Chapter 57 One Word, Half a Million

"You saved my life again," Su Ji said, sitting on the back seat of Qin Chao's bicycle after work, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You've saved me four times now. Wouldn't it seem stingy if I don't show my gratitude?"

"Nonsense, I didn't save you expecting anything in return," Qin Chao laughed, "Besides, you are my creditor. If something happened to you, who would I pay back?"

"Drop dead. Everyone wishes their creditors would just drop dead," Su Ji scoffed, "It's all because I'm a beautiful woman!"

"Cough, cough..." Qin Chao cleared his throat, "What a narcissist."

"Look who's talking!" Su Ji gave Qin Chao a light punch on the shoulder, "Let's go somewhere nice today. I'll treat you to dinner."

"Where to? KFC or McDonald's?"

"We're going somewhere with good food, I am treating you, so of course we're going somewhere expensive."

"Pizza Hut?"

"Do you only think of fast food?" Su Ji asked, slightly annoyed, "We're going to Anthony's Hotel. They have excellent French cuisine. I'll take you there."

"French cuisine?" Qin Chao raised an eyebrow, "I'd rather go to Dong Street for barbecue. It's fifty cents per skewer, the small stalls there are cheap and delicious. In a barbecue restaurant, it's a dollar per skewer! The lamb chops on Dong Street are to die for, treat me there instead."

"Barbecue is indeed good, you can treat me to that next time. But this time, I'm treating you. So, are we going or not?"

With that, Su Ji pinched Qin Chao's waist.

"Alright, you're the boss. As you wish." Qin Chao helplessly turned the handlebars, heading towards Anthony's Hotel in the city center.

The downtown area was seldom frequented by common folks. It was essentially a paradise for the wealthy of Sunan City and a hell for the poor. The construction of this place had significantly boosted Sunan City's GDP. But the cost was the demolition of many residential areas, causing a surge in housing prices.

Anthony's Hotel was the most famous restaurant here, with a variety of luxury cars, some recognized by Qin Chao, some not, parked at the entrance. Qin Chao, who arrived on his Forever 28 bicycle, was probably the first of his kind since the hotel's establishment.

"Do... do you need help parking..." A waiter dressed in a red hotel uniform, white gloves in hand, stood there stunned, watching as Qin Chao and Su Ji got off the bicycle.

"Yes, find a good spot with positive energy!" Su Ji took out a red banknote and stuffed it into the pocket of the parking attendant, "And make sure the bike is clean and shiny. Make sure it doesn't get scratched by other vehicles, or I will complain to your manager."

"Understood, miss..." Money talks. The attendant accepted the tip, hopped on the Forever 28, and parked it in a spacious spot.

At that moment, a black Toyota Crown slowly pulled in, eyeing the same spot. But to their surprise, the parking attendant had already parked the bicycle there, showing off his parking skills.

The Crown immediately honked its horn, blaring obnoxiously.

A head popped out from the rolled-down car window, the man inside shouting at the parking attendant, "Move aside, I need to park!"

"Sorry, sir, this spot is taken," the attendant replied politely to the man in the Crown. Having worked here for more than two years, he had seen all sorts of people. Su Ji, though riding a bicycle, clearly came from an elite family based on her demeanor.

The man in the Crown, however, seemed to be a nouveau riche, lacking in manners.

"Damn it! Kid, you dare repeat that!" The man in the Crown flung open the car door and stepped out. Upon seeing him, Su Ji and Qin Chao recognized him instantly. Ah, this man in the black mink coat was none other than Zhao Long, whom they had met at the parent-teacher conference!

"I'm sorry, sir. If you want to park, I can assist," the parking attendant, obviously professionally trained, stood his ground, his tone polite yet firm.

Zhao Long held his head high, muttering curses, "Screw off! Don't put on airs with me. I can park myself. I don't have spare money to tip you. Move your damn bicycle. Do you even know what car this is? Damn, it's a Toyota Crown! High-end version, worth over eight hundred thousand. Can you even afford it?!"

"I'm sorry, sir," the parking attendant remained composed, "Our hotel's parking service is free. Whether you tip or not is up to you."

"Little bastard, I don't want to waste words with you. Just move that bike now! If it scratches my car, I'd worry about the damage! Damn, it's worth over eight hundred thousand! Your bicycle? Maybe eighty yuan at most!"

"What's wrong with eighty yuan?" At this point, Qin Chao was growing irritated. Standing in front of Zhao Long, he coldly asked, "When this bike was made, you were still a schoolboy with a backpack!"

"Who the hell are you?" Zhao Long glanced at Qin Chao, finding him vaguely familiar.

"Oh my, our bike is just a Forever, and you're driving a high-end Crown worth eight hundred thousand!" At that moment, Su Ji, the ever-mischievous girl, popped out. She gracefully stood beside Qin Chao, casting a playful glance at Zhao Long.

