Chapter 046: When the Creditor Comes Knocking
The moment Chen Ning spotted Liew Ruyan in the arena, he knew things had taken a turn for the worse.
Chen Ning didn’t believe in coincidences. There simply weren’t that many coincidences in the world.
Liew Ruyan was the general manager of the Liew Trading Company—by any measure a very busy woman. How could she just happen to appear at this colosseum?
Chen Ning had a bad feeling. This woman was here for him.
Sure enough, just as that thought flickered through his mind, Liew Ruyan began walking toward them.
“Well, well, Young Master Bai — what a coincidence!”
Her voice was as crisp and sweet as a songbird’s trill. Bai Yuhao turned and, upon recognizing her, smiled politely. “Ah, so it’s Miss Liew of Liew Trading Company.”
Bai Yuhao was a young master of Vermilion Phoenix City, and he had naturally visited the Liew Trading Company many times in the past, so he recognized Liew Ruyan.
He was a little puzzled. Although he knew Liew Ruyan, they weren’t close at all. By all logic, Liew Ruyan shouldn’t be the one to come over and greet him first—she ought to understand that much about social cues and propriety.
Even with the doubt in his heart, Bai Yuhao’s expression remained calm and unreadable.
With a slight smile, he introduced LiewRuyan to Chen Ning and the others: “This is the general manager of the Liew Trading Company. If you ever need to buy rare items, you can go to her. She can help, and the price is negotiable.”
As he spoke, Bai Yuhao proceeded to introduce Chen Ning and the others to Liu Ruyan. In his view, Chen Ning and his group would inevitably need to buy various weapons and supplies in the future, so it would be good for them to know Liu Ruyan.
Bai Yuhao introduced them to her one by one: “This is Miss Su Luo, this is Luo Long, and this is Luo Hu. As for the last one, his name is…
Before he could finish, Liew Ruyan’s lips curved into a knowing smile, her peach-blossom eyes glimmering. “This gentleman is Mr. Chen Ning, isn’t he? We already know each other — isn’t that right, Mr. Chen?”
Liew Ruyan’s words made Su Luo and the Luo brothers turn to look at Chen Ning in unison. Everyone was wondering how Chen Ning knew this stunning, flirtatious manager.
Could it be that something had happened between him and Liew Ruyan last night when he went out alone?
Even Bai Yuhao suddenly understood—so Liew Ruyan hadn’t come over to strike up a conversation with him at all. Her intentions lay elsewhere!
Chen Ning forced a wry smile. “Yes, Miss Liew and I met last night — at her company.”
Liew Ruyan’s smile deepened. “What a small world. The goods you were interested in yesterday — we’ve just received a fresh batch. If it’s convenient, would you spare me a few minutes? We can chat at that cafe over there.”
Though her voice was pleasant, her eyes carried a glint of threat that only Chen Ning could realise. It was a silent warning: Come quietly, or I’ll make a scene.
He understood immediately. If he refused, she would no doubt pull out proof of what he’d done at the Liew Trading Company last night, footage of him unleashing the beasts — and publicly demand compensation in front of Bai Yuhao and the others.
Right now, she only said she wanted to talk with him—saving his dignity while also making it convenient for her to demand compensation later. This woman was truly clever.
After leaving the trading company last night, Chen Ning casually took a taxi back to the Bai residence.
He had thought that even if the company discovered he was the one who released the beast, once they found out he was staying with the Bai family, they would hesitate. Surely they wouldn’t risk offending the Bai family over a mere few hundred gold coins—there was no need for that.
Yet he hadn’t expected Liew Ruyan to be so petty. She actually came.
Liew Ruyan’s gaze didn’t waver, waiting for his reply.
Chen Ning nodded. “Very well.”
Bai Yuhao, who had already guessed what was going on, smiled faintly. “Then you two talk. We’ll walk around and go get the tickets — I heard there’s a match later today: a gladiator versus a zombie Hellhound.”
He led Su Luo and the others away.
Chen Ning followed Liew Ruyan to a nearby open-air cafe. He sat down, arms crossed, his tone cool. “All right, Miss Liew . What do you want to talk about?”
Liew Ruyan retrieved a neatly folded slip of paper from her luxury handbag and slid it across the table, her chin tilted proudly. “Why don’t you take a look first?”
Chen Ning frowned and unfolded the list. It was an itemized bill of losses — four giant octopuses, one massive gorilla, a rhinoceros, damaged equipment, medical costs for injured staff… and, inexplicably, a ruined cheongsam and a pair of crystal heels.
He looked up, amusement flickering in his eyes. “What’s this supposed to be?”
At this moment, Liu Ruyan had one leg crossed over the other. She had already taken a small mirror out of her handbag, and was now casually touching up her lipstick as she spoke.
