"Well, looks like you've been doing pretty well these days," the man with a buzz cut whistled, casually leaning against the doorframe. Known as Brother Huzi, he was a thug employed by the Hongyi Gang. After six years of learning street fighting, he had gained attention when he single-handedly took down five armed punks during a street brawl. His skills had caught the eye of the Hongyi boss, earning him his current position.
Although calling it a "position" might be an exaggeration, seeing the respect his underlings showed him was something he enjoyed. The younger, immature students who called him "Big Brother"—though they had no real understanding of what that meant—added to his sense of superiority.
But in front of a true boss, he was nothing.
When there was free time, he'd visit the Hongyi Nightclub, occasionally help the boss collect debts, and walk around with a group of underlings. Life was pretty carefree, except when it came to collecting debts from women. It wasn't as fun when they dared to consider calling the cops or running away. Didn't they know who they were messing with? Hongyi Gang was no small fry.
But, since the woman in question was a beauty, he figured he'd let her off this time. A sly grin spread across Huzi's face as he motioned to his ten lackeys, who had already surrounded the flower shop's entrance.
Customers who had been browsing flowers hastily put down their selections and left in a hurry.
For those who left in a timely manner, the thugs didn't stop them.
In no time, the flower shop, once bustling with customers, had emptied out. The shopkeeper, trembling in fear, glanced nervously at the gang outside, too terrified to call the police. He knew that if he interfered, his business would be over. But with these thugs standing at the door, there was no way the shop could continue business.
"Come out now, or should I come in and get you?" Huzi whistled again, his gaze playful.
Xia Shiyu bit her lip, her beautiful face now shadowed with fear. Noticing the shopkeeper's pleading look, she sighed and reluctantly set down the vase in her hand. Her steps were stiff as she walked toward the door.
"Didn't expect you to still be working at a flower shop," Huzi said as he eyed her, reaching out a hand as if to touch her face. "So, how's the money coming along? Got it yet?"
What he didn't expect, though, was that this stubborn woman actually dared to dodge his hand.
"I'll work to pay it off. Please stop harassing me," Xia Shiyu said, taking a deep breath, her voice cold but trembling.
"Work? What work? How long do you think it'll take, huh?" Huzi laughed, but his eyes turned colder.
"...What do you want?" Xia Shiyu's face turned cold as she glared at him. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably, but her innate stubbornness refused to make her yield.
This girl's got some guts. Her legs are shaking like a leaf, but she still has the nerve to act tough. Huzi raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"Two options: One, you pay up. Two, you pay with yourself." Huzi slowly raised two fingers, his tone relaxed.
"I don't have the money right now," Xia Shiyu tried to remain calm as she responded.
"Then it's simple. You're coming with us." Huzi spread his hands as though he had just closed a deal.
"Come with you?" Xia Shiyu scoffed. "You think you can sell people like that?"
"Hahaha..."
Everyone behind Huzi, including his lackeys, burst into laughter.
Xia Shiyu felt humiliated. She didn't find any of this funny, but she was powerless to fight back. She had once believed that as a woman, she could rely on her hard work to support herself and her family, to achieve something meaningful in life...
But reality was cruel.
"No, no, no, that would be a waste, especially for a beauty like you," Huzi said, wiping tears from his eyes as he looked at his lackeys. "We'd at least have to let you be played with for a few years before selling you off as someone's wife. What do you think, guys?"
"Hahaha, that's for sure. Maybe we'll even chip in to help out and support the little lady," one of the thugs chimed in.
"How about selling her to Brother Pi as his wife? That guy loves broken shoes," another joked.
"Shut the hell up, I wear broken shoes but I don't want to marry one!" someone snapped.
...
Hearing these vulgar remarks, Xia Shiyu felt her lips quiver with shame. She wanted to cry—this was the first time in her life she had felt the urge to be rescued. Even in her toughest times, she had never thought this way.
Tears of humiliation blurred her vision. She even thought about ending it all. If these men took her, perhaps death would be a better option.
Huzi, experienced in debt collection, noticed the despair in Xia Shiyu's face. He raised his hand, signaling his lackeys to shut up, and then softened his tone.
"Alright, alright. You seem like a decent person. But rules are rules. You owe money, you pay it back. It's only fair. Don't worry, you can work for a few years at Hongyi Nightclub, pay off your debts and interest, and then you'll be free. Nobody will know, right? After that, you can leave the city, marry a good man, and just don't borrow money you can't repay next time..."
Classic. The carrot after the stick—an old but effective trick. He had probably coached his thugs to make those vulgar remarks just to set up this line.
Smooth talker! Deep schemes!
