"Boss, do you know that woman?" A green-haired lackey beside him, seeing Liu Hao staring dazedly at the beautiful woman not far away, couldn't help but ask.
Liu Hao snapped back to reality and nodded: "Know her? More than that. See that most beautiful woman up front? Her name is Liu Yutong. She was my number one enemy back in the day in Wushui County!"
Hearing their boss say this, the lackeys' gossipy hearts ignited, and they all crowded around to ask.
"Boss, can you tell us about your past?"
"Yeah, boss, tell us. We haven't heard about your glorious exploits before."
"........"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hao's expression immediately became somewhat awkward.
The past was truly too embarrassing to recall, and he naturally couldn't go into detail with his lackeys about how miserably he'd been beaten back then.
But seeing the expectant looks on their faces, he couldn't just refuse either.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to embellish the story just a little bit, just a tiny bit.
"Ahem..."
Liu Hao cleared his throat, putting on an air of reminiscing about the glory days: "Since you want to hear it, I'll tell you about my mighty deeds back then!"
"Back in the day, I was one of the top bosses on Internet Cafe Street in Wushui County. That Liu Yutong, relying on having some skills, tried to steal my turf and poach my men. Tell me, could I let her get away with that crap?"
His gaze gradually grew distant, as if he had truly fallen into those bloody memories.
"I remember that night, the moon was dark, the wind high! Right on the river dam in Wushui County, she brought dozens of guys to corner me. I was alone, on my own, and I didn't back down! Wielding a machete, I fought from one end of the dam to the other, and then back again, without even blinking! The scene was truly a river of blood!"
Originally, the other side only had about a dozen people, and it was actually Liu Yutong's side who were outnumbered when they fought his group, and they took down him and all his lackeys.
But now, in his telling, it became him single-handedly taking down dozens of them.
"I can't even remember how many of her underlings I took down, the machete got so chipped! In the end, it was that ridiculously fierce bodyguard of hers who stepped in, plus they had the numbers advantage, wearing me down with a war of attrition. I was exhausted and had no choice but to make a strategic retreat."
Liu Hao said this, even deliberately pretending to look pained: "Sigh! If they hadn't been so dishonorable, ganging up on me and resorting to sneak attacks, how could I have possibly abandoned the territory and the brothers I'd fought for back then?"
"I'll settle this score with her sooner or later!"
He deliberately omitted the fact that he not only got beaten but also ended up in jail because of it, which led to his lackeys being absorbed by the other side. Instead, he emphasized his own bravery and their underhanded, shameless tactics.
Not to mention, this story of his, mixed with just a tiny bit of truth, really managed to fool his lackeys.
So their boss of the Tianyan Gang used to be that badass!
Thinking about how dishonorable the other side was, the lackeys all grew indignant.
"Damn! That's too much!"
"Boss was so fierce back then, and they still managed to screw him over!"
"So the boss has such a glorious yet tragic past!"
"A true man doesn't let a grudge go unavenged, boss!"
"Yeah! We gotta get revenge!"
"........."
Just as emotions were running high, one tactless, brash young lackey inappropriately spoke up: "Boss, you were so fierce back then, but today when we were being chased by the people from Da Nan Cheng, how come you..."
He didn't have the nerve to say the second half, "ran faster than all of us," but everyone understood.
Today, their turf had been hit with retaliation from a gang of thugs, at least a hundred people showed up, but the boss ran faster than a rabbit. That didn't quite match the image of the fierce guy who single-handedly took down dozens in the story.
Everyone instantly looked at Boss Liu Hao, waiting to hear his explanation.
Liu Hao had already cursed this clueless lackey ten thousand times in his heart. Before he could even fabricate a reason to cover his lie,
Right then, another lackey nicknamed Ah Cong suddenly slapped his thigh, his face lighting up with a look of sudden realization.
"I know! I know the reason!"
Everyone was stunned: "What reason?"
Ah Cong looked at Liu Hao and asked: "Boss! Was it because that bloody battle back then... damaged your foundation?"
"Foundation?" The other lackeys didn't catch on immediately.
"It's... it's the foundation of us men!"
"The boss fought dozens alone back then. In such a vicious fight, it's inevitable he got injured, leading to a severe depletion of his vitality. His skills aren't what they used to be. It might be because his foundation was damaged."
"I remember now, that seems to be the case. I remember when we first took over the arcade, several young hotties threw themselves at the boss, wanting to be our big sister-in-law, but the boss turned them all down.
I was wondering back then, how could such a fierce man like the boss not be interested in women? So this is why. The boss didn't want to hold those girls back!"
With this perfectly reasonable explanation, all the lackeys were shocked.
The looks they gave Liu Hao instantly turned to sympathy, admiration, even deep respect.
So the boss was carrying so much on his shoulders.
To avoid burdening others, he'd rather bear it all alone.
"Boss, you've suffered!"
"Wah, boss, we wronged you!"
"The boss is a true, righteous man of honor!"
"It's all that she-devil's fault, so damn sneaky!"
"......."
Liu Hao: "???"
What the hell is all this?!
How did it get more and more outrageous?!
When did I ever damage my foundation? It's purely because those hotties were just too ugly!
Liu Hao looked at his lackeys' moved and worshipful gazes and swallowed the words of explanation he was about to say.
He was afraid the more he explained, the worse it would get, and then it would be even harder to clear things up.
But fortunately, his heroic and fierce image was mostly maintained, even if with a slight flaw.
"Let's not bring up the past anymore."
The lackeys immediately nodded in unison: "We won't, we won't. We promise not to tell outsiders."
Liu Hao: "Keep your mouths shut."
Everyone again thumped their chests in assurance: "Boss, don't worry, our lips are sealed."
Liu Hao nodded with satisfaction, but as soon as he turned around, several lackeys behind him secretly pulled out their phones and started texting.
"From now on, we don't have to be sneaky. Our boss... can't perform."
"......"
Liu Hao completely missed the little actions behind his back. He looked at Liu Yutong again, his mind in turmoil.
On one side was a man's dignity and past humiliation; on the other was the favor she unintentionally did him last time by helping him out of a tight spot.
Would it be a bit too dishonorable if he took advantage of her vulnerable state now?
"Boss, that she-devil is so sneaky. We have the numbers now. Kick her while she's down! Let's go teach them a lesson and get your revenge at the same time!" one lackey said.
Liu Hao waved his hand. "No rush, let's see how things play out first."
While he could be a bit of a scoundrel, he was fairly clear-cut when it came to debts of gratitude.
He owed someone a favor; he couldn't just pretend it didn't exist, could he?
Most crucially, he wasn't sure if that tough guy from Yun Cheng was around or not. Based on his understanding of Yun Cheng, that guy would normally never stray too far from Liu Yutong. He was probably lurking nearby somewhere, playing the ambusher.
Just as he was stewing in his dilemma, his forehead furrowed so tightly his third eye was practically squinting, another wave of cursing and commotion suddenly erupted from the street corner.
Another group had shown up!
