After Snagging a Stuffy Giant-Wealthy Daddy - Chapter 3

A Rich Daddy Falling from the Sky

Jia Ming dragged him away without a word, stopping only when they reached the deep end of the back alley.

“Something has happened! Do you remember that fat man who bought liquor from you a few days ago? The one with the gold chains and the fierce face! He brought people to the bar at noon to cause trouble, claiming your liquor gave him a headache all day and demanding compensation for medical expenses!”

Li Chu’s head buzzed, and his face turned pale. “I… that liquor.”

“I know it was fake! Everyone knows!” Jia Ming stamped his feet in frustration. “But that fat man has some connections. He said either you pay five thousand in medical fees, or…” Jia Ming swallowed, the words dying in his throat.

Li Chu’s hands and feet felt ice cold. “What did Brother Lok say?”

Jia Ming shook his head, mocking his naive thinking. “Brother Lok is just an employee. If the big boss tells him to hand you over, there is nothing he can do. Right now, the fat man’s men are nearby, asking everywhere for the mixed race girl with the blonde curls!”

Li Chu trembled with fear, nearly losing his footing. He was truly doing a bad thing for the first time; was retribution coming this quickly?

Jia Ming gave him a firm shove. “Do not just stand there dazed! You cannot take the main road because they might be watching. Circle around the small alley in front to get out!”

Li Chu grit his teeth, turned, and ran.

The stench of rotting garbage in the alley hit him, and stray cats let out piercing cries. Several times, he hallucinated the sound of footsteps behind him, not daring to look back as he sprinted forward for his life.

Finally reaching the old building, he slammed the door shut and locked it, sliding down the door frame to sit on the floor. The room was pitch black, save for a faint, hazy light filtering through the transom window.

Li Chu gasped for air, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his chest. The only thought in his mind was that it was over. Those men looked sinister and aggressive; having offended them, he likely could not stay in this neighborhood anymore.

Even more terrifying was that while he had been dressed as a woman, more than one person in the bar had seen him without makeup. If they were forced to talk, what would happen?

Li Chu buried his face in his knees, his body shaking with sobs. He thought once again of the night he had jumped into the sea.

Li Chu hid in the room for several days. He could not eat or sleep well, and he had lost a noticeable amount of weight. His face was already small, and now his “peach blossom” eyes appeared even larger and brighter.

Since technology was not yet advanced enough for him to use a phone or computer to go online whenever he wanted, Li Chu was so bored he felt he might grow mold. He could only stare at the small window.

As his mood gradually settled, Li Chu thought of Wen Sitong, and a sudden wave of guilt washed over him. She was so kind, yet he had disappeared for days without even saying a word.

After thinking it over, Li Chu still felt uneasy. He gathered his spirits, washed up, and changed into clean clothes to head out. At the very least, he had to let her know he was alive and well. Fearing he would be recognized, Li Chu wore a hat and deliberately avoided the roads near the bar.

Upon arriving at the tenement building where Wen Sitong lived, Li Chu felt a bit more settled and climbed to the top floor in one breath. The hallway was quiet; usually, at this time, Wen Sitong should have returned home from work.

He walked to the door and was about to knock when he noticed it was slightly ajar. A flash of unease crossed his mind because Wen Sitong was usually very careful and never left the door unlocked.

“Sister Sitong?” Li Chu called softly, pushing the door open.

The light inside was dim. He blinked, and as he saw the scene within, his entire body froze in place.

In front of the Westin Bar, before opening hours, a dozen bodyguards in suits stood watch. They did not just look fierce; their sheer aura was enough to keep people away.

Were they there to wreck the place? Ah Lok felt that his luck lately had been absolutely terrible. His mind raced as cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt.

“Gentlemen, I am the manager here, just call me Ah Lok. I wonder why you are here today?”

The man leading them looked refined, his voice level. “You had a boy selling liquor here before, the one who dressed as a woman. Where is he now?”

Ah Lok’s lip twitched. Not again, another one looking for “Bella”? He could not help but curse inwardly. How many people had that brat Li Chu offended? The matter with the fat man was not even settled, and today a wave of untouchable men in black suits had arrived. How did a penniless person without identity documents have such a great ability to cause trouble?

If he had known, he would not have been soft-hearted back then and invited such a jinx!

Ah Lok immediately distanced himself, speaking rapidly. “He quit a few days ago. That kid dressed as a woman to trick customers and even sold fake liquor. Now that he has offended people, he ran away overnight! It has nothing to do with our bar! We are also victims who were tricked by him, gentlemen!”

