"The target is there!" The stranger squinted, his gaze sweeping quickly across Su Xuan’s face. He then glanced at the many customers in the restaurant and lowered the hand that was resting on the hilt of a knife at his back. The current environment isn’t suitable for making a move. I must wait patiently for an opportunity. He then walked toward the employee changing room. "You didn’t want me to so much as touch my chopsticks, did you? Go on, eat!" It was unclear whether Su Xuan had sensed the impending danger. He simply ordered more than a dozen dishes and smiled at the burly, fleshy-faced man. "We’ll eat! Who’s afraid of whom?" the man shouted, calling his companions to continue their feast. This was their version of "reasoning." As outsiders, they wouldn’t dare to get physical with Su Xuan. Instead, they just wanted to use this method to annoy him and get what they wanted. If eating doesn’t work, we’ll follow him home! We’ll eat his food and live in his house! How’s that for scary? "Boss, I’m really sorry for all this trouble," Liu Ming said, turning to Su Xuan with embarrassment after seeing the shameless looks on their opponents’ faces. "No worries. This is my business, too," Su Xuan replied with a dismissive wave. He then got a new table nearby and led Liu Ming and Zhou Wanshing over to eat there. Soon, it was ten o’clock at night, and only two tables of customers remained in the restaurant. The other belonged to the fleshy-faced man. Fresh chapters posted on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽 The man let out a loud burp and glanced over at Su Xuan’s table. He saw Su Xuan chatting and laughing happily with Liu Ming and Zhou Wanshing, paying his group no mind at all. "Boss Qi, we’ve already eaten dozens of plates! Our stomachs are going to burst if we eat any more!" one of his men whined, rubbing his belly. His face was pale from overeating, and despite the powerful air conditioning, beads of sweat dotted his forehead. For the money, I have to keep going. I must win this war of attrition! Boss Qi thought, rubbing his own fleshy cheeks. He picked up his chopsticks to grab a piece of lamb from the plate in front of him. I can’t even dare to dip it in sauce. That would just be an extra burden on my stomach! He glanced at the dozen or so untouched dishes still on the table, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Sir, we’re about to close," a waiter said, walking up to Su Xuan’s table. "Is there anything else you’d like to order?" Hearing this, the fleshy-faced Boss Qi felt as if he’d just received a royal pardon. Finally, the ordeal is almost over! "Closing?" Liu Ming looked up at the waiter, puzzled. "Isn’t this place Haidilao? You’re open twenty-four hours a day, so why are you closing? Besides, I live nearby. Sometimes I get off work late and come here at two in the morning, and you’re still open. What’s going on today?" "I said we’re closing!" the waiter snapped. He suddenly reached behind his back, pulled out a gleaming dagger, and wordlessly slashed at Su Xuan’s head. "HOLY SHIT!" Boss Qi yelped, startled by the scene. Why are the waiters here so fierce?! Are they really going to knife someone over something as minor as closing time?! He was certain Su Xuan was done for. He’s unarmed. He’s about to be killed on the spot! But to his and the knife-wielding waiter’s astonishment, Su Xuan casually snatched up a plate and blocked the descending blade. The plate didn’t even break. "See that?" Su Xuan smirked at the bloated Boss Qi. "If your company’s tableware were this durable, Lycar would definitely pay you." "Forget about the tableware!" Boss Qi’s mouth twitched. Seeing Su Xuan still had the nerve to talk about plates at a moment , he shouted anxiously, "You’d better run! He’s trying to kill you!" "You can’t escape! Zhai Defeng sent me to take your life!" the waiter roared, raising his arm to strike again. The plate in Su Xuan’s hand shattered, scattering shards across the table. "Don’t you touch Brother Su!" Zhou Wanshing cried out. With a surge of courage from nowhere, she spread her arms and shielded Su Xuan. "You’re asking to die!" The waiter twisted his wrist, redirecting the blade toward Zhou Wanshing’s neck. As the bright steel streaked toward her like a falling star, a look of terror filled Zhou Wanshing’s beautiful eyes, but she stood her ground, unmoving. At this critical moment, Su Xuan’s arm shot out, wrapped around her slender waist, and pulled her back and to the side, allowing her to narrowly dodge the lethal attack. At the same time, Su Xuan’s other hand clamped down on the waiter’s knife-wielding wrist. "You’ve gone too far," Su Xuan said coldly, shoving his hand outward. The waiter staggered backward, and Su Xuan immediately pursued him, slapping a palm against his chest. A circular ripple manifested on the fabric of the waiter’s shirt. It was the power of Ruyi Tai Chi. Struck while already retreating, the waiter’s body was sent flying. While still in mid-air, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He soared for a full two seconds before crashing heavily onto the floor. "Why is everyone Zhai Defeng sends so weak?" A flicker of disappointment crossed Su Xuan’s face. He picked up a solid wooden stool, walked over to the downed assassin, and began smashing it down on him. He struck again and again, the sickening sounds making the onlookers’ hearts pound in their chests. Boss Qi’s group stared, dumbfounded, a cold sweat breaking out on their skin. The man who seemed so cultured and elegant was absolutely ruthless. They couldn’t help but feel a sliver of relief. Thank God they had only "reasoned" with him and never dared to get physical. Otherwise, they could have been the ones on the receiving end of that stool. They shot a look of deep fear toward Su Xuan, secretly swearing never to provoke him. "Stop... stop hitting me!" the waiter pleaded. He was a pitiful sight, his head bloodied, his eyes swollen shut. The stool had knocked out his front teeth, causing him to whistle as he spoke. The dagger was long gone, knocked somewhere out of sight. He raised his trembling hands and pressed his palms together in a gesture of supplication. Please, don’t hit me again! Any more and you’ll kill me! I had no idea you were this strong! That one palm strike nearly gave me a heart attack. If I’d known how dangerous you were, I never would have taken this job, no matter how much Zhai Defeng begged me! Showing no mercy, Su Xuan smashed the stool down one last time. The man’s clasped hands fell limp. Su Xuan dropped the stool and dialed a number. "Sister Zhong, Zhai Defeng sent someone to trouble me again." "Did you catch another one?" Zhong Huilan’s voice came through the phone. "Yes. Come and pick him up." "Our people will be there shortly," she replied. A few minutes later, a police car pulled up outside. Several officers rushed into the restaurant, cuffed the unconscious waiter, and collected the fallen dagger. As they were leaving, an officer shook Su Xuan’s hand. "Mr. Su, thank you for your hard work." The sight left Boss Qi and his men completely stunned. Su Xuan wasn’t just ruthless—he was well-connected. He had beaten a man half to death, yet the police were thanking *him*. Only then did Su Xuan walk over to Boss Qi and his men. He picked up a wet wipe from their table, cleaned his hands, and asked nonchalantly, "So, what was it you wanted from me?"