Zhang Cheng didn't dare refuse and nodded frantically. "Okay, Young Master Huang, I'll go right now!"
He scrambled to his feet and fled as if his life depended on it.
"I know where your family lives, Zhang Cheng," Huang Hao said coldly behind him.
Hearing that, Zhang Cheng froze. He had planned to just run off, but it looked like that wasn't an option anymore.
He turned back. "I understand."
Inwardly, he cursed. Damn it! What rotten luck—to pick a fight with someone connected to Huang Hao.
He returned to his private room.
Seeing them come back, Han Tao smiled. "Everything okay?"
"Of course! Young Master Zhang is amazing," Cao Ting said with a grin.
"There's a problem," Zhang Cheng said, pale-faced—but he couldn't lose face in front of these people. "The guy I beat up? He's got a big shot backing him, one of the most powerful people in Jiang City."
The others around the table looked alarmed.
"But it's fine," Zhang Cheng continued. "I've got connections with him. Zhao Yingying, Cao Ting—you two come with me and apologize. Then it'll be over."
The other classmates whispered among themselves in awe.
As expected of Zhang Cheng—he actually knew one of the city's top figures.
Hearing their comments, Zhang Cheng tilted his head slightly, pretending to be calm but secretly enjoying the praise.
Only the few male classmates who had been with him earlier looked awkward.
Yeah, "connected" all right—they'd all seen him on his knees.
Cao Ting didn't dare disobey. She tugged at Zhao Yingying's sleeve. "Yingying, let's go. Young Master Zhang knows him—it'll be fine."
"Why go?" Xu Mu said calmly, placing a hand on Zhao Yingying's shoulder. "You didn't even touch him. What would you be apologizing for?"
"Okay, Brother Mu," Zhao Yingying nodded gently.
"You idiot!" Zhang Cheng snarled at Xu Mu. "Do you even know who you're dealing with? Let me tell you—his men include death warriors! Offend him, and you won't even know how you died!"
He glared at Xu Mu. If Zhao Yingying didn't go, Huang Hao would definitely come after him. He didn't want to cross someone like that—rumor had it Huang Hao was friends with heirs of major corporations in Yang City, with connections everywhere.
"Yingying, are you full?" Xu Mu asked with a smile.
"I've been full for a while," Zhao Yingying said.
"Good. Then let's go home."
Xu Mu stood up.
"No! You can't leave!"
Zhang Cheng's expression darkened. He had gotten into this mess because of Zhao Yingying. Now she wanted to leave? Not that easy.
"What's that supposed to mean? Didn't you say you were on good terms with the guy? Can't you just explain it to him?"
Xu Mu frowned slightly.
"I—well, forget it, you can't go."
Then a thought struck Zhang Cheng, and he suddenly smiled. "Actually, we're close enough. Why don't I have him come over?"
"Sure," Xu Mu said, sitting back down. "I'll wait a few minutes."
Zhang Cheng signaled to a few classmates to stay and keep an eye on Zhao Yingying. Then he hurried off alone to find Huang Hao.
When he arrived at the suite, Zhang Cheng went straight to Huang Hao and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Young Master Huang, there were too many people before. I'll kneel now of my own accord."
Huang Hao frowned. "Where are the two women?"
"There was a man—one of them's boyfriend. He blocked me, wouldn't let her come. It's a class gathering—I couldn't just beat him up in front of everyone."
Zhang Cheng continued, "I even mentioned your name, Young Master Huang, but he said, 'Huang Hao is just a nobody,' didn't take you seriously, and said you should come yourself."
"What!?"
Huang Hao shot to his feet. "Courting death! Take me there!"
Zhang Cheng's lips curved into a secret smile. Perfect. He'd have Huang Hao teach that punk Xu Mu a lesson.
"Um, Young Master Huang," Zhang Cheng added slyly, "there are a lot of people out there—all classmates. Could you… maybe give me a little face?"
Huang Hao looked down at Zhang Cheng kneeling before him and smirked. "No wonder you knelt so fast."
…
Inside the private room—
Zhang Cheng entered first with Huang Hao's bodyguards following close behind.
He pointed at Xu Mu. "That's him!"
The students around the table were terrified into silence.
Just looking at the sheer presence of these men, anyone could tell they weren't ordinary.
"You little punk! You dare block someone Young Master Huang called for!?"
A burly man roared and stepped toward Xu Mu.
Xu Mu calmly caught the man's wrist and squeezed lightly. The man screamed like a pig and collapsed instantly.
"I don't care who this 'Young Master' is," Xu Mu said coldly. "If his men harass people, he should be the one to apologize."
Zhang Cheng's heart leapt with glee. This ignorant fool! He had no idea who Huang Hao was.
Even better—once this was over, Zhao Yingying would be his.
"Make you apologize? Who the hell's that arrogant?"
At that moment, Huang Hao walked in, one hand in his pocket, a cigarette between his fingers.
Seeing him, Zhang Cheng rushed up obsequiously. "Young Master Huang, you're here!"
"Young Master Huang!"
All the burly men greeted in unison.
The students watching were stunned. Just looking at him, they could tell—this was a real big shot.
And seeing Zhang Cheng bow and scrape made the difference between them painfully clear.
"I am," Xu Mu said lightly, meeting Huang Hao's gaze.
When Huang Hao saw Xu Mu's face, he froze on the spot.
His mind went blank.
F**k!
Why him? Of all people—it was Xu Mu! He'd come here expecting to pick up some pretty college girl, but why was he here?
He still remembered when one of Xu Mu's female bodyguards had beaten him so badly he was hospitalized for a week. Later, he'd tried to report it to the Feng family—only for the Feng family to collapse soon after.
Meanwhile, the Xu family had only grown stronger. With their new pharmaceutical company, they had already surpassed their previous peak—now on the verge of becoming the top force in Jiangbei.
"You dare glare at Young Master Huang? Do you have a death wish?"
Zhang Cheng shouted, pointing at Xu Mu.
Smack!
Huang Hao slapped Zhang Cheng hard across the face. "You insolent fool."
Zhang Cheng was stunned. What? Hadn't he promised to give him face?
"Young Master Xu, what brings you here?"
Huang Hao bowed slightly, his tone full of respect—just like Zhang Cheng's groveling earlier.
Everyone in the room was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Wasn't Zhao Yingying's boyfriend supposed to be a vocational-school graduate, a security guard? Why was someone this powerful treating him like that?
"Young Master Huang, w-who is he?" Zhang Cheng stammered.
"We already met earlier," Xu Mu said calmly. "My surname is Xu—Xu, as in Xu Group."
"Xu… Xu Group?"
Zhang Cheng's entire body went cold.
Who in Jiang City didn't know that name?
Once the top company in the city—now poised to become the number one in all of Jiangbei.
Zhang Cheng's face turned red-hot with humiliation, as if he'd been slapped over and over.
He'd been showing off his little three-hundred-thousand-yuan Xiaomi car—right in front of the heir to Xu Group.
He'd even heard rumors about Young Master Xu: dropping hundreds of thousands in a single night at bars.
He was too far down the ladder to ever be in that circle—so he'd never met Xu Mu before. Even if Xu Mu looked familiar, he'd never imagined this was Zhao Yingying's boyfriend.
"Don't you think you owe me an apology, Young Master Huang?" Xu Mu asked with a faint smile.