Ah Wei clutched the ten-dollar bill, feeling pretty pleased with himself.
"Ten bucks just to ask a question? This is too easy. I always said that in America, opportunities are everywhere. It just depends on whether you have the guts to grab them."
Lost in his own narcissism, he walked toward a group of young Black men with dreadlocks and various tattoos.
To be honest, taking the initiative to talk to these tough-looking guys did make him a little nervous.
Fortunately, what he was best at was mental gymnastics.
"What's there to be afraid of? This is a society ruled by law, everyone is equal. It's just a question, are they going to beat me up over it?"
Then, he walked up to the youngest and smallest-looking guy in the group and said in broken English, "Excuse me, sir! I have a question for you!"
The young man turned his head, looking Ah Wei up and down with a face full of confusion.
Ah Wei kept smiling and said, "It's just a simple question, nothing major."
The young man nodded. "Ask away."
"What's your father's name?"
???
The young man thought he had misheard. "What?"
A few of his friends nearby heard it too. After a brief moment of shock, they immediately reacted.
"Hey! This bastard is insulting you!"
"He's asking about your old man!"
"You looking for trouble, boy?!"
Seeing their huge reaction, Ah Wei felt a bit uneasy. Wasn't this just a normal question? Why were they reacting so strongly?
Could it be that they didn't understand his question?
So, he repeated it, deliberately slowing down his speech to make it clearer. "I said... what's... your father's... name?"
Asking it so slowly, combined with his naturally punchable face, was no different from a direct, point-blank provocation.
"Hey! What the fuck did you just say? Do you have a death wish?!"
"Surround him! Don't let him get away!"
The group immediately formed a circle, trapping Ah Wei inside.
Ah Wei finally realized something was wrong and hurriedly waved his hands to explain, "No, no, no! I'm just... just asking a question, I don't mean any harm! Don't tell me you don't even remember your dad's name?"
There was a long-standing racist stereotype in this area that many Black people didn't know who their fathers were. Asking someone this question on purpose was a severe offense, insult, and provocation.
Obviously, Ah Wei was completely unaware of this dark joke.
The young man completely lost it. He grabbed Ah Wei by the collar and roared, "You fucking dare to humiliate me?! I'm gonna shove you up a donkey's ass!"
Terrified, Ah Wei begged for mercy. "I... I was paid to ask! Someone gave me ten bucks..."
The young man glared. "Where is this guy you're talking about?"
Ah Wei hurriedly pointed behind him, but he only pointed at thin air. Chu Yang had long since slipped away.
The group felt insulted all over again. "He's playing you, Mike!"
Ah Wei pleaded, "NO! I'm not, I just..."
Before he could finish, a massive fist smashed into his face.
Bang!
A nosebleed instantly gushed out!
"Get him!"
The group of young men swarmed him, raining punches and kicks down on him.
Ah Wei curled up on the ground, clutching his head, and cried out in pain, "This is America! You can't do this! I have rights!"
These words were like adding fuel to the fire; the group beat him even harder.
"Rights? I'll show you what rights are! Our biker gang is the law!"
"Beat the shit out of him!"
"Teach this dumbass some respect!"
"Ah!!!"
Yun Cheng, watching this scene unfold, finally snapped out of his daze and couldn't help but laugh.
"Chu Yang, isn't that a bit too wicked of you?"
Chu Yang shrugged. "I gave him money, and he went willingly. Besides, I only told him to ask a question. I never said he wouldn't get beaten up."
He had long found this ungrateful, self-hating guy to be an eyesore. This would serve as a lesson for him.
Ah Wei's miserable screams continued.
"This is a society ruled by law..."
"I'm calling the cops... The police will help me..."
"Ah!!! I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"Black daddies! Please let me go..."
When the young men got tired of beating him, they delivered a few final kicks, and one of them even snatched the ten-dollar bill from his pocket.
"Take this as a lesson, punk!"
"Next time, don't go poking your nose into other people's family business!"
After dropping these harsh words, they hopped onto their motorcycles and sped off.
Ah Wei lay on the cold concrete ground, his face bruised and swollen, his clothes torn to shreds, and his entire body aching terribly.
He looked up at the azure sky, tears mixing with his nosebleed as they streamed down his face.
"Why... why treat me like this? I just want to be successful, I want to achieve my dreams!"
Just as he fell into despair, feeling like he was about to die, an ambulance arrived. A few paramedics swiftly lifted him onto a stretcher and loaded him into the back.
Lying on the stretcher, watching the medical staff of this foreign country care for him, the light gradually returned to his eyes.
"Look! There are still good people! This is America! Even if I'm beaten up like this, someone will still call an ambulance for me in time!"
"What is this little setback today? The road to success is always paved with difficulties. When I become a millionaire, the people who beat me up today will all have to... work for me! Yes! I'll hire them as security guards to protect me. This is what you call... a counterattack!"
"America... is so great!"
Two hours later.
With his head wrapped in gauze, bandages plastered on his face, and walking with a limp, Ah Wei stood outside the hospital gates. He stared at the medical bill in his hand for over fifty thousand dollars and fell into a dead silence.
It seemed he had achieved his dream of becoming a man of negative wealth ahead of schedule.
...........
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Liu Yutong was in a car heading to the shooting range. Since she had come to America, she had to experience firing various firearms—something that both men and women found highly interesting.
But before they even reached the range, her phone suddenly rang.
It was Bai Shisui calling.
Liu Yutong answered the phone, but before she could speak, Bai Shisui's crying came through the receiver.
"Sister Yutong, my dad... something happened to my dad..."
Liu Yutong's heart sank heavily. "Take your time. What happened to Uncle Bai?"
"My dad was ambushed on the road. He was shot... He's in the operating room now... sob..."
"Which hospital?"
"General Hospital... the emergency building..."
"I'll be right there."
Liu Yutong hung up and told Chu Yang, who was driving, "Turn around. Go to General Hospital, right now."
"Yes, Miss!" Yun Cheng's mood also grew heavy.
"Miss, do we need to notify Jesse?"
"Let's go to the hospital and check the situation first. If something terrible really happens to Uncle Bai..." Liu Yutong didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was perfectly clear.
This matter had to be thoroughly investigated to the bitter end!
The Snakehead Gang has grown far too arrogant. Not only do they prey on their own people, but they actually dared to lay a hand on President Bai. No matter what it takes, we must make them pay!
