Culinary Expert

Chapter 18: The Water Meter Incident (Part 2)

(Author’s Note: I’m stunned—it turns out I miscalculated Bai Xiaobai’s experience points. It’s 111 points, not 161. Corrected!!! ) No sooner had Bai Xiaobai crushed the gold-rimmed glasses than his little black dog suddenly pounced on the short, stocky guy who was reaching for them. “Holy crap, what the hell is that…” The short, stocky guy nearly peed himself. He was severely nearsighted and couldn’t see his surroundings clearly; he could only feel a furry thing constantly licking and biting the inside of his thigh. Xiao Hei might be small, but he often chewed on bones to sharpen his teeth, so his bite was no joke. “Ah…” The stocky guy winced in pain and let out another blood-curdling scream. If others don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them; but if they do, I’ll return the favor twofold. Picking a fight for no reason, deliberately checking my water meter—do they think I’m a pushover?! Although it was a bit like taking advantage of a vulnerable situation, while Xiao Hei was biting the stocky guy, Bai Xiaobai would also sneak in the occasional stomp with her foot on the civil servant’s hand. Bai Xiaobai and Xiao Hei worked together seamlessly. One stomped, the other bit. Shorty’s vision was obstructed, and with his hands being stomped and bitten, he was completely helpless. Tormented to the point of agony by Bai Xiaobai and Xiao Hei, he could only grimace and scream for help. Tall Bamboo Pole and Chubby Civil Servant were locked in a fierce fight with Wei Hai and couldn’t come to his aid. As for the crowd outside the Restaurant, many were owners of nearby eateries. Since they were no strangers to being given the cold shoulder by these civil servants from the Industry and Commerce Bureau on a daily basis, they were now more than happy to watch the spectacle as the stocky civil servant got bitten by the dogs—it gave them great satisfaction. Aside from the restaurant owners, the rest of the passersby were just bystanders in the dark; since it didn’t concern them, and they didn’t understand what was going on, they didn’t feel comfortable intervening—they didn’t even bother calling the police. In any case, Xiaobai Restaurant was now in complete chaos, while the crowd of onlookers outside kept growing; many were completely stunned. “Holy crap, what the hell is going on here…” “That’s crazy—someone actually dared to hit a government official. This is going to be a real show.” “Mom, people are fighting. Should we call the police?” “Kids, mind your own business. Hurry home and do your homework.” A Restaurant owner getting into a fight with a government official from the Industry and Commerce Bureau—this is simply jaw-dropping. This is no way to run a business—he’s practically asking to end up behind bars… “Look at that—that young man moves like he’s trained. Too bad he picked the wrong opponent… He’s definitely going to get arrested and thrown in jail.” An elderly man pointed at Wei Hai’s agile movements and sighed. Wei Hai moved with remarkable agility; his long legs bent and straightened as he delivered a direct kick to the plump official’s abdomen. The kick was both precise and brutal. The plump official had been skimming off the top quite a bit in his daily life, had grown a potbelly, and combined with his lack of exercise, he had no way to dodge it—the kick hit him squarely in the gut. From the very beginning, the chubby civil servant had been at a disadvantage; Wei Hai had already kicked him several times, but this kick was the straw that broke the camel’s back, landing right in the middle of his belly. After letting out a bloodcurdling scream, Chubby threw in the towel. His cry was so agonizing it sounded just like a pig being slaughtered. Hit by Wei Hai’s kick, Chubby doubled over in pain and couldn’t even stand up. One down. Wei Hai shrugged, unaware that Gao Zhugan behind him had already picked up a dining chair... It turned out Gao Zhugan was a cunning fellow. While Fat Dun-Dun was fighting Wei Hai one-on-one, he’d been standing on the sidelines, barely lifting a finger for quite some time. He actually had two objectives: first, to use Plumpy to wear Wei Hai down, and second, to look for Wei Hai’s weaknesses so he could launch a surprise attack at any moment. Sure enough, right after Wei Hai knocked out Plumpy, Tall Bamboo found that opening. It was clear that the dining chair Tall Bamboo had picked up was about to come crashing down on Wei Hai. This was no joke. The dining chairs provided by the system were solid wood—they were definitely capable of causing serious injury; getting hit by one would undoubtedly result in injury. Hitting someone with a dining chair—is this really a public official enforcing the law, or just some street thug smashing up a store? Bai Xiaobai saw that something was wrong and quickly pounced from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around Gao Zhugan and shouting, “Comrade, let’s talk this out—don’t let anyone get killed!” On the surface, Bai Xiaobai was acting in Gao Zhugan’s best interest, but in reality, he was doing two things: first, helping Wei Hai, and second, seizing the opportunity to deliberately hold Gao Zhugan in place so he couldn’t move. Although this move was a bit underhanded, it worked. Wei Hai seized the moment, turned around, and kicked the dining