“Ran away?” Liang Wei frowned.

Three days ago, his boss had been invited to fly to Europe for a half month business inspection, so all Hong Kong matters had been left entirely to him. His primary task was to come to a place called the Westin Bar to pick someone up.

“Where did he go?”

“I do not know!” Ah Lok shook his head. He and Li Chu had only met a few times to settle the liquor accounts; why would he care about the boy’s personal life?

As the words fell, the bodyguards in black surrounded him expressionlessly. Without a word, they grabbed Ah Lok’s shoulders and kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel heavily on the ground.

Ah Lok’s face twisted in pain, and he almost cried out. “I really do not know where he went! He was just a temporary worker who came and went like a ghost. Gentlemen, every word I say is the truth! Not a single lie!”

Liang Wei seemed accustomed to such scenes. His expression remained calm, and his tone was still level. “Then does Li Chu have any friends or family?”

Ah Lok’s head was spinning, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Suddenly, he remembered someone. “Yes, yes! He has a friend named Wen Sitong who lives in a tenement on Shanghai Street, but I do not know the specific address.”

“Good. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Liang Wei gave a light wave of his hand, and the bodyguards stopped. Ah Lok knelt on the ground, unable to get up, watching the group as they prepared to leave in a grand fashion.

He suddenly remembered something and spoke through the pain. “Why exactly are you looking for Li Chu? He still has some things here; see if you want to take them with you.”

Liang Wei paused, considered for a moment, and said, “Much obliged.”

After leaving the bar, Liang Wei immediately made an overseas call.

Shao Tingyue’s deep voice came from the other end of the line. “Did you find him? What has he been doing lately?”

“Boss, the Young Master… it seems he has encountered some trouble.” Liang Wei gave a brief report of the events at the bar.

Years ago, the eldest son of the Shao family died suddenly. His unmarried girlfriend, Li Manni, went far away. Later, someone spread a rumor that Li Manni was already carrying the Shao family bloodline, which became a knot in the heart of Old Madam Shao.

For years, they had searched bitterly at home and abroad. No one expected Shao Tingyue to find the person in a small bar in Yau Ma Tei.

Liang Wei paused, somewhat unable to figure out his boss’s thoughts.

The rustling sound of a pen crossing paper came through, accompanied by muffled English background noise. Shao Tingyue seemed to gesture with his hand, and the discussion volume immediately dropped.

“Where is he now?”

Wen Sitong’s messy and cramped living quarters were currently packed with people, including five or six burly men with fierce glares and arms tattooed with striking dragons and tigers.

Li Chu had only seen how arrogant the Hong Kong gangs of the eighties were in movies. They occupied territories and controlled the order of the underground world. Ordinary people were mostly afraid to speak up, fearing that a single wrong look would bring disaster upon them.

Li Chu instinctively took a step back. The bag of fruit in his hand dropped to the floor, and bright yellow oranges rolled everywhere. His instinct for fear told him he should turn and run as far as possible. However, he saw Wen Sitong and Ah Ken tied with hemp ropes, kneeling on the ground.

Wen Sitong had bruises on her face and blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. Ah Ken, beside her, was even worse; his eyes were red and swollen with burst vessels, and his straight nose bridge seemed to have been broken.

A lackey with an afro by the door raised an eyebrow at Li Chu. “Boss, another one arrived?”

“It has nothing to do with him!” Wen Sitong’s eyes were full of terrified tears as she struggled and shouted, “Little Chu, run!”

“Shut up!” A burly man beside her kicked her shoulder. Wen Sitong cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

“Sister Sitong!” Li Chu tried to rush over but was pinned down by two men on either side. He winced in pain. He was naturally small boned and had recently become even thinner; it felt as though the men could easily break him if they exerted any force.

Ah Ken crawled on the ground like a lump of mud, pleading weakly, “Brother Sheng, I beg you for a few more days. I will definitely raise the money.”

Brother Sheng walked slowly over to him, reaching out to pinch his face with such force that his bones creaked.

“Ah Ken, I have given you enough time. Fifty thousand, including principal and interest. Today, I either see the money, or…” He paused, his gaze turning toward the trembling Wen Sitong. He grinned, revealing a prominent gold tooth. “Your girlfriend comes with us to film a few movies to pay it back slowly.”

He emphasized the word “movies” in an extremely lewd manner, and the lackeys behind him let out a knowing laugh.

