The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

Chen Yuzhi didn't sleep well all night after leaving the Cloud Restaurant.

He tossed and turned in his duplex apartment in the east of the city, his mind filled with the image of Lin Feng's face as he stood in front of Shen Qianqian.

That person, who was more than half a head taller than me, that indifferent tone, and that question, "Are you a micro-business owner?"—every time I think of that sentence, a wave of acid rises in my stomach, and I can't swallow it down.

I couldn't fall asleep until 2 a.m., so I got up and poured myself a glass of whiskey.

The moment the liquor entered my mouth, the fire in my heart burned even brighter.

What makes a poor kid in a gray T-shirt and sweatpants so special? Just his face? Or some audacity he somehow got?

He put his wine glass on the coffee table, picked up his phone, and scrolled through his contacts. He stopped when he came across the name "Brother Hao".

Hao Ge's real name is Xu Tianhao. He works in his father's company and is in charge of security at construction sites. To put it bluntly, he's paid to keep watch over the place.

He had seven or eight men under his command, and they were usually fierce and menacing on the construction site. Even the foreman didn't dare to mess with them.

Last year, a household refused to leave due to relocation. Brother Hao led a group to "talk" with them, and the next day the household obediently moved out.

It was almost three o'clock when I dialed. It rang five or six times before being answered, and Hao Ge's groggy voice came through: "Young Master Chen? It's so late..."

"Brother Hao, do me a favor." Chen Yuzhi stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Help me investigate someone. His surname is Lin, his name is Lin Feng, and he's from Hohai University. Find out where he usually hangs out, then send a few of your guys to ambush him. Don't beat him too badly, just teach him a lesson."

Hao was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then said okay.

The next morning, Brother Hao called back. He said he had found out that the kid had been hanging around an old industrial area in the west of the city recently, near a Shuntong Logistics parking lot, which he frequented every few days.

Hao said he would make arrangements and take people there in the afternoon to take some photos to show Young Master Chen.

Chen Yuzhi felt much better after hanging up the phone. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping his coffee, he imagined the photos Hao Ge had sent him that afternoon.

Lin Feng, his face bruised and swollen, squatted in the corner, his gray T-shirt covered in shoe prints. He then laid out the photos in front of Shen Qianqian, showing her what kind of man she had chosen.

This idea lifted my spirits for the entire morning. At noon, I drove to the company specifically to chat with his dad about the project, and my tone was much lighter than usual.

As evening approached, the phone finally rang.

It was a multimedia message from an unknown number, the file name was "Young Master Chen, please keep this." Chen Yuzhi smiled and leaned back in his office chair, opening the message.

Then the smile froze.

The person in the photo is indeed Brother Hao.

But Hao Ge wasn't standing in front of Lin Feng; he was kneeling on the ground. His nose was crooked, his lips were swollen, his left eye was just a slit, and his work clothes were covered in bloodstains.

Three brothers were kneeling beside them, all with bruises on their faces, heads bowed, not daring to look at the camera. Behind them was the side of a truck, with four large characters printed on the cargo bed—"Shuntong Logistics".

But Raymond Lam wasn't in the photo. I didn't mistake any of them—they were all Brother Hao's men.

Chen Yuzhi's fingers gripping his phone began to tremble. Before he could even process the photo, the phone rang. It was that unfamiliar number again.

I stared at the screen for several seconds, my finger hovering over the answer button, before finally swiping to turn it on.

A man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

It wasn't Lin Feng, but a middle-aged man with a rough voice, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if he were talking about something very ordinary—"Young Master Chen, right? Your men came to Shuntong to cause trouble today, but we stopped them. Nothing serious happened, just some scrapes. But next time someone comes, it won't be as simple as just a scrape."

Chen Yuzhi opened his mouth, wanting to say "Who the hell are you?", but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the other party.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Lin asked me to pass on a message to you—let's let it go this time. Next time, he'll personally go to have tea with your father."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Yuzhi stood frozen in his office chair, phone in hand. It took him a while to realize that the back of his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

The tone of those who said "go have tea with your dad" was so calm, so calm that it didn't sound like a threat, but rather like stating a fact that could be fulfilled at any time.

