"Brother… Brother Long, all the lights are still on…" one of his underlings couldn't help but speak up.
Brother Long immediately slapped him across the face and roared angrily, "I’m not blind! Do I need you to remind me?!"
Then he quickly put on an ingratiating smile and turned to Zhang Tao and the others. "Gentlemen, is there anything this humble servant can do for you? I’m at your service!"
"Brother Long, is it?"
Zhang Tao took two steps forward and said coldly, "Just now, I thought I heard someone say that even the Wanlong Society has to give you face and call you ‘brother’?"
The moment Brother Long heard this, his knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Big brother, we were just drunk and talking nonsense! Please, have mercy—don’t take it to heart!"
Onlookers from the food street whispered among themselves at the sight.
"Serves him right! Always bullying the elderly!"
"Where’s all that arrogance from earlier? Now he’s cowering like a scared dog."
"Shh… keep it down, don’t let them hear…"
"..."
Zhang Tao turned to Zhang Jianguo and asked respectfully, "Elder Zhang, how would you like to deal with them?"
He deliberately addressed him this way—making it clear to Brother Long and his gang that the old man they had bullied was someone of "status."
And truth be told, Zhang Jianguo, now dressed in the Wanlong Society’s signature black suit with a group of stern-looking men standing behind him, really did exude the aura of a retired underworld figure.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man—even a janitor could look like a boss if he had a crew of intimidating men backing him up.
Brother Long’s face paled at Zhang Tao’s words. He immediately kowtowed three times, his forehead thudding against the ground.
"Elder, I deserve to die! I really do!"
"Elder, I was blind! Please, spare me—just let me go like I’m nothing!"
His underlings, now completely sobered up, quickly followed suit, dropping to their knees and kowtowing.
"Elder, please, have mercy!"
"We were wrong to offend you!"
"..."
They had no choice but to grovel. Not only were they vastly outnumbered, but they had also witnessed what had just happened at the hotel across the street.
How many small-time thugs would dare pick a fight with such a well-organized group?
That would be like asking for death.
Zhang Jianguo looked down at the trembling gangster who had been so arrogant moments ago, his aged eyes flickering with complex emotions.
Why did young men like this insist on walking this path?
And even if they did, why couldn’t they learn from someone like Xiao Zhang?
That boy knew how to navigate this world—he had food, money, and respect, treated elders with courtesy, and took his work seriously. Sure, he was a bit rough around the edges now, but he was still miles better than these useless thugs who thought they were hot stuff.
Meanwhile, Zhang Kai had no time to be shocked anymore.
He recognized the young man beside his father—the same one he had mocked earlier, saying he’d rather clean toilets than end up like him.
If he had known the guy was this well-connected, he never would’ve gone to Brother Long for help.
Zhang Kai also dropped to his knees, shuffling toward Zhang Jianguo as he wailed, "Dad! I was wrong!"
Brother Long and his crew gaped at him.
Wait, this old man is your father?
Then what the hell were you doing earlier? You absolute scumbag!
Now desperate, they grabbed Zhang Kai’s arms like lifelines.
"Xiao Kai—no, Brother Kai! Please, talk to your dad for us!"
"Brother Kai, we didn’t mean it! Beg him to spare us!"
"..."
The rest of Brother Long’s lackeys joined in, pleading frantically.
Zhang Jianguo shoved his son away, tears streaming down his face. "You’re not my son!"
"I don’t have a son like you!"
"I gave you everything you ever wanted! Your mother left us early, and I couldn’t bear to see you suffer—I never even raised my voice at you!"
"At twelve, you broke the neighbor’s window—I paid for it and apologized. At sixteen, you got into fights at school—I rushed to smooth things over with gifts. At eighteen, you stole money from home to go out—I told myself you’d grow out of it!"
"But you—why won’t you change?!"
"And it’s my fault too. They say a father’s failure is his son’s ruin. Spoiling a child is like killing them. I realized it too late!"
