Chapter 55: Senior Inspector

Chen Erpao hurried home, and as soon as he opened the door, Wang Xuemei puffed her cheeks in anger and turned her head away in a huff.

“What happened? Who dares to make my precious girl angry?” Chen Erpao immediately went over, raising his voice in mock severity.

“It’s you, of course! Making me wait for so long again. If you’d been any later, I wouldn’t have gone with you at all.” Wang Xuemei complained, her face full of grievance, as she swung her dainty fists and lightly hammered his chest.

Chen Erpao smiled calmly. “Alright, I admit my fault. To make it up to you, I’ll spend the whole day with you today. We’ll play until you don’t want to play anymore.”

“That’s more like it.” A sweet, triumphant smile bloomed on Wang Xuemei’s lips as she tossed her purse to Chen Erpao.

By the time they drove to Disneyland, it was nearly noon. After parking the car, they entered a restaurant that looked rather ordinary but was decently decorated.

“My, the place is packed! If we’d come any later, there wouldn’t be a single seat left,” Wang Xuemei observed, scanning the room and noticing only one empty table.

“This way, please.” A young waitress led them toward the vacant table.

Just then, a loud and domineering voice rang out behind them.

“We’re taking that table. You two can go somewhere else.”

Chen Erpao turned to see a man in his twenties, wearing a tight black tank top, his chin raised as if eager for everyone to notice his arrogance. Several other young men and women trailed behind him, all about the same age.

“Sorry, sir, but these two arrived first,” the waitress replied, a little intimidated by the tank-top man, but still maintaining her professional poise.

The man glared at her fiercely, his eyes wide. “Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me say we want that table? Tell them to move aside!” As he spoke, he cast a domineering glance at Chen Erpao and Wang Xuemei, his gaze lingering on Wang Xuemei with an unmistakable lecherous glint.

“If this young lady doesn’t mind joining me, she can stay. As for him—he can get lost.”

The tank-top man’s brazen attitude filled most of the customers with righteous indignation, but when they caught sight of the tattoos on him and his group, no one dared to speak up.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but these two were here first. Can’t you be reasonable?” The waitress’s voice remained steady, her eyes stubborn. Chen Erpao glanced at her with some admiration.

“Xiao Juan, what are you doing? These people look dangerous—we’d better stay out of trouble. Let’s wait for the boss to handle it,” an older waitress hurried over, dragging Xiao Juan aside.

At that moment, the restaurant owner arrived with two burly men dressed as security guards. He was in his forties and sported a prominent belly.

“How about this? That table over there just finished. I’ll have someone clean it right away; you can take that one,” the owner said, flashing a broad, ingratiating smile as he offered cigarettes.

The tank-top man glanced at him but didn’t take the cigarette. His tone was harsh. “We’re sitting at this table today, and that’s final. You deal with it.”

The owner’s face darkened. Incidents like this happened often in the restaurant business, but since he’d started paying protection money to the local gang, no one had dared to cause trouble—at least until now.

“Gentlemen, this place is under the protection of Brother Leopard. I advise you not to start anything,” the owner said, showing off his connections, thinking the gang’s reputation would be enough to make these bullies back down. But the result was far from what he expected.

“You mean Lin Leopard?” the tank-top man sneered. “Last night, our Celestial Alliance boys tossed him into the sea to feed the fish. From now on, we’re in charge here. You’d better wise up, or don’t blame us if things get ugly.”

The owner’s face filled with shock and doubt as he quickly pulled out his phone. He tried several numbers, but none went through. Only then did he realize the man was telling the truth.

Anyone running a restaurant in this area had to be shrewd. The owner immediately pasted on a smile and apologized profusely to the tank-top man.

Then, approaching Chen Erpao and Wang Xuemei with a helpless expression, he said, “Sorry, you two. You’d better sit over there. These people are troublemakers. At least let me give you a discount when you check out.”

Wang Xuemei glanced at Chen Erpao, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, “Let’s just take another table.”

Chen Erpao turned and gave her a reassuring smile. Then, under the owner’s puzzled gaze, he slowly walked toward the tank-top man.

The man stared, unable to fathom what Chen Erpao was up to, a look of confusion on his face.

Chen Erpao beamed, leaned in slightly, and pulled his jacket aside just enough to reveal the finely carved grip of a pistol. The tank-top man didn’t need to look closely to know it was a handgun. He stiffened instantly.

“I’m a senior inspector from the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong, head of the Anti-Triad Unit. Celestial Alliance has been making a lot of moves lately. A few days ago, your higher-ups wanted to treat me to a big dinner, but I haven’t responded yet. I didn’t expect your underlings to stir up trouble for me already. Looks like I’ll have to reassess my relationship with your organization,” Chen Erpao said in a low, helpless voice.

The tank-top man felt a cold sweat break out across his back. He couldn’t believe he had crossed someone that even his bosses wanted to win over. If his blunder today led to disaster... he didn’t dare imagine the consequences.

“S-sir...” he stammered, but Chen Erpao cut him off immediately.

“Don’t call me sir. I can’t accept that, and I’m not part of your circle anyway. Are you trying to get me in trouble?”

The man was even more terrified, forcing a smile. “Inspector, I apologize. It was my fault. How about this: I’ll cover your bill today, just please don’t hold this against us or tell our leader. I’m begging you.” By the end, he was practically pleading.

Chen Erpao nodded. “Alright. I’m on friendly terms with Baldy and Sister Chen from your group. Even if we’re not working together, I won’t hold this against you. But today’s bill is on you—handle it as you see fit.” Watching the thug’s terror, Chen Erpao couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Who would have thought that making up an identity and mentioning a few of the Celestial Alliance’s key figures would be enough to have this guy dancing in circles?

Word count: 2138

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