“Is this really necessary? This matter is clearly a private grudge between us; it has absolutely nothing to do with Jiang Sui.”
Even with a knife pressed against her throat, Xia Youqing could not help but speak up.
“Save those words for our boss.”
The thug holding the dagger had a ferocious look in his eyes. Without looking back, he ordered his subordinates, “Tie her up and take her away. Two of you come with me to her house to check things out. Grab her daughter too.”
“Understood, Captain! I’ll go with you!”
At the mention of the word “daughter,” one of the thugs suddenly became excited and let out a harsh, leering laugh.
But before he could finish laughing, a hand reached out from behind and landed on his shoulder.
“?”
Before he could react, a solid straight punch slammed into his face.
“Ow!”
The man screamed and fell straight to the ground, groaning in pain.
The others heard the commotion and turned their heads. They saw a figure standing at the entrance where they had come from, rubbing his fist with a cold expression.
“Where did you say you were going?”
“Someone actually wants to play the busybody! Take care of him first!”
The Captain of the thugs sneered with disdain. He thought Lu Yunze was just some guy passing by trying to be a hero. His side had the advantage in numbers and weapons; no matter how he looked at it, this was a guaranteed win.
He even planned to personally step on the man two times after his subordinates beat him down, just to let this “hero” know the consequences.
“Whoever makes him beg for mercy first will get a reward from the boss when we get back!”
Upon hearing there was a reward, the subordinates became excited and swarmed toward Lu Yunze.
A smirk played on the Captain’s lips as he waited for the show to begin.
However, it did not take long for the smile on his face to gradually vanish.
More and more people fell to the ground, but not one of them was Lu Yunze.
As fierce as these men were when they charged, they were just as pathetic when they were knocked down.
Even though they had the numerical advantage, once the fighting actually started, they realized they could not even budge the man in front of them.
Even when someone took advantage of Lu Yunze being occupied to hit him with a club, he only paused for a moment before turning around and returning the favor with a punch.
Lu Yunze picked up a wooden club dropped by an opponent and tapped it twice against his palm, his gaze remaining cold.
The remaining men began to tremble, but the Captain kept urging them on, forcing them to push forward.
It was not until the very last subordinate was knocked unconscious by the club that the alley became quiet again.
Thugs were sprawled all over the ground. Those who could still move scrambled to crawl away, desperate to put distance between themselves and Lu Yunze.
Lu Yunze ignored them and walked straight toward the only man still standing — the Captain.
“It’s just you now.”
“This… how is this possible…”
Not only the thugs, but even Xia Youqing was dazed. Just a moment ago, she had wanted Lu Yunze to hurry up and run to call the police, but in the blink of an eye, these people had all been flattened.
The Captain’s expression turned grim. He grabbed Xia Youqing, pulled her in front of him, and pressed the knife against her neck.
“Don’t come any closer! I have a hostage! Don’t think for a second I won’t do it!”
Lu Yunze simply scratched his temple and picked up a pebble, tossing it lightly in his hand.
As he continued to move forward, the Captain kept backing away until the knife was no longer at Xia Youqing’s neck but pointed directly at Lu Yunze.
“Mrs. Xia, please tilt your head.”
“Huh?”
Though Xia Youqing did not understand, she instinctively tilted her head to the side.
*Whoosh — *
The sound of something tearing through the air whipped past her ear, fast as lightning.
*Thud!*
“Argh!”
The Captain screamed, clutching his face as he stumbled back.
Lu Yunze immediately rushed forward, snatched the knife from his hand, and kicked him in the abdomen, sending him tumbling to the ground.
The final enemy was dealt with.
Lu Yunze finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are they just local thugs?” he asked, looking back.
Xia Youqing was still a bit dazed. “Ah… I suppose so.”
“Then I’ll just call the police and let them handle it.”
Given his status, the police certainly would not be negligent; they would arrive quickly.
—
The two of them left the alley and returned to the busy street. It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a good fighter. I thought young masters from wealthy families were all pampered and spoiled — the type who would cry if they tripped,” Xia Youqing could not help but say.
Hearing this made Lu Yunze want to laugh, but since he was facing her mother, he held it back.
