Although the white-haired punk acted naturally, Liu Yutong still felt something was off.
A moment later.
A sudden image flashed through her mind—after the college entrance exams, at the Huangdu Hotel in Wushui County, she seemed to have seen a waiter wearing a hat, someone with white hair too.
Once her suspicion was confirmed, Liu Yutong didn’t hesitate. She immediately turned to Yun Cheng beside her and said, "Yun Cheng, notify everyone—target the white-haired guy!"
Yun Cheng nodded and quickly relayed the message via phone to the scattered members of the Wanlong Society throughout the food street.
Meanwhile, Hua Muying was pretending to browse casually at a grilled gluten skewer stall. After confirming no one was tailing him, he prepared to collect the money from the middle-aged woman he had temporarily hired.
Honestly, he didn’t need to be this cautious, but who told him the Wanlong Society was right there on the food street?
Just as he was about to turn around, he noticed people closing in on him.
Hua Muying’s heart skipped a beat, and the bamboo skewer in his hand snapped with a sharp "crack"—he’d been made!
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, tossing the skewer to the ground and bolting.
Seeing they’d been spotted, Ma Da and his men dropped all pretense and shouted, "Get him! That’s the white-haired bastard!"
Instantly, a swarm of thug-like figures emerged from the surroundings, joining the chase and chanting in unison.
"Grab that white-haired punk!"
"Get the guy with white hair!"
"......"
One man ran, a crowd pursued.
Hua Muying weaved through the crowd, pulling his hood up to cover his conspicuous white hair when he heard the shouts behind him.
But his move didn’t escape Ma Da’s sharp eyes.
"The guy in the gray hood is the white-haired one—get him!"
Other Wanlong Society members quickly echoed, "Gray hood! That’s him!"
"......"
"Fck! Are you kidding me?!" Hua Muying yanked off his hood and, spotting a stall selling colorful temporary hair dyes, grabbed a black spray bottle. He dashed forward, spraying wildly at his hair as he ran.
He thought this would throw them off, but Ma Da’s crew simply changed their chant.
"Gray hoodie! That’s him!"
"......"
Hua Muying nearly bit his tongue in frustration. Without hesitation, he tore off his hoodie and flung it behind him, revealing a torso covered in bruises.
Yet the pursuers didn’t let up.
"Blue jeans! That’s the white-haired guy!"
"Fck!!" Hua Muying lost it, unbuckling his belt mid-sprint.
"........"
"The naked one’s the white-haired guy!"
"........."
Ten minutes later, in a dead-end alley of the food street.
Hua Muying, now clad only in red underwear, stood bare-chested and utterly defeated as the mob cornered him.
"Run now!" Ma Da sneered, stepping forward. "Go on, keep running!"
Hua Muying swallowed hard, pressing his back against the cold wall. "Guys, this is all a misunderstanding! Seriously!"
"Misunderstanding?" Ma Da clapped, and his underlings brought forward the middle-aged woman he’d hired.
"Ma’am, don’t be scared," Ma Da said kindly. "Just tell us—was it this guy who sent you to the café?"
The woman squinted, scanning Hua Muying’s lean frame before her eyes lit up. "Young man, you’ve got a nice figure. Do you do gigs?"
Hua Muying: "???"
The crowd: "......"
"Ahem!" Ma Da cut in, scowling. "Ma’am, focus. Is this the guy?"
"Yeah, it’s him," she said reluctantly, finally looking away. "Though his hair’s different now. And where’d his clothes go?"
"Never mind that. You can go." Ma Da waved her off, and the woman nodded before hurrying away.
But at the alley’s entrance, she couldn’t resist turning back. "Oh, if he owes you money and can’t pay, tell him to call me. I’ve got some savings."
"Get lost!" Hua Muying’s face burned red. "I’m not a damn gigolo!"
Admittedly, Hua Muying had a striking physique—toned and tall, like a runway model, with sharp fox-like eyes and a face that could pass for a pretty boy.
Ma Da motioned for his men to escort the woman away before turning back. "Now, ready to talk? Who are you? Why were you gathering intel on our boss?"
Hua Muying tried playing dumb. "I—I really don’t know anything! I was just running errands for someone! Let me go, please!"
"Guess you don’t want to do this the easy way." Ma Da grinned darkly. "Fine, we’ll do it the hard way."
With a wave of his hand, three or four underlings holding small video cameras surrounded Hua Muying.
"This guy’d sell for a fortune at a nightclub. Get good angles—make it look appealing for the gays," Ma Da ordered.
???
Hua Muying’s expression twisted in horror. "Wait, wait! I’ll talk!"
Damn these guys! He could’ve tolerated being set up with a sugar mommy, but this?
"Should’ve cooperated earlier." Ma Da signaled, and the cameramen backed off.
Then, he tossed Hua Muying his clothes.
Once dressed, the crowd parted, revealing Liu Yutong and Yun Cheng stepping forward.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
"........."
Hua Muying swallowed hard. Even knowing the girl’s background, the scene still unnerved him.
Honestly, if he hadn’t dug up enough dirt, he’d never believe this girl came from some rural village.
It just proved how terrifyingly capable she was—taking down Wushui County’s local tyrant, Niu Ben, in no time and expanding her influence rapidly.
"Miss Liu." Hua Muying forced composure, nodding stiffly.
Liu Yutong stopped three steps away, her voice cool. "Speak. Your name, and why you were gathering information on me."
Hua Muying’s eyes darted, about to spin a fake name, when Liu Yutong added, "Don’t bother lying. You get one chance."
Defeated, Hua Muying slumped. "Hua Muying. Just trying to make a living."
"Information broker?"
Liu Yutong arched a brow. "People still do that these days?"
Hua Muying nodded bitterly. "Every era has people like us. But... I’m small-time compared to the real power brokers."
True brokers weren’t just middlemen peddling gossip.
The elite ones acted as proxies for big shots, negotiating directly with the wealthy and powerful.
Someone like Hua Muying? At best, he was a glorified reseller.
"Miss Liu," Hua Muying pleaded, "I promise I'll never touch your information again. Could you... let me go this once?"
Liu Yutong smoothed her sleeve with a light touch, her lips curving into a faint, enigmatic smile. "You want me to let you walk away? Then give me something worth my while. Otherwise... I’ll have to send you somewhere safe."
