Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Troublemakers at the Barbecue Restaurant _1
Ever since the class reunion ended, Sun Miaomiao had been constantly thinking about Ye Ming.
She had kept his phone number, wrestling with herself for many days before finally mustering the courage to call him.
She had thought Ye Ming would refuse, but to her surprise, he readily agreed.
Ye Ming did feel a bit of affection for this girl, especially since she was the only one who had stood up for him during the reunion.
Based on that alone, his good feelings toward her had grown significantly.
Now, seeing Sun Miaomiao’s attire and upon closer observation, Ye Ming realized that there had always been such a beautiful girl by his side.
Sun Miaomiao had fair and delicate skin, with refined features; although not very tall, her figure was quite nice, a true beauty in a subtle and graceful way.
"Just bring something at random, I’ll try it," Ye Ming said with a smile.
Sun Miaomiao agreed and went back to the kitchen. Before long, she came out with a plate of grilled skewers.
The fragrance of the skewers was overwhelming, even making Ye Ming, who wasn’t very hungry, crave them.
Moreover, there was a generous amount of meat on the skewers, and it was very fresh. After eating one, Ye Ming couldn’t stop praising them.
"These skewers are indeed excellent," Ye Ming complimented.
Sun Miaomiao gave a gentle smile and said, "Since you like them, eat more, I won’t charge you anyway!"
Ye Ming nodded and continued eating.
Sun Miaomiao just watched him. The two sitting in front of the window created a wonderful scene, like a perfect match of a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
After eating a few skewers, Ye Ming said, "By the way, I want to thank you again for helping me out at the last reunion."
Sun Miaomiao quickly demurred, "I didn’t really help much, no need to thank me."
"I invited you over this time to have a chat, catch up on old times, and also to ask how you’ve been doing recently," he continued.
"I heard about your girlfriend..."
As she spoke, Sun Miaomiao seemed to remember something and abruptly stopped.
Ye Ming smiled and explained, "It’s okay, it’s all in the past now, what Zhang Yang said was true, my girlfriend did betray me!"
"But, I’m actually thankful for her betrayal."
Sun Miaomiao nodded, then lapsed into a brief silence.
She was considering whether or not to say that one line.
Since their school days, Sun Miaomiao had been secretly in love with Ye Ming, but back then she was too shy to express her feelings and could only watch helplessly as Ye Ming got together with Xu Ling.
The class reunion had rekindled the once calm feelings in Sun Miaomiao’s heart.
Inviting Ye Ming over was also a way to express her feelings.
But just as she was about to speak, a group of people suddenly entered the barbecue restaurant: "Is the boss, Sun, here? Come out quickly! Don’t hide."
The man leading them called out loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.
The group had a menacing air about them, with tattoos on their bodies, muscular builds, and fierce faces.
Someone recognized them and quickly called out "Brother Biao!"
At that moment, a middle-aged man hurriedly came out of the kitchen.
He was thin and bore a slight resemblance to Sun Miaomiao.
He approached Biao Zi with a grin, respectfully greeted him, "Brother Biao, what brings you here? Are you here for a meal?"
Biao Zi sneered, patting the middle-aged man’s cheek, and said, "Sun Dajun, are you really that stupid or are you just playing dumb in front of me?"
"Didn’t I tell you before? The rent for the latter half of the year is due!"
’Rent’ was their jargon for protection money.
Businesses, especially those with good locations and decent business like these small shops, were often their regular haunts.
"The rent for the latter half of the year? But Brother Biao, it’s not time yet," Sun Dajun said hurriedly with a smile, "Didn’t we agree? The rent for the latter half of the year isn’t due until June, that’s your rule, isn’t it?"
Biao Zi spoke indifferently, "There’s no more discussion. Our gang ran into some trouble and needs money, so we’re collecting early!"
As soon as he said this, Sun Miaomiao, who was sitting across from Ye Ming, frowned, stood up, and came over to her father, saying, "How can you do this? We just paid the protection money a few months ago, you can’t get money from us just because you’re short!"
Sun Dajun quickly tried to stop her, but he couldn’t hold back Sun Miaomiao.
Her presence, however, seemed to soften Biao Zi’s expression quite a bit.
"Miaomiao, you’re here today too?" Biao Zi said with a grin, "This is a bit tricky; I’m just doing what I’m told from above."
"Everyone else has paid, only your family is left."
"However, if you join me for a drink today, I’ll waive this second half’s rent for you, how about it?"
As he spoke, Biao Zi’s hands creeped towards Sun Miaomiao.
Sun Dajun immediately stepped in between, and said with difficulty, "Brother Biao, you must be joking, my daughter is young, she’s always been straightforward, please don’t you blame her."
We’ll pay earlier if we have to, but at least give us some time to prepare, we’re not quite ready with the money yet."
Sun Dajun didn’t want his daughter to get hurt, deep down he knew that Biao Zi had been eyeing his daughter for more than a day or two.
For the sake of his daughter, he had to comply with them.
But business had been bad lately, and the barbecue shop was struggling, Sun Dajun really couldn’t come up with that much money.
His words darkened Biao Zi’s face in an instant, and he said fiercely, "Dajun, it’s not up to you to call the shots. Your barbecue shop has been doing well, how is it possible you can’t come up with the money?"
"Besides, I’ve already given you an option, if you really can’t pay, I won’t make it hard for you. Just have your daughter join me for a couple of drinks, as long as I’m happy, we can talk about anything!"
"If you refuse to drink a toast, don’t blame me for making you drink a forfeit!"
With that, Biao Zi kicked the table in front of him.
A loud bang followed, scaring away the customers in the shop.
Meanwhile, many people stood outside to watch the commotion.
Those who had been in the snack city for years knew Biao Zi’s way of doing things, and many began to sigh, fearing an inevitable fight was coming.
Sun Miaomiao’s anger flared, and she blurted out, "Aren’t you going too far? Believe it or not, I will call the police right now to arrest you?"
"The patrol is not far off! They will be here soon!"
As she spoke, Sun Miaomiao took out her phone, ready to make a call.
But at this moment, Biao Zi was quick to dodge her phone and smashed it harshly onto the ground.