chair out of Gao Zhugan’s hands. He then grabbed Gao Zhugan by the collar, pulled him close, and slapped him across the face. Smack… It was a loud, resounding slap that even people outside the store could hear clearly. Gao Zhugan was the leader of the three and the most prominent among them—a minor figure whose name was well-known even at the Industry and Commerce Bureau. He’d forced countless businesses out of business in the past; he’d never suffered such a humiliating defeat before, being slapped right in the face like that. “…Fuck, you son of a bitch! You dare hit me? Do you know who I am? I’ll fuck you up…” Before Gao Zhugan could even get the second “motherfucker” out of his mouth, Wei Hai swung his fist—as big as a sandbag—and slammed it hard into his lower ribs. Crack. The sound of cracking bone was terrifying to the ears. Gao Zhugan let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the ground in agony. He struggled for a while, then pointed at Bai Xiaobai and Wei Hai and shouted, “Damn it, you two are in cahoots! You dare to obstruct law enforcement? I’ll shut down your shady shop for good, and I’ll make sure you both end up in a cell tomorrow.” ” After Gao Zhugan finished speaking, he dialed a number: “Captain Zhang, it’s Gao Ming here. Someone’s obstructing law enforcement over on Chaotianmen Street. Bring a few more guys over to handle this—the three of us can’t handle it on our own.” It looked like he was calling for backup. Bai Xiaobai began to worry. The situation was getting out of hand; it seemed there was no stopping it now. No matter what, with something like this happening, it was almost certain his shop wouldn’t be able to stay open. Besides, officials at the Industry and Commerce Bureau almost always have some kind of connection to the police. If an ordinary citizen offends these people, they’ll just slap on a trumped-up charge like “obstructing law enforcement,” and detention is inevitable. At the very least, ten days to half a month; at most, two or three months. To have his shop shut down for “rectification” by the Administration for Industry and Commerce and be detained or imprisoned by the Public Security Bureau—all because of these three scum of the earth—Bai Xiaobai truly couldn’t accept it. He’d finally gotten his hands on the Gourmet System, and business had been gradually picking up these past couple of days. I was just about to reach the pinnacle of my life… Bai Xiaobai looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, truly at a loss for what to do. Wei Hai, on the other hand, looked very relaxed. “Boss Bai, this has nothing to do with you. I’m the one who beat them up, so I’ll handle the fallout.” As soon as Wei Hai finished speaking, he pulled out his phone and made a call. “Hey, Sun Wei, your people came to my brother’s Restaurant and were snooping around—what’s going on here?” My brother’s Restaurant? Bai Xiaobai was surprised by Wei Hai’s choice of words. They’d known each other for only a few days, yet Wei Hai was already calling him “brother.” Come to think of it, Wei Hai really was a benefactor to him. He’d bought the first “Supreme Tea Egg,” and he’d also paid for the final tea egg in Qian Duoduo’s mission—not to mention stepping up for me this time… “Right, at Xiaobai Restaurant on Chaotianmen Street. I’ll only say this once: I don’t want anyone else coming to inspect this restaurant in the future. You figure it out yourself. That’s all.” Wei Hai’s final words exuded dominance and were incredibly cool. Wei Hai hung up the phone, and less than two minutes later. Gao Ming received a call from his direct superior, Team Leader Zhang. He’d thought reinforcements had arrived, but to his surprise, the voice on the other end was furious. “Gao Ming, you little bastard, what the hell are you up to?” “I’m on duty over here on Chaotianmen Street. There’s a disturbance at Xiaobai Restaurant. Captain Zhang, have you sent anyone over yet?” “I’m enforcing the law, and you’re cursing like a sailor! I’ll be damned if I sent anyone,” Captain Zhang blurted out two profanities in quick succession. No wonder Captain Zhang was furious. Just two minutes earlier, he’d been leisurely eating and drinking at a dinner party, surrounded by beautiful women on both sides—life couldn’t have been better. He never expected to suddenly receive a call from Sun Wei, the director of the Administration for Industry and Commerce, right in the middle of his meal. On the phone, Sun Wei berated him from the get-go, ordering him to immediately investigate the industrial and commercial enforcement officers on Chaotianmen Street and to instruct them to immediately halt their enforcement actions against the Xiaobai Restaurant. Chaotianmen Street fell under Gao Ming’s jurisdiction, and on top of that, he’d previously received a distress call from Gao Ming. Captain Zhang immediately understood the situation. “Damn it all, mark my words—don’t you dare mess with that ‘Xiaobai Restaurant’ again, or I’ll make you pay. That’s it.” Captain Zhang dropped that threat, then cursed one last time: “F*** this.” “Hey, Captain Zhang, don’t just curse… What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly, hey…” Gao Ming kept calling for a long time, but there was no response. Captain Zhang had already hung up. Gao Ming had been grinding it out at the bureau for several years and had always been