章 89: Exposed
"Who said we came to cause trouble? It's just that your food here is so lousy!" Hanson shouted loudly at Jake. Although they did come here with the intention of causing trouble, they needed a reason. They couldn't just do it without any cause, right?
"If it's so lousy, why did you eat so much of it? Several of you ate over a thousand?" Jake said calmly.
The young men felt a bit ashamed and annoyed with themselves. Why didn't they control themselves earlier? But the truth was, the barbecue at this stall was really delicious.
"The ingredients here are expired!"
"Yeah, I just tasted it, and there's obviously a strange taste!"
"I even found a bug in my food. Your place is so unhygienic!"
The young men criticized Jake one after another.
"If it's expired and tastes strange, why did you eat so much of it? If it's unhygienic, how can you enjoy eating it so much?" Jake retorted.
"Enough nonsense! Pay up, or we'll smash your stall!" Hanson said angrily. Originally, if they had followed their plan and caused a scene after just a few bites, they might have had the confidence to do so. But the problem was, they ate too much just now, and now whatever reasons they gave wouldn't be very convincing.
"You guys are deliberately trying to cause trouble," Jake said.
"No matter what you think, you have to compensate!" Hanson no longer concealed his intention. It was becoming clear.
"What if I don't compensate?" Jake said calmly, showing no signs of panic.
"If you don't, we'll smash your stall! And every time we see you, we'll smash you again! Make sure you can't do business!" Hanson threatened.
"Who sent you guys here?" Jake suddenly asked. These guys didn't look like good people, and if it was protection money they were after, they should have targeted all the stalls around here. Instead, they headed straight for his stall. Clearly, they had a specific motive, and he didn't know any of them from before. It didn't make sense for them to bear a grudge against him out of nowhere. It was evident that someone was pulling the strings from behind.
Hanson didn't expect Jake to suddenly bring up this topic. His eyes involuntarily glanced at the other barbecue stall owners who were watching the commotion. Although he quickly realized his mistake and turned his gaze back, Jake had already noticed. The other barbecue stall owners also noticed the exchange.
"What a fool! Such an idiot!"
"This guy's brain must be made of pig's fat, or no, even pigs are smarter than him!"
"I wonder if the stall owner noticed. If he did, then he'll know we're behind this mess."
"So what if he notices? This isn't a school; this is the real world. Using some tactics is normal, right?"
The other stall owners were clearly dissatisfied with Hanson's behavior, but they weren't worried about Jake finding out that they were behind this. In their view, even if Jake knew, there wasn't much he could do. Jake was just a young newcomer to the business; what could he possibly achieve? If he had any real power, he wouldn't be running a street stall.
Jake did notice the other barbecue stall owners watching, and through the leader's eyes, he also guessed that they were the ones pulling the strings.
Originally, after Dirk's warning in the afternoon, Jake thought these guys were sent by Carlton. Now it seemed not to be the case. However, he wasn't surprised that the culprits behind this were those other barbecue stall owners. Since his business had improved, it must have affected their business. They had shown hostility towards him last night and now, they sent people to cause trouble and disrupt his business. It wasn't surprising at all.
"No one told us to come," Hanson still hadn't realized that his actions had exposed the people behind him. He continued threatening Jake, "Are you going to compensate or not?"
"Compensate? Impossible," Jake shook his head, "If my food indeed had a problem, compensation would be reasonable. But since you guys are intentionally causing trouble, I won't let you succeed."
"Hanson, why waste words with him? If he won't compensate, let's smash his stall."
"Yeah, Hanson, stop talking and just act."
"This guy dares not to give us face, not even to Hanson. We must teach him a lesson today!"
The other young men behind Hanson cracked their knuckles and glared menacingly at Jake, ready to take action at any moment.
"What are you guys planning? Be careful, we'll call the police and have you arrested!" Jake defended himself, insisting that there was nothing wrong with his ingredients and that they were deliberately causing trouble.
"To think you dare to bully a professor from Princeton University! You guys have some nerve!"While Jake had not yet spoken, the nearby students couldn't hold back anymore. They couldn't tolerate bullying a professor from Princeton University, especially one as well-known as Jake. Such actions were a direct insult to Princeton University and its reputation, and the students couldn't let it slide.
Upon seeing this situation, the several young men eager to act were taken aback. What was going on? This person was a professor at Princeton University? How could a professor be running a barbecue stall? Shouldn't he be focused on teaching? Moreover, before they came, nobody mentioned Jake's background as a Princeton University professor.
Princeton University's reputation was known even to them, the troublemakers. They understood the university's status and knew that if they assaulted a professor from Princeton University, the consequences would be far more severe than bullying a simple barbecue stall owner. The thought made them hesitate.
Hanson turned his head to look at the other stall owners behind him, seeking a sign of assurance. He wanted to know how they should proceed now that Jake's background had been revealed. Should they continue with the trouble, or should they let it go?
The other stall owners hadn't anticipated Jake's identity either, but since their own identities had already been exposed, they decided to proceed with the plan. After all, they wouldn't be directly involved in the altercation. If Hanson and his group were caught, they could compensate them with more money.
After a brief moment of hesitation, the stall owners signaled to Hanson to proceed and indicated that they would provide additional compensation. With this assurance, Hanson felt more at ease. So what if he was a professor from Princeton University? We'll continue with our plan and still flip his stall! If we get caught, we'll just spend a few days in jail, it's not like we haven't been there before. Moreover, the other stall owners are willing to provide extra money. It's a deal that won't leave us at a loss!
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