Demonic King of the Metropolis

Eliminate Chen Jiankai? Humph! Of course, he had thought about it; he’d love to see him dead sooner. The words of Chen Nan had ignited the hatred in Qin Tian’s heart. Clenching the note in his hand, he slowly tightened his grip, then relaxed and carefully put away the note before calling his assistant from outside.

“Fetch the young master for me, tell him I need to see him!”

“Yes, Mr. Qin.” The assistant turned and left. Half an hour later, Qin Haozhong arrived at Qin Tian’s office, his appearance dusty from travel.

“Dad, what did you need to see me for?” Qin Haozhong asked as he removed his sunglasses, revealing a conspicuous bruise near his eye. He looked puzzled at Qin Tian, who sat behind his desk.

“Where have you been running off to again? Tell me!” Qin Tian’s anger rose upon seeing the bruise near his son’s eye.

He, Qin Tian, had always been decisive and bold as the head of Qin Group. Yet his son seemed to inherit none of his strengths. Instead of standing up for himself, he was always being bullied or gallivanting around, neglecting his duties.

Each time he thought about this, Qin Tian could hardly contain his fury.

“Dad, can’t I just go out for a walk without causing trouble? I haven’t caused any problems for you.” Though Qin Haozhong was displeased, he dared not raise his voice. He spoke softly, observing his father’s reaction. Since the last incident, he had been very well-behaved, merely driving around the city center, not going out at night, and returning home on time for dinner and sleep. Wasn’t that enough?

“Do you still remember what happened last time?” Qin Tian’s tone softened slightly when he saw the fear on his son’s face. Qin Haozhong nodded.

“Dad, you’re not really planning to sue them, are you?” Qin Haozhong suddenly recalled the day Qin Tian mentioned suing Chen Jiankai and Tang Jie. He exclaimed in shock, looking at Qin Tian.

“What’s wrong? Can’t I? They beat you up like that and kidnapped you to the suburb; isn’t that a crime? Shouldn’t I sue them?” Qin Tian exaggerated intentionally, although he knew that Tang Jie had actually gone to rescue his son, not kidnap him.

But whenever he saw Chen Jiankai, all reason would turn into towering rage, ignoring all facts. He wanted to crush Chen Jiankai completely, ensuring he never recovered.

“Just drop it, dad. He’s my friend. Remember the car accident? He saved me. Have you forgotten? Without him, I could have been crippled.” In his urgency, Qin Haozhong blurted out the fact that Tang Jie had saved him. Qin Tian was taken aback by this revelation.

“Isn’t he just the bodyguard of Chen Jiankai’s daughter? He has nothing to do with Chen Jiankai himself.” Qin Tian looked at Qin Haozhong with indifference.

Qin Haozhong looked slightly troubled and glanced at Qin Tian. “Dad, I just don’t get it. Why do you have to go head-to-head with Chen Jiankai? Our business is so big-surely he’s not the only competitor we have?”

In Qin Haozhong’s memory, Qin Tian and Chen Jiankai had always been sworn enemies. Every time his father mentioned Chen Jiankai, he would erupt in rage, as though he wanted to tear him apart on the spot. Qin Haozhong couldn’t fathom the depth of their grudge.

“Shut up! You ungrateful son! Every day you bring me trouble, and now you’re defending the family’s enemy?” Qin Tian bellowed at Qin Haozhong, his anger swelling over his son’s lack of ambition.

Seeing his father’s fury, Qin Haozhong decided to stay silent. It wasn’t that he was useless-he simply didn’t want to waste his time on something he didn’t enjoy, namely business. He had no interest in the commercial world, but Qin Tian constantly pressured him to learn the trade. Unwilling to force himself and unable to fight back against his father’s explosive temper, he resorted to a carefree, rebellious attitude as his shield. He spent his days driving aimlessly around the city, chatting up beauties, drinking, and hanging out in bars. While he appeared to be an idle playboy, deep down he had his own interests and aspirations.