sharp-witted. Although he didn’t know who the “Basketball Youth” was, but if a single phone call could make Captain Zhang of the Jianghai City Administration for Industry and Commerce so wary, this person must be someone with serious clout. Over the past two years, Gao Ming had managed to get by fairly well at the Administration for Industry and Commerce through flattery and playing both sides, but at the end of the day, he was nothing more than a lowly enforcement lackey— it seemed he’d just poked a tiger in the rear. Gao Ming gave a subtle nod to Shorty and Chubby, signaling it was time to make a move. Just as the three of them slipped toward the door, Wei Hai suddenly blocked their path, his tone icy. “You came here on purpose to cause trouble—and now you think you can just walk out?” “So what do you want?” Gao Ming had long since lost his earlier arrogance; he looked like a deflated balloon, and his voice had dropped several decibels. “You came here out of the blue to cause trouble; at the very least, you owe Boss Bai an apology and compensation.” Wei Hai’s tone had dropped to an absolute freezing point, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. Even the onlookers could feel the chill in the air. Gao Ming’s legs were shaking, and he immediately caved: “Boss Bai, I’m… I’m sorry.” Gao Ming could hardly bring himself to say those three words: “I’m sorry.” No wonder—since joining the bureau, this was the first time he’d ever said “I’m sorry” to a store owner. “Holy crap, what’s going on here?” “Is this for real? Did I hear that right? A civil servant from the Administration for Industry and Commerce apologizing to a store owner? Holy moly.” “What a show this is.” The crowd outside erupted once again; for most of them, it was the first time they’d witnessed such a spectacular spectacle. An official from the Administration for Industry and Commerce apologizing to a shop owner—something no one would have dared to imagine—was actually playing out right here in this shop today. “I… can I go now?” Gao Ming ground out through clenched teeth. He couldn’t wait to get out of there. Wearing this uniform and having to grovel like that just now had been an absolute humiliation. Wei Hai looked at the mess scattered across the floor and said coldly, “You guys trashed the whole place. At the very least, you owe Owner Bai some money for table repairs and emotional distress.” “You…” He hadn’t expected this young man in a basketball jersey—small in stature, yet with such a confrontational tone—to be so aggressive. Gao Ming turned red with rage; he was so furious he felt like his lungs were about to explode. He was the one who’d always been the one to ask others for money; today had been a major setback for him. “What? You’re not going to pay, are you?” Seeing Gao Ming’s defiance, Wei Hai became even more confrontational and flatly declared, “Then this isn’t over.” Gao Ming knew that the more he let this escalate today, the harder it would be to wrap things up. The other guy was clearly someone he couldn’t afford to mess with; in the end, he’d be the one to suffer. A wise man knows when to cut his losses. Reluctantly, Gao Ming pulled out his wallet and handed over 100 RMB. “Not enough. Give me another 100.” Gritting his teeth, Gao Ming handed over another 100. After taking the money, Wei Hai snarled, “If you dare mess with this place again, I’ll make you pay.” Gao Ming didn’t dare respond. With Shorty and Chubby in tow, he slunk away with his tail between his legs. Outside the entrance, the crowd gathered there erupted into commotion again. “Holy crap, I’ve lived this long, and today has really opened my eyes.” “Does the owner of this shop have some kind of connections?” “Definitely. Look, the fight’s been going on for so long, and the cops haven’t even dared to step in. Even the officials from the Administration for Industry and Commerce had to apologize. I’d say this shop owner is either a rich kid or has a government connection.” “No way. If he had that kind of background, would he be running such a small shop here? I think that young guy in the basketball jersey is no ordinary guy. Look at the way he talks and stands—he looks like he comes from a military family.” “Holy crap, you can tell that just by looking? Is that for real?” “I’m just guessing, haha.” The onlookers outside were still reeling from what had just happened, finding it utterly unbelievable. Seeing that the situation had calmed down and there was nothing left to see, the crowd gradually dispersed. Bai Xiaobai looked completely dumbfounded, his jaw practically hanging open. He was so shocked—what had just happened felt like a dream. He’d originally thought that getting audited meant trouble was coming his way, and then the assault just made matters worse. He’d assumed he’d at the very least have to go to the police station to give a statement or something. He never expected that a single phone call from Wei Hai would effortlessly smooth things over—the enforcement officer from the Administration for Industry and Commerce apologized and paid compensation, and even the brawl was swept under the rug. Just what kind of connections does Wei Hai have? Although Bai Xiaobai was puzzled, he was certain of one thing. Now that he’d befriended someone with this kind of influence, he’d never have to worry about his Restaurant being inspected again.