Zhang Kai sobbed uncontrollably. "Dad, I really know I was wrong… I swear!"
Zhang Tao cut in coldly. "You don’t regret anything. You’re only scared because you didn’t expect Elder Zhang to know us."
With that, he pulled out a telescopic baton from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Jianguo. "Elder Zhang, this is a family matter. We won’t interfere."
After all, no matter how much of a disgrace Zhang Kai was, they couldn’t lay a hand on him in front of his father. This was both a show of respect and a test—would Zhang Jianguo keep enabling his son, or would he finally put his foot down?
Then Zhang Tao pointed at Brother Long and his men. "Take these guys to the restroom."
The moment they heard this, Brother Long and his crew panicked, begging for mercy.
"Spare us! Please!"
"..."
But no amount of struggling could save them from being dragged into the restroom.
Inside, someone quickly brought out padded vests designed to minimize bruising. The black-suited men slipped on gloves and made all necessary preparations—ensuring nothing would leave a trace (no evidence).
Soon, blood-curdling screams erupted from the restroom, startling the onlookers outside.
Yet, deep down, they felt a twisted satisfaction. Those thugs had it coming.
Zhang Jianguo stared at his kneeling son, clenched his teeth, and finally raised the baton—bringing it down on Zhang Kai with a vengeance.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The baton struck Zhang Kai’s body, drawing pained howls.
In the past, if his father had dared hit him, he would’ve fought back instantly. But now, he could only cover his head and endure the beating, too terrified to even feel hatred.
Once Zhang Jianguo had vented his fury, Zhang Tao called out to the crowd, "Who’s in charge of this market? Step forward!"
A middle-aged man nervously pushed through. "Y-yes, sir? What do you need?"
Zhang Tao pointed at the still-kneeling Zhang Kai. "Give him a job cleaning toilets. Pay him whatever you see fit. But remember—those toilets better be spotless, cleaner than if they’d been licked clean. If they’re not, I’ll hold you responsible."
"Y-yes, sir! Consider it done!" The manager nodded eagerly, even feeling a hint of relief.
The foot traffic in the food street was quite heavy, and the public restrooms there were notoriously filthy, difficult to clean, and frequently clogged. Usually, only elderly cleaners who couldn’t find better jobs were willing to give them a cursory wipe-down—never thoroughly, of course.
Now that Brother Long had spoken, Zhang Tao could boss Zhang Kai around as much as he wanted. If the restroom wasn’t spotless, he’d make the kid scrub it by hand. With Brother Long backing him up, Zhang Tao wasn’t about to go easy. As for wages? A measly few hundred bucks would suffice.
When Zhang Kai heard Zhang Tao’s words, his face turned green with regret. He could’ve kicked himself for his earlier slip of the tongue—that stupid remark about how he’d rather clean toilets. Now Brother Long was holding a grudge.
No matter what, though, he really didn’t want to clean those restrooms. He knew exactly how disgusting they were—beyond words. The yellowish stains, the pungent stench, the patches that even a mop couldn’t scrub clean.
“Dad…” Zhang Kai tried pleading with Zhang Jianguo, hoping his father would intercede and spare him from toilet duty.
But Zhang Jianguo, now completely unbothered, not only refused to help but even suggested extending his son’s work hours.
“If I start my shift in the afternoon, he can come in before noon.”
Zhang Kai was utterly crushed. He even considered making a run for it once the men in black left—maybe flee to another city and work in some factory tightening screws.
But then he saw Brother Long and his lackeys being dragged out of the restroom by those same men in black, their faces ghostly pale. Worse, the men muttered something about “handling” Brother Long and his crew—sending them away.
Zhang Kai’s blood ran cold.
“Sending them away”—was that the kind of “sending away” he thought it was?
Yikes… terrifying!
“I’ll do it! I love cleaning toilets!” Zhang Kai wailed.
Better a miserable life than a sudden disappearance.
