Chapter 151: Scam
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Zhou Chao lay on the bed, gazing at the outside view. It was a moment of pure contentment.
“Growl!”
“Hey, you lazy one!” Zhou Chao patted his own stomach in exasperation.
Then, he grabbed his keys and room card, left the room, leaving his luggage safely stored in the car.
He decided to find a nearby hotpot restaurant with a good online reputation. It was one of those unpretentious places located under residential buildings. The interior lacked extravagant decor, but the business was booming.
When Zhou Chao arrived, a vacant table had just become available, and there was no waiting in line. He sat down without hesitation.
Here, patrons individually choose their dishes and hand them over to the waiters. In terms of service, it’s certainly not on par with what one would expect in a high-end hotel. Nevertheless, Zhou Chao didn’t feel out of place.
“Auntie, I’ll have these dishes, with the spicy hotpot base.” Zhou Chao ordered several meat and vegetable dishes before taking out his phone to pass the time. He patiently waited for the waiter to bring the hotpot base and dishes.
“Hey, can we share a table?” A male voice came from nearby.
Zhou Chao glanced up and recognized a familiar internet personality.
“You’re Ula-la! Please, have a seat, let’s share a meal!” Ula-la didn’t expect that by casually asking to share a table with someone, he would end up with such a handsome companion, especially one who recognized him!
“Thanks a lot, handsome!” Ula Ula sat down across from Zhou Chao.
Just then, the waitress arrived with the hotpot base.
“Are you two dining together?”
Zhou Chao replied, “Yes, Auntie. I’ll order a bit more. Another portion of the meat dishes, and if we need more later, we’ll order.”
“No need, you’ve already ordered everything!” Ula-la glanced at what Zhou Chao had ordered and didn’t add anything more.
“Hey, handsome, do you mind if we shoot a video?” Zhou Chao knew Ula-la was a food blogger and nodded in agreement.
“No problem, as long as you don’t capture me!”
“Thanks a lot!” Ula-la quickly set up his filming equipment on the table, and soon, various props for shooting were neatly arranged.
Soon, the dishes Zhou Chao had ordered earlier were served. They couldn’t fit on the table, so they were placed on the nearby chairs.
Zhou Chao watched quietly as Ula-la began recording. He ate when the food was ready, pouring all the ingredients into the hotpot. In no time, they could start eating.
Seeing Ula-la enthusiastically devouring the meat, Zhou Chao’s appetite also surged, and he joined in. They ate for about half an hour, finishing all the dishes. Ula-la completed his recording as well.
“Hey, handsome, I really appreciate your help today! If it weren’t for you agreeing, I might have had to wait a while longer to get a table. How about this, I’ll treat you tonight!” Ula-la’s straightforward nature resonated with Zhou Chao.
“No need, I’ll treat you. You seem really passionate about this meal,” Zhou Chao responded, not allowing Ula-la to protest, and proceeded to pay the bill.
“Hey, handsome, if you don’t mind, let’s exchange contact information!” After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Chao took out his phone and added Ula-la as a friend.
“What should I call you?”
“Zhou Chao.” Zhou Chao’s concise introduction didn’t seem to bother Ula-la; in fact, he found it quite appealing.
“Where are you going? Do you want me to give you a ride back?” Ula-la offered to drive Zhou Chao back.
“No need, I have my car! I’ll be on my way. Maybe we’ll meet again someday!” Zhou Chao replied. He opened the door of his Mercedes-Benz G63 and got in.
“Goodbye, and thanks for today!” Zhou Chao bid farewell to Ula-la and drove away.
“I can’t believe I met a rich second-generation guy today and even shared a table with him! That’s unexpected,” Ula-la sighed as he watched the departing car.
When Zhou Chao returned to the inn, he found several cards stuffed under the door crack. He glanced at the designs on them, chuckled disdainfully, and tossed the cards into the trash bin.
Planning to take a shower and then go to sleep, Zhou Chao had just started to undress when someone knocked on his door.
