Chapter 057: A Slap

The three of them lingered in the room for a while. Around nine o'clock, Li Huan tapped Li Gang's shoulder, showed him the time, and said, "Call that girl and ask her to meet you at Riverside Park!"

"Will she come?" Li Gang hesitated, holding his phone with the number ready, but not dialing right away.

"Tell her you've gotten the money, and ask her to bring the IOU. She'll definitely meet you." Li Huan didn't give him time to waver; any more hesitation would only cause Li Gang more harm.

Li Gang gritted his teeth, glanced at Li Huan, then at Xiao Yu, and got up to walk into the bedroom to make the call.

It wasn't long before Li Gang came out and nodded at the other two, signaling that everything was settled.

They tidied up briefly and left the apartment together, walking to Riverside Park. At this hour, there were still some elderly folks sitting and chatting after their morning exercises, gathered in small groups.

Li Gang used to meet the girl here often, and he knew several secluded spots in the park, perfect for young lovers to linger. He arranged to meet her at the place they used to frequent.

Li Huan didn't let Li Gang go over right away; the three of them found a pavilion and waited for a while. Soon, a girl approached, stopping near an artificial hill not far ahead. Beside her was a young man in his twenties whose attire and demeanor radiated a certain unruly air—clearly not someone to be easily trusted.

Li Huan had guessed she wouldn’t come alone; that young man was almost certainly her accomplice in swindling Li Gang out of a large sum. Li Huan glanced at Li Gang, whose eyes were bloodshot and face filled with anger, confirming his suspicion.

"It's them, isn't it?" Although Li Huan had already guessed, he still patted Li Gang's shoulder and asked, helping him steady himself.

Li Gang nodded. Li Huan pointed toward the pair, and the three of them walked out of the pavilion toward them.

The young man saw Li Huan approaching with others and eyed them warily. When he recognized Li Gang, understanding dawned, and a cold sneer tugged at his lips as he strode forward to meet them.

The girl followed, her expression not as wicked as Li Huan had imagined; she seemed somewhat remorseful toward Li Gang, her head lowered, unable to meet his gaze.

"Yumei..." Li Gang couldn't help but call out to her, stepping forward, but was blocked by the young man.

"What do you want?" The young man was rough and aggressive, casting Li Gang a sideways glance. He pulled the girl into his arms, caressed her cheek, and sneered, "Where's the money? Hurry up and hand it over, don't waste my time—I’ve got better things to do!"

Li Gang trembled, barely restraining himself from rushing forward to beat the man, but Li Huan pulled him back, whispering in his ear, "It's too soon to hit him—get the IOU first!"

Li Gang calmed down a little, and Xiao Yu pulled him aside to prevent him from ruining things in a moment of anger.

"I brought the money—it's in the bag. Where's the IOU? We need to confirm it's real." Li Huan gripped a black cloth bag in his hand, heavy with a paving brick he’d picked up on his way.

The young man whistled disdainfully, pulling a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and waving it in front of them. Li Huan looked at Li Gang, who nodded, confirming the IOU was genuine. A smile flickered across Li Huan’s lips; his left hand shot forward suddenly, snatching the IOU while the young man was off guard.

"What are you doing?" The young man was startled, but reacted too slowly and the IOU was seized. Enraged, he swung his fist at Li Huan.

"Burn it!" Li Huan stood his ground, handing the paper to Li Gang, then swung the cloth bag at the young man's head. A dull thud sounded, and the young man collapsed, dazed and unable to get up.

"You..." Yumei was stunned by the scene, her face pale and trembling, fear in her eyes as she looked at Li Huan.

Li Huan glanced at her, said nothing, then turned to Li Gang and patted his shoulder. "Say whatever you need to. After today, you won't have anything to do with them."

Li Gang gave Li Huan a grateful look, then walked to Yumei. The two exchanged words, then moved under the awning. Xiao Yu stood beside Li Huan, watching the young man lying half-conscious on the ground. She spat at him, kicked him, then hurried behind Li Huan for protection.

