221 Friction (1/2)

The restaurant owner felt that it was better not to escalate the situation. It made sense to just accept his losses since the other party had the strength in numbers, and their intentions were clearly hostile. As a foreigner, it wasn't easy to open up restaurants here, and they were sometimes treated as outcasts. They might even be subjected to harassment if this incident were to be blown out of proportion.

After pondering a little while, he looked at the blonde-haired man and said: ”On behalf of our restaurant, I'm really sorry for this incident. The dish will be on the house, come, everybody, let's go and smoke a cigarette and cool our heads a little.”

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes as he spoke and passed it around.

Knowing that the other party had deliberately put the dead cockroach in the dish, yet still having to apologize and compensate them for it, made the restaurant owner feel victimized and helpless.

The blonde-haired man pushed him away and yelled angrily, ”Don't f*cking pull this on me.” He then picked up the dish with some remnants of the food and continued, ”We finished the entire dish that had a cockroach in it. What if we were to suffer from food poisoning the next day? How would you compensate us then? You still expect us to pay the bill? Did your brain fucking cramp up, huh?”

After he shouted, he smashed the plate on the ground in a show of anger.

SHATTER!

The plate was smashed to pieces, and the remnants of food were scattered around as well.

The restaurant owner had a look of horror on his face. He realized now that they wanted more than just a free meal, they also intended to extort money from him.

Wang Yongjia intervened at that moment, ”I clearly saw it from here just now. The cockroach was obviously placed in after you finished the meal. Putting aside the fact that you want to get a free meal, you still want the restaurant owner to compensate you? Are you trying to ”calculate your wishes with an abacus?” [1]

The blonde-haired man reacted to the intrusion and angrily said, ”And who are you? Are you tired of living? This doesn't concern you, hurry up and scram, or else I'll kill you.”

”Kill me? Brat, are you sure about that?”

Wang Yongjia forced a smile and took out his police badge.

The faces on the gangsters changed after seeing the badge.

The restaurant owner regained some confidence. An outsider couldn't argue with these hoodlums, but having a police officer around would naturally make all the difference in the world. It gave him a boost of confidence.

”Yo, I see that you are a police officer. Apologies for the disrespect, but you are off duty right now, so quickly put that police badge away. Don't take it out, it's embarrassing,” said the blonde-haired man. He was slightly taken aback at first but returned confidently as he was not intimidated by a mere police officer.

”What's so amazing about being a police officer? You are the same as us after taking off your uniform.”

”Police officer, don't put yourself in the position of a judge. People will only think you are a fool.”

”That's right, why don't you just enjoy the time you have after work? Instead, you come here, stand up and refuse to mind your own business, going so far as to show off your police badge. Just who are you trying to scare?”

These seven or eight men were all in a group with the blonde-haired man, and they showed no fear when Wang Yongjia identified himself as a police officer. They stared at him cockily and chose to make a mockery out of his badge.

Wang Yongjia knew the situation in Guangming District very well. He knew that these gangsters were associated with the Dragon Gang, and therefore they dared to act audaciously without care, even in the presence of a police officer. The blond-haired man had also proclaimed that the underworld rules took effect after midnight, and their hearts would not waver.

Wang Yongjia shook his head and, with a hint of warning, said, ”I advise you not to stir trouble and properly pay for the bill. Or else, I'll arrest you all and take you to the police station.”

The blonde-haired man gave him an enigmatic smile, ”Officer, having a brain is a good thing, so I do hope you have it. Did you not see the dead cockroach in this dish? As consumers, if we find a dead cockroach in our dish, don't we deserve some rights for compensation?”

”We all know in our conscience what the real situation is. If it really is the fault of the restaurant, then I will certainly stand on your side. However, you are trying to stir shit after you've had the meal, and you're even blackmailing the restaurant owner now. Right, I'll add one more charge to your offenses, insulting a police officer.” Wang Yongjia said.