NOVPUBChen Nan had planned to be an invisible man and enjoy a lavish seafood feast.
After all, this was a grudge between Xiangxiu’s sister and her classmates, and it wasn’t his place as an outsider to interfere.
But when Liu Meng forced Xiangxiu’s sister to apologize, he couldn’t stand by and watch anymore.
That’s precisely why he confronted Liu Meng.
Liu Meng didn’t expect Chen Nan to be so defiant. A wave of dissatisfaction rose in his heart, considering he was the division chief of the planning bureau and had some official clout.
Snapping back to reality, Liu Meng let out a heavy snort, "A high school student should stop trying to find his presence here. I’m well acquainted with the leaders of the Education Bureau. Anger me, and you won’t even have the qualifications to take the college entrance exam!"
"Wow!" Chen Nan displayed an exaggerated expression, "Mr. Liu is bullying a common citizen with his power now? That’s some serious authority there!"
The exaggerated expression and mocking tone, like an invisible slap, struck Liu Meng’s face hard, leaving him with a burning pain.
Before Liu Meng could speak, Chen Nan’s voice rang out again, "Jizhou City belongs to its citizens, and it’s not your turn to cover the sky with one hand here!"
Liu Meng was deeply enraged. He slammed the table and glared at Chen Nan, "If you dare, tell me your school and class. I’ll teach you a lesson!"
"Although I can’t cover the sky with one hand, crushing you is no different than stepping on an ant."
Zhang Na also looked at Niu Xiangxiu, her eyes gleaming with malicious intent, "Niu Xiangxiu, if you don’t apologize to me today, I’ll let my husband use his connections to expel your boyfriend from school!"
Upon hearing this.
Niu Xiangxiu’s expression changed, fear apparent in her eyes but overcome by even greater anger. She had never imagined Zhang Na would stoop so low as to threaten her with Chen Nan’s expulsion to force her into apologizing.
If it were anything else, she certainly would not have compromised.
But she knew all too well the significance of this college entrance examination to Chen Nan.
Even though she didn’t want to apologize to Zhang Na, she felt compelled to compromise at that moment.
She took a deep breath.
Just as Niu Xiangxiu was about to apologize, a surprise voice came from the side, "Mr. Chen, what a coincidence, I didn’t expect to see you here."
Everyone followed the voice and saw a man in his thirties with an upright stature and extraordinary demeanor, smiling as he walked over.
With his piercing eyes and majestic presence, every move he made radiated a powerful aura.
Chen Nan’s face showed surprise, "Li Yao, you’re here too!"
Li Yao smiled wryly, "A classmate came over to see me and insisted on treating me to a meal here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wanted to come."
"Well, we’ve finished eating. Seeing you here, I thought I’d come over and say hello."
Chen Nan responded with a nod, "Then go ahead with your business, and we can meet up some other time when we’re both free."
Li Yao replied, "Sure, call me anytime when you’re free."
After a brief chat, Li Yao turned and left.
However,
before leaving, he instructed the restaurant’s waiter to send two bottles of premium wine to Chen Nan.
Although the drinks in the restaurant were complimentary, some of the high-end beverages were not included and had to be paid for separately.
"Niu Xiangxiu, you better apologize to me quickly!" Zhang Na’s eyes were full of playful light, "Otherwise, I’ll make you understand the consequences of offending me—"
Slap!
Before she could finish her sentence, Liu Meng raised his hand and struck Zhang Na’s face with a heavy slap.
Zhang Na was stupefied from the hit.
Shock that she couldn’t hide flickered in her eyes, and her right cheek felt scorchingly painful.
It was only after she tasted a sweet, bloody flavor in her mouth that she came to her senses, and with a face full of grievance said, "Husband, why did you hit me?"
Liu Meng clenched his teeth and said in a low voice, "Hurry up and apologize to Miss Niu and Mr. Chen!"
"It was he who disrespected us; why should I apologize?" Zhang Na’s tears slid down her cheek uncontrollably, making her look pitiful.
Slap!
Liu Meng raised his hand and slapped her again, this time on Zhang Na’s left cheek, swiftly raising a bright red handprint that swelled up, making her cheeks somewhat symmetrical.
Liu Meng roared furiously, "When I tell you to apologize, just apologize. Where does all this nonsense come from?"
Zhang Na was so frightened that she shivered. Although she did not understand why Liu Meng had suddenly begun to hit her and even forced her to apologize to Niu Xiangxiu and Chen Nan,
she did not dare to defy Liu Meng’s words; she immediately bowed and apologized to both, hoping they could forgive her earlier disrespect.
Liu Meng was also visibly tense as he said, "Mr. Chen, I’m sorry, I was blind and offended you. I hope you can forgive my ignorance and not stoop to my level."
"Well, we won’t stay and spoil your appetites any longer." After saying that, he glared viciously at Zhang Na and left the restaurant with her looking disheveled.
"What is going on?"
Watching the two leave, Niu Xiangxiu’s eyes were full of wonder. She did not expect the once domineering and aggressive Liu Meng to change his attitude so drastically.
Not only did he slap Zhang Na twice, but he also humbly apologized to them.
Chen Nan fished out the abalones from the pot and couldn’t help but lament, "The abalone is overcooked. It’s not tasty at all!"
"Mm, I prefer abalones that are tenderer."
Niu Xiangxiu’s mouth twitched fiercely. She said irritably, "Can you not ’drive’ in every situation? Answer my previous question, what exactly is going on here?"
Chen Nan chuckled, "The person I called ’Brother Li’ just now is Lu Yuanyang’s secretary. Do you know who Lu Yuanyang is?"
Niu Xiangxiu furrowed her brow, "That name sounds familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere."
Chen Nan said, "He’s the new mayor who just took office in Jizhou city!"
Hiss!
Niu Xiangxiu inhaled sharply, her beautiful eyes filled with shock, and she looked at Chen Nan with a gaze full of curiosity, "How do you know such an important person?"
Chen Nan said meaningfully, "That’s a long story."
"Then let’s not talk about it." Niu Xiangxiu pouted, disliking the depth in Chen Nan’s demeanor that didn’t match his age.
She picked up an abalone to taste and then made a disgusted face, "The abalone is indeed overcooked."
Chen Nan raised an eyebrow, smiling wickedly, "Is it not as good as the tender ones?"
Niu Xiangxiu, irritated to the point of clenching her teeth, felt a rush of blush spread across her face when she imagined Chen Nan kneeling before her, eating her ’abalone’.
Just then. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
The restaurant staff delivered two bottles of high-end red wine, stating they were from Li Yao and that each bottle was quite valuable.
This made Niu Xiangxiu increasingly curious about the relationship between Chen Nan and Li Yao. However, she did not ask further, as she was naturally not one to pry into others’ affairs.
Meanwhile.
Liu Meng had taken Zhang Na to the parking lot, and once in the car, Zhang Na held back her inner unease and cautiously asked, "Husband, Chen Nan is just a high school student, why are you so wary of him?"
