Chapter 409 This Bullying is Too Much!
Chapter 409 This Bullying is Too Much!
Zhao Yougen stood in a daze, feeling regretful while Li Yundong was at the door, too busy to breathe. Especially, after the Governor came to Li Yundong's store, the news spread in an instant through the official circles of Tiannan City, leading almost all of the officials to drive over. For a time, Li Yundong's store was so busy that there was a continuous stream of vehicles stopping in front of his store. Li Yundong nodded and smiled until his cheeks ached.
Su Chan and the others even became a little tired of receiving the endless stream of gifts. They had been excited at the beginning, but then they had become numb, and now they were just impatient. The little girls muttered, "There are so many things. Where can we even put them?"
Cao Kefei, who was standing to one side, covered her mouth and laughed. "If there is no other way, just pile everything in my car!"
Su Chan looked back at the gifts piled up like a mountain and sighed. "All right! I guess that's the only way!"
Cao Kefei smiled and said, "Come on, it was quiet just a moment ago. Isn't it a good thing that we have so many customers now?"
Su Chan then laughed. She proudly raised her head and said, "Indeed, my Yundong is the best!"
Liu Fei'er suddenly approached Cao Kefei and whispered, "Sister Cao, shall we sit down? If we don't sit somewhere soon, all the seats will be taken!"
It was only then that Cao Kefei noticed that the upstairs was already crammed with people. There was a noisy clamor of voices, and the greetings and flattering lines of the officials could be heard everywhere.
Cao Kefei secretly covered her mouth and said with a smile, "Has Li Yundong really opened a teahouse? This is clearly a restaurant!"
Liu Fei'er also said in a low voice, "Li Yundong has a very strong background! Almost all the officials in Tiannan City, including from the provincial party committee and the provincial government are here. It's so scary!"
Cao Kefei quietly pointed to Zhou Qin and whispered, "You don't know her, do you?"
Liu Fei'er also noticed Zhou Qin, a girl with extraordinary temperament and pretty looks. Li Yuanbo had been communicating actively with her just now, making people feel awed by her real identity.
Liu Fei'er whispered, "One of the officiallings?"
Cao Kefei nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Do you still remember the girl I told you about, the one who jumped off a building for a boy?"
Liu Fei'er's eyes lit up. "Oh my God! It's not her, is it?"
Cao Kefei whispered, "Of course!"
Liu Fei'er said curiously, "Didn't you say that she was paralyzed? But she seems fine now? Besides, I feel like she's different from ordinary people. She's like someone who's trained in martial arts. She has sharp eyes and stands tall, like a pine tree."
Cao Kefei's face had gone a little pale, and a trace of sadness flashed across her eyes as she whispered, "I don't know much about what happened back then, but I think it must have something to do with Li Yundong."
Liu Fei'er asked in confusion, "What on earth could it have to do with him?"
Cao Kefei laughed and said, "Don't you remember me telling you that he cured my disease? He saved my life!"
Liu Fei'er giggled. "So you're going to give your heart to him in return, Sister Cao?"
The tips of Cao Kefei's ears turned red. She glanced at Liu Fei'er angrily and said, "Nonsense! Let's go upstairs. I don't know if there are even any seats up there!"
While they were still talking in a low voice, Cao Kefei raised her head and peered upstairs. She saw three pairs of eyes staring back at her, belonging to Cao Yi, Zhuang Yating, and Liu Yuehong.
Cao Kefei saw the trio staring at her with their eyes full of shock. She was stunned for a moment and smiled politely at them, then lowered her head and muttered, "Do they know me?"
She felt a twinge of surprise, but she soon forgot about it.
Coincidentally, Li Yundong, who was also hectically busy, shouted to Cao Kefei and the others, "President Cao, I'm not going to greet you. Help yourselves to seats!"
Cao Kefei smiled at him and greeted Yin Mengfan, "Hello, President Yin, shall we go upstairs?"
As if awakening from a dream, Yin Mengfan responded with a hum. She glanced at Zhou Qin with a complicated expression, then at Li Yundong, and then went upstairs with Cao Kefei gracefully.
As soon as they got upstairs, they saw Li Yuanbo and the others standing in front of a wooden carving on the second floor with their hands clasped behind their backs, all praising it enthusiastically.
"Very good. The sabre is vigorous and powerful, and its skill is elegant. I can see the stupendous basic skill that has gone into it!" Li Yuanbo nodded repeatedly, his face bright with admiration.
Cao Kefei, Yin Mengfan, and Liu Fei'er also looked to the side. It was a piece of Chinese catalpa that was nearly two meters long and one meter wide. On it was carved a picture of eight immortals crossing the sea. The reliefs on it were lifelike, as if the eight immortals could jump out of the wood carving at any second.
Cao Kefei and the others were all people who understood the true value of goods. Suddenly, their eyes lit up and they praised, "Wow, what a perfect piece!"
Liu Fei'er asked curiously, "Which great master's work is this? It's extraordinary!"
At this time, Ruan Hongling, who was busy upstairs, heard his appreciative words and said proudly, "My Shijie carved it!"
"Your Shijie?" Li Yuanbo, Cao Kefei and the rest all turned to look at her.
