Chapter 544

Ten minutes later.

Chen Ling slowly walked down the stairs, holding a note filled with characters.

Meanwhile, Kong Baosheng sat at a table, his face pale, hands clasped tightly on his knees, looking restless and uneasy.

The moment he saw Chen Ling descend, he immediately stood up and said earnestly: “Mr. Lin, I don't think this is going to work… Perhaps I should go to the dance hall and explain things clearly to Boss Li? Boss Li has too much influence on this street. If he really targets us, I’m afraid we won't have a single customer. How will we do business then?”

Chen Ling put the note back into his pocket and smiled faintly, “You don't need to worry about this.”

Kong Baosheng was about to say something more, but Chen Ling spoke again: “Oh, right, do something for me.”

“What?”

Chen Ling leaned closer and whispered something to him. Kong Baosheng nodded repeatedly, saying, “Alright, I’ll go right away.”

As Kong Baosheng hurried away, Chen Ling glanced at the sky. He dragged a rocking chair from the backyard to the entrance of the theater, sat down leisurely, and squinted into the sun like an old man.

A few minutes later, two menacing young men emerged from the Grand World Dance Hall, carrying baseball bats and rusty iron pipes, and headed directly towards Jinghong Theatre.

Seeing Chen Ling sunbathing at the entrance, they asked menacingly: “Are you the owner of this theater?!”

Chen Ling didn't even lift his eyelids. His body swayed slightly with the rocking chair, and he was completely bathed in sunlight, radiating an indescribable sense of ease.

Seeing Chen Ling ignore them completely, one of the hot-tempered young men immediately raised his iron pipe, ready to strike Chen Ling. However, his companion pulled him back, whispering: “Did you forget what the boss said? Keep a low profile lately, especially don't attract the police… We just need to stay here as the boss instructed and make sure no one enters.”

The young man with the iron pipe glared at Chen Ling, who continued to ignore them. After a long moment, he snorted, lowered his weapon, and sat down directly on the roadside in front of the theater.

These two young men, with their attire, appearances, and the weapons they carried, looked extremely intimidating. Sitting at the entrance of the theater, they resembled two living Yama Kings, glaring at every passerby, scaring almost everyone into walking around that section of the street.

Chen Ling squinted, taking in the entire scene, but showed no intention of intervening, as if the two men were invisible.

This blatant disregard deeply annoyed the two young men. They had been working for Li Ruohong for years; who on this street didn't treat them like the plague? This theater owner might be putting on a brave front now, pretending not to be afraid, but in a couple of days, when he couldn't open for business, they didn't believe he wouldn't come begging for mercy… By then, wouldn't he be completely at their mercy?

When Kong Baosheng returned with bags of groceries, he was visibly terrified by the sight of the two men, his face utterly pale. It was only when Chen Ling stepped forward to escort him that he managed to return to the theater unharmed, despite their menacing presence.

Seeing Kong Baosheng's reaction, the two men immediately felt a surge of satisfaction.

Exactly! That’s the normal reaction!

“Mr. Lin, they are…” Once inside, Kong Baosheng pointed at the two men, seemingly wanting to say more.

Chen Ling shook his head, gesturing for him not to worry. “Go cook. We’re having something delicious today.”

“…Alright.”

As Kong Baosheng went into the kitchen to busy himself, Chen Ling slowly walked back to the theater entrance.

He looked up at the sunny sky and remarked leisurely, “The weather doesn’t look good… It seems a heavy downpour is coming.”

As he spoke, he moved the rocking chair from the entrance back inside the building. Seeing this, the two “door guards” scoffed.

“Rain? There isn’t even a single cloud today. Where would rain come from?”

Chen Ling acted as if he hadn't heard their laughter. No sooner had he moved the rocking chair back than the bright sunlight gradually dimmed. A dark cloud, seemingly from nowhere, drifted over and settled ominously above.

The smiles on the two young men’s faces suddenly froze.

Time: Afternoon, 1:00 PM.

A downpour was imminent.

The fierce wind made the wind chimes on the theater's eaves clink. Chen Ling unhurriedly returned to his rocking chair inside and sat down, a look of amusement in his eyes as he gazed at the two men outside.

The rain clouds in the sky grew heavier and heavier, and the sky seemed to turn completely dark. People on both sides of the street hurriedly collected their laundry and closed their windows. As the first raindrop landed on the face of the young man with the iron pipe, a sudden sense of foreboding rose within him.

Boom—

As a low rumble of thunder flashed through the clouds, a torrential downpour suddenly began. Large raindrops splattered noisily onto the street and windows, and a hazy mist enveloped the world.

Within just a few seconds, the two young men were drenched. They immediately retreated under the theater’s eaves, but the howling wind continued to lash raindrops at them, making escape impossible!

Their faces were utterly grim. One of them, seeing this, was about to step inside the theater to escape the rain, but the other immediately pulled him back.

“The boss has already made his threats. If you go in there, won't he lose face?”

“Then… what should we do??”

“What can we do?! We’ll just hide here!” He looked up at the sky and stated confidently, “This rain came quickly, so it’ll probably pass quickly too… It shouldn’t be long before it clears up.”

“That makes sense.”

The two looked back at the theater, seeing Chen Ling still leisurely seated in his rocking chair, as if enjoying the rain, or perhaps enjoying the two fools stuck in the rain. A slight smirk played on his lips, looking utterly provocative.

Seeing this, their anger burned fiercely, solidifying their resolve… Even if they were soaked and froze to death outside, they would never set foot inside that theater!

Two hours later.

The rain grew heavier and heavier. The torrential downpour was like a bucket of water poured over them, drenching them from head to toe and making them shiver with cold.

Just as their bodies were becoming numb, an enticing aroma drifted from behind them. They laboriously turned their heads to see Kong Baosheng inside the theater, placing a steaming bowl of chicken soup on the table in front of Chen Ling, blowing on his burned fingers to cool them.

“Mr. Lin, this is Huadiao chicken I specially cooked with Huadiao wine. It’s very fragrant and tender.”

“Oh? Let me try some…”

Chen Ling picked up a piece, tasted it carefully, and then raised an eyebrow in surprise. “It is indeed good.”

“Mr. Lin, please try some of the soup too. It’s very flavorful and good for warding off the cold.”

“Hmm… It’s still a bit hot. Let it cool down a little more.”

Gulp—

A sound of swallowing came from the entrance. The two figures, soaked and chilled, seemed utterly captivated by that bowl of chicken soup. Their minds told them to look away, but their bodies refused to obey.

The conversation from inside the theater continued:

“Mr. Lin, it seems I made too much Huadiao chicken. What should we do if we can’t finish it?”

“If we can’t finish it…”

Under their longing gazes, Chen Ling thought carefully,

“If we can’t finish it, just pour it down the toilet.”

The two men’s faces instantly turned ashen.