"No, no, no! It must be my imagination. Or perhaps this waitress sounds just like Chen Xiazhi. Chen Nan refused to believe it was Chen Xiazhi. After all, it was Monday, and she should have been in class at school. How could she possibly be working at this restaurant?
Despite his disbelief, he immediately stepped forward and caught the woman's hand as she was about to strike.
"Beat it, you little punk," Pang Lina snapped at Chen Nan, furious.
"Brother?" Chen Xiazhi stared at Chen Nan in shock, having never expected him to be there.
Chen Nan's expression was complex. He hadn't expected it to truly be Chen Xiazhi. Although he was furious, now was not the time to show it.
"Are you this waitress's brother?" Pang Lina sneered. "Since you're her brother, let's discuss compensation. This dress was hand-stitched by a renowned international designer using high-grade silk. It's a one-of-a-kind piece worth thirty thousand. If you pay us, we'll let this matter go. Otherwise, I'll make sure you and your sister regret this."
Sun Sihai feigned surprise. "Oh, wow, you're really something, aren't you? We're so scared!"
"Sun Sihai, aren't *you* the one being overbearing?" a cold voice cut in.
A man in his thirties, about 1.8 meters tall, with fine features and dressed in a black suit, walked over. He exuded an air of elegance.
"Yo, Wang Kai, is this your girl? Which nightclub is she from?" Sun Sihai asked with a playful smirk.
Wang Kai. A subordinate of Xue Dalong in Xicheng, his influence there was no less than Sun Sihai's in Nancheng. In the past, Sun Sihai might have been wary of him. But now, with Chen Nan backing him, not only Wang Kai, but even Xue Dalong, was nothing.
Before Wang Kai could speak, Pang Lina retorted furiously, "You're the one from the nightclub! Your whole family works in nightclubs!"
"Sun Sihai, I advise you to apologize to Miss Pang immediately, right now. Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences," Wang Kai said with a dark expression. He knew this woman had a powerful background. If this matter wasn't handled properly, even he would be punished by Xue Dalong!
Pang Lina said haughtily, "Let me tell you the truth, my father is Pang Zhen, the second-in-command of the Ministry of Justice. He can have you arrested on a whim!"
Sun Sihai's face changed drastically. Those in the underworld feared the Ministry of Justice the most, as they had the final say in guilt and sentencing.
"So you're Mr. Pang's daughter!" Chen Nan said with a slight smile.
Pang Lina frowned. "You know my father?"
A hint of coldness flashed in Chen Nan's eyes. *Know him?* Three years ago, it was him and Zhao Yuan who colluded and had me sentenced to three years in prison with insufficient evidence.
Pang Lina continued arrogantly, "Even if you know my father, you still have to compensate me for my losses today. Not a single yuan less than thirty thousand!"
"Fine, thirty thousand, right? I'll pay you!" Chen Nan turned to the bar, exchanged the money, and handed it to her.
Pang Lina's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected the thirty thousand to come so easily. Indeed, her father's reputation could suppress all opposition.
*Slap!* Chen Nan lit a cigarette and said slowly, "Now, shall we settle our score?"
Pang Lina frowned. "What score?"
Chen Nan calmly said, "My sister accidentally soiled your dress, so paying you thirty thousand is only right. We have nothing to say about that. But didn't you slap her earlier?"
Pang Lina laughed in disbelief. "Even if I slapped her, what can you do? You want compensation? Fine, fine, fine. Take this ten thousand as compensation. Consider it a favor from your auntie." She picked up ten thousand yuan and threw it at Chen Nan's chest.
Chen Nan said, "Sorry, we don't accept cash compensation."
Pang Lina pressed, "Then what do you want?"
Chen Nan replied, "To slap you back."
"What did you say?" Pang Lina's smile was exaggerated. "You want to slap me back? Don't tell me you want to slap me? Hahaha, you're hilarious. I'm not looking down on you, but even if I lent you a hundred times your courage, would you dare touch a single hair on my head?" She extended her head towards Chen Nan. "Come on, try and slap me. See how I'll kill you."
*Slap!* Chen Nan slapped her across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap seemed to freeze time. Everyone was stunned, their scalps tingling. Chen Nan had actually slapped Pang Lina? My heavens! Did he have the guts of a bear?
Sun Sihai also hadn't expected Chen Nan to be so brutal. Even though he had Li Ping'an behind him, Pang Lina's father worked in the judicial department!
"You slapped Miss Pang, and I'm slapping you back. It's only fair!" Chen Nan took a drag from his cigarette, a look of disdain on his face. "If you want to kill me, come at me anytime."
His parents and two younger sisters were Chen Nan's weak points. It wasn't just that Pang Lina was Pang Zhen's daughter; the fact that she had slapped Chen Xiazhi was unforgivable.
"Damn it, you dare hit Miss Pang? Kneel and apologize now, or I'll have you carried out of here!" Wang Kai yelled indignantly. Although he didn't like Pang Lina and thought she was ugly, dating her was arranged by Xue Dalong. If he stood by and did nothing while she was hit, Xue Dalong would definitely not let him off. Therefore, he had to step forward to defend Pang Lina.
*Smash!* Sun Sihai, also quick-tempered, grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it on Wang Kai's head. "Is this your place to talk?"
"Sun Sihai, are you crazy? You dare hit me?" Wang Kai looked incredulous. In the past, Sun Sihai would have treated him with respect. After all, he had no backing in Nancheng. Yet now, he was hitting him with a beer bottle on *his* turf in Xicheng. He thought Sun Sihai had gone mad.
Sun Sihai's eyes turned cold. "If you dare make another sound, I'll shove this bottle inside you." Although he feared Pang Lina, he didn't put Wang Kai in his eyes. Not to mention Chen Nan backing him, even Lu Jian alone could crush all of Xue Dalong's forces.
"Fine, you have guts. I, Pang Lina, remember you. We'll see. If I don't make you pay a heavy price, my surname isn't Pang!" Pang Lina clutched her burning cheek, her eyes filled with malice.
Chen Nan said coldly, "We haven't finished settling our accounts. Did I say you could leave?"
Pang Lina's face contorted. "What else do you want?"
"You bought this dress for thirty thousand yuan. Since that's the case, shouldn't you take it off and give it to me?" Chen Nan asked, a meaningful smile playing on his lips."