As always, the real danger isn't just the thug. It's the organization behind him.
Although Jiang Chen still wanted to watch the scene unfold, when he saw the near collapse on his former boss's face, a soft sigh escaped him. Even though he had once hated her, at this moment, he had no desire to kick her while she was down.
He'd help.
In the past, he would have been scared to face thugs like these. But now…
"Heh, may I ask how to address you, big brother?"
Huzi froze for a moment, not noticing that someone had walked up beside him and offered a cigarette.
Xia Shiyu, tears still in her eyes, looked at the man standing before her, incredulous. The one to stand up for her was him? The man who had fired her in a fit of anger not long ago?
She had regretted her rash actions afterward, but never had she imagined meeting him again—especially not in this situation.
Why was he here? Why was he standing up for her? Wasn't he supposed to be watching from the sidelines?
Her face showed a mixture of disbelief, guilt, gratitude, confusion... and chaos.
"Huzi." Huzi, still stunned, took the cigarette without fully understanding the situation. Normally, no one would dare speak up when the Hongyi gang was dealing with business.
Police? Huzi dismissed the thought immediately. The boss had connections with the cops, so no one would dare intervene unless it made the news.
A fool? Huzi's expression shifted as he began to feel something wasn't right.
"Well, what a coincidence. I ran into an old friend, so I decided to come check it out," Jiang Chen laughed heartily before changing the subject. "I overheard everything. How much does she owe you?"
Huzi squinted at Jiang Chen. This guy was definitely acting too bold.
The task the boss gave him was simple: bring the girl back. With the interest rates, they could make a killing. And with her looks, she could easily become a top performer at the nightclub. The real money came from long-term exploitation.
"Yo, kid, you've got guts," Huzi sneered, tossing the cigarette aside as he lunged at Jiang Chen.
Xia Shiyu's heart nearly stopped when she saw him move. She began to worry for the man who had dared to stand up for her.
"Do you know how much this suit costs? You break it, can you afford to pay for it?" Jiang Chen sighed, raising his hand to grab Huzi's outstretched arm.
At 28, Jiang Chen's reflexes might not be the sharpest in a post-apocalyptic world, but dealing with low-level punks like Huzi was a piece of cake.
Huzi felt as though his hands were caught in a vice. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move them an inch.
Damn, this kid's definitely trained.
Realizing he might have bitten off more than he could chew, he felt a momentary hesitation. But with so many of his underlings watching, his bravado kicked back in. With a flick of his wrist, a small knife appeared in his left hand, and with a swift motion, he hurled it toward Jiang Chen's head.
Jiang Chen tilted his head just enough to avoid the slow-moving blade, then reached out and shoved the thug back with a single push.
"Damn you, you're really tough, huh? Alright, brothers, grab your weapons!" One of the loyal subordinates, seeing that Brother Huzi wasn't winning, jumped in to rally the others, preparing to escalate the fight from a one-on-one to a full-blown brawl.
Watching the thug curse while drawing his knife, Jiang Chen sighed. Honestly, if he'd known it was going to get this troublesome, he wouldn't have worn such expensive clothes to try and show off.
"How about that alley over there? There's no surveillance." Jiang Chen casually pointed to a nearby alley.
Huzi paused, taken aback. This response was a bit strange—this guy didn't seem scared at all, and that made him uneasy.
But if he backed down now, wouldn't that make him look weak in front of his men? How would he show his face later?
"Heh, you've got guts, bro. Please, after you." Huzi smirked, adjusting his collar and making a grand gesture toward the alley.
Such a show-off... and he still wants to fight.
Cursing under his breath, Jiang Chen sneered and walked into the alley.
As Jiang Chen entered the alley, Huzi couldn't help but grin.
No matter how skilled he was, could he really take on ten guys with weapons? What an idiot.
Of course, Huzi would soon find out exactly who the real fool was...
He left one of his less useful subordinates to watch over Summer Shi Yu, in case she tried to run, while Huzi and the rest of the crew followed Jiang Chen into the alley. Soon, he would learn who the real fool was.
Summer Shi Yu anxiously watched Jiang Chen step into the alley. She wanted to pull out her phone and call the police, but the thug with a lewd grin on his face was standing too close, making her too nervous to move. She glanced over at the shopkeeper, the man who had always looked out for her, but now he was pretending not to see anything, as though the situation didn't concern him.
Summer Shi Yu suddenly felt like crying. She didn't know why, but she had this overwhelming urge. It wasn't fear—rather, it was the helplessness of being abandoned...
For over a decade, she'd never relied on anyone. The weariness from always being strong surged up, now compounded by the helplessness she felt in this moment.
