From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Chapter 173: Chapter 134: So, Uncle Is That "Warrior

That was exactly what Su Chen had in mind. He had no desire to go inside and be a third wheel, and besides, his dad didn’t seem to be in any serious trouble. "Alright, let’s go to the stairwell!"

As they reached the stairwell, Yin Zheng was just about to pull a cigarette out of his pocket when he saw Su Chen produce a white pack with a red star on it. Yin Zheng’s eyes instantly widened.

He smacked his lips, a complex look in his eyes, and asked, "Su... Su Chen, are those..."

"These? A friend from the Imperial Capital gave them to me!" Su Chen said, handing one to Yin Zheng.

Yin Zheng took it and held it under his nose for a sniff, nodding with a look of pure bliss. "Yep, that’s the smell. I’d remember it even after all these years!"

Seeing Yin Zheng’s blissful expression, Su Chen said with a smile, "Want a couple more?"

"Really? In that case, don’t mind if I do!" With that, he pulled out his own cigarette pack, carefully placed the cigarette he was holding inside, and stared at Su Chen with pleading eyes.

It was as if he were saying, ’Well? What are you waiting for? You said you’d give me two more! Where are they?!’

Su Chen had only been joking. A guy with Yin Zheng’s background must have smoked every cigarette under the sun. He never thought his friend would actually take him seriously.

Seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, Su Chen quickly pulled out two more and handed them over.

’Now Su Chen was starting to understand. It seemed he’d underestimated the value of these cigarettes. But thinking about it, that made sense. Elder Xiao had specifically instructed Xiao Chen to send these... How could they possibly be ordinary?’

Luckily, Su Chen wasn’t a chain-smoker and only indulged occasionally. He still had seven or eight packs left from the carton Xiao Chen had delivered.

After tucking the two cigarettes away in his pack, Yin Zheng leisurely lit up and started to enjoy his smoke.

Neither of them spoke, simply leaning against the railing and enjoying the quiet moment.

Alas, happy moments are always fleeting. Gazing at the cigarette butt pinched between his fingers, Yin Zheng looked at Su Chen with a hint of grievance. "Ah, you’ve really done it now. After smoking one of these, everything else tastes like crap. Nope, you have to compensate me. Give me one... no, two... it has to be five more!"

Su Chen had never met someone so utterly shameless. Tossing his own cigarette butt in the trash, he turned and strode quickly back toward the hospital room, leaving Yin Zheng standing alone at the top of the stairs...

Watching Su Chen walk off, Yin Zheng snapped out of it. ’So stingy,’ he muttered. ’They’re just a few special-issue Red Stars. What’s the big deal!’

Though he said that, he was heartbroken. Cigarettes like these weren’t something an ordinary person could get their hands on. Even his own father had only been fortunate enough to obtain a single pack, ever. He still remembered the tongue-lashing he’d gotten for stealing one to smoke.

Thinking of the two cigarettes in his pack, a smile crept back onto his face. ’I’ll go home tonight and dangle these in front of the old man. Maybe I can get him to buy me a new supercar!’

By the time he came back to his senses, Su Chen had already reached the door to the hospital room.

"Su Chen, wait up!" With a shout, Yin Zheng sprinted after him.

........

As soon as Su Chen pushed the door open, the gazes of Chen Shufen and Su Zhuyun snapped toward him.

"Xiaochen, you’re here already! Oh, and this is your friend?" Chen Shufen stood up excitedly, having just noticed Yin Zheng trailing behind Su Chen.

"Mhm, he heard Dad was in the hospital and came to pay a visit." As Su Chen spoke, he took a couple of quick steps into the room, stepping aside to reveal Yin Zheng.

"Hello, sir. Hello, ma’am. I was in a bit of a rush, so I only had time to grab some fruit!" As Yin Zheng spoke, he had his bodyguard bring in the fruit baskets and set them on the table.

Seeing the two enormous fruit baskets, the couple was a little stunned. Those weren’t baskets; they were practically hampers! Two whole, massive hampers!

"Oh, you shouldn’t have!" Today’s Chen Shufen was not the same as she used to be. She now carried the faint air of a powerful businesswoman, speaking with an easy composure.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Shufen found a few stools for Su Chen and Yin Zheng to sit on.

"Dad, what exactly happened? And how is Su Yan doing?" Su Chen asked as soon as he sat down.

Hearing Su Chen’s question, Su Zhuyun paused in thought for a moment, organizing his words before he slowly began to speak.

The story was actually quite simple. Their hot pot restaurant in Wudu was becoming more and more popular, starting to gain fame beyond the local scene. Thanks to its fresh ingredients and delicious broth, it had begun to attract a lot of out-of-town tourists.

Last night, just before midnight, three male tourists who were visiting town had a bit too much to drink. At a nearby table sat two pretty local girls. Emboldened by the alcohol, one of the men decided to try and hit on them...

The girls wanted nothing to do with him, which made him fly into a humiliated rage.

The tourist, full of cheap booze, felt like he was king of the world. He started reaching out to grope one of the girls.

The girl wasn’t having any of it and immediately started fighting back.

But she was just a girl, and no match for him, even if he was drunk. Just then, Su Zhuyun noticed what was happening. He stepped in immediately, pulling the girl behind him while trying to persuade the man to calm down.

His attempt to de-escalate only made the man angrier. He started swinging at Su Zhuyun, who managed to subdue him in just a few moves.

Seeing their friend pinned to the ground and getting dominated, the other two tourists grabbed bottles and joined the fight. But two fists are no match for four. Su Zhuyun took several bottle hits to his shoulder and back and was kicked multiple times.