Ruan Hongling showed no fear, saying boldly, "Yes! Is there any problem?"
Li Yuanbo smiled and said, "Who's your Shijie? Could you introduce her to me? This is a master's work. It's amazing! Truly exquisite!"
Ruan Hongling looked downstairs, pointed to Zi Yuan, who was standing directly next to Li Yundong, and said, "That's her!"
Li Yuanbo looked down and was immediately shocked. "So young... and so beautiful? How long, how long did it take her to carve? A year? Half a year?"
Ruan Hongling proudly raised a finger and said, "Just one day!"
"One day?" Li Yuanbo laughed out loud and shook his head, not saying anything. Obviously, he didn't believe what Ruan Hongling had said.
The surrounding officials also laughed and said, "Little girl, Secretary Li is an expert in this field. If you're going to brag, you have to plan what you'll say in advance!"
Ruan Hongling glared at the speaker and said, "Who's bragging? This store was renovated by us in the space of half a month. If you don't believe me, check it out!"
"Half a month?" Li Yuanbo and the others were slightly surprised and kept looking around. "How could you have decorated the whole building in half a month?"
Someone looked at the paint on the table and asked worriedly, "Little girl, has the paint dried? You know, some paint is toxic and is only safe to be around after a while!"
Ruan Hongling snorted and said, "We don't use that kind of thing! These are highly polished, we did it ourselves! Just like the relief you all saw!"
Everyone was shocked. Li Yuanbo said in surprise, "Such a big project, how did you manage it in just half a month?"
Hearing this, Ruan Hongling was stunned. She thought, "Uh... I can't tell you that this wood carving was done by Sister Zi Yuan using a magical item and then polished using my magical item, right?"
Ruan Hongling turned her eyes, pointed to Li Yundong downstairs, and said, "You can ask him. He is the proprietor and the one who led us to renovate this store."
Li Yuanbo was surprised and said, "Oh? Yundong? Did he decorate the store himself? He knows how to do that kind of thing?"
Ruan Hongling snorted and said, "Of course not. He forced us to learn how to do it. We were worked to the bone every day!"
That was very ambiguous, and some people couldn't help but show a strange smile on their faces. But Li Yuanbo was present, so they didn't dare to say anything, just exchanged dubious looks privately.
Li Yuanbo glanced at Li Yundong and nodded and praised him. "Not bad. Doing it yourself, starting from scratch again, all pretty impressive!" Then, he turned to Mayor Zeng and said, "Mayor Zeng, our government should encourage young people to start their own businesses like this."
Mayor Zeng nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, we will definitely support them!"
Liu Fei'er looked around at the exquisitely made tables and chairs, as well as the layout of the store, then whispered to Cao Kefei, "Sister Cao, I now believe that the Li Yundong you love to fawn over is not totally incompetent."
Cao Kefei chuckled and said, "Anything but!"
Yin Mengfan, who had been silent all this time, nudged her and said in a low voice, "Stop standing there chattering! Hurry up and find a place to sit"
Cao Kefei looked up, smiling bitterly. "There are no seats left. They're all taken!"
Yin Mengfan glared at Cao Kefei, looking disgruntled. "It's all your fault. I saw an empty seat just a second ago! You wouldn't stop talking!"
Liu Fei'er stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Well, let's go downstairs and sit somewhere down there. It's too weird up here with all the officials. Also, I feel like some people are leering at us, it's making me uncomfortable!"
After discussing it for a while, the three beauties went back downstairs. When they got downstairs, they saw a young man with a camera in his hands talking to a round-faced beautiful woman, saying, "Nana, come on. We were colleagues once. Can't you do me a favor?"
This round-faced beauty was Feng Na. She replied to Han Lin in a neutral tone, "Han Lin, how were you speaking to people just now? Just do it for them. You reap what you sow, you know. I can't help you."
Han Lin's face changed. He knew that he had offended Li Yundong before and that if he kept pushing, he would definitely be in trouble. However, the governor was here! If he didn't interview him now, he would definitely be scolded by his father when he went back. He was not willing to just leave, so he stood at the door, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Cao Kefei and the others came down at this time. She walked over to Li Yundong, glanced at Han Lin, and asked, "Who is he? A reporter?"
Li Yundong glanced at Han Lin and the frustrated hostess beside him, then said lightly, "I've no idea."
"Oh," Cao Kefei said quietly, not pursuing the matter. Instead, she said, "Hey, there are no seats upstairs. Let's sit downstairs."
Li Yundong smiled and said, "Okay, but there are not many seats downstairs either. We weren't expecting so many people to come, so we didn't arrange enough tables and chairs."
Cao Kefei smiled and said, "Isn't it better for the place to be lively? It's better than being cold and cheerless, isn't it?" Then she pointed to the Tea Shop of Zhao opposite and sighed, "Look. There is still a red flower on the plaque, but there is almost no one inside. It's so cold and desolate!"
Cao Kefei didn't know what was going on between Li Yundong and Zhao Yougen. She hadn't meant to say anything particularly significant, but Li Yundong and the others listened attentively.
