Chapter 335

Chapter 335 Bait!

 

Still at the same bar on the ground floor of the Hero Association’s hotel, Zhang Ziwei sat across from Su Rui, recalling his stunning performance today. She still felt a warmth throughout her body. That scene of him saving someone at knifepoint had deeply shocked this woman who was accustomed to violence.

At this time, the bar was already filled with many members of the Hero Association. After fighting all day, they needed to relax. For gangsters, the most frequent hangouts were bars and nightclubs.

“Why did you bring me here?” Zhang Ziwei took a small sip of red wine, then frowned: “This wine seems fake.”

Su Rui hadn’t drunk any, but looked at this beautiful woman with a smile and asked: “How does the fake wine taste?”

“You knew it was fake and still let me drink it?” Zhang Ziwei’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Ziwei, after last night, I consider us friends,” Su Rui said, gently swirling the wine in his glass. “But friends shouldn’t be fake with each other, right?”

“What do you mean?” Zhang Ziwei felt a chill in her heart. Had Su Rui noticed something?

“If you say you understand, I won’t continue on this topic,” Su Rui said with a smile, clearly setting a trap for Zhang Ziwei.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about or why you would say that,” Zhang Ziwei’s gaze appeared confident.

“Yesterday, I saw Su Chiyan at the entrance of the bar,” Su Rui kept his eyes fixed on her, his smile suggesting he knew everything.

“You met Su Chiyan?” Zhang Ziwei’s tone became strained. Under this man’s seemingly all-knowing gaze, she suddenly felt there was no point in continuing to hide.

Su Rui nodded again, satisfied with her reaction.

“Didn’t you leave early? How did you meet Su Chiyan?” Zhang Ziwei no longer denied it but expressed her confusion, unknowingly exposing herself completely.

“I lingered around the bar entrance for a while,” Su Rui said calmly. In fact, he didn’t know what connection Su Chiyan’s appearance had with Zhang Ziwei. He had originally planned to wander around the area to check out the surroundings, possibly encountering some Japanese people, but half an hour later, he was surprised to see Su Chiyan walking out of the bar alone.

Now, with just a simple test, he had tricked Zhang Ziwei into revealing herself. It seemed this woman was easily frightened.

“You don’t trust me?” Zhang Ziwei thought Su Rui was acting this way because he didn’t trust her.

“Do you deserve my trust?”

Hearing Su Rui’s counter-question, Zhang Ziwei fell silent.

“I have no good feelings toward that woman called Su Chiyan. If you have any cooperation with her, then I think there’s no need for us to continue talking.”

Su Rui’s tone was indifferent, as if speaking to a complete stranger. This attitude made Zhang Ziwei uncomfortable.

She never wanted to be enemies with this man, and after witnessing him save someone on the arena today, Zhang Ziwei felt that becoming friends with him might be a good thing. But now, because of this situation, the distance between them had grown.

“She asked me to help you,” Zhang Ziwei said without much thought.

“Help me?” This answer was quite unexpected for Su Rui. Before this, he had considered that Su Chiyan might want to use him or set him up, but this woman actually wanted to help him!

“Yes, she asked me to do my best to help you,” Zhang Ziwei said, watching Su Rui’s expression gradually soften, which allowed her to relax.

“Why would she want to help me?” Su Rui was very puzzled!

“I don’t know,” Zhang Ziwei truly didn’t know the reason, but a teasing smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: “Maybe she has a secret crush on you.”

“With my looks, that’s entirely possible.”

Su Rui said with a straight face. After he finished, they looked at each other and both burst into laughter.

“Seriously though, I really don’t know why Su Chiyan would ask me to do my best to help you,” Zhang Ziwei said. “She has a connection with my father, so I must do as she says, unconditionally.”

“Let’s not discuss this topic anymore.” In Su Rui’s view, although Su Chiyan was somewhat mysterious, her sending someone to help him was a good thing. He could ask her about it when he had the chance.

Thinking about this, Su Rui suddenly missed the wonderful feeling of “interrogating” Su Chiyan back then.

Su Rui leaned back in his seat, watching the Hero Association members twisting their bodies and howling along with the music, and shook his head. His gaze then drifted to another side of the bar, and a meaningful smile crossed his lips.

“Ziwei, in your opinion, comparing the fighting strength of the Hero Association and the Green Dragon Gang, which is stronger?” Su Rui suddenly asked.

“The two gangs are about the same, neither is very impressive,” Zhang Ziwei shook her head, seeming to lack confidence in her own gang.

“Why do you say that?” Su Rui appeared interested, thinking that Zhang Ziwei was quite unique.