“I’ve practiced a bit of self-defense.”
“You won’t commit domestic violence in the future, will you…”
“What?” Lu Yunze was stunned.
“Nothing.” Xia Youqing straightened her expression. “Thank you. Public safety in Central City hasn’t been great lately; there are more and more thugs.”
‘Thugs, huh…’
“I already told them I have a husband, but those people still wouldn’t let me go. They even wanted to go after Sui’er. It’s a good thing you showed up in time. You’re a decent person.”
Lu Yunze remained silent until a police car roared past with its sirens blaring. Only then did he speak.
“Madam, those men didn’t look like ordinary thugs. What’s the story behind the grudge between you and them?”
“What grudge? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Xia Youqing glanced at him.
“I’m just a poor mother raising a child alone. Where would I get a grudge from? On the other hand, you wealthy people must have offended plenty of others on your way up. Don’t let your vendettas involve my Sui’er.”
As she finished, she noticed Lu Yunze had stopped walking. His expression was even more solemn than when he had been fighting earlier.
“Madam, I am not joking. If you continue to hide the truth, this will catch up to Jiang Sui sooner or later. Neither of us wants to see those consequences.”
Xia Youqing’s expression shifted several times before she finally let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine. There are indeed some old matters, but it’s not my or Sui’er’s fault.”
“Is it related to your husband?”
“Yes.” She gave a bitter smile. “They want me to find that deadbeat so they can settle an old score. But as for where he is, I don’t know either… If only I could get in touch with him.”
Her expression visibly dimmed, losing all of her previous assertiveness.
“What an irresponsible guy. Hearing about him makes me want to punch him.”
“Don’t talk about him like that.” Xia Youqing frowned. “If it weren’t for your Luo Family, he wouldn’t have gone into hiding, and those enemies wouldn’t have come looking for me.”
Lu Yunze went silent.
He did not know the full truth, so he could not judge who was right or wrong. However, the more he learned about Jiang Sui and her mother’s life, the more he felt for the usually lively and cheerful girl.
She clearly knew everything, yet she kept it all hidden in her heart. An irresponsible father, a struggling mother, and the pressure she carried herself… Everything made Lu Yunze feel a surge of pity.
Jiang Sui was working so hard just to live.
‘And I should do something for her.’
“Sigh, that guy should really give us a call. Sui’er almost got into trouble; I can’t believe he’s still hiding.”
Xia Youqing was still muttering under her breath.
“Madam, if you have any trouble in the future, you can come to me directly.”
“Huh?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t represent the Luo Family, but I have a certain amount of influence within the Clan, and I can handle myself in a fight. If you ever run into a problem you can’t solve, you can contact me, or have Jiang Sui find me.”
Lu Yunze spoke seriously.
“Jiang Sui and I made a promise to rely on each other. So if danger finds you, please feel free to leave her to me. I can fight, and I can take the hits. I definitely won’t let her come to any harm.”
After he finished speaking, Xia Youqing stared at him for a long time before looking away.
“Do young people these days like to say such pretty words?”
“They aren’t just pretty words; it’s the truth.”
“Then don’t say them to me. Go say them to Sui’er.”
“Give me a break, Madam…”
If he said those things to Jiang Sui, she would surely seize the opportunity to tease him mercilessly. Seeing his bitter expression, Xia Youqing gave a light laugh.
“You say you’ll protect Jiang Sui and that you won’t be like her irresponsible father, abandoning her to go into hiding.”
“A real man keeps his word!”
“It better be so. If one day Sui’er comes to me crying because you abandoned her, I’ll definitely drag the Luo Family down into the grave with me.”
‘She’s quite ruthless.’
But on second thought, given Jiang Sui’s personality, she might not necessarily go to her mother crying. She was more likely to find her own way to track down the man who ran away.
As for what would happen after that… Lu Yunze quickly cut off that train of thought. With a personality like Jiang Sui’s, who knew what crazy things she might do?
As for failing her?
‘What a joke.’
After everything, if he were to abandon her at a critical moment, would he even be human? Just thinking about it made Lu Yunze feel angry.
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Her hardwork is paying off!