After giving Qin Haozhong a harsh scolding, Qin Tian finally quieted down. The moment the assistant entered the room, Qin Haozhong seized the opportunity to escape. As he shut the door behind him, he couldn’t help muttering to himself. This old man-calling him over just to yell at him? If he’d known this was how it’d turn out, he would’ve come up with an excuse like crashing his car into a tree, getting stuck in a ditch, blowing out a tire, or running out of gas on the highway-anything to avoid this summons.

Outside the Qin’s Building, Qin Haozhong walked up to his blue sports car. After getting in, he checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. At least his hair hadn’t been messed up by the old man’s shouting. Satisfied, he smiled and admired himself for a moment-a clear sign of his excessive vanity. Then, he started the car and drove off, leaving the building behind.

At a street corner, Qin Haozhong initially intended to continue straight. But a thought suddenly came to him, and he turned the steering wheel sharply to the right. Before long, his car pulled up in front of the gate of No. 2 High School. Checking the time, he realized it was almost dismissal. Parking the car, he got out and began walking toward the school gate.

“Outsiders aren’t allowed in,” said the gatekeeper, as diligent as ever. Although he remembered Qin Haozhong from a previous visit-being a wealthy young man driving a flashy sports car did make an impression-it didn’t soften his stance. Rules were rules, and this time was no exception. The gatekeeper remained staunch and unyielding.

“Security Uncle, I have something to take care of inside, please keep an eye on my car,” Qin Haozhong said politely, tossing a pack of cigarettes with an exquisite design that cost about a tenth of the security uncle’s monthly salary.

The security uncle’s face remained unsmiling, but he turned his back as if he didn’t see anything, holding the pack of cigarettes. He told the person behind about to enter, “Hurry up and come back out, your car is illegally parked at the entrance.”

“I got it, Security Uncle,” Qin Haozhong replied with a good-natured smile, knowing that as long as he could get inside, everything else could be easily handled.

As soon as the class teacher, Jin Yan, left, the classroom immediately erupted into chaos, as if it were about to explode.

“Hey, Tang Jie, how about we switch seats?” a restless boy whispered non-stop to Tang Jie, unable to contain his yearning for the two beauties sitting in front and behind him.

“Go away!” Tang Jie said dismissively, turning back to his newly rented comic book. Sleeping in class was no longer an option for him, as he was constantly warned by Chen Shuran in front and monitored by Li Feifei from behind. Trapped between a rock and a hard place, he also had to endure the attacks of long legs and high-heeled shoes under the table, making it impossible to sleep peacefully. He had to find other ways to pass the dull classroom time.

“Knock knock!” There was a knock on the door. A student sitting in the first row leaned forward to open it. Qin Haozhong saw that there was no teacher in the classroom and walked straight in, dressed in a beige casual outfit, his dashing appearance eliciting a wave of exclamations.

“Wow! What a handsome guy!”

“This handsome guy has been here before! I’ve seen him!”

Amidst the envious and admiring stares of many, Qin Haozhong immediately spotted Chen Shuran and Tang Jie. The seat next to Tang Jie was empty because the student was absent, so he strode over and sat down next to him.

Tang Jie, engrossed in his comic book, didn’t notice anyone had entered and was used to such noises in the classroom. Only when Qin Haozhong took the seat next to him did he realize someone had come.

“Why are you here?” Tang Jie looked up, surprised to see Qin Haozhong.

“Master, I came to see you,” Qin Haozhong said playfully, nodding to Chen Shuran. Chen Shuran, hearing him call Tang Jie ‘master’, looked at Tang Jie, puzzled.

“Is there something you need?” Tang Jie asked Qin Haozhong, remembering their last encounter and carefully examining his unblemished, handsome face-it seemed he had completely recovered.

“I still owe these two beauties a meal, and I’m here to repay that debt and to thank you, master, for saving my life last time,” Qin Haozhong said with a sincere smile. Tang Jie looked at Chen Shuran, seeking her opinion.

