Chapter 138: The Celebrity Gala

In the blink of an eye, the members of the Heavenly Star Gang fell like stalks of wheat swept by a violent wind, leaving only Li Ah-xing and a few underlings still desperately holding their ground.

Li Ah-xing was now consumed by bitter regret. He had never imagined he would provoke such terrifying, fierce spirits. Forget about using Zhang Xiaoyu to expand his sphere of influence; he could barely protect his own skin now.

"Big brother, let's talk this over. I was truly blind and failed to recognize a true expert just now. We'll return the person to you right away!"

Chen Erpao quickly took off his outer jacket, wrapping it around Zhang Xiaoyu's largely exposed, porcelain-white body, and shot a cold glare. "You were blind then, but your eyes are wide open now, aren't you? You almost made our 'Invincible Flower-Protecting Bodyguard Team' lose face. I might be willing to let it go, but my brothers certainly won't let you off that easily."

"What? The Invincible Flower-Protecting Bodyguard Team? Fine! Big brother, I admit defeat. But this is Taiwan. Although the Heavenly Star Gang isn't some world-famous syndicate, we have the backing of the United Bamboo Gang, one of the three major criminal organizations in Taiwan. Right here in Keelung, the United Bamboo Gang's Sea Wind Chapter holds sway. If you mess with me, I'm afraid none of you will have an easy time staying in Taiwan."

"Stop your endless nonsense. You snatched my person and you still dare to threaten me? Beat him! Especially those lips of his—keep hitting them until they swell up."

Chen Erpao's words were like a dropped bomb, causing Li Ah-xing's expression to instantly turn ashen. If he really ended up looking like that, how could he ever show his face in public again? He would probably lose all standing in the underworld.

Several members of the security detail rushed forward. No matter how much Li Ah-xing struggled, it was utterly futile. Crisp, pleasing sounds of "Slap, slap..." echoed ceaselessly. After barely a dozen blows, blood was already seeping from the corners of his mouth, though he was still a long way from swollen.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaoyu slowly regained consciousness. Upon realizing she was lying in Chen Erpao's arms, she was startled at first, and then tears began to stream down her face. Overwhelmed with the poignant emotion of surviving a harrowing ordeal, she pressed tightly against his broad chest, completely shedding the public persona of a poised, aloof, and noble goddess.

"Alright, alright! Stop crying, or you'll turn into a tear-stained kitten. What would a dignified jade maiden look like if she became a crying little kitten?"

Zhang Xiaoyu pouted adorably, cast a sideways glance at him, and retorted, "You're the cat!"

"Fine, fine, I'm the cat. I rushed in without a second thought to save you, expecting you to offer your hand in marriage in return. I never thought you'd turn your back on me so fast and start calling me a cat instead." Chen Erpao deliberately grumbled with a show of dissatisfaction.

Suddenly, Chen Erpao froze in place. Staring into the pair of lively, expressive eyes right in front of him and feeling the warm, soft sensation on his cheek, he was utterly astonished.

"Hey, is this what they call a forced kiss? So many people are watching, you have to take responsibility for this!"

Zhang Xiaoyu's face flushed crimson. She glanced to the side and saw that all the Crimson Guard members were staring wide-eyed in their direction, while even Li Ah-xing seemed to have momentarily forgotten his pain.

"What are you looking at? I mean you, Big Mouth!" Zhang Xiaoyu roared in embarrassed fury, venting all her pent-up frustration on Li Ah-xing.

Chen Erpao smiled faintly. "That Big Mouth was smiling so obscenely I couldn't even bear to look. Go on, give him a few slaps to avenge your kidnapping. Fortunately, you were still wrapped in a bath towel, otherwise we would have suffered a huge loss."

It was meant to be an offhand, casual joke, but who would have expected that this young miss Zhang would actually charge forward, lift her pretty leg, and fiercely kick Big Mouth in the face several times—a style completely contrary to her usual demeanor. It seemed she really had been deeply terrified and wronged today; otherwise, she would never have acted this way.

About ten minutes later, Li Ah-xing had probably taken at least a hundred hits. His mouth was swollen to the point where it looked no different from a giant sausage, and both his cheeks had suffered collateral damage, ballooning up as well. If anyone happened to be remaking *Journey to the West* right now, hiring him to play Zhu Bajie would be the absolute ideal choice, and they could even skip the makeup department entirely.

Upon returning to the hotel, the organizers and talent agents had already been waiting in a state of frantic anxiety. If something had actually happened to Zhang Xiaoyu here, causing the concert to be canceled, the losses would have been astronomical.

After reprimanding his two careless subordinates for their lapse in judgment, Chen Erpao returned to his room to rest. The events of shortly before had nearly caused him—a bodyguard far more professional than standard professionals—to derelict his duty. If Zeng Fan were to find out about this, he would surely laugh his head off.

Wang Xuemei had just finished taking a shower not long before and was wrapped only in a bath towel, her exposed expanse of porcelain-white skin glowing with an alluring sheen. Chen Erpao was genuinely feeling quite tired by now, and before he knew it, as he lay down, he drifted off to sleep.

That evening, inside a brilliantly lit and dazzling private banquet room at the hotel, the organizers were hosting a welcome banquet for Zhang Xiaoyu. Aside from their own entourage, many dignitaries and social elites from Keelung City had been invited, giving it the distinct atmosphere of an upper-class gathering.

Numerous elites and wealthy figures rushed forward to shake hands and take photos with Zhang Xiaoyu. Chen Erpao simply pretended not to see any of it; as long as her personal safety and bodily integrity weren't compromised, it was none of his business.

Wang Xuemei stood side by side with Zhang Xiaoyu, carrying herself with poised, effortless elegance and noble grace that was not the least bit inferior to the star. Naturally, she also attracted a great deal of warm attention, though these people were at least individuals of status and dared not make any overly presumptuous moves in front of such a crowd.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a fierce, scarred face walked toward Chen Erpao holding two glasses of wine, handing one of them over.

"You're quite something."

Chen Erpao was initially quite surprised because he had never crossed paths with this man before, let alone knew him. However, the man's next sentence immediately made everything clear.

"I am Liu Ming, master of the Sea Wind Chapter under the United Bamboo Gang. That Heavenly Star Gang you stormed earlier can be considered a subordinate branch under my command. You young men are truly impressive, wiping out an entire gang with just a few people. I only wish I were twenty years younger."

Chen Erpao merely displayed a trace of mild surprise and replied, "I've heard that Chapter Master Liu is a towering figure of his generation. To think your subordinates would stoop to such despicable acts—it truly tarnishes your esteemed reputation!"

Hearing this deeply barbed remark, Liu Ming, thick-skinned though he was, could not help but smile sheepishly, feeling somewhat embarrassed and losing a bit of face.

"That was just a misunderstanding. Those little punks dared to go behind my back and pull such cheap tricks. You taught them well. I wonder if you and your brothers might be interested in joining our Sea Wind Chapter? Our chapter is in desperate supply of talents like you and your team. Working as a flower-protecting bodyguard won't earn you much money in a year. If you want to get ahead and make a name for yourself, follow me. With your combat skills, I guarantee you'll make a big splash. By then, you'll have money, power, and you'll even have your pick of female celebrities. What do you say?"

Chen Erpao refused without a moment's hesitation. "Sorry, I'm not interested. My name is Chen Erpao. You can go ask around in Hong Kong and see whether following you actually has any future."

"Chen Erpao? That name sounds so familiar... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."