He recalled Lin Feng's composed demeanor in the restaurant and suddenly realized that he might have offended the wrong person.

He didn't go home that night, but stayed in his office all night. The next morning, he sent Shen Qianqian a WeChat message, his tone very respectful, saying that he had been very offensive last night and would not bother her again.

Then I turned off my phone and sat alone in my office, staring blankly at the gray sky outside the window.

At that moment, Lin Feng was standing at the entrance of the rest room in the Shuntong Logistics parking lot, looking through the photos and messages sent by Kui Zi on his phone.

Kui Zi leaned against the truck door, a cigarette between his fingers, and said casually, "Just four thugs, they brought a steel pipe, but they didn't even dare to pull out a knife. Brother Biao happened to have a few of his brothers eating nearby, and they came over in ten minutes. The leader, what's his name, Brother Hao, he confessed everything as soon as we asked him, saying that Young Master Chen from Hengtai Real Estate paid them to come."

Lin Feng put his phone back in his pocket. "Hengtai Real Estate, what's their background?"

"I've checked. He's in commercial real estate in the east of the city, with several projects under his management and assets worth about ten to twenty million. To the average person, he's a big boss, but in Hehai City, he's only at the level of a third or fourth-tier city."

Lin Feng nodded. "Just give him a scare, no need to go too far. This kind of young master has been pampered since childhood and has never experienced hardship. Let him know the pain, and he'll naturally back down."

"It's all taken care of. Those thugs took photos and sent them back. Chen Yuzhi didn't leave his office all night." Kui flicked his cigarette ash. "But this Chen's father, Chen Hao, has been in the underworld for so many years and has some connections with some people. Should we give him a heads-up beforehand?"

"No need," Lin Feng said. "If he were smart, he wouldn't have stood up for his son. If he's not smart—" Lin Feng didn't finish his sentence. Kui Zi grinned, threw his cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped it out. The meaning in his smile was clear—a person who isn't smart won't last long in Hehai City.

As the two were talking, Lao Qian jogged over from the other end of the parking lot.

He was carrying two plastic bags, his forehead was covered in sweat, but his expression was relaxed.

"Mr. Lin, Brother Kui, I just passed by Old Sun's braised food stall on my way back from a trip and bought some duck necks and wings. You guys can try them." He put the plastic bag on the coffee table in the lounge, then turned around and went to the water dispenser to get two glasses of cold water and brought them over.

Lin Feng picked up a duck wing and took a bite. It tasted really good; the braising sauce was flavorful, spicy with a hint of numbing sensation. "Brother Qian, how's the running around these past few days?"

"It's great!" Old Qian sat down on the sofa, wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve. "The new performance evaluation scheme only started this month, and I've already made twelve trips. At this rate, my commission at the end of the month will be more than my previous two months' salary. My wife was just saying yesterday that she wants to transfer our child to the Experimental Primary School next month, something I never even dared to dream of before."

"Let Brother Kui keep an eye out for you. The group has connections with the education bureau, so transferring schools shouldn't be difficult."

Old Qian paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously. He stood up, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something to express his gratitude, but in the end he just rubbed his hands together and chuckled twice.

These people who have driven cars all their lives may be clumsy with words, but they know the ropes better than anyone else. They will be loyal to whoever treats them well.

After Lao Qian left, Lin Feng wiped the oil off his hands with a towel, then suddenly turned to Kui Zi as if remembering something and asked, "Where are the rest of them? How have they been doing these past few days?"

"Not bad. After you personally made a trip for Hengda's goods for him last time, they've been much more obedient. I've made eight trips this month, and some people have even come to me to say they want to treat President Lin to a meal to apologize."

"No need for a meal. Let them do their job well, and the performance reports will tell the real story." Lin Feng stood up and straightened his work clothes. "I'm going to see Sister Hong. The billiard hall and foot massage parlor are opening next week, and the project progress needs to be reviewed again. Also, I have dinner plans with Sister He tonight; I need to discuss a few new routes for the logistics company with her."

Kui Zi nodded, threw the cigarette butt into the trash can, picked up his car keys, and walked towards the parking lot.