Her gesture made Li Huan find her strangely endearing, but the memory of what he’d witnessed that morning flashed in his mind—he quickly suppressed it, unwilling to experience such a scene again.

The young man grimaced in pain from Xiao Yu’s kick, blood smeared across half his face, making him look terrifying. "You bastards are asking for trouble!"

"Save your strength—you’ll need it for another beating soon," Li Huan said, showing no intention of letting him off. Though they had recovered the IOU, the cash from Li Gang’s bank card had certainly been withdrawn, and that money wouldn’t be given up so easily.

After a while, loud arguing erupted from the artificial hill, followed by the sound of a crisp slap. Li Huan turned quickly and saw Li Gang shake off Yumei’s hand, storming over in anger.

Yumei followed, five finger marks on her face, her expression gloomy. She helped the young man up and prepared to leave.

Li Huan, however, barred their way. "Your name is Yumei, right? I don’t know how you got involved with Li Gang, nor do I care about your current relationship, but you should know—you didn’t just swindle him for an IOU, you also took cash from his bank card…"

"Impossible!" Before Li Huan could finish, the young man shouted, "He slept with my girlfriend, so what? Even with a hairdresser, you gotta pay! What, you think my girlfriend is free?"

"Have you no shame? Sending your own girlfriend to do such filthy things—are you even human?" Li Gang finally lost control, grabbing the young man's collar and landing several heavy slaps across his face.

The repeated smacks stunned the young man, leaving him speechless and trembling. He had thought Li Gang was weak—big but useless, easily manipulated. But Li Gang's sudden fury left him so shaken he could barely stand.

"Enough. I’ll repay the fifty thousand yuan in full. I’ll call my brother now to bring it over," Yumei said, pulling out an iPhone and sending a text.

Li Huan was surprised; why send a text instead of calling? "Let me see your phone," he demanded, reaching for it. Yumei quickly pocketed it, unwilling to show the message.

"Wait five minutes—my brother will bring the money soon," Yumei said, her eyes darting everywhere, avoiding Li Huan’s gaze.

"You think we’ll believe that?" Li Huan sneered. He didn’t really expect to recover the fifty thousand from them; the cash was already in their pockets. Unless they took it by force, the only option was to call the police—but that was unlikely to work, as these people surely had their own ways to evade trouble.

"What do you mean?" Yumei stepped back. In fact, she hadn’t texted her brother to bring money, but had sent a distress signal to a leader in their organization.

Li Huan shrugged, ignoring them, and turned to Li Gang and Xiao Yu. "Let’s go. She’s called for backup—we need to leave fast!"

At his words, Yumei’s face changed drastically and she retreated, but Li Huan had no intention of touching her. He believed her foolish actions had already made Li Gang lose all hope.

Sure enough, Li Gang cast a fierce glare at Yumei. If slapping her earlier had made him feel guilty, now he thought he’d been too gentle. Though he’d always insisted he would never hit a woman, at that moment, he couldn’t control himself.

"Let’s go!" Li Gang turned abruptly, his expression icy and devoid of emotion.

Li Huan and Xiao Yu said nothing, following Li Gang out of Riverside Park. They were near the center of the park, which was fairly large; it would take about ten minutes to reach the gate.

As they left, something felt off. At the park entrance, a group of six or seven young men approached. Seeing Li Gang, the leader shouted, "It’s them! Brothers, beat them to death!"

"Damn! They recognize us!" Li Gang yelled, pulling Xiao Yu behind him. She was utterly helpless in a fight—he wondered why he’d even brought her along.

"Let’s do this—sooner or later, we’d have to settle it. Today, let’s vent our anger," Li Huan said. He never believed the young man he’d knocked down would let Li Gang off; this had to be resolved now, or more trouble would follow.