Xia Liu had finally figured it out: robbing with a knife in broad daylight, and boldly inside a bank no less.
Although he'd only seen the woman's back, Xia Liu was certain she was a real beauty. To not lend a hand would be asking for divine retribution.
So he stepped forward, cutting in front of the woman, taking the opportunity to size her up—indeed, she was stunning, with a delicate neck and a charming face, the shyness of youth replaced by mature allure!
"Kid, you dare to cut in line? You're seeking death!" one of the robbers yelled, clearly annoyed.
The beautiful woman was taken aback by Xia Liu's actions. Once she recovered, her eyes trembled, hoping Xia Liu would understand her predicament and help her.
"Cutting in line? Try glaring at me again!" Xia Liu boldly responded to the robber, while the knife was still pressed against the woman's waist. If he acted rashly, he might accidentally hurt her.
"Damn it! I'll stab you to death!"
Unable to tolerate Xia Liu's words, the knife-wielding robber made his move.
But just as his knife was exposed to the air, he suddenly saw black and passed out. This scene shocked both the beautiful woman and the other robber.
Unexpectedly, this small-statured man had knocked out his accomplice with a single punch, and he was incredibly fast. Seeing the situation turning against him, the other robber turned and fled.
But he was nowhere near as fast as Xia Liu, who took him down after just a couple of steps.
After dealing with the two men, Xia Liu asked the woman what she wanted to do next.
Once she recovered, the woman thanked Xia Liu repeatedly. As for the two robbers, she suggested calling the police to take them away.
The woman's name was Fang Fei. Xia Liu learned that she had been targeted by the two robbers right at the entrance, which led to the scene they had just encountered.
"Thank you, Xia Liu. If it wasn't for you, today I might have..."
"Sister Fang, you're too polite. Helping others is what I enjoy the most," Xia Liu interrupted Fang Fei. Facing such a charming woman's gratitude, he felt a bit overwhelmed, wondering if she might seek to repay him with her body.
Okay, Xia Liu was overthinking it—but Fang Fei was still visibly shaken, sticking close to Xia Liu, not daring to walk away.
Inhaling the faint fragrance of the beautiful woman at his side, Xia Liu felt a bit restless, yet he managed to control himself.
After withdrawing the money, Xia Liu saw a group dressed in special uniforms approaching from a distance. As soon as these people entered, they ignored the two robbers lying on the ground and drew their batons, confronting Xia Liu.
This sudden development baffled both Xia Liu and Fang Fei.
"What are you doing? These two are the robbers. They just tried to rob me with a knife, and he rescued me!" Fang Fei immediately explained the situation as someone approached Xia Liu.
"Lady, don't interfere with our work. We don't need you telling us what to do. Handcuff them and take them away!" Luo Cheng, the leader of the group, glanced at Fang Fei, his sharp words making her dare not make any further move.
That's when Xia Liu stepped up: "I just came from the village to withdraw money. I shouldn't have done anything wrong. Why are you handcuffing me?"
"Enough talk. If you resist, you'll have to give a statement back at the station, to clear any suspicion of you being in cahoots with them," Luo Cheng, who had just turned forty, pointed directly at Xia Liu, keenly aware of the credit he would get from handling this situation.
"Heh," Xia Liu let out a cold laugh, his hands slowly tightening behind his back. He had never seen these people before and certainly had no grudges. The only way to find out who was behind this may be to go there himself.
…
In a certain facility in Pinglan Town, Xia Liu's hands were cuffed as he was brought into a dimly lit small room, where the icy chair made him sigh deeply.
Before he could even warm the seat, the door opened and two young men entered, Xia Liu recognized one of them—it was Li Hao from Shanyan Village.
When he was at the bank, he had thought about it, the likely person he had a grudge with was Li Hao.
"Damn it, you dare to smile? I'll beat you to death!" Seeing the smile on Xia Liu's face, Li Hao became instantly furious, grabbing a stool and attempting to smash it on Xia Liu.
However, the other young man was calmer and stopped Li Hao, "Cousin, hold back for now. It's too cheap to just hit him since he dared to strike you."
"You're right, cousin. How can we make him remember this forever?" As for Lan Jian's words, Li Hao never dared to contradict, since his uncle Lan Weiming was the mayor of Pinglan Town.
With a gleam in his eyes, Lan Jian suggested, "Didn't you say he's recently been close to Zhang Xiaoxue from Osmanthus Village? What if we capture Zhang Xiaoxue and deal with her right in front of him? Do you think he'll ever forget what he sees?"
Li Hao felt somewhat embarrassed; Zhang Xiaoxue was the woman he most wanted to marry. Yet, to appease Lan Jian, he did not dare say much. Having the opportunity to be with Zhang Xiaoxue seemed appealing, and as for the consequences, he couldn't care less.
Watching their smirking faces, Xia Liu silently tossed his handcuffs aside.
"Damn it, how did you unlock the handcuffs!" Seeing this, Li Hao was stunned, well aware of Xia Liu's capabilities, who was known to take down ten men on his own.
Lan Jian was also shocked, but after regaining his composure, he spoke calmly, "Kid, this is Zheng Suo's territory, and my dad is Lan Weiming. If you dare cause trouble, be careful..."
Smack!
Before Lan Jian could finish, a crisp slap echoed throughout the room.
Looking at Lan Jian holding his face in pain, Xia Liu said coldly, "I originally didn't want to hit you, but why did you have to bring up Xiaoxue!"
With that, Xia Liu delivered another slap, effectively controlling his strength to prevent Lan Jian from fainting.
Lan Jian lay on the ground from the slaps while Li Hao stood by like a stake, not reacting until Xia Liu finished slapping Lan Jian.
"You're done for, you're done for. You just hit Lan Weiming's son; not even the mighty king can save you now!"
Although scared, Li Hao remained cool since he no longer had to think about how to deal with Xia Liu; beating Lan Jian had fixed that, and now there was no escape for him!
"Is that so? Before that happens, shouldn't I teach you a lesson first, thinking you're some big shot?"
Xia Liu moved swiftly, kicking Li Hao in the stomach. Li Hao flew back like a kicked ball and crashed into a wall.
Clutching his stomach, Li Hao knelt on the floor, deeply regretting having talked tough in front of Xia Liu; he should have waited for the staff to arrive before saying anything.
Just as Xia Liu was about to continue teaching Li Hao a lesson, the iron door opened and several staff members rushed in, led by a greasy-faced middle-aged man.
"Zheng Suo, save me, he's trying to kill me, shoot him dead!" As soon as Lan Jian saw the middle-aged man entering, he struggled to stand up from the floor and pointed at Xia Liu while shouting.
"Zheng Suo, he's trying to kill us both, save us quick!" Li Hao also began to make a scene.
However, they failed to notice the expression on Zheng Suo's face—it was uglier than crying...