Chapter 371 — Another Slap

Zhu Xiaozhang was furious. He had spent years as a lackey at Kang Jingming's side, and no one had ever dared to hit him! As the saying goes, even a dog gets respect for its master's sake; other people, naturally, had always given Kang Jingming face. But he was not stupid either. He only ordered the guards to haul Wei Zhao away, and did not dare order them to take Kang ** as well!

Kang **, after all, was a member of the Kang family. To humiliate him was one thing, but to drag him off and beat him would have been a much uglier business — and when Old Master Kang the Divine Physician came asking questions, it would be hard to give him an answer!

Everyone knew that Kang the Divine Physician prized face above all things. Never mind how he treated Kang **'s branch of the family behind closed doors — on the surface, things still had to look proper. Otherwise, why would he have bothered to invite Kang **'s family to his birthday banquet?

The guard squad leader, Zhong Dingwei, glanced at Wei Zhao and made a quick calculation. The clothes on this kid were the sort you found on cheap street stalls for a few dozen yuan a piece; he obviously had no standing or background, so there was no need to hold back. "Kid, so you've got the guts to start trouble inside the Bright Moon on the Sea Resort? You're coming with us!"

"Wei Zhao..." Tang Zhi grew nervous and clutched at his arm, unwilling to let him go. True, Wei Zhao had thrashed the four great young villains of the campus back at school — but that was school. Out here in the real world, these guards were clearly up to no good. If Wei Zhao went with them, would he ever come back?

Wei Zhao squeezed Tang Zhi's hand and whispered in her ear, "It's fine. Don't forget, I know their boss."

His secret whisper left Tang Zhi's ears tingling and her face flushed pink at once. She shot him a reproachful look — even at a time like this, he still found a way to tease her! Still, she told herself, she had let worry carry her away. Wei Zhao was right: he knew the boss of this place. What was there to fear?

Zhong Dingwei saw Wei Zhao utterly ignore him, whispering to the girl beside him instead, and his face darkened at once. This was provocation; this was contempt!

"Aren't you the tough guy? Didn't you hear me talking to you?" Zhong Dingwei reached out to grab Wei Zhao by the collar, only to be casually brushed aside.

"Where's this stray dog barking from? Got brain damage, have you? Which eye of yours saw me hit him? I'd say he hit himself!" Wei Zhao laughed coldly, then his gaze swung, dark and ominous, to where the former guard squad leader was hiding from earlier. "Isn't that right?"

That guard squad leader had long been on bad terms with Zhong Dingwei, and had lingered around hoping to watch him make a fool of himself. He had never expected Wei Zhao to call him out as a witness! Cold sweat beaded at once on the squad leader's forehead. He did not dare offend Wei Zhao, but he had just taken Zhu Xiaozhang's money — and if he kept silent now, he would offend both sides and please neither!

The squad leader steeled himself. Since he was already at odds with Zhong Dingwei, what harm was there in backing Wei Zhao up? He darted out and jabbed a finger at Zhu Xiaozhang. "I saw it! He hit himself! Zhong Dingwei, you're the squad leader inside the banquet hall — the security out here is my responsibility. What business of yours is this?"

"What?" Zhong Dingwei was stunned. Zhu Xiaozhang hit himself? Really? But when he saw the venomous hatred in Zhu Xiaozhang's eyes, he understood: there was no way Zhu Xiaozhang had hit himself. Who would be stupid enough to slap their own face for fun?

"Old Sui, this is none of your business. Are you trying to be a witness? Do you know who this Mr. Zhu Xiaozhang is? He belongs to Second Young Master Kang's..." Zhong Dingwei did not get to finish, because Wei Zhao cut him off.

"A dog, that's all." Wei Zhao curled his lip.

"Hahahaha..." Kang ** burst out laughing. That Wei Zhao would still dare crack a joke like that at a moment like this delighted him immensely! All this time, Kang Jingming had kept him pinned down, but now the man's own people were being trampled flat, and the most marvelous part was that someone had even stepped up to give false testimony!

Zhu Xiaozhang's face turned the color of a pig's liver, and Kang Jingming looked none too pleased either. He had no idea who this Wei Zhao was, that he could make old Sui — the squad leader who had just pocketed the red envelope — flip sides so suddenly!

"You little bastard, what the hell are you? Believe me, I can make sure you never walk out of Bright Moon on the Sea alive!" Zhu Xiaozhang had lost his mind. When had anyone ever insulted and belittled him like this?

The whole point of coming here today had been to humiliate Kang ** and Lan Zhi, and now he had been humiliated by a man they had brought along. If he could not vent this rage, how would he ever show his face in Donghai's high society again?

"Smack!"

Another resounding slap — but this time, no one saw Wei Zhao's hand move! Because this time, it was the right side of Zhu Xiaozhang's face that swelled up, and judging by the shape of the print, he had been struck with a left hand! Yet at that very moment, Wei Zhao's left hand was resting quite properly in Tang Zhi's!

"You... you dare hit me again? Captain Zhong, you saw it this time, didn't you? He hit me! Haul him back right now! This time the witnesses are all here — let's see him try to deny it!" Zhu Xiaozhang raged and clawed at the air. "You all keep an eye on him for me — once the banquet's over, I'll show him what's what!"

But this time, neither Kang Jingming nor Wang Shubin spoke up for Zhu Xiaozhang, and Zhong Dingwei stood frozen where he was, seized by a strange terror! The first slap had indeed been Wei Zhao's doing — but who on earth had delivered this second one?

Wei Zhao's left hand was plainly holding Tang Zhi's. Everyone had seen it with their own eyes, and no one had seen him lift a finger!

"What's wrong with all of you?" Zhu Xiaozhang waited a long while, yet Zhong Dingwei did not move, and Kang Jingming and Wang Shubin said not a word, which made him feel that something was very wrong indeed!

"You really are a dog's leg, all right — with a dog's brains to match." Wei Zhao looked at Zhu Xiaozhang with pity. "You've gone and developed delusions. So many people are standing right here, and not one of them saw me hit you, yet you insist it was me. There's no saving you! My advice: go buy yourself some brain-dead pills. Who knows, after a full course you might even gain a point or two of IQ."

"Hahahahahaha!" Kang ** burst out laughing. Never in his life had he felt so vindicated; watching Zhu Xiaozhang and his lot choke on their own bile filled him with an indescribable delight. Even Xiaofen, whose face had been streaked with tears a moment before, now broke into a smile — she too found it deeply satisfying.

Only Tang Zhi — a flicker of astonishment crossed her beautiful eyes! Though she had not seen Wei Zhao make a move, she had felt it beyond doubt: Wei Zhao, holding her hand, seemed for an instant to have let go... A