Chapter 30: The Courage to Stand Alone Against a Thousand

Liu Momo quickly lowered her head to eat, doing whatever Ye Chen told her to. Still, she couldn’t help worrying for him; after all, their opponents numbered over twenty. Even if Brother Chen was formidable, two fists couldn’t take on so many feet, and his build wasn’t as solid as theirs. No matter how she looked at it, he didn’t seem to stand a chance.

“Damn, still ignoring us?” The man with the black face stood at least 1.9 meters tall, bare-chested, with a sprawling tattoo across his torso. Ordinary people would steer clear just seeing him, never mind fighting him. With a cold laugh, he swung an iron rod and smashed the dishes on the table to pieces. Frightened, Liu Momo shrank back, shards of broken ceramic nearly cutting her.

Crack!

Ye Chen grabbed the man’s iron rod with one hand, turned to look at him, and said, “This meal was a treat from Momo. You dare ruin it?”

“What’re you gonna do about it?” The black-faced man saw the icy look on Ye Chen’s face and remembered his skill from the other day, feeling a flicker of fear. But with twenty or thirty men behind him, sheer numbers could overwhelm anyone. What was there to be afraid of?

“Die for me!” Ye Chen leapt into the air, gripping the iron rod, and his legs snapped around the man’s neck like shears. With a twist—crack—a tremendous sound rang out, and the man’s head lolled to the side as he crashed to the ground. The crowd was dumbfounded. Such skill was downright terrifying. If the black-faced man hadn’t trained a bit in the past, he’d be dead or crippled from a move like that.

Whoosh!

The black-faced man scrambled up from the floor, glaring at Ye Chen with rage in his tiger-like eyes. That single move had utterly humiliated him in front of his men. Pointing at Ye Chen, he cursed, “Damn it, get him!”

Roaring, his men charged forward with sticks and clubs. Ye Chen didn’t flinch. With the iron rod in hand, facing ten was no problem. The restaurant was too small for them to swarm him all at once, so he only had to contend with five or six at a time. The first man to rush him took a heavy blow and dropped instantly, eyes rolling back. The rest, seeing a comrade fall so swiftly, became even more enraged.

“Kill him!” they shouted, brandishing knives and poles.

“Fools, running to your deaths,” Ye Chen sneered. The iron rod became a silver ribbon, whirling through the gangsters. In a blink, five or six were down. The black-faced man was losing his nerve, and his eyes darted toward Liu Momo, who was cowering in a corner. Step by step, he moved toward her.

Ye Chen focused on the fight, not daring to be distracted. Though his opponents were many, their attacks were chaotic; he just managed to hold them off. Forced into a corner, Ye Chen pushed off the wall with one foot, sprang into the air, and, stepping on a few heads, vaulted to the back of the crowd.

Suddenly, Liu Momo screamed. She saw the black-faced man lunging at her. Without hesitation, she swung a wooden stool at him, but her strength was no match. The man grinned wickedly and pounced.

“Die!” Ye Chen bellowed, stabbing the iron rod like a sword. It smashed into the back of the man’s head with a clang. The man slowly turned, face twitching, glaring at Ye Chen, “Damn—”

Thud.

He collapsed before he could finish.

“Brother Chen, look out!” Liu Momo shrieked as the crowd surged toward Ye Chen again.

With a sweeping blow, Ye Chen sent two more sprawling. Grabbing a chair, he charged at them like a whirlwind. Though they had numbers, seeing their boss down had shattered their morale, and Ye Chen’s ferocity was overwhelming. After all this time, not only had they failed to hurt him, but he’d taken out several of their own.

“Retreat!” someone shouted, helping up the black-faced man.

“Trying to run? Not so easy!” Ye Chen sent a flying kick straight into the man’s face. The guy staggered back several steps before steadying himself, then, temper flaring, rushed Ye Chen with a machete, yelling, “Aaaah!”

“Die!” Ye Chen smashed him with the chair. The man went down instantly. The rest fell silent, knowing continuing was suicide. Ye Chen said coldly, “You’re Zhang Bold’s men?”

“Yes,” they replied, heads lowered.

“And who’s that?” Ye Chen pointed at the black-faced man on the floor.

“That’s our boss, Black Ghost!”

