At this moment, Wang Tengfei felt like dying.


Damn it!


What the hell is going on?


Did I not check the calendar today before stepping out? How did I end up getting humiliated by this useless Ye Chen again and again?


Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the painting was real and actually worth over 200,000 yuan!


But he had already boasted loudly—what should he do now? Could he really eat the table?


Impossible!


The car could be burned; he could always buy another one. But how could he possibly eat a table? That would kill him for sure!


Meanwhile, the other classmates took the chance to tease him:


“Hey, Wang Tengfei, didn’t you say you’d eat the table? Don’t tell me you’re backing out now?”


“Exactly! We’re all waiting for your performance!”


One person even patted the table and shouted, “Brother Tengfei, please begin your act!”


Wang Tengfei’s face was dark and grim as he snapped, “Come on, guys. We’re all classmates here. Do you really have to kick me while I’m down?”


“Kicking you while you’re down?” Ye Chen chuckled and said, “You’re the one who brought this on yourself. All we’re doing is holding you to your word. How’s that kicking you while you’re down?”


Wang Tengfei realized there was no way to talk his way out of this. Swallowing his anger, he muttered, “Alright, fine. I admit I was wrong, and I apologize to Ye Chen and everyone else. I hope you can forgive me.”


The classmates were stunned. Wang Tengfei was actually backing down? Since when did this guy ever admit defeat?


But Wang Tengfei had no other choice.


What could he do? If he didn’t admit defeat, he’d have to eat the table—and that was simply impossible.


If he tried to weasel his way out, he’d only anger everyone further, and they’d ridicule him even more.


So, the only way to save face was to apologize and move on.


Sure enough, as soon as he apologized, some classmates began to speak up in his defense:


“Alright, Wang Tengfei admitting he was wrong isn’t easy. And let’s be honest, we can’t really force him to eat the table. Let’s just drop it.”


“Yeah, let’s move on. No one’s actually going to eat the table. Besides, we’re all here for the opening celebration. Let’s focus on the food!”


Ye Chen knew Wang Tengfei wasn’t going to eat the table, but his apology was enough for now. After all, Wang Tengfei brought this upon himself, and this little humiliation was just the beginning. There was more to come.


He smirked and said, “Since Wang Tengfei has apologized, let’s forget about the table. After all, today is Daokun’s big day. Let’s not steal his spotlight!”


Wang Tengfei let out a sigh of relief, but deep down, his hatred for Ye Chen burned fiercely.


If looks could kill, Ye Chen would be dead by now.


But Ye Chen wasn’t finished with him yet. He sent a text to Wang Dongxue:


“Does the company have a deputy manager named Wang Donghai? His son is Wang Tengfei. Can you confirm?”


Wang Dongxue quickly replied:

“Yes, there is. What’s the matter, Chairman? Any instructions?”


Ye Chen responded simply:

“Fire him immediately and make sure he’s out today.”


“Understood!”


Unbeknownst to Wang Tengfei, his father was already in the process of being fired by the Imperial Group.


Now that he had survived the humiliation of the table bet, Wang Tengfei began plotting his revenge against Ye Chen. At the same time, he knew he needed to regain his dignity in front of his classmates.


Just then, a commotion erupted at the restaurant entrance.


Everyone turned to look and saw a group of rough-looking thugs storming in.


Each of them was tattooed, armed with baseball bats, steel pipes, and other weapons. Their menacing appearance sent a wave of fear through the crowd.


Both Wang Daokun and Liu Lili looked terrified, their faces pale.


The leader, a scar-faced thug, scanned the room before pointing at Wang Daokun and sneering, “Boss, you opened such a big restaurant without informing us first. Are you looking down on us?”


Liu Lili, trembling, forced a smile and stammered, “W-what are you here for?”


She had heard rumors that gangsters demanded protection fees in this area. The previous owner of this restaurant had apparently been driven out by them, which was why the property was sold at a low price.


But Liu Lili had thought, It’s broad daylight. These gangsters wouldn’t dare extort money openly, would they?


Clearly, she had underestimated them. On the very first day of business, trouble had already arrived.


The scar-faced thug grinned and said, “If you want to run a business here, you need to show some respect to our boss, Brother Biao. We don’t want much—just 20% of your restaurant’s shares. In return, we’ll ensure no one causes you any trouble.”


He added coldly, “If you refuse, don’t blame us for being rude. You’ll be closing down today.”


The outrageous demand left both Wang Daokun and Liu Lili gasping in shock.


Twenty percent of the shares? That was daylight robbery!


“I’ll give you one minute to decide,” the scar-faced thug said.


Just as Wang Daokun and Liu Lili were panicking, Wang Tengfei saw an opportunity to show off.


He stepped forward and demanded, “Who do you work for?”


The scar-faced thug sneered. “Who the hell are you? Why should I answer to you?”


Wang Tengfei smirked and said, “Let me tell you, my dad has connections in both the black and white worlds of Jinling! I’ll call the leaders of the development zone right now, and you’ll see!”


The thug hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, “You know the leaders here?”


“Of course!” Wang Tengfei said arrogantly. “If you don’t want trouble, you’d better leave now!”


Liu Lili, panicking, begged, “Tengfei, please make a call for us. We’re counting on you!”


Wang Tengfei nodded confidently and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.”


His father, Wang Donghai, had been in charge of a project in the development zone for the Imperial Group. As a result, Wang Tengfei knew several local officials personally.


He pulled out his phone and called the head of the zone. Speaking loudly on purpose, he said, “Uncle Li, why are there gangsters extorting protection fees in the development zone? They’re causing trouble at my friend’s restaurant!”


The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment before replying, “Tengfei, what’s going on?”


Wang Tengfei explained, “My friend’s restaurant just opened, and some thugs are demanding shares as protection fees. I hope you can take care of this.”


After a brief pause, the official said awkwardly, “Sorry, Tengfei. That’s not under my jurisdiction. I’m in a meeting right now. Let’s talk another time.”


Before Wang Tengfei could respond, the call was abruptly ended.


He was stunned. What the hell was going on?


Wasn’t this the same official who used to curry favor with his dad, hoping to attract more investment from the Imperial Group? Why wasn’t he giving him any face now?


Little did he know that his father’s dismissal from the Imperial Group had already become common knowledge among the city’s leadership!