Right then, the system chimed: "Because the Host acted decisively, in line with the God-Spender style, the Host is rewarded with one Privileged Showboating Card."
Wang Hao had been slapped more than a dozen times; not only were his cheeks grotesquely swollen, his ears were still buzzing.
And to be humiliated in front of so many people—he felt the shame was unbearable.
All his life he'd only ever bullied others; he'd never been bullied like this.
He didn't even fear Qi Yuan, whose family was on the same level as his—yet now he'd been slapped in the street.
Biting back the pain, he stared fixedly at Jiang Cheng. He didn't dare curse again, but inside he was plotting revenge.
He wished he could kill Jiang Cheng on the spot.
Through gritted teeth Wang Hao said, "Do you know what happens to people who hit me? Do you even know who I am?"
Qi Yuan frowned at him. "Wang Hao, you started this. Let it end here. Don't provoke me again and I won't provoke you—deal?"
"Qi Yuan, stop talking crap! I've been beaten to a pulp and you want me to let it go? If I back down today, how am I supposed to show my face in Modu again? It's not your face that got smashed, right? Want to trade places?" Wang Hao yelled.
Qi Yuan took an irritable breath; he knew if this escalated nobody would benefit.
"Wang Hao, if you hadn't kept picking on me, none of this would've happened. You instigated everything. If you've got a problem, come at me—why keep making snide remarks at the people beside me? If you weren't always relying on your family's status, today wouldn't have happened. Let's settle our grievances ourselves and leave outsiders out of it."
Seeing Qi Yuan still trying to shield Jiang Cheng, Wang Hao naturally refused. "Today I'm not after you, Qi Yuan. This has nothing to do with you—stay out of it. I'll settle with you later. Right now I'm going to show this guy what real power looks like. Modu isn't a place where just anyone can run wild."
Watching Wang Hao lose all reason, Qi Yuan helplessly said to Jiang Cheng, "Jiang Cheng, why don't you leave first? I'll handle this."
As he spoke he pulled out his phone, apparently about to call home.
Jiang Cheng hadn't expected Qi Yuan to make that move.
He pressed Qi Yuan's hand down, shook his head, stepped forward, and sneered, "Today I really want to see just how 'powerful' you are."
"Let me give you some advice: if you're completely helpless, watch your mouth next time—or at least bring some Bodyguards along so you don't get slapped for nothing."
"Oh, and you do have a passport, right? You've stayed in Modu long enough; maybe it's time to see the world instead of hiding here like a frog in a well."
Seeing Jiang Cheng still mocking him, Wang Hao's veins bulged with rage.
"Kid, don't think money lets you do whatever you want. Real order in this world isn't set by the rich."
"Don't assume a bit of family cash lets you act above the heavens. Today I'll show you who really rules Modu," Wang Hao declared arrogantly.
"Wang Hao, your old man just climbed into office and you're already getting cocky. If you try anything stupid, I guarantee your family will fall as fast as they rose," Qi Yuan said darkly.
Jiang Cheng wasn't bothered in the least. He chuckled, "You're not that young, dressed in a suit and tie, yet you're still playing childish games—dying to let the whole world know your family's background, right? Fine, go cry to your parents…"
When his threats failed, Wang Hao gave a cold smile. "Qi Yuan, if your family were capable, you wouldn't have stayed stuck in your current position for so many years. I'm really not afraid."
Then he pointed at Jiang Cheng. "You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Since you're young and reckless, today I'll teach you what it means to know your place."
Qi Yuan watched the two of them, the smell of gunpowder thick in the air.
He sighed inwardly.
He feared things were about to get much worse… P.S. Please don't call this filler, okay? Look: each of my chapters is only 1,000 words; five or six chapters add up to five or six thousand. Strictly speaking that's just two or three conventional chapters. It's not filler at all—I just didn't realize before. I set the word-count per chapter too low, so it looks like a lot but actually isn't.