Without a word, Ye Chen picked up a pot of scalding tea and poured it over Black Ghost’s head. The man jolted upright from his stupor, as if resurrected, rubbing his head furiously, “Damn, who the hell—damn, that’s hot!”

“Black Ghost!” Ye Chen sat down, pulling Liu Momo onto his lap.

“What... what do you want?” Black Ghost, surveying the scene, realized things looked bad.

“You ruined this whole table of food. How do you plan to compensate me?” Ye Chen asked coldly.

Liu Momo, pressed onto Ye Chen’s thigh, buried her face in his shoulder, cheeks flushing crimson all the way to her ears. In the summer heat, wearing her thin school uniform—short skirt, white shirt through which the bra was faintly visible—she could feel their bodies pressed together, her breaths growing rapid.

“I...” Black Ghost, imposing as he was, shrank under Ye Chen’s gaze. He gritted his teeth, “Fine, I’ll pay. However much you want, I’ll double it!”

“One hundred thousand,” Ye Chen replied without hesitation.

“Are you robbing me?” Black Ghost’s eyes bulged.

“How am I robbing you?” Ye Chen chuckled, still holding Liu Momo’s slim waist. This little girl seemed to be burning up—could she be lovestruck? He glanced at Black Ghost. “Compensation is voluntary. If you don’t want to, just say so.”

As he spoke, Ye Chen set the broken-legged stool on the table. Black Ghost hesitated, then sighed—there was no escaping the hundred thousand. He swallowed and said, “Fine, I’ll pay!”

Black Ghost immediately sent one of his men to fetch the money, while he stayed in the restaurant. Soon the lackey returned, panting, with a stack of cash—one hundred thousand, ten thick bundles. Black Ghost shoved the money toward Ye Chen. “Here’s your hundred thousand! I just hope you dare accept it!”

“If I dared to ask, why wouldn’t I dare to take it?” Ye Chen replied coolly, gathering up the cash, then taking Liu Momo with him as he left. She was still dazed, the whole scene feeling like something out of a movie. Who would have thought life could be like the dramas on TV?

“Brother Chen... aren’t you afraid they’ll come after you?” Liu Momo asked timidly.

“No. Don’t you trust your Brother Chen?” Ye Chen drove away. As soon as they left, the police arrived. This time, Zhang Yantong wasn’t present; Fang Qin led the team. But by the time they arrived, Black Ghost and his men had already fled.

Chanel Boutique, at the heart of University City. The shop was elegantly decorated, its white sign gleaming. Ye Chen led Liu Momo inside and said to a salesgirl, “Pick out some nice outfits for her.”

“Of course, sir. Please have a seat!” The sales staff quickly gathered, eager and attentive.

Business was always brisk here, with several universities nearby. Chanel’s clientele fell into two categories: wealthy female students, with strong competitive streaks, and those who were kept women, their sugar daddies always ready to splurge. In the salesgirls’ minds, Ye Chen was clearly the latter—a sugar daddy with his college girl. Liu Momo’s looks and figure were top-tier among all the women they’d seen.

At the moment, several older, heavyset men were accompanying provocatively dressed college girls around the store. Each looked more unattractive than the last, while the girls were all strikingly coquettish.

Ye Chen sat in the lounge area, about to light a cigarette, but seeing the no-smoking sign on the wall, put it away. A pot-bellied man nearby ignored the sign, pulling out a pack of soft Chunghwa, sneering at Ye Chen’s Double Happiness like it was beneath him.

“Wow, miss, you look amazing in this—like it was made just for you!” The salesgirl exclaimed as Liu Momo stepped out of the fitting room. “Honestly, you could be a model—no, you’re even more beautiful than a model!”

Heads turned. Liu Momo wore Chanel denim shorts and a white cropped formal top. The simple outfit accentuated her figure perfectly—jean shorts, knee-high boots, long slender legs, and a trim, upright posture. The fitted, off-shoulder top revealed smooth, fair shoulders and a glimpse of her navel, igniting the imagination.

“Brother Chen...” Liu Momo glanced shyly at Ye Chen. “Does it look good?”

“It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful!” Ye Chen nodded, smiling. “I never realized my own Momo was so stunningly beautiful.”

“Hmph, who’s yours?” Liu Momo stuck out her tongue at him playfully.