Chapter 117: Let Us First Reason Together

As Ma Liangping rushed out, Lin Guoshan collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. Previously, he had held his ground for the sake of face and pride, but now he was filled with lingering fear.

Chen Huajiang smiled and quickly brought Ermao into the shop to shield Lin Guoshan. With the addition of Ma Liangping, the two sides were locked in a fierce struggle, two against four. In reality, however, they had already lost; Black Tiger’s men were still surrounding them, holding back from joining the fray. Had they swarmed in, the others would have been taken down long ago.

"Damn thief, I'm going to kill you!"

Gao Yun had regained consciousness—or rather, she had not been unconscious, but had simply been stunned by the force of her fall, losing her combat effectiveness for a short time. Now that she had recovered, her mind was set solely on taking revenge on Chen Huajiang.

"Junior Sister, don't do anything rash!"
"Watch out!"

Liu Xiangyang quickly jumped out of the skirmish and grabbed Gao Yun’s arm. Ma Liangping also retreated, circling around to stand beside her. The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder, their gazes fixed on Chen Huajiang inside the shop. Seeing them stop, Zhang Bao and his three men also ceased their movements.

"Everyone, you’ve gone too far."

"Look at this, just look. What kind of grudge requires beating someone like this and smashing my brother-in-law’s shop? Is that not enough to vent your anger? Do you have to resort to blades?" Chen Huajiang walked out, feigning indignation as he gestured toward the battered Lin Guoshan and the wreckage of the shop. "What is this? Do you take us for soft targets?"

"That is indeed a bit much."
"No kidding. Even in a life-or-death struggle, there’s a limit. Even if Boss Lin was wrong, that guy with the crew cut went too far, humiliating him like that and forcing him to kneel and kowtow. It’s truly excessive."
"Actually, I think that guy with the crew cut didn’t dare to escalate it further, otherwise he would have already stabbed Boss Lin."

Following Chen Huajiang’s words, the surrounding crowd began to nod and whisper among themselves.

"Kid, who exactly is treating whom like a soft target? He stole my Junior Brother’s girlfriend and beat him up!" Liu Xiangyang said with a cold face, his eyes fixed sharply on Chen Huajiang. In his view, justice was on their side. "What? Only you are allowed to be tough, and we aren't allowed to settle the score?"

"That’s just an excuse. I don't believe you aren't aware that my brother-in-law already had a girlfriend, and his girlfriend just happens to be the best friend of your Junior Brother’s ex-girlfriend," Chen Huajiang said with a faint smile, scanning the three of them and letting his gaze linger on Ma Liangping for a few seconds.

The three of them fell silent. Chen Huajiang was speaking the truth.

But that was a matter between his Junior Brother and his ex-girlfriend; what did it have to do with Lin Guoshan?

"Who does he think he is, stepping on my Junior Brother?" Liu Xiangyang sneered, casting a look of disdain at Lin Guoshan inside the shop.

Chen Huajiang nodded. This was indeed the root cause of his brother-in-law’s foolishness. But the damage was done; the event had already occurred, and all he could do now was resolve the situation.

"This reminds me of a story," Chen Huajiang said with a smile. "A man confesses his love to a woman. He says, 'I have no money, no connections, I’m short, ugly, and my family background is poor. Will you be my girlfriend?'"

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

Ma Liangping was enraged, thinking Chen Huajiang was mocking him. He flew into a rage, ready to charge. Fortunately, Liu Xiangyang held him back, though he continued to glare at Chen Huajiang with narrowed eyes. They were at a disadvantage in numbers, but if it came to a fight to the death with weapons, Liu Xiangyang was confident in his abilities. They were trained in lethal arts, not mere brawling. If the other side pushed too far, he wouldn't mind leaving a trail of blood.

"This guy is vicious, mocking them like that."
"He is a bit short, but the rest is nonsense."
"Good show coming up, they’re definitely going to fight."

The crowd buzzed with anticipation, their eyes darting toward Ma Liangping.

"The woman says, 'Sure. I don't mind those things—not your appearance, not your temper, not your height, not your poverty. I am willing to share your hardships, walk with you, and have children with you,'" Chen Huajiang continued.

At this, the three of them exchanged puzzled glances. They had expected Chen Huajiang to be mocking them, but why was the woman being so agreeable?

"Uh, is there really such a foolish woman in the world?"
"She sounds like a perfect woman—a saint."
"Exactly, where do you find such a woman? Unless she has some hidden defect or is so ugly she can’t be seen?"

The crowd grew curious, whispering all sorts of theories. Chen Huajiang scanned the crowd and said, "No, she was beautiful, with fair skin and a lovely face."

The crowd shook their heads. "Boss Chen, what kind of joke is this? How could such an idiot exist?"
"Hilarious. Even fairy tales aren't written like this."
"Exactly. You sure such a woman exists? Sounds like a fool to me."

Chen Huajiang smiled and looked at the bewildered trio. "The man said, 'Great, let’s date.' The woman said, 'Wait, let me ask you one question first: do you like red or white?' The man thought for a moment and said, 'I like white.' The woman replied, 'What a pity. I like red, so we aren't a match.'"

He turned his gaze to Ma Liangping. The man’s face went from astonishment to a livid blue, his lips pursed, his eyes filled with resentment. Clearly, he understood the meaning of the story.

"I get it now. It’s just someone playing games and using tricks. And here I thought she was a good woman."
"If you really want to reject someone or break up, no matter the excuse, the real reason is just one thing: you don't like them anymore."
"Boss Chen’s meaning is simple: the ex-girlfriend asking Lin Guoshan to step in is just like the choice between red and white—an irrelevant excuse. The real reason for the breakup is that she just didn't want him anymore."

The crowd finally grasped the subtext of the story. Liu Xiangyang patted Ma Liangping on the shoulder; he understood the lesson well. Chen Yan wanted to dump Ma Liangping, and even if Lin Guoshan hadn't been there to pose as the boyfriend, she would have found someone else, or used another excuse entirely.