Chapter 161: I’m Going to Call the Police

After everyone clinked glasses and drank, Zheng Yixuan sighed lightly, "I felt a bit regretful that day because we are on the same side, and at the critical moment, we offer unconditional support. But thinking about it later, you have your own pressures and decisions. Also, the balance you struck in the middle was the best result. If you had really helped Lao Shi and went head-to-head with the other side, it might have ended in mutual destruction. Even if you and Lao Shi were fine, your people would have gotten hurt, and in the end, might not have gained anything. Leaving calmly as it is now, is the best outcome."

He is much older than the two of them and has seen a lot more people and things, so he understood Li Yan’s words and concerns and made a sincere statement.

Wang Jiaqi also smiled and said, "This business was not something we absolutely had to acquire. Actually, it made quite a fuss, but the antiques and cultural relics auctioned off, in terms of value, were not much, with the total auction price being just a few billion."

Li Yan poured himself another cup and said with a smile, "I was shortsighted, I will handle it better in the future. Let’s communicate more with each other!"

"Of course..."

While the three of them were drinking and having a pleasant conversation, Liu Yuyang came over with a few people and walked directly to their table.

The three exchanged a knowing smile, fully understanding their intentions. But since it was a lesson, they obviously wouldn’t acknowledge it nicely.

Before they could speak, Li Yan had already looked up with a smile, "Mr. Liu, have you come over to tell me that you’ll pick up our tab and we shouldn’t stand on ceremony? Thank you so much for that!"

Wang Jiaqi lowered his head, amused. Picking up the tab? Let’s see how they plan to do that!

"Li Yan, let’s not beat around the bush, did you guys pull something?" Liu Yuyang asked in a low voice.

"Pull something? What do you mean?" Li Yan looked puzzled. "Didn’t we just come in with you guys? I can tell you’re regulars here, but I’m not, this is my first time here thanks to the opportunity from the two brothers. How could I pull something on you? Unless... you didn’t manage to get a reservation? Do you want to join our table? We don’t mind!"

His expression seemed genuinely clueless, and what he said made sense, leaving the others at a loss for words. But Liu Yuyang had suffered at Li Yan’s hands just the night before, so he didn’t believe he was now being so easygoing, especially since he had ignored the mockery in the lobby earlier. Why would he be the first to speak now? There must be something going on!

"We didn’t come into contact with anyone else when we came in, only with you! Now our wallets and phones are missing, and I suspect you stole them!" Liu Yuyang said sternly without polite words to Li Yan. "We all know each other, let’s leave some room for maneuvering, don’t overdo it!"

In fact, he was well aware that Li Yan was already excessive last night, messing with his car like that, to steal wallets wouldn’t be a big deal, and he didn’t expect Li Yan would admit it honestly, but in front of friends, he still had to say those polite words.

Seeing that they seemed to be getting into an argument, the restaurant manager also came over, standing nearby, trying to hear what was going on. If the issue was minor, he would help mediate, but if it escalated, he would ask them to step outside to resolve it, as to not disturb the other guests.

"Wow!" Li Yan shouted, "The wallets were stolen? Everyone’s wallets stolen? Could it be that coincidental? Or were you not carrying wallets in the first place or deliberately saying so? That’s not nice, if you didn’t bring your wallet and want me to pay, just say so. Earlier, you even said you’d cover our bill."

His voice rose, deliberately letting everyone around hear. Liu Yuyang’s face turned red. Several wallets missing at once was indeed hard to believe, making others more inclined to believe Li Yan. The restaurant manager standing there had a faint look of suspicion in his gaze. Initially aimed at hitting Li Yan, now it was difficult to find a way out for himself.

"Who wants you to pay? Just return our wallets and phones, and we’ll leave it at that; otherwise..."

He didn’t finish, but Li Yan’s face turned cold, and he said in a chilly tone, "What gives you the right to say everyone’s wallets were stolen by us?"

Zheng Yixuan also spoke calmly, "Young man, everything needs evidence. Making accusations without proof can lead you to a defamation lawsuit!"

"The stuff is definitely on you! Do you dare let us search you?" Liu Yuyang provoked.

Li Yan sneered, "Again, I ask, on what basis?!"

At this point, more people were paying attention to the commotion here, eager to watch the drama unfold. In such a high-end restaurant, everyone exhibits a refined and gentle demeanor. Public arguments like this are rare to witness.

The restaurant manager was a bit anxious too; he recognized both sides had regular customers. It was the first time for Li Yan and Wang Jiaqi, while Zheng Yixuan was a regular; Liu Yuyang wasn’t often in S City, but his friend who had shares in this hotel was a frequent visitor here.

