Salesman Lu Chen

Right after the scar-faced man shouted, "Who's the boss here?" Diluc calmly set down the cocktail shaker in his hand.

"You handled it last time. This time, I'll take care of it."

With that, he casually rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was ready to warm up a bit.

"Wow~"

Unexpectedly...

In the middle of this tense standoff, a few girls trapped in the bar couldn't help but whisper in excitement the moment they saw him roll up his sleeves, revealing firm, muscular arms.

But when one of the thugs shot them a glare, they immediately shrank back into their seats.

"Handsome guys really do get away with anything..." Lu Chen muttered to himself. "Even fights are popular when they do it."

"I'll handle it this time!" Venti walked over, stretching and yawning. "Otherwise, I'll look like a third co-owner with zero backbone..."

"Do I need to step in?" Xiao's cold, otherworldly voice called from across the room.

"Wow~" The girls turned their eyes to Xiao again. Even the thug couldn't keep a straight face anymore.

"Hey! Be serious! We're here to wreck the place!"

Lu Chen couldn't help but snort with laughter but quickly motioned for Xiao to stand down. He was worried the adeptus might go overboard and turn these guys into dust.

"Boss Wang, who are these people? Why are they acting so cocky?" a thug whispered to the scar-faced man.

Another goon saw their boss just standing there, silent, and hurried him along.

"We've got the numbers today, Boss Wang. Are we going or what? Some of our guys are still in their hands!"

"Go my ass!" Boss Wang—the scarred man—suddenly slapped his own guy across the face.

The unexpected turn stunned everyone in the bar.

Then the so-called "Boss Wang" gritted his teeth and tore into his underlings.

"Do you even know who you messed with?! I still want to live a few more years! I swear I could kill you right now!!"

Lu Chen studied the man again. He looked familiar. Suddenly, something clicked.

After finishing his tirade, Boss Wang looked at Lu Chen. His fierce scowl instantly morphed into an ingratiating grin.

"Don't you remember me? We've met before…"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, hesitating. "You're... that guy..."

"That day in the alley behind the shopping district..." Boss Wang chuckled awkwardly. "I had a few guys with me... Back then..."

"Ah!" Lu Chen snapped his fingers in realization.

Venti remembered too, eyeing "Boss Wang" with amusement. That time, this guy and his crew had cornered him, Lu Chen, and Raiden Ei in an alley.

"You're the one whose jaw I broke?" Lu Chen asked.

"Yup, yup! That was me!" Boss Wang's face twisted into a forced, friendly grin.

"Haha! What a coincidence!" Venti laughed out loud.

Back then, during that whole "entertainment industry smear campaign," the pop star Gu Cheng had hired thugs to sabotage Venti. But he had underestimated their strength. Not only did it backfire spectacularly, Gu Cheng himself was still rotting in jail.

"You seriously don't remember me?" Boss Wang asked, glancing between Lu Chen and Venti, growing more embarrassed.

"Not at all," Lu Chen said flatly. He never bothered remembering small fry like this. Plus, the guy looked pretty different now.

"Heh, well... you messed up my face last time." Boss Wang scratched his bald head awkwardly. "Nearly wrecked it. I needed stitches—lots of them..."

"With a face like that, don't worry about disfigurement," Lu Chen scoffed, folding his arms. "So what's your deal now? Didn't learn your lesson? Still trying to mess with us?"

"Hell no!!" Boss Wang waved his hands frantically, smiling like an idiot. He hadn't forgotten how this devilish teen had dismantled several of his men—and that terrifying thunderstorm. That day was burned into his memory forever.

Still bowing and scraping, he waved his men out. All twenty or so thugs were kicked out of the bar under his orders.

The bar returned to its peaceful state. The girls who had come to admire the handsome staff looked around curiously, glancing from one boss to another, clearly unsure of what had just happened.

"Just saying sorry isn't enough," Lu Chen said coldly, pointing at the bar's front door.

"You storm in without knocking? No manners. The door's nearly wrecked."

"And the tables and chairs you broke last time."

"And the smashed car window."

"And—"

"Alright, alright!" Boss Wang said quickly, still grinning. "I'll pay for everything. No worries. I'll bring people over to fix it myself. I'll even replace the car—guaranteed to your satisfaction!"

"I wasn't done. Why are you cutting me off?" Lu Chen gave him a sideways glance.

Boss Wang flinched and immediately lowered his head.

Lu Chen pointed to the group of girls still watching from their tables. "What about the emotional damage you caused my customers? They were just enjoying their drinks, and you came in screaming like lunatics."

"I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it!"

Clearly terrified of Lu Chen, Boss Wang summoned his men again and had them compensate the girls one by one for emotional distress.

None of the thugs had ever seen their boss this submissive before, but seeing how terrified he was, no one dared say a word. They obediently apologized and handed out cash to the girls...

The girls, after seeing the handsome bosses, getting some unexpected spending money, and witnessing the drama, left with beaming smiles. Some even blew kisses to Lu Chen in thanks.

Lu Chen waved as they left. "Alright now, don't forget to come back. Bring your friends and classmates too—my new place needs all the business it can get..."

"You really do have a knack for running a business," Diluc commented unexpectedly.

"Of course I do. There's nothing I can't do," Lu Chen replied casually.

Once the customers were gone, it was time to get down to business. Lu Chen pulled out a chair for Boss Wang.

"Sit."

"Oh no, I really shouldn't—" Boss Wang started to decline.

"Sit. Down." Lu Chen's tone turned impatient.

"Y-yes, sitting!" Boss Wang hurriedly plopped into the chair.

Diluc and Venti sat down too, forming a small circle around the table. Boss Wang began to sweat under the pressure.

"That bar across the street—yours?" Diluc asked directly.

"It's... a friend's bar..." Boss Wang said cautiously, but under Diluc's cold stare, he added, "But just treat it like it's mine. I call the shots..."

"I see." Lu Chen smiled pleasantly. "Looks like we're fighting on the same team."

Boss Wang had no idea why these scary people were bringing up that bar. Were they here for revenge over a past conflict? Planning to drag out the real owner and beat him up?

But Lu Chen's next move left him even more confused.

From behind the bar, Lu Chen pulled out a bottle of plain-looking liquor, set it on the table, and gave the most sincere smile—like a top-tier salesman.

"Take a look. We've been developing a new liquor—great flavor. Give it a try and tell me... do you think it'll sell?"

Boss Wang stared at the crystal-clear liquor that had just been pushed toward him, eyes wide.

"Huh?"