Guan Hao lit a cigarette, sat on the smashed hood of the car, and arrogantly crossed his legs, looking down at Luo Xiu as if he were an ant.

"So your name is Luo Xiu?"

Luo Xiu smiled, his demeanor calm. "What do you want?"

Guan Hao slowly exhaled a plume of smoke and chuckled softly. "A piece of trash like you isn't even worthy of being my enemy."

"Now I'll give you two choices. Either I break your legs and send you back where you came from, or I take Lin Xiyue with me for a few days before I return her."

Lin Xiyue replied coldly, "Guan Hao, does the Sun Family know you're doing this?"

Guan Hao let out a sly chuckle. "Trying to scare me with the Sun Family? Do you really think they give a damn about you?"

"Lin Xiyue, everyone calls you a business elite, but you don't seem that capable to me. Your brain seems a little slow, too."

"I couldn't lay a hand on you at Grand Elder Sun's birthday banquet. But we've already left the hotel. As long as I'm not causing trouble on their turf, what can the Sun Family possibly do to me?"

Lin Xiyue gazed at Guan Hao, her heart sinking with a sense of powerlessness, but she had no intention of backing down. She resolutely stood in front of Luo Xiu, even assuming a fighting stance against Guan Hao and his men.

"Luo Xiu, you go first."

Luo Xiu glanced at her, suppressing a laugh. "Come on, now. Fighting is a man's job. Your little fists couldn't kill a fly."

Lin Xiyue's cheeks puffed out. She shot him a glare and said in a low voice, "I know Taekwondo!"

"Oh."

With a dismissive hum, Luo Xiu grabbed her by the shoulder, pulled her back, and then strode leisurely toward Guan Hao and his men.

Seeing this, Guan Hao's face darkened. "I offered you an out, and you fucking threw it back in my face?"

Turning to the middle-aged man beside him wielding nunchucks, he said, "Brother Feng, this hick is all yours. Just break one of his legs. Don't kill him."

The man known as Brother Feng nodded, his sharp gaze fixed on Luo Xiu's face.

As Luo Xiu drew near, a sudden whooshing sound cut through the air. It was the sound of the nunchucks slicing through the air. However, in the next instant, Brother Feng's hands were inexplicably empty; the nunchucks had vanished into thin air.

Luo Xiu, as if taking a stroll in his own courtyard, brushed past him with the nunchucks now in his hand.

Luo Xiu weighed the nunchucks, then tossed them aside like garbage. He shook his head and scoffed, "You're this pathetic with nunchucks, and you have the audacity to bring them out?"

As the words left his lips, Brother Feng suddenly clutched his stomach and began to tremble. He collapsed to his knees, his forehead hitting the ground as a painful groan escaped his lips.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded by the sight.

Behind them, Lin Xiyue's eyes widened in disbelief. He just walked past him, and Brother Feng collapsed? What did Luo Xiu even do?

In Sea City, Brother Feng was notorious for being ruthless and incredibly skilled. Even Ah Qian of the Sun Family had to treat him with some respect. This was precisely why Lin Xiyue had panicked when she saw him.

At that moment, Luo Xiu's pace never faltered as he continued toward Guan Hao.

Seeing even Brother Feng taken down, Guan Hao could no longer maintain his composure. He scrambled to his feet and began backing away, bellowing at his two remaining bodyguards, "What the fuck are you standing there for? Get him! Waste that son of a bitch!"

A few seconds later, Luo Xiu stepped over the two fallen bodyguards and stood before Guan Hao, a smile that wasn't a smile playing on his lips.

Guan Hao's face was pale as he tried to force a smile. "Whoa... Luo Xiu, let's talk this out."

"I can see you're skilled. Why don't you work for me? I guarantee you riches and glo—"

But before he could finish the word "glory," Luo Xiu slapped him to the ground.

Guan Hao clutched his face, wailing miserably while spewing a torrent of threats.

Luo Xiu suddenly planted a foot on his chest, looking down at him. He then bent over, grabbed Guan Hao's left wrist, and slowly began to twist.

Guan Hao struggled fiercely, glaring at Luo Xiu with bloodshot eyes as he cursed loudly. "Luo Xiu, you dare! Do you know who my father is?!"

Luo Xiu smiled calmly and retorted, "Why? Didn't your mother tell you who he is?"

With a sudden increase in force, he snapped Guan Hao's left arm. Then he kicked him away, stalked forward, and once again stepped on his chest before grabbing his right wrist.

