"Brother Chen, what's wrong?" Liu Momo waved her hand in front of Ye Chen's face.
"It's nothing!" Ye Chen shook his head and sighed, asking, "Silly girl, there are so many universities in Beijing, why do you want to go to Jianghuai University?"
"I can't bear to leave you," Liu Momo giggled, her face immediately turning red. She stuck out her tongue at Ye Chen and quickly got up, saying, "Brother Chen, you sit here, I'll go and prepare the barbecue for you!"
Watching the playful Liu Momo, Ye Chen felt a surge of inexplicable guilt inside. He had never imagined that a simple act of heroism would make her fall completely in love with him, something that Ye Chen could never understand.
Lifting his eyes to look at Liu Momo, the girl seemed even prettier than before. Although he couldn't see her delicate features from the side, he could clearly see her cheeks and the long, fair neck behind them flush red, strikingly beautiful. She wore a cute cartoon T-shirt and light white capri pants tailored in the most fashionable corn tassel style of the year; on her feet were a pair of ordinary white sneakers.
Her simple attire did not dim her radiance at all. Here, most of the boys were attracted by Momo's beauty. Although Liu Momo had not yet entered Jianghuai University, her admission had already caused a stir, known as the "Barbecue beauty" quickly spread across the entire campus, creating an instant sensation.
Both new and current students paid attention to this matter, and Liu Momo's photos were even posted on the Jianghuai University forum, attracting a horde flocking to her family's barbecue shop.
"Brother Chen, your barbecue is ready! The usual three dishes!" Liu Momo, tall and slender, placed two plates in front of Ye Chen and sat down, smiling, "Grilled lamb, spicy peppers, and fish balls. Hehe!"
"Thanks, Momo!" Ye Chen picked up a fish ball, it tasted good, considering so many barbecue places, few had such pure ingredients like Liu Momo's. Others either used expired ingredients or inferior ones instead...
"Why thank me? I haven't properly thanked Brother Chen yet!" Liu Momo flashed a smile, her crescent-shaped eyes shimmering, earnestly watching Ye Chen eat, laughing, "If it weren't for Brother Chen saving me last time, there probably wouldn't be a girl named Liu Momo in the world!"
"Momo, actually, you don't need to dwell on it!" Ye Chen looked at her and said, "Even if it wasn't you, I would have helped just the same!"
"I know!" Liu Momo nodded and said, "That's why I like Brother Chen, if you only saved beauties and not others, I wouldn't like you this much!"
Clang, clang, clang...
A series of metallic clanging noises followed, then Liu Momo's mother screamed in panic.
"Mom..." Liu Momo almost reflexively dashed over.
A few young thugs, all with dyed yellow hair, metallic rings hanging from their ears, a stud on their nose, and clutching a metal cleaver, violently struck the grill at Mrs. Liu's barbecue stall.
"Damn it, time to pay the protection fee!" The leader of the gang, the yellow-haired young man, acted arrogant, waving his cleaver and almost flipping all the barbecue off the stove, scattering fish balls all over the ground, one rolling close to Ye Chen's foot.
"We... We just paid a couple of days ago, didn't we?" Mrs. Liu stammered, looking fearfully at them, "Why do we have to pay again today?"
"Damn it, you ate a few days ago, does that mean you won't have to eat today?" The yellow-haired man scowled, infuriated, "Hurry up and pay, or pack up and get lost!"
Ye Chen watched them coldly from one side, recognizing that while people from the underworld also had their own set of rules, recharging protection fees was unacceptable and breached the underworld's rules. Scanning his surroundings, Ye Chen realized what was happening as he observed other barbecue shop owners watching indifferently.
"We'll pay, we'll pay!" Mrs. Liu was ready to pay to avoid further trouble, considering the booming business; paying the fee was not the end of the world, as they could earn it back after a few hardworking days. She hurriedly asked, "How much?"
"Five thousand yuan!" The yellow-haired man sneered.
"Ah!" Mrs. Liu was shocked, asking, "Isn't it usually 300 Yuan?"
"Damn it, you know that was the past, right?" The yellow-haired man spat, angrily retorting, "Society has progressed now, prices have soared, the CPI has risen faster than housing prices, pork costs twenty-five yuan per pound now. Back then, ten yuan could support a family, now a hundred yuan can't even cover one person's expenses! And you still want me to charge the old rates, how are my boys supposed to eat?"
"Can... can you charge less?" Mrs. Liu still didn't want to escalate the situation.
"Damn it, no way!" The yellow-haired man raised his knife and with a swing, the barbecue grill was nearly destroyed.
"Mom, let's call the police!" Liu Momo hurriedly protected Mrs. Liu behind her, glaring angrily.
When some young men saw Liu Momo, their eyes suddenly lit up. They quickly rubbed their eyes, "Damn, such a pretty girl. No wonder this barbecue shop does good business, using a beautiful girl as their billboard. They really have a business mind. How come that Fatty Liu next door doesn't understand this? Otherwise, why would he need to pay five thousand yuan to drive away this barbecue shop from the entrance of Jianghuai University?"
"Little sister..." The yellow-haired kid drooled and reached for Liu Momo's chest.
Slap...
A figure flashed, and then, the yellow-haired kid let out a pitiful scream. That slap had probably dislocated his wrist. Ye Chen just couldn't stand by anymore. Originally, he didn't want to get involved, but messing with Momo was definitely a taboo for Ye Chen. Over the past six months, he had unconsciously come to think of Liu Momo as his own sister.
"Speak, who sent you here?" Ye Chen's face was icy.
"Damn it, who the hell are you?" The young men glared at Ye Chen, their knives pointing at him, shouting, "Believe it or not, we'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"
"Do you know? You're the first person to dare speak to me like that!" Ye Chen squinted his eyes, a murderous intent flashing through them as he said menacingly, "But I wonder if you'll still dare to do so in a moment!"
Ye Chen exuded a fierce aura, causing the others to tremble with fear, a fear that stemmed from the bottom of their hearts. They barely managed to stand their ground because of their numbers; otherwise, they probably would have fled long ago.
"Damn it, do you think you're the boss of the Flame Dragon Gang or something?" the young men cursed.
"I'll give you one more chance, who sent you here!" Ye Chen said coldly with a sneer.
"Brothers, let's do this together, chop him up!" The yellow-haired man was sweating profusely. His mind was filled with only one thought—take down this guy quickly and then retreat. He couldn't stay here another minute.
The group immediately circled up and closed in on Ye Chen.
"Kill!" The blond-haired man yelled, and the group raised their knives and swung them. The bystanders watched the scene in horror; someone was being assaulted in broad daylight, it was truly terrifying. Liu Momo had already dialed the police.
Ye Chen's lips curled into a smile. He dodged swiftly, moving at a strange angle, and greeted the first man who charged at him with a kick.
"Ouch…" The man cried out in pain, Ye Chen showed no mercy, and with that kick, the man's ribcage broke immediately. He lay on the ground convulsing, screaming pitifully.
The others were shocked and didn't dare to underestimate him. With an attitude geared towards swiftly resolving the fight, they circled up again.
"Die!" The yellow-haired man attacked from behind Ye Chen.
Hmph!
Ye Chen let out a cold snort and with a back hook kick, his foot struck directly below the yellow-haired man's belt.
Pop!
A crisp sound followed, and the yellow-haired man instantly gasped. His eyes rolled back, the knife fell to the ground, and he held his groin, hopping in place, so pained that he couldn't make a sound.