A few people even stood up as outsiders entered. Some glared fiercely at Zhang Yang and his group, their eyes flickering with thoughts of revenge, as if the arrival of this one person meant utter ruin for the others.

"Brother Bin!" The first one Zhang Yang had struck, Brother Feng, called out loudly, his mouth still bloody and split. His teeth were loose, making the sound he produced somewhat peculiar.

"What's going on?" Seeing the scene before him, the man called Brother Bin froze for a moment and walked over quickly. His face was a mask of astonishment, and upon seeing the miserable state of these dozen or so men, the shock deepened.

"Brother Bin, the people from this restaurant, they hit us! They beat all of us!" The young man who had been threatening Director Huang shouted out in tears.

As he cried, he suddenly remembered something and quickly fumbled for his phone. They hadn't expected the other side to dare lay a hand on them.

After the initial scuffle, they were all stunned, but now, while complaining to 'Brother Bin,' they recalled that they all had powerful connections they could call upon to deal with these people. "Dad..." That young man's first word made Director Huang's heart sink.

His father was the Deputy Director of the [Police] Bureau, and the Deputy Director's fury would be unimaginable if he saw his son beaten while he himself did nothing. Director Huang felt like dying right then; he felt that every encounter with Zhang Yang brought nothing but trouble.

As this one person started making a call, the others were reminded too, and they all pulled out their phones to dial numbers. Phones of various models quickly appeared.

Most were calling their relatives, with a small number calling friends. The sight of over a dozen people calling simultaneously was quite spectacular, filled only with the sound of ringing.

Watching them call, Zhang Yang didn't move an inch, simply standing there quietly. "Assault at the restaurant?" The 'Brother Bin' who had just entered still looked utterly disbelieving.

He then turned around angrily, but upon seeing Zhang Yang, he suddenly stopped again. He had indeed been furious when he first heard that the people from the restaurant had beaten up the group he sent for, but seeing Zhang Yang made that anger vanish instantly.

"Zhang Yang, what a coincidence, you're here too!" 'Brother Bin' greeted Zhang Yang with a smile. Zhang Yang hadn't seen him when Yin Yong and the others blocked the entrance, only noticing him now.

"Hu Bin, you know these people?" Zhang Yang nodded lightly. The last person to enter was Hu Bin, the one Cai Zheling had brought, who worked in a government department.

Zhang Yang only knew Hu Bin from last time when Hu Bin had invited him to dinner, but Zhang Yang couldn't make it because of Mi Zhiguo's car accident. In truth, they had only interacted once.

Hu Bin nodded and said softly, "I asked them to come over to eat, but I had something urgent to handle. I told them to start eating first.

What exactly happened here?" He also sensed that something was amiss. He knew this establishment belonged to Zhang Yang's girlfriend, and recalling what the group had said earlier, a very bad premonition washed over him.

"It's nothing much. They insisted my girlfriend come over to entertain them with drinks.

When she refused, they threatened to shut down the entire restaurant and even intended to use force!" Zhang Yang smiled faintly. Those familiar with him would recognize this smile as a sign that he was angry, deeply angry.

"For your girlfriend to offer drinks, threats, and force?" Hu Bin's mouth dropped open, and his heart began to pound rapidly. Although he already felt things were bad, he hadn't expected the issue to be this grave.

Suddenly, he remembered that case involving the [Police] Bureau's Niu Qian. That case in the [Police] Bureau stemmed from Niu Qian taking a liking to Young Master Su's sister-in-law, which ultimately led to conflict.

That incident resulted in the immediate downfall of Political Commissar Niu Qian, and many others also received disciplinary action. Even Niu Qian's uncle, the Deputy Department Head, resigned early.

Deputy Director Niu didn't have major faults, but he was held accountable for lax guidance, leading to severe repercussions. Recalling that incident, a cold sweat broke out on Hu Bin's back.

This was a clear lesson! He didn't know the specifics of Su Zhantao's situation last time, but the root cause was identical—except that time it was molesting a sister-in-law, and this time, it was directly harassing Zhang Yang's girlfriend.

He felt this situation was even more serious than the previous one. "Liu Feng, is that true?

Explain it to me clearly!" Having figured things out, Hu Bin sharply turned back and reprimanded the unlucky fellow whose tooth had been knocked out. This Liu Feng was the son of the Provincial Tax Bureau's Executive Deputy Director; he had a job but wasn't doing well, just coasting.

Hu Bin had gathered a group of such subordinates to build his network, and Liu Feng was one of them. He intended for them to eat here today simply to support Mi Xue's business and encourage them to bring more people along.

Supporting the business was a minor gesture; his true aim was to curry favor with Zhang Yang by doing some small favors for him. He never imagined that because he arrived late due to an errand, things would spiral into this mess.

He had called these people; there was no way he could be detached from this incident. Gaining favor had turned into causing offense.

Thinking of this, another wave of cold sweat dampened Hu Bin's back. If this was true, he wasn't just offending Zhang Yang; many people now knew that Secretary Zhang and the Young Master of Governor Su's family were practically inseparable.

