Chapter 32: Hua Zi's Fury

“What is it?” Huazi glared fiercely at the two men, clearly suppressing his rage.

His relationship with Yan Li was purely transactional—a matter of mutual need. Calling her “sister-in-law” was only allowed in front of him, and never outside. He couldn’t risk being laughed at. A streetwalker like her, worthy of being matched with him? And these two fools, blind to the situation, had just openly humiliated him.

“Well, Huazi, since you have family matters to deal with, I’ll take my leave,” Yan Changxing said, reaching out to shake Huazi’s hand, his face wearing a sly, ambiguous smile.

Family matters. Those words made Huazi’s face sting with shame.

“I’ll be going too, Huazi. Let’s get together another day,” Han Gongyan added, quickly turning to leave.

“I’m off as well,” Ma Si said coldly, his face full of disdain.

The three of them left together. Watching their retreating backs, trembling as they barely held back their laughter, Huazi was furious.

“You bastards! Did you forget my orders? That bitch Yan Li isn’t to be called sister-in-law in front of outsiders!” He was livid.

With a thud, both men fell to their knees in fear.

“Boss, we were just too anxious!” Scarface and his companion’s faces drained of color. Huazi was ruthless—a single misstep often ended in serious injury, or worse. And today, in front of other bosses, they’d ripped open his wounds. It was as good as a public slap in the face. They didn’t dare imagine what would happen to them.

“Hmph. First, tell me—what’s going on?” Despite his fury, Huazi’s mind remained clear. He barked out the question, determined to get to the point. After all, Yan Li was a cash cow. Until a better source of income appeared, he still needed her.

“Boss, that Wu Ya showed up this morning and extorted another twenty thousand from Yan Li!” Scarface hurried to explain, not daring to skip a single detail.

“What? That idiot! Even a pig doesn’t stumble over the same place twice. What exactly happened? Tell me everything!”

Finally, Huazi found a direction for his rage. In truth, he was reluctant to punish Scarface and his companion too harshly. They were fiercely loyal and the best fighters under his command—both trained in martial arts at the Weiling City Sports Academy.

“Boss, here’s what happened…” Scarface recounted everything: how Yan Li tried to retaliate against Wu Ya by disrupting his business, and how Wu Ya then showed up to threaten her in return.

As Huazi listened, at first his anger only grew, but gradually his expression turned grave, his heart sinking with each detail. By the end, all his rage was gone, replaced by shock.

“This is unbelievable! That kid was sitting at home and somehow knew what you did the night before?”

“Yes, boss! That’s exactly why Yan Li keeps giving in to him. There’s something strange about that boy! That’s why she asked us to come to you—she wants you to investigate him and find out what secrets he’s hiding.”

“Secrets, huh?” Huazi fell into deep thought. Another twenty thousand gone. In just half a month, that kid had squeezed forty thousand out of Yan Li—forty thousand! He should have gotten at least half of that. Yet all of it had been taken by a mere boy, and right under his nose, despite everyone knowing about his connection to Yan Li.

Unacceptable! This wasn’t just bullying Yan Li—it was a direct challenge to Huazi’s authority. Who dared touch his profits in Weiling City? Even those three other local bosses wouldn’t try. Who did this kid think he was? Even if he didn’t care about Yan Li, he’d at least get his money back.

“Hmph, you want to provoke me? I’ll see just how clever you are!” Huazi’s anger reignited.

“Go find Director Liu—have him look into that boy for me. And tell Cross-Eye to find a few suitable stall owners. If that kid doesn’t beg me for mercy on his knees, I’ll quit the underworld for good!”

His orders were swift and precise. Whether Wu Ya had a hidden background or not, he needed to strike now. If Wu Ya had connections, he’d reconsider; if not, he’d increase the pressure. There was no time to waste—he couldn’t risk the boy spending all forty thousand.

Normally, Huazi would have just had him beaten up or crippled, to make an example of him for crossing a local boss. But things were different now—crippling Wu Ya would be more trouble than it was worth. Money was all that mattered. Only when Wu Ya came crawling to him, repaid every cent, would it be time for a more physical lesson.

A losing deal? Huazi would never accept that.

Cross-Eye, the local bully of the free market, immediately took action after receiving Huazi’s orders.

“Well, isn’t this Brother Mao? Haven’t seen you in a while! What brings you here today?” As soon as Cross-Eye showed up at the market, a stall owner approached, offering a cigarette with a fawning smile.

This man made his living by extorting protection money from the market vendors. To cross him was to be driven out—daily disruptions, constant returns, endless harassment. Nothing illegal, so the authorities couldn’t touch them, but enough to drive a man mad and ruin his business. The vendors dared not complain openly—they paid their fees every month, sometimes even more punctually than their taxes.

“Hey, Guo Pengcheng, have you paid this month’s fee?” Cross-Eye asked as he took the cigarette, exhaling a smoke ring.

“Of course, Brother Mao. I’m always the first to pay. You can count on it.”

“Good. Now, how would you like to have your fees waived for a whole year?” Cross-Eye suddenly changed the subject.

Guo Pengcheng froze. A year without fees? Had he heard right? He didn’t dare respond, afraid Cross-Eye was mocking him.

“Heh, Brother Mao, please don’t joke with me. Paying you for protection is just the way things are,” Guo Pengcheng said, forcing a smile.

If there was anyone in the market who lacked a backbone, it was Guo Pengcheng. Rumor had it, he’d even offered his sister-in-law to Cross-Eye for a single compliment about her slim waist.

“Come here, I have something for you to do.” Cross-Eye stubbed out his cigarette and beckoned Guo Pengcheng over.

Guo Pengcheng’s eyes lit up instantly.