ALL NOVEL Chapter 37: Why Lower Myself to Argue with a Dog?
Chapter 37: Why Lower Myself to Argue with a Dog?
In a second-floor private room, Smith, who had drunk too much, went to relieve himself.
After finishing, he heard piano music in the hallway and furrowed his thick eyebrows.
Center stage.
Su Mu sat with elegant posture and intense focus, his rising and falling arms like wings growing from the piano. Every note was under his perfect control, each rhythm landing precisely on beat, the music stirring and uplifting.
The bar patrons, stimulated by both alcohol and music, were excited, swaying their bodies to the melody, completely immersed.
Whether musically inclined or not, everyone was captivated by the piece – good art has that kind of magic.
“CLANG—”
An extremely discordant note suddenly interrupted the uplifting piece.
“What happened? Did the pianist make a mistake?”
“I was just getting to the exciting part! Way to ruin the mood.”
The crowd whispered and muttered amongst themselves.
Those who could see what happened at the front of the stage shouted: “What are you doing?!”
No one likes having their enjoyment ruined.
People come to bars seeking pleasure – who wants their mood destroyed?
The person now facing everyone’s angry glares was Smith.
Su Mu had no choice but to stop playing.
Because Smith had slammed his palm directly onto the piano keys, making it impossible to continue.
“Sir, do you have some issue with my playing?”
Su Mu asked formally with a cold, expressionless face.
He was barely containing his irritation and anger, but being on stage, he didn’t want to make a scene.
Moreover, at this close distance, the strong smell of alcohol made it clear he was dealing with a drunk.
With someone like this causing trouble, reasoning would likely be futile.
Su Mu was now just waiting for bar staff to handle the situation.
He spotted Manager Wang below, but the manager’s reaction left him puzzled.
Manager Wang was frowning with deep concern as he watched, yet hesitated to act, his expression conflicted.
Su Mu thought it through, examining the drunk more carefully.
He was a foreigner in refined clothing – his suit perfectly tailored and clearly expensive.
Now Su Mu fully understood Manager Wang’s reaction.
This drunken foreigner must be someone important, someone the manager couldn’t simply confront.
Since the bar couldn’t help, he’d have to handle this himself.
Below, Manager Wang watched anxiously. Su Mu was someone the boss had specifically asked him to look after, while Smith was today’s VIP guest. Unable to risk either Su Mu getting hurt or offending Smith, he could only send someone to report to the boss for direct intervention.
Small fry like them couldn’t handle someone of Smith’s status.
“Someone get this drunk out of here, he’s ruining the performance!”
“Just when the music was lifting my soul, this bastard had to interrupt. Come on brothers, let’s remove him!”
Smith’s eyes blazed with anger. The reason for his fury was that this piece was one his wife used to play often – the same wife who had cheated on him.
So hearing this piece reminded him of his unfaithful wife.
While others heard ethereal music, to Smith’s ears it was just a repeated reminder of his wife’s betrayal.
That’s why he angrily slammed the piano keys, interrupting the performance.
Was it ridiculous? Absolutely.
But there’s no reasoning with a drunk.
He even had the audacity to demand Su Mu play his requested pieces.
“Sir, the program is set in advance and we’re not taking requests. You’re drunk – I suggest you go rest and sober up. This is a stage, not a place for drunken outbursts. With all these people watching, are you sure you want to continue harassing me?”
Su Mu responded with dignified restraint.
The crowd below echoed their support, condemning the unreasonable drunk.
“Get down already! You think you own this bar? You can’t just demand songs. If anyone should request songs it’s not you – we’ve been listening all this time without complaint.”
“Know your place! Where are the security guards? Why haven’t they removed this drunk yet? If no one comes soon, I’ll do it myself!” The speaker rolled up his sleeves as if ready for action.
Smith was used to being treated as superior, especially since coming to China. Considering himself from a developed country, he felt it beneath him to be in a developing country and viewed himself as above others.
Thus he looked down his nose at everyone with a condescending attitude.
Now, facing those who dared defy his words, he began berating them as if they were servants in his own estate.
When Shang Guan Fan heard the news from his subordinate in his office, he couldn’t help but curse.
He felt like wringing Smith’s neck.
Before inviting him, he never imagined the man would be this kind of character.
It was bad enough that he was drinking and partying wildly in his bar.
But now he was actively causing trouble!
Did he really think he owned the place?
And of all people to target, he had to pick Su Mu. Old Chu was likely arriving soon – how would he explain if Chu saw his person being bullied here?
Shang Guan Fan, agitated, instructed his subordinate, “Quickly, get someone to take Smith back to the private room. Tell them it’s my order.”
Though the subordinate left to carry out the order, Shang Guan Fan was still uneasy and decided to supervise personally.
Regardless of Su Mu’s current standing with Chu Hanting, as long as Old Chu hadn’t explicitly dismissed him, they had to protect their own.
On stage, the scene was quite a spectacle. Smith’s insults were constant, and worse, he had revealed his identity, making the crowd too intimidated to confront him.
Though burning with anger, they could only grit their teeth and hold back.
If they hit him, they couldn’t afford the consequences, especially with him being an international guest.
How frustrating!
Smith was delighted seeing these people angry yet afraid to speak up.
Just like the dogs at his estate – they wouldn’t dare raise a paw, let alone bark twice.
This was class hierarchy, this was capitalism.
With his money, he could control everything.
Tired of yelling at a bunch of dogs who wouldn’t bark back, he turned his attention to Su Mu.
While Smith had been hurling insults, Su Mu had merely regarded him as a barking dog, watching his self-important performance like a clown show.
Unlike the crowd below who feared Smith’s power, Su Mu simply felt no need to argue with a drunken dog.
Why lower himself to that level?