“The Green Dragon Gang’s fighting strength is decent, but in recent years, Boss Li Yang has focused on economic development and neglected the management of combat-oriented branches. I oversee four branches, and apart from the Law Branch and the Intelligence Branch, the other two are combat-oriented. I can guarantee the fighting strength of the branches under my control, but I don’t have much faith in the abilities of the other elders and veterans,” Zhang Ziwei paused before continuing: “They’ve become too pampered and have forgotten the risks of the early days.”

Su Rui smirked: “You talk as if you experienced those early risks yourself.”

“My father tells me about it every day, so I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to,” Zhang Ziwei’s answer made Su Rui laugh.

“The Green Dragon Gang’s fighting strength is average, and the Hero Association is even worse,” Zhang Ziwei said. “In Dongshan Province, they’re considered a top-tier gang, but they still had to invite ten Japanese people to help. Look at these people dancing, so unrestrained and undisciplined, truly lacking in management.”

“What about the Green Dragon Gang versus the Yuan Wei Gang?” Su Rui suddenly asked.

“The Yuan Wei Gang would definitely win,” Zhang Ziwei’s answer was decisive: “Their fighting strength is beyond question.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’ve fought with the North Hall. Honestly, what do you think of the North Hall’s fighting strength in the Yuan Wei Gang?”

“Very impressive,” Su Rui nodded. The Four Tigers of the North Hall and their elite forces could indeed be considered top-tier combat strength among Chinese gangs.

“But the North Hall is just one of their many combat branches,” Zhang Ziwei, who managed the Intelligence Branch, had better information: “I’ve heard they have intentions to move south. If they clash with the Green Dragon Gang, Ninghai won’t be able to hold.”

Hearing this, Su Rui couldn’t help but recall the group of Yuan Wei Gang members who had surrounded him with gratitude today. He sighed softly, knowing that by crippling the North Hall’s elite forces, he had already made an enemy of them. Li Yang had also severely humiliated the Yuan Wei Gang at the opening of the Ten-Year Competition. The two sides could never become friends, let alone turn hostility into friendship. A confrontation was inevitable.

“Let’s go down and dance together?”

Su Rui suddenly said. His train of thought was truly unpredictable. Zhang Ziwei was still thinking about the gap between the Green Dragon Gang and the Yuan Wei Gang when she heard this, and she couldn’t react for a moment.

“Dance? I don’t know how to dance,” Zhang Ziwei was a bit embarrassed. She had always considered herself a strong woman and had never learned such things. She didn’t even go to karaoke bars.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll teach you. No one here knows who you are, just let yourself go.”

With that, Su Rui took Zhang Ziwei’s hand without further discussion and pushed their way into the dance floor!

“Follow me, come on!”

The music was deafening, and Zhang Ziwei was somewhat infected by the atmosphere. She followed Su Rui’s movements, dancing slowly and stiffly.

The two were having a great time, but because Zhang Ziwei was so beautiful, Hero Association members occasionally tried to take advantage of her, only to be scared off by Su Rui’s fierce glares.

At this moment, several pairs of eyes lit up from a dark booth nearby.

“Chinese flower girls, not bad,” Honda Kibu nodded with satisfaction as he looked at Zhang Ziwei in her white dress.

This guy had been stopped by Su Rui on the arena today and was full of anger with nowhere to vent, so he came to this bar tonight to have a few drinks.

Damn Chinese, someone actually dared to stop him. Just thinking about it made Honda Kibu furious.

He had made up his mind that from the next match onwards, he would kill every opponent! Let these shortsighted Chinese see where the true origin of Eastern martial arts was!

“Vice President Chen, that flower girl is not bad. Tonight, I want her brought to my room,” Honda Kibu said in broken Chinese. He was staring at Zhang Ziwei, his eyes gleaming with a predator’s light.

He had been humiliated by Chinese men during the day, so he wanted to vent his anger on a Chinese woman at night!

Beside him sat a middle-aged man in casual clothes, who was Chen Guangde, the vice president of the Hero Association. Since President Yao Zhenshan held a high position, like a local magnate, he naturally wouldn’t openly frequent such places to maintain his image. The task of accompanying these Japanese guests had fallen on Vice President Chen Guangde’s shoulders!

“Which flower girl has caught Mr. Honda’s eye?”

Chen Guangde had a fawning expression. He knew that Honda Kibu and the others came from Japan’s largest gang, the Yamamoto Group, whose power and wealth rivaled that of a nation, far beyond what the Hero Association could compare to. Therefore, he had been doing his utmost to please these Japanese guests over the past few days, trying everything to make them happy! Even if they liked Chinese girls, he, Chen Guangde, would send those girls to these Japanese men’s beds!

“That one.”

Honda Kibu pointed at Zhang Ziwei in her white dress, who stood out so prominently in this dark and chaotic environment!