Li Yundong and Zi Yuan looked at each other and smiled, coming to a tacit understanding in silence. Zhou Qin, who was standing to one side, suddenly sneered. "There must be guests coming later. I don't think these tables and chairs are enough. I'll borrow a few tables and chairs from the place opposite."
At this time, Su Chan was traipsing down the stairs. The wild, reckless girl already hated the disgusting guy who owned the shop opposite. When she heard Zhou Qin's words, she was so happy that she jumped over, clapping her hands and saying with a smile, "Yeah, yeah, I'll help you!"
After being encouraged by Su Chan, Zhou Qin turned around and left without even waiting for Li Yundong to agree. Even when Li Yundong called to her from behind, she pretended that she couldn't hear him.
Su Chan, who had caught up with her, took her arm and asked in a low voice, "Sister Zhou Qin, Yundong is calling you. Why aren't you answering him?"
Zhou Qin tilted her head and said to Su Chan with a smile, "Master's heart is the softest. He must have been thinking about dealing with this guy for a long time, but there are so many people around, so it's not convenient for him to say anything. If I look back, I won't be able to avenge Zhao Yougen for him."
Only then did Su Chan realize what was going on. She giggled and said, "You're right. Let's move all the things out of his shop!"
Zhou Qin pursed her lips and said slyly, "It's unnecessary to empty the place. Besides, we'd have no place to put everything. We'll just teach him a lesson!"
While they were talking, the two of them walked into Zhao Yougen's teahouse, striding straight past the threshold. They moved the tables and chairs as if they couldn't see Zhao Yougen at all.
Both of them were cultivators and thus had great strength. It was easy for them to hold a heavy mahogany table with one hand. One of the beautiful women in Qipao in the teahouse was stunned. When they got to the door, she chased after them, yelling, "Hey, what are you doing? Those tables and chairs belong here!"
Zhou Qin didn't even look at her, just squinted at Zhao Yougen and said coldly, "President Zhao, we don't have enough tables and chairs in our store, so we want to borrow a few from you. You won't be stingy, right?"
Su Chan added insult to injury him by chiming in, "That's right. Look at how few people there are in here! It'd just be a waste to leave this furniture unsued. Why don't you just lend them to us?"
Zhou Qin looked at Su Chan with appreciation, and Su Chan gave her a quick thumbs-up. The two girls winked at each other, treating Zhao Yougen as if he didn't exist.
Zhao Yougen's face turned from red to blue. He wanted to say no, but he didn't have the courage to deny them. He took a deep, painful breath and forced out a smile, saying bitterly, "Fine. Take them!"
"Hmph!" Zhou Qin and Su Chan raised their heads at the same time, adjusted the tables and chairs in their arms pompously and began heading back. They were like generals who had won a battle and were returning to the imperial court with their spoils.
Li Yundong and Zi Yuan looked at the two of them. One smiled bitterly, and the other chuckled, but both of them were equally speechless.
Feng Na, however, burst out laughing and gave Zhou Qin and Su Chan a thumbs-up. "Hah, awesome! That was too ruthless and arrogant! But I like it. This guy is so arrogant and annoying that he said all those insulting words to Li Yundong! Bah, why doesn't he look in the mirror and see what kind of person he really is!"
Li Yundong deliberately put on a straight face and pretended to be angry, saying, "Don't you know you are taking advantage of another person's peril? He is already miserable enough. All the guests who came to support him turned tail and ran over to us. Why do you have to sprinkle salt on other people's wounds?"
Most people downstairs had seen how Zhao Yougen had humiliated Li Yundong. They looked at each other as if they didn't understand why Li Yundong was speaking up for him now. While they were pondering it, they saw Li Yundong's face suddenly relax. He said slowly, "Although I don't like kicking a man when he's down, or dropping a stone on a man who has fallen down a well, I, as a bystander, still feel pretty chill!"
Saying that, he burst into laughter.
Zhou Qin and Su Chan looked at each other and smiled. Then they lifted the tables and chairs back up in high spirits, and the other Tiannan University students who had come with Cheng Cheng all good-naturedly went to help.
Feng Na scolded Li Yundong with a smile, "Li Yundong, your words just now were really unkind. It's like you are only pretending to be a good person. Zhou Qin and Su Chan are playing bad guys?"
Standing nearby, Zhao Yougen clearly heard Feng Na's words. He felt as if he had been pinched hard in his heart. He felt so suffocated that he almost couldn't breathe, his heart overtaken by feelings of rage, fear, hate and aggrievance.
"How can a boss of a company get humiliated like this? How could it be?"
"It was one thing for Li Yundong to steal his limelight, but he even poached his guests. Stealing the tables and chairs in his own shop is just excessive!
"There is no kind of bullying harsher than this!"
The more Zhao Yougen thought about it, the more pained and sad he became. He finally couldn't help screaming in anguish.
When Li Yundong heard Feng Na's words, he laughed and was about to say something. Suddenly, he heard Zhao Yougen burst into tears. He turned around and saw him kneeling on the street with water running from his eyes. Zhao Yougen cried loudly, "Oh my god, I've seen bullies before, but I've never seen someone as reprehensible as this!"