Chapter 97: Chapter 95 — The Gun Always Hides Behind the Roses

The man at the eleven o'clock position had also started to move, his stride noticeably steadier than the previous man's. His eyes remained fixed on Li Ruo. Ye Chen watched him, a sense of foreboding rising within him. There was something wrong with this guy, though Ye Chen couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Beautiful lady, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" the man asked with a faint smile.

"This..." Li Ruo was taken aback. It seemed she was quite the attraction here tonight. She was indeed confident in her appearance; rarely did a man's gaze linger on her for less than three seconds. She smiled and replied, "Well... you'll have to ask my boyfriend!"

"Is that so?" The man wore a sinister smirk. His hand suddenly dived into his trouser pocket, clutching a handgun through the fabric. He said to Ye Chen, "I trust you won't be that petty, won't you?"

*Hiss...*

Ye Chen was stunned; the guy was actually holding a gun. He dared not act rashly. They were so close that if the man opened fire, Ye Chen would have almost no chance of escaping. He remained seated on the sofa, motionless, though Li Ruo seemed to have sensed something amiss. Ye Chen’s gaze dropped to the coffee table, with the man standing at the other end. His eyes lit up. "I suppose a dance is perfectly fine," he said with a smile.

As he spoke, Ye Chen kicked the coffee table hard, sending the crystal table slamming into the man's shins. Stung by the pain, the man gritted his teeth and fired, but the bullets missed their mark. Ye Chen lunged, tackling Li Ruo to the ground. As he turned, he swung his right leg with full force into the man's cheek. The man collapsed with a heavy thud.

"Go to hell!" Ye Chen gritted his teeth and charged with clenched fists. The fallen man lunged back at him, and the two began to brawl on the floor. The surrounding noise was so deafening that it completely drowned out the sound of the earlier gunshot. As the fight broke out, the crowd parted, forming a circle around them and shouting, "Beat him! Beat him!"

In truth, no one had any stake in the fight; it was merely human nature to crave the sight of something bloody and cruel.

Ye Chen mounted the man, raining heavy punches down on his head. The man, beaten to a pulp, roared wildly, clawing and scratching at Ye Chen. Li Ruo, terrified, managed to break free and immediately dialed the police. Sirens wailed as police cars arrived, and the roar of the bar died down. The drug users at the entrance and the dealers inside vanished long before the officers could reach them.

"Who called the police?" Zhang Yantong led a team of officers, all armed and ready, as they stormed in. The patrons retreated, none daring to block their path. Even the typically arrogant thugs stood aside; they knew better than to mess with Zhang Yantong.

"Captain Zhang, I called!" Li Ruo pushed her way through.

Zhang Yantong paused, looking at Li Ruo in astonishment. "You?"

"Yes!" Li Ruo nodded. On the floor, Ye Chen, still brawling with the man, shouted, "And me!"

Zhang Yantong’s eyes widened as she looked at Ye Chen, who was currently wrestling on the floor. Gone was any trace of a gentleman; he looked like nothing more than a street thug. The man beneath him was already beaten beyond recognition.

"Ye Chen..." Zhang Yantong began, but Ye Chen shouted, "This guy has a handgun in his pocket! Everyone be careful!"

*Scramble...*

The crowd scattered, no one daring to get close. Zhang Yantong immediately ordered her team to rush in and handcuff the man. Ye Chen finally climbed off the floor and sat nearby, panting heavily. Li Ruo hurried over to support him. Zhang Yantong pulled a Type 54 pistol from the man's pocket, with five rounds still in the magazine. The onlookers sighed in disbelief; a bar was indeed a chaotic place.

"Ye Chen, you must come back with us to assist in the investigation!" Zhang Yantong stared at him intensely.

"Fine," Ye Chen agreed helplessly.

"Why? Ye Chen isn't a suspect! He acted out of chivalry. If it weren't for him, this guy would have caused chaos in the bar. If someone had been killed, your police department would have been in serious trouble!" Li Ruo protested to Zhang Yantong.

