My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

As they were talking, the light outside the restaurant suddenly dimmed. A dusty, secondhand Santana screeched to a halt, its tires slamming on the concrete. Immediately after, a van pulled up behind it, swaying slightly, and the clanging of metal could be heard from inside. First, a middle-aged man and a young man got out of the Santana. The middle-aged man was slightly overweight, wearing a dark jacket. His face and features resembled Coach Gao's, clearly his brother, but the man had a more worldly and shrewd air about him. The young man, in his early twenties, wore a short-sleeved shirt and had a tattoo of a soaring eagle on his arm. After getting out, he glanced around, then casually followed the middle-aged man with his hands in his pockets. Soon, the van door was flung open, and eight or nine burly men stepped out, each with broad shoulders and thick waists, wielding steel pipes that gleamed coldly in the midday sun. The middle-aged man led the young man with the tattooed eagle, along with his group, into the restaurant.

Coach Gao's eyes lit up, like a drowning man grasping at a straw. He jumped up from his chair, rushed to the door, and shouted triumphantly, his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the entire restaurant: "They're here! The guy I called is here! My brother's here!" He turned around, pointed at Su Ming, his face filled with vengeful satisfaction, and shouted triumphantly: "Kid, here to take you down! You think you're so tough? Show me how tough you are now!"

Upon hearing this, the diners in the restaurant shrank back, some moving their chairs back, afraid of being caught in the crossfire. The shirtless burly man who had started the disturbance earlier also shut his mouth, lowering his head to eat, not daring to look at him again. The crowd cast pitying or gloating glances at Su Ming, with someone muttering, "This kid's done for. So many people, he even brought steel pipes; he's probably going to leave lying down today."

Seeing the menacing aura of the newcomers, eight or nine burly men wielding steel pipes completely blocking the restaurant entrance, Lin Shumei was quite frightened. Her face paled slightly, and she tightly gripped Su Ming's clothes under the table. She leaned close to his ear and said in a low, urgent voice, "Su Ming, you should run! Go through the kitchen. I'll hold them off here for you."

Su Ming turned to look at her and saw that her usually calm eyes were now filled with anxiety and fear, which warmed his heart. He smiled, took her hand, and held it in his palm, saying softly, "You are my woman, how could I let you become cannon fodder? Running away is out of the question, and that's not in my nature."

Lin Shumei's eyes reddened with anxiety. She grabbed his wrist with her other hand, her nails digging almost into his skin. "But if you stay, they'll beat you up badly! You should leave. I'll stay and apologize to them. There's nothing that can't be solved with money. They run a driving school; all they want is money. I'll give it to them."

Seeing the beautiful woman's worried expression warmed Su Ming's heart. He gently stroked Lin Shumei's thigh, his palm resting on her smooth skin beneath her skirt, and smiled contentedly, "Sister Lin, I'm satisfied with what you've said. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Lin Shumei glared at him and scolded, "So many of them came. Even if you're a great fighter, how many can you take on by yourself?"

Su Ming smiled, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "No need to fight. This territory belongs to the Sichuan gang, and it's my buddy Chai Gou's territory. We're practically family here, so it'll be fine."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shumei's eyes widened with curiosity. The panic on her face subsided somewhat, replaced by a look of surprised disbelief: "Are you telling the truth? Who is Chai Gou? Why have you never mentioned him to me before?"

Su Ming put down his wine glass, winked at her, and smiled, "We'll find out whether it's true or not once they come in."

As they were talking, Coach Gao rushed to the door like a frolicking lapdog, bowing and scraping as he led his brother and the group of burly men inside.

He turned around, pointed at Su Ming, his face filled with vengeful pleasure, and laughed smugly: "Hey, kid, you're finished! My brother's here. You thought you were so tough? Show me how tough you are now!"

Coach Gao's older brother, the slightly overweight middle-aged man, Boss Gao, strode over to the table, glanced at the two bottles of Moutai and the dishes on it, then looked Su Ming up and down, and said coldly, "How dare you disrespect my brother! Today, I'll make you leave on your knees."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man with the eagle tattoo behind him took a step forward, pulled his hands out of his pockets, crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and struck a standard thug pose, ready to bolster his boss's morale. But after he saw who was sitting in the chair, the expression on his face changed drastically in just two seconds: first scrutiny, then confusion, then astonishment, and finally, fear.

The man with the eagle tattoo seemed to be electrocuted; he suddenly stood up straight, his eyes shining, and quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Su Ming, saying, "Hello, Brother Ming!"

The shout silenced the entire restaurant.

Coach Gao's smile froze on his face, Boss Gao's cold shout stuck in his throat, and the eight or nine burly men behind him holding steel pipes looked at each other, their pipes drooping, unsure whether to hold them up or put them down. Lin Shumei was also stunned, her hand holding the teacup frozen in mid-air, her eyes fixed on the scene.

Su Ming scratched his head, looking at the young man who had suddenly appeared and called him "Brother Ming," a hint of confusion on his face. He frowned, scrutinized the man for a few moments, and calmly replied, "Who are you, kid? I have a vague impression of you, but I can't quite remember where I've seen you before."

The young man immediately began to explain excitedly, his face beaming with smiles, like a fan meeting their idol. His voice even rose a half-octave: "Brother Ming, I'm Chai Gou's subordinate! My name is Flea, but they all call me Sao Ge! Last time at that KTV in town, Chai Gou and you were sitting at the main table, and I was at the table next to you. I even toasted you!"

Su Ming looked the other person up and down curiously, repeating, "Brother Sao?"

Flea scratched the back of his head, chuckled, and explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Because my real name is Ma, and my nickname is Flea. My surname plus 'flea' makes up the character 'sao' (骚), so they call me Brother Sao. Ming-ge, you can just call me Flea, don't call me Brother Sao, I can't accept that."