“Who is it?” Zhou Chao furrowed his brows, sensing that something was amiss. Thinking back to what had happened earlier, he discreetly placed his phone with recording mode activated in a hidden spot where it could capture the entire room, then got dressed and opened the door.
“Hey, little brother, were you waiting for me?” A seductive-looking woman squeezed her way in through the door crack. Zhou Chao allowed her to enter, curious about her intentions.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” The woman took a few steps towards Zhou Chao, who instinctively moved backward.
Glancing at the partially open door, Zhou Chao had a rough idea of what was happening. He watched the woman’s performance silently.
Seemingly assured that everything was fine, the woman let her hair down, loosened her clothing slightly, and smiled at Zhou Chao.
“All, this is indecent!” She made two symbolic cries before the door was kicked open, and three young men entered. They looked around thirty years old.
“Kid, did you dare to lay hands on a woman? Are you tired of living?” Seeing the menacing look of the three men, Zhou Chao understood that they were trying to pull off a scam.
“If you guys are trying to scam me, I’m afraid you’re looking for trouble,” Zhou Chao said, and the three men burst into laughter.
“You brat, do you even know how powerful we are? Let’s teach him a lesson, and he’ll behave!” One of them declared before the three men immediately lunged toward Zhou Chao
However, what they didn’t expect was that despite their apparent strength, Zhou Chao quickly defeated them with three punches and two kicks, leaving them writhing in pain on the floor. The seductive woman attempted to escape but was stopped by Zhou Chao’s commanding voice.
“Stay put, or they will be your fate. Close the door!” The woman, trembling, closed the door as ordered.
Zhou Chao picked up his phone, which had been recording the entire incident, and called the police. He explained the situation, provided the address, and then hung up.
He went over and removed the belts from the three men, tying them up. They had initially intended to protest but were quickly silenced by a gentle pinch from Zhou Chao.
The police arrived promptly, and within eight minutes, there was a knock on Zhou Chao’s room door.
Zhou Chao opened the door and saw several police officers outside.
“Come in,” Zhou Chao said. His actions left the officers slightly puzzled, but they entered the room nonetheless.
Upon entering, they saw the three men lying on the floor, still bound, and a crying woman nearby.
“Are you the one who called the police? Please tell us what happened.” Zhou Chao glanced at the law enforcement recorders hanging from their chests.
“They were trying to scam me, and I caught them. Please take them in and investigate further to see if there are other victims,” Zhou Chao explained.
It was getting late, and he wanted to get some sleep after a long day of activities.
“You guys should turn off your body cameras for a moment.”
“Sorry, but we must wear them at all times during our operation.” Zhou Chao understood their discipline. He handed his identification, given to him by Xiaofeng during his time in Jingdu, to the middle-aged officer.
The officer glanced at the document Zhou Chao provided but quickly closed it. The two other officers were curious and asked, “Captain, what’s going on?”
“Xiao Li, Xiao Wang, take them away!” Upon hearing this, the two officers escorted the three men and the woman out in handcuffs.
The middle-aged police officer noticed that everyone had left the room, and he was about to salute, but Zhou Chao stopped him.
“By the way, I recorded a video earlier. I’ll send it to you. Please investigate thoroughly to see if there are any other victims. We won’t tolerate this!” Zhou Chao said as he took out his phone and gestured for the middle-aged police officer to add him as a friend.
After the two had become friends on the messaging app, Zhou Chao sent the video to him. It was then that Zhou Chao learned that the middle-aged police officer’s name was Wang Liang.
“Captain Wang, thank you for your hard work!”
“It’s our duty. Mr. Zhou, please keep your identification. I’ll take my leave now. We need to interrogate those individuals further.” Captain Wang returned Zhou Chao’s identification.
“Alright, Captain Wang, take care!” With that, Wang Liang turned and left the inn. Zhou Chao headed to the bathroom for a quick shower before lying down on the bed and falling asleep..