Qin Chao knew that smile all too well. It was undoubtedly a devilish one. Clearly, this little minx was up to some mischief again.

"That's right, this is a high-end Crown! How about it, beauty? Want a ride?" Zhao Long's eyes lit up instantly. Wasn't this the gorgeous girl he'd met at the parent-teacher conference? After seeing her that day, he had been filled with lust and had to find the prettiest hostess in his nightclub to vent his frustration. He had had his share of women, but a beauty with such grace and charm was one in a million.

"Sure..." Su Ji's single word brought a broad smile to Zhao Long's face, a rush of lust welling up within him. Once you're in my car, heh, you're not getting out without some fun!

"Oh, wait, that's not right!" Su Ji leaned forward for a closer look, then suddenly pulled back, pouting in dissatisfaction. "What's this? It's clearly not the high-end version. It's the basic Crown worth just over two hundred thousand. Mr. Zhao Long, you're misleading people who don't know any better! If you can't afford it, don't flaunt it. A car worth less than three hundred thousand, claimed by you to be worth eight hundred thousand! My God, where did that extra five hundred thousand come from? You could buy a BMW 5 Series with that! Mr. Zhao, you're impressive, casually adding a BMW to your claims!"

Zhao Long's face turned a mix of red and black with embarrassment. The parking attendant next to him seemed to be struggling to hold back his laughter.

"Shut up if you don't know anything!" Zhao Long snarled at Su Ji.

"Husband, he's insulting me..." Su Ji immediately switched to a pitiful look, like a startled rabbit, hiding behind Qin Chao, timidly saying, "You have to stand up for me."

Qin Chao felt helpless. This girl was too playful. He remembered when they first met, she had pretended that he was her husband, which had earned him a smack on the head with a brick. But then again, that was what he found endearing about Su Ji.

"My friend, you should be more respectful to ladies," Qin Chao said to Zhao Long, lighting up a Red River cigarette.

"Who the hell are you?" Zhao Long retorted, his tone hostile. "Believe it or not, one call from me, and I'll have people here to deal with you."

"Sure, go ahead," Qin Chao shrugged indifferently. "I'd like to see how you're planning to do that in this bustling hotel."

"Damn it, you're really pushing your luck!" Zhao Long, who had been a small-time thug in the past, was clearly no good guy given his shifty attire.

"No matter how much gold leaf you wrap a piece of shit in, it can't hide the stench," Qin Chao chuckled coldly, his head bowed as he smoked his cigarette.

"You're asking for it!" Zhao Long was furious, storming over and attempting to slap Qin Chao across the face.

If this had been the old Qin Chao, the slap would have surely landed. But who was Qin Chao now? Without even lifting his head, he simply raised his left hand and blocked Zhao Long's slap.

"You saw that, right? He made the first move," Qin Chao turned to the wide-eyed parking attendant, grinning, "What comes next is just self-defense."

With that, he suddenly kicked out, sending Zhao Long flying back into the Crown.

"Thud!" Qin Chao casually closed the car door for him, looking at Zhao Long lying inside, sweating from the pain. "Remember, money is meant to be spent for enjoyment, not for showing off. This Crown of yours is nice, quite handsome. It would look even better as your coffin."

With those words, Qin Chao gave the black sedan a kick. The parking attendant's eyes nearly popped out of his head. There was a loud bang, and the sedan slid backward, pushed by Qin Chao's kick. It ended up crashing into a Hummer H2 parked nearby.

"Oh dear, how did Mr. Zhao manage to hit another car?" Qin Chao winked at the dumbfounded parking attendant. He had already checked that there were no security cameras around the parking lot before making his move.

Zhao Long would surely struggle to explain what had happened. Claiming someone kicked his car, causing it to crash, would surely label him as a lunatic. And what was so special about a Crown? His Forever bicycle served him well. Could his Crown climb walls?

Zhao Long was utterly terrified, curled up inside his car, too frightened to get out. Qin Chao patted the girl behind him and said, "Let's go, let's get some food."

"Sure thing!" Su Ji replied, beaming as she affectionately linked her arm with Qin Chao's, looking every bit the doting wife.

This made Qin Chao's heart rate quicken a bit, and he could feel a slight heat on his face. The pair strolled leisurely into the Anthony Grand Hotel, under the watchful gaze of the parking attendant.

"Ouch... Ouch..." Only then did Zhao Long dare to moan in pain, struggling to crawl out of his car.

Seeing Zhao Long's pitiful state, a smirk appeared on the parking attendant's face. He pulled out a portable radio and said into it, "This is the parking lot, we've had a collision. Someone needs to handle it."

"Roger that!"

"OK, thank you."