It was precisely because of this connection that his tone was so sharp. Liu Feng also sensed things were wrong.

He was from an official family, and his father held some authority, but frankly, his father was merely a mid-level provincial leader. Such a leader couldn't compare to Hu Bin's father, who was the Minister of Propaganda, a true Provincial Party Standing Committee member.

Seeing Hu Bin angry, Liu Feng didn't dare think too much and hurriedly explained, "No, Brother Bin, you—you listen to me, I thought you favored the owner here, I only thought about her accompanying you, I didn't consider myself!" Hu Bin was momentarily stunned, then showed anger again. This guy actually dragged him into it!

He truly didn't know how he ended up keeping such an incompetent person as a follower—so foolish. "Slap!" Hu Bin raised his hand and slapped him as well.

This slap wasn't as fierce as Zhang Yang's, but it left Liu Feng even more bewildered, staring at Hu Bin in disbelief. "Bastard!

I asked you all to come for a meal, not to cause trouble! Apologize!

Go and apologize right now!" Hitting him wasn't enough; Hu Bin continued to shout curses. Liu Feng usually handled things reasonably well, but facing trouble, he completely botched it.

Hu Bin felt this had doomed him. What Hu Bin worried about now was that Zhang Yang wouldn't misunderstand because of his words.

If that happened, he felt he would suffer more unjustly than Dou E. He genuinely hadn't held any improper intentions toward Mi Xue; it was entirely the self-serving actions of his subordinates.

"Yes, yes!" Slapped, Liu Feng didn't dare retort; he could only shakily rise, take a few steps forward, and apologize with his head bowed. He might have been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid.

By now, he had noticed that Hu Bin seemed deeply apprehensive of the person who had struck him first. Anyone who could make Hu Bin so wary was certainly not someone they could afford to provoke.

After apologizing meekly, he stood respectfully in front of Hu Bin, listening as Hu Bin tried to explain to Zhang Yang. The more he listened, the more alarmed he became.

He rarely saw Hu Bin adopt such an attitude toward anyone, which suggested they had truly offended someone they shouldn't have. Recalling the arrogant things he had said earlier, he felt a wave of regret so intense it churned his gut.

Among those who had made calls, some were clearly smarter. They were also stunned now.

From Hu Bin's demeanor, it wasn't hard to guess that this young man was no simple figure. Otherwise, Hu Bin wouldn't have gone to such lengths to explain, nor would he have hit Liu Feng.

Some of those who had called now felt regret. They quietly started dialing their phones again, and a few stood aside, whispering instructions for the others not to come.

They dared not stir up more trouble now. However, there were still the foolish ones—specifically the son of the Deputy Director of the [Police] Bureau.

He looked only slightly older than Zhang Yang and still didn't grasp the full extent of what had happened. But even if he had reacted, it was too late.

Police sirens were already wailing outside. Judging by the sound, more than one vehicle was approaching.

These sounds grew from far away to near, arriving at the restaurant entrance shortly. Hu Bin was momentarily stunned, then glared fiercely at the man who made the first call.

He apologized briefly to Zhang Yang and hurried out. The incident didn't start because of him, but without him, it wouldn't have escalated to this point.

He had to clean up this mess. The Deputy Director of the [Police] Bureau arrived leading the team himself, showing surprise when he saw Hu Bin and urgently asking what was going on.

His son had called saying he was badly beaten, that his arm was broken—what was the situation? He had also claimed the place was a 'black shop' and insisted his father bring people.

Distressed and concerned for his son, the Deputy Director had rushed over immediately after hanging up. How could he not be worried if his son's arm was broken?

Unfortunately, he didn't know this was entirely a lie told by his precious son, whose goal was simply to get his father here quickly. His son achieved his goal, but nearly brought disaster upon his father.

Fortunately, Hu Bin knew him. Hu Bin quickly stepped forward to explain things.

Finally, with no other option, he pointedly mentioned Zhang Yang's identity. Upon hearing it was this 'Jinx,' the Deputy Director's face instantly turned pale.

The incident with Niu Qian was still fresh; this was a living example. After learning his son was only hit a few times and had no serious injuries—that his arm wasn't actually broken—the Deputy Director erupted in curses outside.

After a few bursts of anger, he left without even entering the restaurant. After seeing them off, Hu Bin returned and thoroughly reprimanded the Deputy Director's son again.

"Zhang Yang, let's just drop it!" Mi Xue tugged Zhang Yang's arm. She had been furious earlier, but after teaching that group a lesson, her anger had subsided.

Seeing the lobby in disarray now, with many dining customers looking over curiously, she just wanted the matter resolved quickly so it wouldn't constantly affect her business. "Fine, we'll drop it!" Zhang Yang nodded.

He also had his own guests to attend to; Wang Guohai and the others were there to congratulate him, and he didn't want this incident to spoil their mood. After exchanging a few brief words with Hu Bin, Zhang Yang led the research group back to their room.

This time, Mi Xue followed them.