Chapter 228: Huo Shan
A man's voice, chuckling, soon came through the phone. "Hello, Mr. Ning. What brings you to call your brother today?"
Ning Zifeng narrowed his eyes. "Brother Shan, are you busy at the moment?"
"Not at all, Mr. Ning. Whenever you reach out, I'm free. What can I do for you?"
Ning Zifeng cracked a sly smile. "To be honest, Brother Shan, I need a favor. I've taken a fancy to a woman."
"Oh? Go on, Mr. Ning."
Ning Zifeng's gaze shifted, locking onto Zhao Dong in the distance. A cold glint flashed in his eyes before he spoke evenly, "The woman I'm interested in is at the same bar as me, but... there's another man with her."
"I understand. Mr. Ning, do you want us to cause some trouble for this guy? We can just go over and give him a good beating."
Ning Zifeng lit a cigar and took a puff before replying with a faint smile, "That's too crude. Beating him isn't the goal. The goal is to make him look like a fool to highlight my own capabilities. If a man becomes a laughingstock in front of a woman, she'll change her mind about him soon enough."
Laughter sounded on the other end of the line. "As expected of Mr. Ning. In that case, just give the order."
"Good. Brother Shan, come over to Houhai Bar. Once you arrive, start by picking a fight with that man, and then I'll step in. You know what to do."
"Got it! But Mr. Ning... the lady boss of Houhai Bar has a serious background. Anyone who causes trouble there ends up thrown into the sea to feed the fish."
Ning Zifeng's expression changed. "What?"
The man on the other end gave a faint smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Ning. The lady boss is definitely formidable, but I happen to know her. If something goes down in the bar, we should be fine. But that punk you want taken care of is probably done for. He might not even make it through the night."
"Even better if he's dead. Come on over, Brother Shan."
"We can do that, but... the brothers are a bit short on cash lately. We'd appreciate some support from you, Mr. Ning."
Ning Zifeng swore under his breath before saying cheerfully, "No problem. How about one million?"
"Mr. Ning, you're a class act. We're just having a drink two streets away. I'll be there with my brothers in ten minutes!"
The call ended. Ning Zifeng, a cigar dangling from his lips, watched Zhao Dong and Lin Qingyun in the distance as a meaningful smile slowly spread across his face.
Just some worthless punk trying to compete with me? Who does he think he is!
Across the room, Zhao Dong and Lin Qingyun had no inkling of Ning Zifeng's actions.
At this moment, Zhao Dong was scowling. Lin Qingyun picked up a slice of watermelon and handed it to him with a bitter smile. "Hey, are you still jealous?"
With a dark face, Zhao Dong turned away. "Jealous? How would I dare, especially with the great President Lin? That guy is young and successful, a billionaire at his age. I'm just a retired soldier with no power or influence, a good-for-nothing slacker. How could I possibly compare to him?"
Lin Qingyun pouted, looking aggrieved. "Zhao Dong, since when did you learn to talk like that? Please, stop, okay? We're already legally married. Besides, I only admire Ning Zifeng professionally. I don't think of him in any other way."
"Legally married?" Zhao Dong sneered coldly. "A marriage certificate doesn't mean a damn thing. We aren't a real husband and wife. Isn't our relationship just for show?"
After speaking, Zhao Dong sullenly took a swig of his drink. Noticing Lin Qingyun's silence, he turned to look at her and froze.
Lin Qingyun's eyes were red-rimmed and welling with tears as she looked at him, about to spill over.
The corner of Zhao Dong's mouth twitched, and he quickly reached for the nearby tissues. "Hey, is this really necessary? You're crying just because I said a few things?"
Lin Qingyun ignored him, lowering her head to silently wipe away her tears with a tissue.
A pang of distress hit Zhao Dong. He sighed softly and patted her shoulder. "I was just joking. Look... I went too far just now. Please don't be angry, okay?"
Lin Qingyun kept her head down, silently weeping.
Seeing her like this, Zhao Dong's heart ached. He wanted to say something comforting, but the words were caught in his throat.
Just then, a group of men walked into the bar.
The leader was a sturdy, burly man in a red jacket with a slicked-back haircut.
He was the "Brother Shan" Ning Zifeng had mentioned—Huo Shan.
Behind Huo Shan were seven or eight large men. As the group entered, the other bar patrons quickly made way, all sensing that Huo Shan's crew was not to be trifled with.
Huo Shan and his men reached Ning Zifeng's side and sat down with a thud. "Mr. Ning," Huo Shan said cheerfully, "spill it. I want to see which blind fool dares to snatch the woman you've got your eyes on."
Ning Zifeng took a deep drag from his cigar, sipped his drink, and let his gaze fall on Zhao Dong.
Taking the hint, Huo Shan slammed his hand on the table, shot to his feet, and immediately strode towards Zhao Dong.
"Brother Shan, wait!" Ning Zifeng said in a low voice.
Huo Shan paused, frowning. "What is it, Mr. Ning?"
Ning Zifeng said gravely, "You haven't forgotten my instructions, have you? Don't blow our cover."
"Got it!"
Ning Zifeng added, "Are you sure we can cause trouble here? You said the owner of this bar is formidable."
Huo Shan sneered. "I guarantee it'll be fine. The lady boss here is the famous Blood Rose of the East Sea! She's on par with Xu Yafei. Ordinary people wouldn't dare offend her, but since I'm here, it's not a problem!"
Huo Shan cracked his neck, then grinned viciously as he advanced on Zhao Dong.