
“Damn it! Which blind idiot…”
Wang Yong, ever the bully, started cursing without even looking up. But when he raised his head, he saw that the person he had crashed into was none other than Shui Miao and his grandfather, Xiong Ying.
Although the business in Huanghai City was under Sun Jijun’s control, the family’s elderly patriarch still took an interest. Born into poverty, the old man lived frugally. If he discovered how recklessly his two sons were squandering their wealth, he might, given his fiery temper, disown them entirely, handing the entire business over to his daughter and son-in-law. At that point, the two brothers would face a truly tragic fate.
A simple meal at a small restaurant would have cost only a hundred or so yuan.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t go to a high-end hotel, but one should at least behave respectfully. To openly harass a waitress in front of Master Xiong—such despicable character inevitably invited retribution.
Don’t be fooled by Xiong Ying’s usual low-key demeanor; in truth, he and Shui Miao shared similar traits—one being a strong sense of justice and intolerance for evil.
The difference between them, however, lay in Xiong Ying’s approach: he preferred a series of underhanded tactics, each more ruthless than the last.
※※※
“Grandpa…”
Shui Miao hadn’t gone far. He was sitting on his bicycle, waiting under a large tree by the roadside outside the hotel. Seeing his grandfather emerge carrying a black plastic bag, he assumed it contained food. He didn’t want anything from Sun Jihong, but upon opening the bag, he was shocked to find bundles of cash—easily more than ten thousand yuan.
“Grandpa, did he give you the payment?”
Smiling, Xiong Ying gently shook his head and explained what had happened.
It turned out that Xiong Ying knew the hotel manager and had even helped him with feng shui before. While Sun Jihong was away making a phone call, Xiong had taken the remaining two cases of wine to the manager and sold them at cost price, netting 13,000 yuan.
Making Sun Jihong lose 50,000 yuan and paying for a meal from his pocket gave Shui Miao a sense of revenge.
But right now, what concerned Shui Miao most wasn’t the money: “Grandpa, did you really drink eighteen bottles of baijiu? How could your stomach possibly handle that?”
“Just alcohol. As long as I circulate my internal energy and expel the excess moisture, it’s nothing.” Xiong Ying said proudly, then raised his hand for Shui Miao to smell. Instantly, Shui Miao caught a strong whiff of liquor. “Hehe, once you’ve trained for a few decades and mastered the elements of yin and yang, you’ll understand how amazing my cultivation method is. Alright, don’t stay here too long. Sun Jihong will be out soon. I’ll take you to a Shanxi noodle house for some knife-cut noodles.”
“Knife-cut noodles!?” Shui Miao was stunned. After everything with Sun Jihong, he realized he barely understood his grandfather at all. It turned out his grandfather had a side he’d never seen before. Now, Shui Miao found himself increasingly unable to fathom his grandfather—his thoughts and actions far exceeded his imagination. He seemed more like a wise sage.
“But Grandpa, didn’t you tell the waiter to tell him we’re waiting for him at the villa?”
“Of course. If I hadn’t said that, how could I make him anxious and suffer? Do you think I’d be satisfied with just making him lose some money? Let me tell you, my methods have only just begun.” Xiong Ying smiled coldly, a glint of sinister menace flashing in his eyes. But in the next moment, he returned to his usual self, gently patting Shui Miao’s shoulder with a warm smile.
“Come on, aren’t you fond of noodles? Grandpa’s treating you. Unless, of course, you’re not hungry…”
“I’m hungry, I’m hungry… How could I not be hungry? Hehe…”
Shui Miao was thrilled. His grandfather was so impressive, so exciting, so commanding. Learning more from him would give him more strength to navigate the world in the future.
※※※
Ten minutes later, Sun Jihong arrived at the villa, only to find no one there. Instantly anxious, he searched the entire property twice before hurriedly calling Sun Jijun.
Originally, Sun Jijun had planned to arrive later to maintain the lie about being out on business. But upon hearing that Master Xiong had left, he panicked and rushed over immediately.
“What happened? How could Master Xiong just leave without a word?”
Tall and thin, with a handsome face and dressed in a white suit, Sun Jijun held a white phone in one hand and wore white shoes. He looked every bit the rich second-generation heir.
In contrast, Sun Jihong seemed far more inexperienced—like a greenhouse flower yet to face the storms of life.
“I…I don’t know either. Right after I finished calling you, he disappeared. He even took two cases of Shennong Liquor with him. The meal alone cost me fifty thousand yuan!” Sun Jihong was flustered and afraid of being scolded by his older brother.
Hearing this, Sun Jijun shook his head repeatedly. “That’s impossible. That’s not like Master Xiong at all. You must have done something wrong. Tell me exactly what happened.”
Afraid to hide anything, Sun Jihong quickly recounted the entire story.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Jijun suddenly asked, “What did you do before Shui Miao left?”
“Nothing… I just sent a text to a friend.”
Sun Jihong quickly shook his head, but his heart skipped a beat—he had secretly touched the waitress’s leg earlier!
“You’re lying!” Seeing Sun Jihong’s evasive eyes, Sun Jijun grabbed his collar. “Tell me the truth—what did you do?”
If he didn’t confess soon, his older brother would start hitting him.
Sun Jijun had a notoriously bad temper. Sun Jihong dared not hide anything further and quickly begged, “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me! I’ll tell, I’ll tell! I secretly touched the waitress’s leg. Maybe… maybe Shui Miao saw me.”
“You idiot! You’re asking for death!”
With a loud slap, Sun Jijun struck Sun Jihong across the face, pointing at him furiously. “How could I have such a stupid brother? Master Xiong is a man of integrity, and his apprentice must be the same. Doing such a disgusting thing in front of them—who else would they target? Earlier, you caused a huge mess inside the villa, and you haven’t cleaned up the mess yet. Now you’re hitting on women again—do you want to ruin me!?”
Sun Jijun slapped him twice more, this time so hard that blood trickled from Sun Jihong’s mouth.
Dazed from the beating, Sun Jihong still wasn’t spared. Sun Jijun threw him to the ground and kicked him harshly.
“I’ll kill you, you bastard!”
“You caused such a disaster and dragged me into it—I’ll kill you!”
He kicked and cursed simultaneously.
After several kicks, Sun Jihong suddenly jumped up and shouted, “Enough! You’re no better yourself—you’ve slept with that woman too!”
“You little bastard—you’re asking for death!!”
Sun Jijun looked around nervously, relieved to find no one nearby, then pounced on Sun Jihong again, pinning him to the ground and beating him mercilessly.
“I’ll teach you to lie, to lie…”
“I’m not lying—I saw it with my own eyes…”
A cornered rabbit bites, and so did Sun Jihong. In desperation, he pushed Sun Jijun off with all his might. The two brothers rolled on the ground like two rabid dogs fighting.
※※※
Behind the villa, a head peeked out cautiously—it was none other than Wang Yong, the man who had introduced Master Xiong earlier. After buying back the wooden basin, Wang Yong thought he might still catch lunch and hurried over. But upon arrival, he witnessed this shocking scene…
Wang Yong peeked out briefly, then quickly withdrew and sneaked away.
“Hehe! This is a goldmine! Time to blackmail them for a fortune!”
Excited at having caught the brothers’ secret, Wang Yong ran out of the villa complex. But just as he reached the gate, a bicycle suddenly shot out from nowhere, and he crashed headfirst into it, landing in a heap.
“Damn it! Who the hell doesn’t watch where they’re going…”
Wang Yong, always ready to play the victim, opened his mouth to curse, but when he looked up, he saw none other than Shui Miao and his grandfather Xiong Ying.
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