"No need to say more, the phone must still be with you guys. Let me dial the number!" Liu Yuyang’s friend, who was essentially playing at home advantage, remained very calm. Seeing Liu Yuyang being intimidated by Li Yan, he calmly borrowed the phone from the restaurant manager. He kept an eye on the three of them, giving them no time to turn off the phones. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He used speakerphone to dial his own number, only to hear "Sorry, the number you dialed is out of service area." He frowned and then dialed Liu Yuyang’s number, receiving the same message, and tried again, but the result was the same... He immediately realized that the other party must have preemptively removed the SIM card or battery. This made him a bit incredulous because he had been watching them, and they hadn’t taken out the phones to dismantle them.

"What? Can’t reach any of them? Are you framing us with collective phone shutdowns?" Li Yan stared at the few of them.

The restaurant manager tried to smooth things over, "There must be a misunderstanding, everyone calm down for a moment..."

"I’m calling the police!" Liu Yuyang took the phone he hadn’t yet returned to the restaurant manager. He couldn’t believe it wasn’t Li Yan’s group who did it; money and trouble weren’t the main issues, it was the humiliation! Now they’ve been made to look foolish! They couldn’t search them, but if the police were called, they could search and find evidence.

Zheng Yixuan said blandly, "Please leave your names, I have decided to sue you. This is slander affecting my personal reputation and further implicating our law firm’s good name!"

The restaurant manager felt a headache coming on, seeing one side calling the police and the other wanting to sue. No matter which side was held accountable, it would be negative publicity for the restaurant. If they really quarreled with each other, a result would be fine, but if it wasn’t them who stole it, then when word gets out about losing things at the restaurant, it directly impacts the restaurant’s reputation!

"Mr. Zheng the well-known lawyer, it’s a misunderstanding, let’s not blow this out of proportion, okay?" The restaurant manager said in a placating manner. If it was just calling the police, they could be taken to the office for reconciliation, which could still be contained somewhat. But if Zheng Yixuan decided to sue, it would inevitably make the matter public.

Hearing him call Zheng the well-known lawyer, and then with Zheng Yixuan himself claiming the law firm’s reputation being implicated, Liu Yuyang and his group suddenly realized. The three in front of them always remained calm, with no sign of nervousness; they must have some backing! Initially, they didn’t take Zheng Yixuan seriously, thinking he was just a nouveau riche, but hearing the restaurant manager’s address, they started recalling. Doesn’t this person look kind of familiar?

Could Lawyer Zheng possibly be the renowned lawyer Zheng Yixuan? If he really is, then it would be troublesome...

Zheng Yixuan was not a recently famous lawyer; he was not only the most renowned lawyer in S City, but his law firm was also the largest and most reputable locally. With the lead given by "Lawyer Zheng," Liu Yuyang and his friends quickly connected the Zheng lawyer in front of them with Zheng Yixuan.

They were all around thirty, and even if they still had some playboy tendencies, they’d passed the age of acting recklessly without thinking about consequences. As businessmen, offending a top-tier lawyer with the largest firm over a small issue was undoubtedly unwise.

Liu Yuyang felt very frustrated. Li Yan, that guy, was just someone relying on women for favor. How could he be on friendly terms with a top lawyer? And it seemed they were quite close too.

"Oh, so you’re Lawyer Zheng...then we must have made a mistake. We are very sorry!"

Weighing the pros and cons, the immediate anger, and potential future troubles in family business dealings... secretly gritting his teeth, he forced a smile and apologized, then walked away quickly under the gaze of many guests, feeling not in the mood to dine anymore, as did the others.

Seeing them leave, the restaurant manager quickly followed. Not being in the mood to eat or trying to run out on the bill are two different things. Clear accounts among friends; even as regulars, the ordered drinks and dishes still need to be paid for, the most they could do was help you return what can be returned.

"Rival in love?" Zheng Yixuan looked at Li Yan with a half-smile.

Li Yan shrugged, "You know, my marriage isn’t public, right? That guy just found out about me, thought I was just a boyfriend, and wanted to quickly beat me out."

Zheng Yixuan smiled, "Why not make it public? Is it to put on a show to comfort the elders? Or because of a disparity in status? Do you want to take on a more impressive identity!"

"Forget it. My wife is so pretty, even if everything is public, and even if I pretend to have an impressive identity, there will still be someone more impressive trying to steal her away. I can’t possibly get a top-tier identity, right?" Li Yan didn’t mind.

Whether Liu Yuyang and his friends paid the bill or if they realized the items were in the restroom trash bin, Li Yan and his group couldn’t care less. The three rarely gathered, and didn’t discuss much about women, but rather talked about matters among themselves.

When they were almost done eating and drinking, Li Yan received a text message on his phone, causing him to frown slightly.

(Requesting subscription and monthly pass! Although updates have been a bit weaker lately, for days without updates, they were made up the next day. Now on the 26th, 240,000 words have been updated already. Hoping for everyone’s strong support for Lao Lai, who promises to adjust his health and present a vigorous update state in December! Thank you.) (To be continued, to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com, more Chapters available, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)