“What else could it be? Of course it’s about you causing a whole chain of damages last night by playing tricks and letting that colossal gorilla loose. Here’s the list—take a look and see if there’s any problem. If there isn’t, then you’ll pay double compensation, I’ll take the money and leave.
I won’t make a scene, won’t report you to the military court, and won’t say a single bad word about you in front of Young Master Bai. I’m very easy to deal with.”
It was a threat wrapped in silk.
If he didn’t pay, she’d expose him in front of his companions and sue him through the military courts.
Chen Ning hadn’t expected Liew Ruyan to be so tough to deal with. Last night, he had clearly underestimated her.
He glanced at the list, noticing that Liew Ruyan’s cheongsam and high heels were included. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “You want compensation for your cheongsam and high heels too?”
Liew Ruyan paused her touch-up, giving Chen Ning a glance with her peach-blossom eyes.
“Of course. Think about it, Mr. Chen—my cheongsam was custom-made by a tailor. It got soaked by the stinky seawater from the tank where the octopus was kept. How could I still wear it? And my crystal high heels, they’re limited edition! They got soaked too and are ruined. How could I possibly wear them? They definitely need to be compensated.”
“So they can’t be worn anymore?”
“Obviously.”
Chen Ning nodded, then cast a glance under the table at Liu Ruyan’s feet beneath her white dress. She was wearing the same crystal high heels from last night.
He only looked—didn’t say a word—but Liu Ruyan’s delicate face flushed. This boy has sharp eyes, she thought. He even recognized that I’m wearing last night’s heels.”
Flustered, she muttered, “Fine, fine. Since they’re not completely ruined, just pay half their value. That makes six hundred and ten gold coins. Fair enough?”
Chen Ning smiled faintly. “Fair enough.”
Liew Ruyan froze at his words, then her eyes lit up with delight.
She had assumed that Chen Ning, being a reserve officer of the Phoenix Legion and a friend of Bai Yuhao, would be difficult to deal with, and that getting this compensation would be no easy task. She had even prepared herself to accept just the original amount—305 gold coins.
But she never expected that Chen Ning would so easily agree to pay double the amount according to the list. She was just about to say, “This is wonderful!”
But just as her face lit up with joy, Chen Ning spoke again: “The problem is…I don’t have the money.”
Her smile froze.
Liew Ruyan’s expression darkened, and her voice carried a trace of anger.
“Chen Ning, are you trying to play games with me? Do you really think the Liew Family can’t touch you? Let me be clear—we hold one-third of the shares in Vermilion Phoenix City’s ruling family behind the scenes. The Trading Company is just the public face of the business. If you refuse to pay this money, even Bai Yuhao might not be able to protect you.”
Chen Ning gave a helpless laugh. “I’m serious. I’m flat broke. My entire fortune amounts to… three gold coins.”
Her eyes flared with anger. “Three—?! You expect me to believe—”
But Chen Ning simply shrugged, his expression unreadable, as if to say kill me if you must, but I’ve got nothing to give.
Liew Ruyan’s eyes narrowed. After a pause, she asked coldly, “What’s your combat level?”
Chen Ning frowned. “Level-Three Soldier. Why?”
Her smile returned — slow and dangerous. “Level-Three. Not bad. But still weaker than a zombie Hellhound.”
He stared blankly. “What are you getting at?”
“The arena,” she said smoothly. “If the gladiator can’t defeat the Hellhound, the audience is allowed to volunteer to enter the pit. Anyone who kills the beast earns a reward.”
Chen Ning’s brows shot up. “You want me to fight a Hellhound?”
“Precisely.” She leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming.
“Gladiators who fight the Hellhound are usually Level-Four or Five War Officers. They take on the Hellhound because they need the money. Most of them aren’t a match for a Level-Five Hellhound, and when they’re killed, spectators like you can apply on the spot to challenge it. The bounty for killing a Hellhound is only fifteen silver coins.”
Fifteen silver coins—far too little.
Chen Ning knew that when he completed missions killing Level-Five zombies, the military rewarded him with much more than that.
Chen Ning snapped irritably, “Fifteen silver coins? You want me to risk my life against a Level-Five zombie for that?”
Liew Ruyan continued, “You’re a Level-Three War Soldier. If you challenge the Hellhound, everyone will bet on you losing—your odds will definitely be high.
With just three gold coins, you can bet on yourself to win. If you really manage to kill the zombie, those high odds will let you earn a few hundred gold coins in one match.”
She added, “And when a spectator challenges it, the Hellhound has already gone through a life‑and‑death battle. It’ll definitely get injured. It just depends on whether you have the ability to take advantage of that.”
Chen Ning snorted coldly. “I’m not stupid enough to challenge a Level-Five zombie.”
Liew Ruyan replied just as coldly, “Doesn’t matter. I’m only telling you a method that would work. If you have other ways to get the money to compensate us, that’s even better. Borrowing from Young Master Bai is fine too.”
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