‘Damn, could it be that Wu Peng is lying in wait here, planning to retaliate?’
‘That doesn’t seem right, though. I didn’t actually expose his identity, so he shouldn’t be doing something this risky!’
Regardless, I really couldn’t move right now.
Gu Chen felt something pressed against her waist.
She couldn’t tell what it was.
‘It couldn’t be a gun, could it…?’
“Go, get in!”
Seeing that Gu Chen wasn’t resisting, the man grabbed her, opened the car door, and shoved her inside.
There were three other people inside, including a driver.
Gu Chen was squeezed into the middle seat, her path of retreat blocked on both sides and from the front.
Combined with the cramped space, she had no chance to escape.
‘What’s going on?’
Her brain was a complete mess.
‘Did I seriously just run into kidnappers the second I left the school gates?!’
Looking at them through the dim light, she realized she didn’t recognize any of them.
She didn’t have even the slightest memory of these people.
Yet, their attitude toward her was clearly hostile, as if she owed them several million dollars…
“Gentlemen, do we know each other?”
Taking a deep breath, Gu Chen knew that fighting her way out wasn’t the best option.
She decided to test the waters first.
At the very least, she had to find out who wanted to deal with her before she could come up with a countermeasure.
“…”
However, aside from staring at her, the men didn’t say a word.
They were like statues, offering no opportunity for communication.
‘Damn it, who did I piss off?’
Gu Chen’s expression grew increasingly grim.
As a school boss, she certainly wasn’t short on enemies, but she couldn’t remember anyone capable of pulling off something of this scale…
“Big Brothers, this humble person has an eighty-year-old mother and crying babies at home waiting to be fed. I really don’t have any spare cash on me. However, I’ve always maintained a close partnership with Papa Ma. How about I transfer some money to each of you? You guys can just open Alipay, shake your heads, and open your mouths to receive it. Just consider it a token of my respect, how about it?”
She tried to strike up a conversation a few more times, but these people continued to ignore her.
She eventually gave up.
The car traveled for about twenty minutes before finally coming to a stop.
She hadn’t had a single chance to call the police the entire time.
“Get out!”
A burly man with a buzz cut shoved Gu Chen, and two others physically escorted her out.
“An auto repair shop?”
Seeing her surroundings again, Gu Chen realized she was standing in front of a car repair shop.
She was even more confused.
The shop had long since closed, and only the sign remained lit.
The buzz-cut man knocked, and a small door built into the rolling shutter opened.
Gu Chen was forced inside, where the lights were somewhat blinding.
The interior was spacious, with several cars parked side by side and various tools scattered around.
It really was an ordinary repair shop.
‘Damn it, what do I do?’
Faced with this situation, Gu Chen was at a loss.
These were clearly people from the underworld, and they didn’t come with good intentions.
She still didn’t know who was looking for revenge.
“Brother Leopard, we brought the person.”
As the words fell, a figure in front slowly stood up and walked toward Gu Chen.
The man looked to be in his twenties.
He was wearing a white tank top, and his dark skin stretched over muscles that clearly came from long-term physical labor.
He was a towering, imposing figure.
His most striking feature was his fierce appearance.
He looked like someone who could play a villainous thug in any television drama without an issue.
“You must be Gu Chen.”
The man called Leopard looked her up and down before speaking tonelessly.
“That’s me. Who are you?”
There was no point in Gu Chen denying it.
She needed to figure out his identity and goal first.
“You can call me Leopard. I’m the owner of this auto repair shop.”
The man seemed unwilling to reveal his real name, and his gaze was equally unfriendly.
“A gang is a gang. Why act like this is a legitimate business? I’m telling you guys, you shouldn’t always choose auto repair shops as a cover. Your kind has almost demonized this entire industry.”
Gu Chen rolled her eyes.
The plot was too familiar.
Many gangs in movies liked to use these places as their base.
It wasn’t original at all.
But then again, opening a maid café would definitely ruin the atmosphere…
“Ahem!”
“That’s where your lack of experience shows. With this shop, I don’t have to worry even if I’m discovered. After all, as an auto mechanic, it’s perfectly reasonable to carry a wrench with me at all times, right?!”
Leopard straightened his expression and actually started explaining the logic behind it.
Then, he pulled a wrench from his person and brandished it.
“Holy crap!”
Gu Chen instinctively took half a step back.
She thought she had run into a real tough guy.
‘Am I going to meet my end here today?’
She decided to keep talking nonsense to stall for time.
“Also, that nickname isn’t very good. Leopard? Isn’t that just a giant kitty? If you’re going to be in this business, you should at least pick something imposing. Even ‘Hunting Dog’ sounds better than that.”
“Oh? Is that so? I actually felt it didn’t sound that great either. Do you have any ideas? Give me a suggestion.”
Upon hearing her words, the man actually became interested.
He stepped closer, asking for her advice quite seriously.
“Well, let me think.”
Gu Chen rubbed her chin, feigning a deep, thoughtful expression.
After their initial interaction, this Brother Leopard didn’t seem as fierce as he looked.
In fact, he seemed a bit dim-witted.
Logically, she shouldn’t have made an enemy out of someone like this.
“Brother Leopard, did you forget why we brought her here?”
The buzz-cut man couldn’t take it anymore and awkwardly reminded him.
“Oh, right!”
Leopard snapped back to his senses and immediately distanced himself.
He said viciously, “Gu Chen, I brought you here today to settle a score. You offended someone you shouldn’t have, and now you’ll learn the consequences.”
As he finished speaking, the other four burly men instantly surrounded her.
As soon as he gave the word, they would strike.
Faced with five men armed with wrenches, Gu Chen had no chance of winning.
Cold sweat broke out instantly.
But she still asked unwillingly, “Hey, how exactly did I offend you? At least let me know why I’m dying!”
“Hahaha—”
A second later, a familiar laugh echoed through the hall.
A figure slowly walked out, clapping her hands with an incredibly smug curve on her lips.
“Gu Chen, I told you I’d make you pay. Today, we’re going to settle our debt with interest.”
“Qian Zhiyu?”
Gu Chen’s heart sank the moment she saw her.
Now she understood everything!
After all that, this whole setup was orchestrated by that bitch!
She had truly underestimated her.
Given their relationship, there was no way this would end peacefully.
“Xiao Yu, is this the one who bullied you at school?”
Leopard’s face instantly transformed into a smile.
That posture was the textbook definition of a Licking Dog.
“Yes, Brother Leopard, she’s the one who bullied me! Not only did she humiliate me, but she even hit me! But she’s a school boss, so I couldn’t afford to provoke her. That’s why I came to you.”
Qian Zhiyu nodded.
The only thing missing was the word “manipulative” written across her face.
She switched to a victimized state in a second, and looking at it made Gu Chen want to vomit.
Leopard, however, clearly fell for it.
He instantly felt incredibly pained for her.
He then glared at Gu Chen.
“Gu Chen, I’m giving you two choices today. First, kneel down and apologize to Xiao Yu, then kowtow one hundred times, and we’ll call it even. Second, I’ll break one of your arms and one of your legs as a lesson.”
“But hey, I, Leopard, am not an unreasonable man. I’ll pay for your hospital bills later. Don’t say I’m a bully. This is what happens when you offend my girlfriend!”
It was clear he was out for revenge for Qian Zhiyu; he had planned this all along.
She would either be humiliated or crippled.