Chapter 137: Come and Fight Me If You Dare

"Well done!"
"Nice work!"
"Here’s to you!"

Several of their countrymen stood up, applauding Jiang Hao. A young man even raised his wine glass with a grin, offering a toast from across the room. Jiang Hao smiled and nodded at them before taking his seat again.

Watching Jiang Hao, Su Qingli’s cheeks flushed slightly. She felt as though she were under his spell. Her heart hammered against her ribs, her blood raced through her veins, and a gentle warmth spread across her body. It was a sensation she had never experienced before.

Su Qingli let out a soft breath and remarked with a touch of nostalgia, "Jiang Hao, you really are different from before... Do you remember? Back in university, we went to the university town night market for dinner one night, and a group of local thugs started picking a fight. You were so terrified back then that you couldn’t even speak properly, and you ended up getting beaten up. If I hadn’t called over the patrol officers from the market, you would have been in real trouble."

Hearing this, Jiang Hao offered a wry smile. "I was indeed very weak back then, but I'm not the same anymore."

Su Qingli nodded in agreement. "Yes, you truly are different. I even feel like you’re a completely different person from who you used to be... Jiang Hao, did you have some kind of miraculous encounter?"

"A miraculous encounter?" Jiang Hao was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected her to ask such a thing.

Su Qingli continued, "Yes, a miraculous encounter. Isn’t that how it goes in those cheesy television dramas? A loser protagonist gets bullied, finds himself with nowhere to turn, and jumps off a cliff to end it all. But instead of dying, he meets a master in seclusion at the bottom, learns unparalleled skills, and eventually becomes a legendary hero who shakes the world..."

What on earth was she talking about? A look of awkward helplessness crossed Jiang Hao's face. After a long pause, he said, "Qingli, you’ve been watching too many dramas. You should watch less of that mindless fluff."

Su Qingli smiled and didn't press the matter. Since Jiang Hao wasn't willing to talk, she wouldn't force him. Besides, she knew he must have his reasons.

Half an hour passed. Both Jiang Hao and Su Qingli had finished their meal. The waitress approached, bowed slightly, and said, "We look forward to seeing you again."

Jiang Hao glanced at her and said sternly, "Even though you work at a Western restaurant, I want to remind you: don't think that working here makes you superior to others. At the end of the day, aren't you still just a server?"

"Do you look down on your own people just because you spend a lot of time with foreigners? Is the charm of the 'foreign masters' really that great?"

"Be careful—if you kneel for too long, you might find you can't stand back up."

With that, Jiang Hao took Su Qingli’s hand and led her out of the restaurant. The waitress stared at his retreating figure, stunned and unable to recover, her face burning with deep shame.

Once they were out of the restaurant, Jiang Hao looked at Su Qingli with a smile. "Wife, what shall we do now?"

"What shall we do? It’s only eight o'clock, a bit early to head home. How about catching a movie?" Su Qingli suggested after a moment's thought.

A movie? The idea sounded quite nice. When Jiang Hao and Su Qingli were in university, they often went to the movies together, but after graduating and getting married, they hadn't seen one together once.

"That sounds great. Let's go see a movie."

Jiang Hao and Su Qingli headed to a nearby cinema. After buying their tickets, they entered the theater and found their seats. The film started shortly after. As they sat there eating popcorn, Jiang Hao felt as though they had been transported back to their student days. His focus remained entirely on Su Qingli, and he barely paid any attention to what was happening on the screen.

Looking at her slender hand resting on the armrest, Jiang Hao hesitated for a moment before reaching out. Just as he was about to take her hand, Su Qingli lifted her hand to brush her nose and then moved it aside. Jiang Hao’s face turned incredibly awkward.

"What's wrong?" Su Qingli turned to him, looking puzzled.

"No, it's nothing." Jiang Hao sighed, shook his head, and said no more.

Su Qingli was confused, looking at herself and then at him, until she finally realized what had happened. She let out a small laugh, reached over, and grabbed his hand, teasing, "We aren't teenagers anymore; what’s with these little tricks? You have no shame."

Jiang Hao squeezed her hand and said seriously, "Who says we aren't young? You and I are only twenty-six this year."

"Twenty-six is no longer young," Su Qingli countered with a shake of her head.

Though they were talking, they kept their voices low so as not to disturb others. Just then, a loud voice erupted from a seat in the front row.

"Hey? Hey? Can you hear me? I’m at the movies, the volume is too loud, I can't hear a word you're saying!"

"Oh, going to the nightclub? Good idea!"

"Call a few more women, I’ll be there in a bit!"

"Hey, we’ve got to have a good time tonight, but you’re treating—I’m a bit tight on cash lately..."

Jiang Hao frowned and looked over with displeasure. He saw a young man with dyed, multi-colored hair and ripped jeans, talking loudly on his phone. The surrounding audience shot him angry glares, but he seemed completely oblivious, continuing his conversation with increasingly vulgar and obscene language.

A full minute passed before he finally seemed to notice the dissatisfied glares from those around him. Instead of toning it down, he acted even more arrogant and aggressive, shouting, "What? You got a problem? If you have a problem, keep it to yourselves! If you aren't happy, come over here and fight me!"

Several young men in the audience were incensed and looked ready to confront him, but they were held back by their friends. Seeing this, the youth became even more smug, jeering, "A bunch of losers, daring to act tough in front of me? Go eat crap!"

The people around him were furious but felt helpless. The youth began another phone call, purposely raising his voice even higher as if to provoke the audience.

Suddenly, a young man stood up and walked down the aisle. Reaching the youth, he snatched the phone from his hand and smashed it to pieces on the floor.

The person was none other than Jiang Hao.