Li Chu knew exactly what that meant. It was a nightmare that many Hong Kong actresses had faced. Once Wen Sitong was truly sent to film adult movies, her life would be ruined!

But the money he had was not much. Fifty thousand dollars was an astronomical figure to him. However, he had to say something.

“The money… I will pay it back.”

Brother Sheng raised an eyebrow at Li Chu. He had not noticed just now, but this boy’s appearance was very striking, the kind that many rich men with special tastes liked. He smiled, his gaze deepening. “You? With what will you pay it back?”

“I will work to earn it.” Li Chu forced himself to calm down, his starry eyelashes trembling. “In one month, no, half a month, I will definitely raise fifty thousand.”

As for how exactly he would earn the money or what job he would do, Li Chu had not thought it through yet. After all, he could not go back to the bar, and even washing dishes until dawn would not be enough. But right now, he could not just stand by and watch Wen Sitong, who had saved his life, fall into a tiger’s den.

“Half a month?” Brother Sheng laughed loudly after hearing this, as if he thought the boy was utterly naive. “Do you think I am running a charity? Today, either you produce the money, or I take the person!”

He waved his hand, instructing his lackeys, “Tie this kid up too! Take them both!”

The burly men swarmed forward. Li Chu struggled desperately, but he was no match for the strength of several adult men. The hemp rope tightened cruelly around his wrists, the fibers rubbing his skin raw.

Wen Sitong began to cry out in despair, her voice mixing with the mocking laughter of the men, like a nightmare. Just as Li Chu was losing all hope, a knock came from the door.

“Excuse me, is Mr. Li Chu here?”

Everyone froze and looked toward the entrance.

A crowd of men in black blocked the narrow hallway. At the front was Liang Wei, wearing gold rimmed glasses with a refined face and a perfectly measured smile.

Brother Sheng frowned. Seeing that the newcomers had a significant background, his tone became cautious. “Who are you? Debt collection is only natural. I advise you not to mind other people’s business!”

Liang Wei ignored him, his gaze scanning the room before landing on Li Chu’s bound face.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Liang, and I have been ordered to bring the Young Master of the Shao family back home.”

The room fell into a dead silence.

Li Chu: “?”

Brother Sheng: “?”

There were countless old and new elites in this land, but the Shao family, who controlled the ports, shipping, and trade, was known to everyone. As a pillar of the Hong Kong economy, even government officials had to show them respect.

The flesh on Brother Sheng’s face twitched. He stubbornly asked, “What evidence do you have to prove you are from the Shao family?”

Liang Wei smiled. “Has the Wo Hing Society’s business been poor lately? Going through such great trouble over a few tens of thousands of dollars… does your boss Chen Biao know about this? I could call to express my concern.”

“A mistake, it is all a mistake!” Brother Sheng’s voice was tight. He personally went to untie Li Chu. “We did not know he was a Young Master of the Shao family! It is a fact that Ah Ken owes a debt, but we absolutely had no intention of harming the Young Master!”

Li Chu’s mind was a mess. He rubbed his reddened wrists. A Young Master of the Shao family? What was going on? He had arrived here in his own body; where did he get noble blood?

Liang Wei continued to smile. “Young Master, please come with us. The Old Madam is waiting for you.”

He could not just leave like this.

Li Chu took a deep breath. “Mr. Liang, I can go with you. But… can you ask them to never harass my friend again in the future?”

He added in his mind: Except for that unreliable Ah Ken.

Fearing the other party would not agree, Li Chu added, “Consider it a debt I owe the Shao family; I will pay it back in the future.”

Liang Wei bowed respectfully. “You overstate the matter, Young Master. The Shao family has its own arrangements for those who have taken care of you. Please rest assured.”

This man was an old hand; he spoke very politely but gave no specific promises. Li Chu felt uncertain, but he had no better choice at the moment.

“Little Chu!” Wen Sitong’s eyes were red and swollen, and her voice trembled. “Do not go! You… you do not even know who these people are! What if they are lying to you?”

She did not understand the Shao family; she only saw a group of unidentified people wanting to take away the “brother” she had picked up.

Li Chu looked at Wen Sitong’s worried face, his heart feeling both sour and warm. He knew the danger well, but the current situation gave him no room for hesitation.

“Do not worry, Sister Sitong. I will go and find out what is happening first. Take care of yourself and wait for my news.”

“I will go with you.” Li Chu straightened his back and walked past the lackeys who had been so arrogant just moments ago but now did not even dare to breathe loudly.