“Hey, beauty, don’t you remember me?” Qin Haozhong noticed Tang Jie’s hesitation and reached out to tap Xiao Ran, who was asleep and drooling. Just as Tang Jie was about to stop him, Xiao Ran was already awakened by Qin Haozhong.

“Ah, it smells so good… another serving of Peking duck…” Xiao Ran mumbled in her sleep, still lost in a dream. Tang Jie noticed a thin streak of drool running down the corner of her mouth. The sight made everyone around burst into laughter.

“Huh? Why are you all laughing? Is class over?” Xiao Ran finally woke up, rubbing her eyes. As her vision cleared, she suddenly noticed a clean-cut, sophisticated face smiling brightly at her from the side. When she properly turned her head to look, recognition hit her. Wasn’t this the dashing guy who had promised to treat her to a meal last time? Oh no, he’s really here!

“Aren’t you… aren’t you Qin Haozhong?” Xiao Ran stammered out his name, her voice growing louder with excitement. Her exclamation drew the attention of the entire class, and suddenly all eyes turned toward her. Realizing she was putting herself on the spot, she lowered her head in embarrassment, but the joy on her face made it impossible to hide her delight.

“That’s right. I’m here to invite you all to dinner. So, how about it? Will you honor me with your presence?” Qin Haozhong said, his gaze fixated on Xiao Ran’s face. Her cheeks, flushed from just waking up, somehow radiated such innocence and charm it caught him off guard.

“Sure! That sounds great! Shuran-Jie, let’s go after school!” Xiao Ran turned eagerly toward Chen Shuran, full of anticipation. Chen Shuran hesitated and looked over at Tang Jie, as if asking for his advice. Tang Jie shrugged slightly, spreading his hands as if to say the decision wasn’t up to him. Chen Shuran then shifted her gaze back to Qin Haozhong, unsure if they should accept the invitation. Deep down, though, she hoped Tang Jie would make the choice for her.

“Now, don’t tell me you’re all going to back out on your word,” Qin Haozhong teased playfully, sensing Chen Shuran’s hesitance. A mischievous grin lit up his face, and he continued, “If you’re not coming, I might just follow you home and let your families feed me instead.” The rascal-like expression he wore made him appear more like a child throwing a tantrum than the sophisticated heir of a wealthy family that everyone assumed him to be.

Xiao Ran turned her eyes to Tang Jie, then back to Chen Shuran, confused as to why they weren’t agreeing right away.

“Come on, just say yes! It’s just a dinner, right? He’s already gone to the trouble of showing up to invite us. If we don’t go, it’d be so rude,” Xiao Ran chimed in, her words surprisingly persuasive despite her usual penchant for gossip.

Tang Jie considered Xiao Ran’s point. She wasn’t wrong-there didn’t seem to be a reason to outright deny Qin Haozhong’s invitation. Truthfully, he wasn’t keen on getting too close to him, especially after Chen Jiankai’s previous warning. But Chen Jiankai hadn’t explicitly forbidden Tang Jie from associating with Qin Haozhong, and their connection was still Tang Jie’s private matter. Plus, seeing Qin Haozhong’s sincere expression-so different from his usual frivolous demeanor-made it harder to refuse outright. Finally, with a slight nod, he agreed.

The moment Tang Jie gave his approval, Qin Haozhong’s face lit up like a blooming peony. He was absolutely beaming, his excitement so palpable that it seemed to transform him into someone completely different. Gone was the carefree, cocky image of a wealthy playboy-they were now met with the exuberance of a big kid who had just gotten what he wanted. The stark contrast couldn’t have been more surprising.

Tang Jie quietly observed him, subtly assessing his so-called “disciple.” It seemed that, in the end, Qin Haozhong had a good heart and wasn’t the type to bring harm to society-or to others, for that matter. Maybe taking him in as his “disciple” hadn’t been such a bad choice after all.