Chapter 144: You Are Fired!

Hearing this, Manager Zhao was struck as if by lightning. His body instantly stiffened, his eyes bulged as if they might pop out of their sockets, and he was rendered completely speechless.

Qiao Lan couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him. She strode directly over to Su Zheng and Chen Muxue, saying with a deep sense of apology:
"Brother Zheng, I am truly sorry. I never expected things to come to this. For my sake, please don't lower yourselves to argue with these good-for-nothings. Let me take you upstairs. Old Master Li originally intended to come tonight, but fearing he wouldn't fit in with us youngsters, he asked me to bring a gift for you, Brother Zheng. He said he would visit you alone when he has time!"

Seeing Qiao Lan's embarrassed expression, Su Zheng couldn't help but smile faintly. "It's nothing. A few annoying flies just happened to buzz around, so I swatted them away. It's none of your concern."

"Indeed, you're being too polite. We have no intention of blaming you."
Chen Muxue also smiled faintly. Facing Qiao Lan once more, her expression looked much better.

The last time they met was outside the Li residence gates, where the two had confronted each other with a distinct atmosphere of hostility. But later, after learning how much Chen Muxue had silently sacrificed behind the scenes for Su Zheng, Qiao Lan developed a deep admiration and respect for this seemingly aloof woman. Consequently, the two frequently kept in touch by phone, and their relationship had long since changed from before.

"That's good. Please wait a moment."
Seeing that Su Zheng and Chen Muxue bore no grudge, Qiao Lan's heart settled before she turned to look at the petrified Manager Zhao.

At that moment, Manager Zhao was still kneeling on the ground, stiff as a statue, his mind feeling as though it had been struck by lightning. He never imagined that he had been so blind as to offend a distinguished guest whom the boss had personally called to instruct about!
He felt that his career was finished. The managerial position he had fought so hard to secure after years of grueling effort—the one that provided a handsome monthly income and allowed him to show off and boast in front of his friends—was likely gone for good...

"Crawl over here!" Qiao Lan snapped coldly.
Manager Zhao's legs moved mechanically, crawling on his knees until he reached Qiao Lan's feet.

"From this moment on, you are fired. Get out of Grand Azure Bay immediately, right now!"
Qiao Lan suppressed the urge to slap him across the face several times and issued the command with immense fury.

"President Qiao! President Qiao, please forgive me! It's all my fault for being blind and having no eyes. I deserve to die for offending a distinguished guest. Won't you give me one more chance? I'll kowtow to the distinguished guest! I was wrong, I was truly wrong!"

Filled with absolute despair, Manager Zhao actually began banging his head against the floor toward Su Zheng and Chen Muxue with loud thuds. Blood quickly appeared on his forehead, but he paid it no heed, desperately seeking only their forgiveness.

Chen Muxue wanted to speak, but Su Zheng held her back.
Scum who judged people by the status of their clothes did not deserve pity!

"Enough! Someone, drag him away!"
Qiao Lan scolded with disgust, waving a hand at the nearby security guards.

Those guards were feeling deeply anxious inside, terrified that Manager Zhao's blunder would implicate them. Harboring a deep resentment toward Manager Zhao anyway, upon hearing Qiao Lan's order, they dragged him away almost without a second thought.

"Brother Zheng, Sister-in-law, let's go inside. We'll take the elevator straight to the top-floor private dining room. There are also two old acquaintances waiting for you!"
Qiao Lan led the way, motioning for Su Zheng and Chen Muxue to enter the lobby and taking the elevator directly to the luxury suite on the top floor.

Meanwhile, Brother Zhe, Liu Yong, and the others were still seated in the lobby. Due to the angle, they had not noticed Su Zheng's arrival.

Chen Peng's face was completely wrapped in gauze, which the hotel's medical room had temporarily applied for him. They had advised him to rush to the hospital immediately to check if his head suffered from a concussion or anything similar, but having heard that the bastard Su Zheng was going to come in later to offer an apology, he gritted his teeth against the dizziness and nausea in his head, insisting on waiting right here.

"Peng, don't worry, the beating you took won't go unavenged. Once that bastard is dragged in later, I'll let you take a crack at him—beat him however you like, and if you beat him to death, I'll take the blame!" Brother Zhe said with a ferocious expression.

Beside him, Liu Yong tossed away the cigarette butt in his hand and declared with indignation:
"Damn it, when have the brothers of our circle ever suffered a loss like this? If we don't beat the shit out of that brat today, my last name isn't Liu!"

The surrounding second-generation heirs nodded in agreement upon hearing this, and many began rolling up their sleeves, eagerly waiting to unleash their fury and beat Su Zheng to a pulp!

At that moment, a bespectacled guy glanced around and whispered a reminder:
"Listen up, guys, I heard a very important figure is arriving at Grand Azure Bay tonight. My old man rushed over the moment he got the wind of it, hoping to find a way to qualify for the top floor and pay his respects to that big shot. If we make too big of a scene, do you think it might cause trouble?"

"Damn it, it seems there is such a rumor. I just saw my old man too; he even brought along a famous painting our family treasures. You know, these old timers are really something—their sources are sharper than anyone's. I just wonder if the big shot being hosted tonight will even deign to give them the time of day!" another wealthy heir chimed in softly.

"Let them do their thing, we're not heading up to the top floor to stir up trouble anyway, it's fine!"
Brother Zhe dismissed it with utter indifference. He knew his own old man had come as well, having just received a strict phone call telling him not to cause trouble tonight. But in his mind, as long as they didn't go to the top floor, everything would be fine.

"Humph! That bastard tonight is going to be taken down for good, and as for that chick... Heh, she's mine!"
A restless gleam flickered in his eyes as he spoke with a strange expression.

"Brother Zhe, I think maybe we should steer clear for now. Causing a scene and offending that big shot is no laughing matter. There's no shortage of women anywhere. If not, I'll host tonight, let's head over to SPACE PLUS, and you can pick any girl you want!" the bespectacled young man said generously, hoping to stop Brother Zhe and the others from continuing their trouble here.

"Fuck off! I'm already sick of the women there. If you can find me one who looks exactly like that chick from earlier, I'll treat you every single day!" Brother Zhe said with disdain, showing no inclination to leave.

"Right, Brother Zhe is right. Besides, we can't just let this go. I'm one thing, but the brothers here all have reputations to uphold. If word gets out, we'll lose all our face!"
Chen Peng's face was covered in gauze, yet he still insisted on speaking up. If there was anyone here who hated Su Zheng the most, it was undoubtedly him! He was itching to torture Su Zheng later; how could he possibly bear to let go of this opportunity and leave?

"Right! We're not going anywhere. We're going to grind that bastard into dust tonight!"
Brother Zhe's hatred flared up again. He waved at a passing waiter and barked, "Hey, go ask your Manager Zhao—damn it, how long has it been, why hasn't he sorted it out yet? What the hell is he playing at?"

"Apologize, but the Manager Zhao you are looking for has already resigned, just a moment ago."
The waiter smiled politely and explained.

"Wh... What? That useless piece of trash resigned? Just now? Are you fucking kidding me?"
Brother Zhe sprang to his feet, finding it utterly unbelievable. "What kind of mistake did he make to resign? Don't move, explain this clearly to me! And what about that man and woman from outside just now? Where did they go?!"

"Sorry, I wouldn't know about that!"
The waiter turned and walked away apologetically, leaving the group of wealthy heirs standing there in a daze.

Just then, a furious, booming roar echoed through the air:
"You little punk, I've finally found you! See how I beat the living daylights out of you, you scoundrel!"