Chapter Forty-Three: Excessive

This was the outcome both of us hoped to see, but if you suddenly show up at a time like this, have you considered the consequences?”

The man with the small mustache had begun to realize that neither he nor his companion was a match for Fang Yuan. He made his intentions clear: even if he couldn’t beat Fang Yuan, he had powerful connections—people capable of commanding the winds and rain. He believed that someone like Fang Yuan would tremble upon hearing such names.

“I think it’s you two who should be worried about the consequences now. If you still want to meddle in Da Zhuang’s business, that’s going against me. And the price for crossing me is something you’ve never experienced before.”

Fang Yuan understood perfectly well the inner workings of their schemes; their arrogance stemmed from having powerful backers. But for Fang Yuan, backing was irrelevant—he was his own greatest support.

He was now inside Small Mustache’s restaurant, which was quite nicely decorated. Yet, the finer it looked, the more it irritated Fang Yuan.

He walked unhurriedly into the kitchen and fetched a wooden stick. Then, starting from the moment he entered, he began smashing everything with it. Small Mustache and the fat man were paralyzed with fear at the sight of Fang Yuan’s rampage.

Small Mustache covered his head, cowering in a corner. Seizing a moment when Fang Yuan wasn’t looking, he quickly dialed a number. The tables and chairs looked sturdy, but Fang Yuan’s strength was many times greater than usual, and with a single swing, he snapped their legs.

The kitchen was soon reduced to chaos, and much of the equipment was rendered unusable. This suited Fang Yuan just fine; if they couldn’t do business, then his own restaurant would thrive.

He wondered why he hadn’t thought of this sooner—he wouldn’t even need to advertise elsewhere. The area was surrounded by office buildings, and during lunch hour, the number of diners surged. People, eager to return to work promptly, avoided places where they’d have to wait too long. If both restaurants were destroyed and unable to operate, the customers would naturally flock to his establishment.

Yes, that was a good plan. He glanced at the fat man.

“Hey, Fatty, I think I’ll pay your restaurant a visit now. Would you care to join me?”

With these words, Fang Yuan strode off toward the fat man’s restaurant.

It wasn’t far—just two hundred meters ahead. Fang Yuan walked briskly, passing his own restaurant, where the signboard had already been changed.

“Da Zhuang, we’ll be busy at lunch today, so make sure you prepare in advance. Don’t keep the customers waiting too long.”

He gave this quick instruction, then hurried toward the fat man’s restaurant. He moved quickly because wreaking havoc took time.

The fat man jogged behind him, wanting to call his staff and tell them to lock the doors, lest Fang Yuan really smash up his place. Unfortunately, despite countless attempts, no one answered his calls, which left him fuming.

“Brother, hey, Fang Yuan, my friend…”

The fat man tried to plead with Fang Yuan; he hadn’t really intended to go against Da Zhuang. But Fang Yuan was advancing like a storm, and it was nearly impossible to even get a word in—he simply couldn’t keep up.

Fang Yuan entered the fat man’s restaurant and, without a word, began smashing everything in sight. When the destruction was finished, Fang Yuan turned to the fat man’s waitress, who he figured wouldn’t be needed for now, and said:

“You’ve probably lost your job today. Come work for me instead—I guarantee the pay will be better than what you get here.”

With that, Fang Yuan walked out without looking back, not caring whether the waitress would follow him or not.

Though she hadn’t fully understood what Fang Yuan said earlier, the last sentence was perfectly clear. She was a woman in her forties, at the age when she had both children and elderly parents to care for—the pressure was immense. Hearing Fang Yuan promise a better salary, she hesitated only briefly before deciding to go with him.

In fact, even without today’s events, she had been considering finding another job. The fat man was simply too stingy, paying her a low wage and constantly finding excuses to dock her pay. He even decided when to pay based on his mood, sometimes delaying for up to two months.

She’d been fed up for a long time, and now, seeing the restaurant wrecked, she knew the fat man would vent his anger on her. So, without further hesitation, she followed Fang Yuan out.

At this point, she didn’t expect to ever get her wages back anyway, so she left cleanly and without regret.

Seeing his restaurant destroyed and even his own waitress following Fang Yuan, the fat man felt utterly hopeless. This wasn’t a man—it was a demon.

Back at his own restaurant, it was already past eleven. Da Zhuang, heeding Fang Yuan’s advice, was busy in the kitchen. Previously, the business was so sluggish that they hadn’t even hired a waitress.

Fang Yuan had long anticipated this day and wanted to hire help, but lacked the experience. The visit to the fat man’s place had conveniently solved that problem.

“Auntie, how should I address you?” Fang Yuan asked.

“My surname is Zhang,” she replied warmly.

Aunt Zhang was a capable woman, rarely needing instructions—she belonged to the kind of employee who made everything easier. No wonder even a miser like the fat man had kept her on.

“From now on, I’ll call you Aunt Zhang. My name is Fang Yuan, and I’m a partner here. The boss is Li Da Zhuang. You can work here with peace of mind. For now, your salary will be two thousand five hundred a month. If business is good, you’ll get raises.”

Fang Yuan didn’t know the exact wage for waitstaff, but he felt that two thousand five hundred was generous. He offered this because Aunt Zhang reminded him of his own mother—they were about the same age.

“Oh, that’s more than enough! Really, you don’t need to add more. You have no idea—the fat man used to pay me only fifteen hundred a month, and even then, he thought it was too much. Every month he’d find ways to deduct part of my pay.”

Aunt Zhang felt she’d made the right decision. Though Fang Yuan’s actions had been a bit reckless earlier, lacking restraint, she found it oddly satisfying to see him smash the fat man’s things.

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