"Get him!" Huzi was just starting to order his men to attack when his expression suddenly froze.
A cold barrel was pressed to his forehead.
"No surveillance here," Jiang Chen shrugged, not expecting the gun that Yao Yao had picked up earlier to come in handy. Of course, if he wasn't worried about ruining his expensive outfit, he'd have just used his fists to teach these punks a lesson.
"Fake, it's gotta be fake, right?" Sweat trickled down Huzi's forehead, but he forced a laugh, trying to keep his composure while locking eyes with Jiang Chen, searching for any sign of weakness.
Without a word, Jiang Chen shifted the gun away.
Bang!
The deafening sound of the gunshot exploded right next to Huzi's ear, like a thunderclap. The blast was so close, it felt like his eardrum might rupture.
"Ahh..." One of the thugs, clutching his bleeding thigh, collapsed to the ground in agony. His face twisted in pain, while the others stood frozen, too terrified to help him.
The bullet had pierced through the thug's leg, embedding itself in the concrete floor.
The unlucky one was the same idiot who had been shouting to "grab weapons" just moments ago.
Trying to act tough and then running?
The silence around them was chilling.
On the streets, those who carry guns are either insane or dangerous.
A respected elder in the underworld had once told Huzi this pearl of wisdom. Though Huzi had never touched a gun himself, he'd never forgotten those words.
No matter who they were, people like that were never someone you wanted to mess with.
Wang Hai City wasn't just home to the Hong Yi gang. If you angered the wrong person, even someone as insignificant as Huzi would be left to rot in the streets.
"Big... Big bro, can't we talk about this? No need to pull a gun, right?" Huzi swallowed hard, his face paling as Jiang Chen pressed the hot barrel right into his forehead.
The pain made him want to scream, but he couldn't dare move.
Huzi felt as though his scalp was about to burn, but he didn't dare make a sound.
"I'd love to have a nice chat, but you keep interrupting me." Jiang Chen gave a mock innocent expression and shrugged.
This guy is definitely a lunatic!
Huzi swallowed again, nervously laughing as he struggled to ease the tension, unsure of what to say.
"Enough, I'm not wasting more time with you." Jiang Chen knocked the barrel of the gun against Huzi's forehead.
Seeing that Jiang Chen hadn't yet turned off the safety, Huzi was drenched in cold sweat. For the first time in his life, he felt true fear.
"Got the IOU with you?" Jiang Chen asked nonchalantly.
"Yeah, yeah." Huzi shakily pulled out the IOU and handed it to Jiang Chen.
"Bank account number?"
"Huh?" Huzi was stunned, not understanding what Jiang Chen meant.
"To pay the debt, duh. Are you really that slow?" Jiang Chen snapped, raising his voice suddenly, causing Huzi's heart to leap into his throat.
"Pay the debt?" Huzi shuddered, hardly believing his ears. He'd thought he was going to walk away empty-handed.
"Think of it like you're selling the IOU to me. Debt assignment, you get it? What, you think I'm the kind of guy who doesn't pay for his meals?" Jiang Chen twirled the gun before putting it back in his pocket.
"N-no, I don't," Huzi stammered, eager to please.
Tearing up the IOU wouldn't solve anything. Hong Yi gang wouldn't let it go so easily. Jiang Chen wasn't afraid, but Summer Shi Yu was just a helpless woman. Even if she was a bit strong-willed, there was no point in being tough with unreasonable people.
Jiang Chen still had other things to handle. He wasn't planning to spend too much time watching over her. After all, he was only stepping in because he knew her, not because he wanted to get deeply involved. His time was valuable—he was planning a trip to Sanya soon, after all.
Helping her by changing the creditor seemed like the best solution to Jiang Chen. It paid off her debt and gave her a chance to save face, offering a way out of the situation.
Even though he didn't care about the money, Jiang Chen wasn't planning to wipe her debt entirely. The high interest was illegal, but paying back the principal was within the law. If he could teach his former boss a lesson while getting this done, why not?
And of course, Jiang Chen had other plans up his sleeve...
Huzi quickly nodded and thanked Jiang Chen profusely. After Jiang Chen paid off the remaining 410,000 debt, Huzi ushered his injured men out of the alley in a hasty retreat.
The interest? He didn't dare ask for any more. He knew the boss wouldn't mind, especially with a gun on him. Just paying back the principal was already a huge favor.
In a hurry, they didn't even dare ask Jiang Chen's name.
Watching them retreat, Jiang Chen sneered and tossed the gun into his storage space.
He touched his cheek, noticing the blood, and stepped out of the alley.
Where did this blood come from?