Please! I was wrong! Stop… please!" he begged. His once-handsome face was now a mess puffy and red like a pig's snout.
Ye Chen finally let go and threw him to the ground like trash. "Be quiet. If you dare provoke me again, next time I won't just hit your face I'll knock out every tooth you have."
Bai San scrambled to his feet, too terrified to speak further. He stumbled away, mumbling threats under his breath. Just wait… I'll find Brother Wolf… I'll make you disappear…
But he didn't dare say it aloud.
After he vanished into the crowd, Ye Chen turned back toward Liu Yue and gave a slight bow.
"Apologies, Miss Liu. I didn't mean to make a scene."
Liu Yue stared at him, her elegant face unreadable for a moment. Then she said with a faint smile, "He's not my friend. In fact, I should thank you for finally getting rid of him. That man's been a headache for far too long."
"Then why not cut him off directly?" Ye Chen asked curiously.
Liu Yue sighed softly. "His father is the vice chairman of my company. I've considered dismissing both of them, but Bai San's father has strong ties to several key shareholders.
Removing him would stir internal conflict and I can't afford that at the moment."
Ye Chen nodded in understanding. "Ah, the politics of power… I see."
Changing the subject, he gestured to the bracelet. "So, about our business do you still wish to purchase it?"
"Of course." Liu Yue handed him a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills.
Ye Chen counted quickly and confirmed the amount. Once satisfied, he passed the Zillao Bracelet to her. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Likewise," Liu Yue said with a rare, genuine smile. She examined the bracelet in her hands, then turned as if to leave but after a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back over her shoulder.
"Oh right… I don't even know your name. May I?"
"Ye Chen," he replied honestly.
"Ye Chen… I'll remember that," Liu Yue said with a thoughtful look. "I'm Liu Yue.
If you ever need anything anything at all don't hesitate to come find me."
With those words, she walked gracefully into the bustling crowd, her figure soon lost from sight.
Ye Chen stood in place, watching her go, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
What a complicated woman, he thought. Why would someone like her offer help to a stranger she's just met?
He didn't dwell on it for long. He had more important things to focus on.
With the transaction complete, Ye Chen turned around and headed in the opposite direction, blending once more into the flow of the city.
A group of six thuggish men approached Ye Chen. Each of them bore tattoos and carried crude weapons like metal pipes and wooden bats.
The man at the front had dyed blonde hair and a cocky grin, clearly the leader. One of the younger members turned to him and said, "Big brother, this is the guy.
Looks like he matches the description."
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. "What do you want from me?"
The blonde-haired thug sneered. "What do you think? We're here to beat you so bad even your own mother won't recognize you."
Ye Chen frowned. "I don't even know who you are. I've never crossed paths with you before."
"Hahaha! Don't play dumb," the thug mocked. "You roughed up our boss's little brother, and now you're acting like you don't remember? That's rich!"
"Ah, so it's about Bai San," Ye Chen muttered, his voice cold. "I let him off easy last time, and this is how he repays me. If I see him again, I'll personally knock out every last one of his teeth."
Though irritated, Ye Chen didn't feel like wasting energy on these fools. He silently pulled out a spell paper from his storage ring and tossed it toward the group of five standing behind the blond man.
"Don't just stand there! Beat him!" the blond thug barked.
"Got it, boss!" the five men charged forward, swinging their pipes and bats.
A crowd quickly gathered around the scene at the antique exhibition. Many people looked on with pity Ye Chen was young, and it seemed like he had no chance against these thugs. After all, anyone familiar with this city knew the Red Wolf Gang. They were one of the three largest underground syndicates around.
"AAAHHHHH!"
A sudden scream tore through the air but surprisingly, it wasn't Ye Chen. It was the blond-haired thug! His own men were beating him with everything they had.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Why are you hitting me?!" he cried out, trying to block the blows. One of the bats caught him in the face, and blood splattered.
The onlookers stood frozen, jaws agape. No one could comprehend what was happening. The thug who gave the order was being brutalized by his own lackeys.
Ye Chen smirked in amusement. The spell paper he'd thrown was an illusion talisman. He had created the image that made the blond thug appear exactly like himself. As a result, his five lackeys now believed their boss was the target.
Knowing the illusion would only last a few minutes, Ye Chen quietly collected his belongings and slipped away before the crowd could react.
"You dare mess with us?! Feel our wrath!" shouted one of the thugs, hammering down the bat again and again.
The blond thug's screams grew more pitiful with each blow. His face became a mess of welts, bruises, and blood. Soon, he was almost unrecognizable.
After about five minutes, the illusion finally wore off.
"Wait Boss?! Why are you here?! Where's that other guy?" one of the thugs asked in confusion.
The blond man struggled to stand up. Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!—he delivered five harsh slaps, one to each of his men.
"Are you all blind?! You just beat the hell out of me! Do you have a death wish?!"
"But Boss… we were sure we hit the right guy," one of them stammered. "He looked exactly like you!"
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!