"Oh?" Xiao Ming looked surprised, "How come I've heard that the biggest shot in North City is someone named Bai?"
Ma Biao's expression changed slightly, speaking unnaturally, "She... She's my woman, I pushed her out there on purpose, get it?"
Xiao Ming started to laugh, his voice rising, "Got it. Qiang, did you get that?"
Ma Biao was stunned, "Who's Qiang?"
"Your granddaddy!"
Liu Jianqiang walked in with his crew from outside the unit door, a fierce smile on his face, "Biao, right! Since when did Bai become your woman? How come I didn't know about it?"
Thwack!
The switchblade dropped to the ground, and Ma Biao started shaking all over.
"Qiang... Qiang... 'Brother Qiang?'" You... Why are you here?"
Liu Jianqiang kicked him down on the stairs, "What's the matter? You got the whole North City under your control, so I can't hang out here, is that it?"
Ma Biao's back ached from the hard stairs, and he begged for mercy through gritted teeth, "I... I was just bragging, trying to scare people. 'Brother Qiang,' I beg you, don't take me seriously."
"The fuck do you think you are? You're not even worth a glance from me on a normal day, let alone being worthy of my time," Liu Jianqiang said condescendingly.
Liu Jianqiang stepped on his face, "But you dare to rob our 'Brother Ming's' turf and fucking slander Bai? You're asking for death."
Ma Biao, with tears streaming down, hugged Liu Jianqiang's leg and howled, "Brother, 'Brother Qiang,' please spare me! It was just someone asking me to do a job. I genuinely didn't know about Xiao... didn't know 'Brother Ming's' identity!
I beg you, just last month I invited you for drinks when my daughter turned one month old. Please, we grew up on the same street, spare me this once and I swear I'll never dare again!"
His two brothers had already been cornered by Liu Jianqiang's boys, squatting with their heads in their arms, not even daring to look at him.
Hearing the words "daughter's one-month celebration," Xiao Ming asked Liu Jianqiang, "You know each other well?"
"Old neighbors, we used to be close," Liu Jianqiang took his foot back, saying, "Don't let his looks fool you. He's just a cook."
A cook?
Xiao Ming paused, then everything clicked. Jiang Xue's brother, his brother-in-law, studied to be a chef in vocational school.
He walked up to Ma Biao and asked, "The person who sent you is called Jiang Lei, right?"
Ma Biao's eyes darted around, silent.
Liu Jianqiang slapped him upside the head, "Stop playing dumb! 'Brother Ming' is asking you something!"
Ma Biao immediately lost his nerve and spilled everything.
"Yes, it was that kid. He said you swindled his sister and hogged the house, not giving it up, and wanted us to come... come and scare you."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jianqiang gave a skeptical look, then he received a kick on the butt.
Xiao Ming laughed and cursed, "Use your head. Do I look like someone who's short of a house?"
Liu Jianqiang thought it made sense; this 'brother' deals in business worth hundreds of millions, associates with the wealthy and noble, and Bai said he seemed to adore his wife too—he couldn't be that kind of lowlife.
God damn it, making me look like a fool!
With a swing of his arm, he slapped Ma Biao on the head again, angrily saying, "You bastard, you dare to talk nonsense. Want me to loosen your bones as a reminder?"
"No, no, I'm telling the truth 'Brother Qiang'..."
Liu Jianqiang was about to hit him again, but Xiao Ming stopped him.
"That's enough, he probably wasn't lying."
Then he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placed one foot on the stairs, stuffed a cigarette into Ma Biao's mouth, and lit it for him.
"Jiang Lei is my brother-in-law. If he wants trouble with me, why would he only send you guys, and not show up himself?
Have you thought about that?"
Ma Biao looked blank for a moment, then his eyes widened with realization, "He... He knew how tough you are, so he didn't dare to come.
The little bastard set me up!"
Xiao Ming shook his head with feigned sympathy, "You treat him as a friend, and he treats you like this. What a bastard!"
Ma Biao began grinding his teeth, with a cold gleam in his eyes.
Xiao Ming's lips curled into a slight smile as he stood up straight, "Ignorance is no crime. Let's forget about today's incident. Remember this lesson and don't spout nonsense outside anymore, especially about Bai, or I'll slit your throat!"
Ma Biao hadn't expected to get off so easily and was overjoyed, nodding his head like pecking rice.
"I get it! I do! Rest assured, 'Brother Ming,' if I ever blabber again, you won't even need to act, I'll cut off my own tongue!"
"Then why aren't you scramming? Waiting for me to treat you to dinner or what?"
Ma Biao scrambled to his feet, gathering his brothers and leaving with nodding and bowing.
Xiao Ming then patted Liu Jianqiang on the shoulder, "Have someone follow them. Don't let them go too far.
After all, Jiang Lei is my brother-in-law. If they hurt him too badly, it'd be hard to explain to his sister."
Liu Jianqiang immediately flashed an admiring thumbs-up, "Bro, you're really righteous! Having you as a brother-in-law is that little bastard's good fortune."
After Liu Jianqiang left with his people, Xiao Ming's smile slowly turned cold.
His mother-in-law had tried stealing the property deed last time, and now she'd resorted to outright robbery, just like a bandit.
It seems, Xue'er inherited her sensible nature from her old man.
You old witch, since you care so much for your son, it's only right your son-in-law presents you with a grand gift.