"It’s just to assist with the investigation, I didn't say we were arresting him!" Zhang Yantong retorted with a huff.

"It's alright, I'll go," Ye Chen said to Li Ruo. "You hurry home; it's Saturday tomorrow, you can rest!"

"Fine," Li Ruo nodded reluctantly. She felt it was too much; she had finally found a boyfriend, only to have their first night out ruined by such an incident.

Ye Chen left with Zhang Yantong. The man was locked in the holding cell at the back of the patrol car. Since Ye Chen wasn't a suspect, he sat in the front with Zhang Yantong. The car started, and a heavy silence filled the vehicle. Aside from the driver, it was just the two of them. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward; Ye Chen didn't know what to say, and Zhang Yantong just stared out the window.

"Captain Zhang, about that... I'm sorry about what happened the other day," Ye Chen said, looking at her.

"It's fine, I don't know what you're talking about," Zhang Yantong replied without even turning her head. Ye Chen knew she was still angry. He sighed and kept quiet. Two minutes later, Zhang Yantong suddenly asked, "You and Li Ruo seem to be quite close."

"Huh?" Ye Chen was startled. He laughed awkwardly, "She's my female boss!"

"Is office romance fun?" Zhang Yantong said coldly.

"Don't get the wrong idea. My relationship with Li Ruo is very ordinary. She's the president, and what am I?" Ye Chen explained hurriedly. Zhang Yantong paused, a faint smile touching her lips. "Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Ye Chen insisted, for he never truly took this "pre-memory romance" to heart, believing it was merely a game Li Ruo played with her personality at night. Zhang Yantong scoffed, "Hmph, it has nothing to do with me anyway. Why should I care about your relationship? Honestly!"

The car arrived at the police station. The man was dragged out by several officers and thrown into an interrogation room. After Ye Chen finished giving his statement, he was released. Zhang Yantong didn't spare him another glance, treating him like a complete stranger, which left him feeling incredibly awkward.

With no other choice, he took a taxi home to sleep.

...

He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Li Ruo's words about their "pre-memory romance"—that they would be nothing to each other once his memory returned—haunted him. He couldn't let it go. Sometimes, he felt a genuine connection with her, like a thin, transparent veil separating them. If he just took one small step forward, he could tear it down.

"Sigh, I wonder if Li Ruo will even remember what she said tomorrow?" Ye Chen sighed, closing his eyes to count stars.

The next morning, Ye Chen was woken up by his phone. It was Xiao Er, a sharp kid. As soon as Ye Chen answered, he heard a frantic roar on the other end: "Brother Chen, it's bad! Brother Zhi Xiao has been beaten up! You have to come!"

"Damn it! Where?" Ye Chen jumped out of bed immediately.

"At the casino! A huge group of people stormed in, smashing up our place and beating everyone!" Xiao Er shouted.

Without a second thought, Ye Chen threw on his clothes and rushed out, not even bothering to wash his face. He drove his little Alto like a madman, the engine roaring and thick black smoke pouring from the exhaust. He gritted his teeth; the thought of Feng Zhixiao being beaten left him consumed with worry.

In no time at all, the little Alto reached the university town.

Outside the university town, business was as booming as ever, but in front of the hot pot restaurant, two burly men in tank tops stood guard. Their fierce, muscular faces made it clear they were no good. Before the car had even fully stopped, Ye Chen yanked the handbrake, leaving black tire marks on the road.

"What are you doing? No entry!" the two men shouted at Ye Chen.

"I... I'm just going in to take a look!" Ye Chen flashed a smile. They say you shouldn't hit a smiling face, but the men didn't know that behind Ye Chen's smile lay a blade. Before he had even finished speaking, he threw a punch, knocking one of them to the ground in the blink of an eye. The other was stunned, but by the time he reacted, Ye Chen’s leg was already driving into him with full force.