Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Mr. Qin

She had been in high spirits just moments before, thinking Fang Hao would get to drink with Xu Zhigang and enjoy a limitless future. Because of that, she felt the bill for this feast was of no consequence.

But Xu Zhigang had just berated them all and sent them away. Even Fang Zhengliang’s official post was in jeopardy, so how could she possibly be in the mood to pay the bill?

Seeing that Qin Wenwen was silent, Qin Tuo immediately asked with a smile,

"What, are you really trying to skip out on the bill? That doesn’t seem like your family’s style!"

Hearing this, Qin Hongjian’s entire family practically exploded with rage!

Then, they all immediately changed their tune in unison and started pointing fingers at Qin Tuo.

"Qin Tuo, I see now, you’re the one trying to skip out on the bill! Your family was the one treating, and now you’re trying to back out of it?"

"That’s right! We can all testify that your family treated us to this meal. You can’t weasel your way out of it!"

Qin Tuo mocked them coldly,

"You really are a family, aren’t you? All cut from the same strange cloth."

His words made Qin Hongjian’s entire family fume with rage.

Suddenly, an idea struck Qin Hongjian, and he quickly said to Fang Hao,

"My dear son-in-law, aren’t you on good terms with Master Long? Give him a call right now! Tell him someone here is trying to skip out on their bill and ask him to come deal with it!"

At these words, Qin Jun perked up excitedly.

"That’s right, brother-in-law! You know Master Long, don’t you? You think this punk would dare to act up here with him around?"

Fang Hao, however, looked extremely awkward. In reality, he didn’t know Long Wu at all.

He had never even exchanged a single word with Long Wu, let alone had any kind of relationship with him.

"Brother-in-law, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and call Master Long!"

Qin Jun’s face was a mask of confusion, and he was growing impatient.

He was dying to see Qin Tuo get put in his place.

With everyone’s eyes on him, Fang Hao didn’t dare admit the truth.

He sighed inwardly and forced a smile.

"Alright, I’ll go give Master Long a call and ask him to come over."

Then, bracing himself, he could only walk to the side and put on a show of making a phone call.

Seeing Fang Hao actually make the call, a vicious grin immediately spread across Qin Jun’s face.

"Haha! Qin Tuo, you’re dead meat! Just wait till Master Long gets here and see how he deals with you!"

Qin Tuo, however, couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge him. He simply poured a cup of tea and sat there, sipping it by himself.

"Heh, the punk is just putting on a calm front. He’ll be crying and begging for mercy soon enough. When that happens, we absolutely must not forgive him!"

Qin Jun said with a sneer.

Qin Hongjian, Zhang Caixia, and the others were all Qin Tuo’s elders, yet at this moment, every one of them stood with their arms crossed high, waiting to watch the spectacle.

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Xu Zhigang was leading the way, followed by a large entourage of important figures.

These dignitaries of Ming City were all deeply puzzled.

’Who exactly is this person Xu Zhigang is going to see? What’s their status? And why have we never heard of such a figure before?’

Their minds filled with questions, they watched as Xu Zhigang stopped at the door of a private room.

This shocked everyone even more.

’Someone important enough to command Prefect Xu’s personal attention, someone he would come to toast in person... why would they be eating in such an ordinary private room?’

"Prefect Xu, allow me! How could I possibly let you dirty your hands?"

A deeply sycophantic smile plastered on his face, Fang Zhengliang scurried forward to open the door for Xu Zhigang, brown-nosing all the while.

Xu Zhigang, however, remained expressionless, clearly not having forgotten what had just transpired.

Fang Zhengliang slowly opened the door to the private room, the smile never leaving his face.

The moment the door opened, Xu Zhigang saw them—Qin Hongjian’s family, the very people he had just dealt with.

At this, Xu Zhigang’s expression froze, and a questioning look entered his eyes.

The smile on Fang Zhengliang’s face also froze solid, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Fang Zhengliang swallowed hard and demanded in a stern voice,

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you here?"

He immediately broke out in a cold sweat, terrified that Xu Zhigang would become enraged.

Qin Hongjian’s family was equally stunned. They never imagined that Xu Zhigang would actually bring so many dignitaries to their room.

Qin Hongjian asked subconsciously,

"What’s going on? We’ve been here the whole time. What’s happening?"

Fang Zhengliang wanted nothing more than to strangle Qin Hongjian, but with Xu Zhigang present, he could only explain patiently,

"Lord Prefect said he wanted to propose a toast to Mr. Qin, so we came here."

When Qin Hongjian heard this, his expression first went blank, then he was completely overjoyed!

’Mr. Qin?’

’Who else here could be worthy of such a respectful title?’

Beside him, as Zhang Caixia and the others came to the same realization, their faces also flushed red with excitement.

Qin Hongjian scrambled to his feet, trembling, and said with a beaming smile,

"Lord Prefect, you came to toast me personally? I am truly unworthy of such an honor!"

Zhang Caixia also hurried to Qin Hongjian’s side, preparing to cozy up to the Lord Prefect.

However, one look at Xu Zhigang’s grim expression made Fang Zhengliang’s heart leap into his throat.

He immediately realized what was happening and bellowed,

"Get out of the way! Stop trying to take credit where it isn’t due!"

He knew the Mr. Qin that Xu Zhigang mentioned couldn’t possibly be this good-for-nothing in-law of his.

Hearing the sharp rebuke, Qin Hongjian was utterly dumbfounded.

He racked his brain but couldn’t make sense of it. ’There’s no one else here named Qin!’

Clearly, the thought of Qin Tuo had never even crossed his mind.

After all, in his eyes, Qin Tuo was just an ex-convict. ’How could someone like him possibly warrant a personal visit and a toast from Prefect Xu?’

"Hurry up and get out of the way!"

Fang Zhengliang chided him again.

Only then did Qin Hongjian snap out of it. He scratched his head in embarrassment and quickly stepped aside.

At this point, Fang Zhengliang himself was also extremely confused and couldn’t help but ask,

"Prefect Xu, could you have come to the wrong room? There’s no one else here with the surname Qin!"

However, the words had barely left his mouth when Long Wu impatiently shoved him aside.

An angry look flashed across Fang Zhengliang’s face, but Long Wu simply ignored him and made a welcoming gesture.

"Prefect Xu, this way, please!"

Xu Zhigang nodded, a smile breaking across his face.

His eyes immediately fell upon Qin Tuo, who was sitting in the corner, calmly sipping his tea.

Then, in full view of everyone, Xu Zhigang quickly walked over to Qin Tuo.

This scene made everyone’s eyes go wide as saucers!

This was especially true for Qin Hongjian’s family, who looked as if they had been turned to stone, utterly speechless.

"No way... This can’t be real..."

Qin Hongjian couldn’t believe his own dawning suspicion, so tense he could hardly breathe.

Then, everyone watched as Xu Zhigang bowed slightly and asked with a deeply respectful smile,

"Mr. Qin, I hope I’m not disturbing you?"

In that instant, everyone was completely dumbstruck, their faces filled with utter disbelief.