"I wanted to deal with you upstairs, but to be honest, I can't be bothered to lay a finger on trash like you."

"Luo Xiu, don't! Please, I beg you, let me go! I was wrong! I really was wrong!" Guan Hao pleaded desperately, tears of pain streaming down his face.

Luo Xiu smiled. "One more broken arm, or you pay for Lin Xiyue's new car. You choose."

"I'll pay! I'll pay! I'll transfer the money to her right now!"

At that moment, Guan Hao's dignity was the last thing on his mind. All he wanted was for Luo Xiu to spare his right arm. He could never have imagined this kid was such a monster. If I'd known, I would've had Brother Feng bring dozens of men!

A moment later, Guan Hao, still sitting on the ground, put down his phone and looked at Luo Xiu in terror. "Luo... Young Master Luo, I've transferred the money. Ten million. Please, just spare me this once..."

Luo Xiu kicked him aside and turned to walk toward Lin Xiyue. "Let's go, Lin Xiyue."

Lin Xiyue, however, was still in a daze, frozen in her Taekwondo defensive stance. Luo Xiu looked at her, amused. This big-shot CEO is actually kind of cute. It wasn't until her phone chimed with a transfer notification that she snapped out of it and looked at Luo Xiu with a strange expression.

Luo Xiu asked, "How much was your car?"

"Over five million..."

Luo Xiu nodded. Without another word, he started walking toward the parking garage exit.

Lin Xiyue hurriedly chased after him, following him in silence. Scenes from the parking lot flashed through her mind. She couldn't believe Luo Xiu was so skilled.

"Luo Xiu, have you studied martial arts?"

"My master taught me when I was a kid," Luo Xiu replied.

"I see," Lin Xiyue said. "But fighting doesn't solve problems."

Luo Xiu glanced at her. "In a situation like that, did you really think talking it out was an option?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean, they'll definitely retaliate later."

"Never mind Guan Hao. Take Brother Feng—he's a trusted subordinate of East District Boss Huang. You beat him up today, so the East District will definitely come after you."

Luo Xiu shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever. Life is boring anyway. A few fights might liven things up. If you're scared of getting caught in the crossfire, give me back the Jade Pendant, and we'll get a divorce immediately."

Lin Xiyue's cheeks puffed up. "You want to leave that badly?"

"Every single moment."

***

The next two days passed peacefully. Luo Xiu still commuted to and from work with Lin Xiyue. Guan Hao and Brother Feng didn't show up to cause trouble; they were probably still in the hospital.

However, Luo Xiu noticed that Xu Qianqing hadn't come to work for the past two days. She wasn't answering her phone or replying to his messages. But considering she was a married woman, Luo Xiu didn't want to bother her too much. It was just that without Xu Qianqing at the company, he had no one to talk to, which felt strange. More importantly, he couldn't borrow her electric scooter whenever he wanted to wander around.

This morning, just as Luo Xiu entered the office and was about to take a nap, he received a message from Xu Qianqing.

"Luo Xiu, goodbye. I'm leaving."

"I know we haven't known each other for long, but in my heart, you're my first real friend. The only person who was willing to help me without wanting anything in return. I can tell you're a good person. You're not scheming, you're sincere with your friends... just a little lazy."

"I want to be strong, but I'm sorry... I really can't hold on anymore."

Reading the message, Luo Xiu furrowed his brow, a sudden, ominous feeling washing over him.

"Where are you?" he typed back.

But Xu Qianqing only replied with a "goodbye" sticker.

Luo Xiu shot to his feet and found Wang Defa. "Give me Qianqing's file!"

Wang Defa froze, then smirked. "Sorry, employee files are confidential. Besides, that's Team Leader Xu's file we're talking about."

"Cut the crap and give it to me now!" Luo Xiu grabbed Wang Defa by the collar, lifting his large frame clean off the floor.

***

Using the information from her employee file, Luo Xiu found Xu Qianqing's home address.

When his taxi arrived, before he even got to the door, he heard the sound of running water from inside, like a faucet had been left on. Faintly, he could also smell the scent of blood.

He kicked the door open and rushed inside, finding Xu Qianqing in the bathroom.

She was lying in the tub, her breathing almost nonexistent. The water around her was stained red with blood. A bloodied razor blade rested silently on the edge of the tub.

"Qianqing!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.