Li Xiaohui abruptly pulled her hand back, causing the chair to screech as it slid backward. She stood up, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing in anger. "Who the hell are you? Do you even know whose turf this is?"
Yu Fei smirked dismissively. "Oh, just the 'All-Seeing Eye,' right? Even if he were standing here right now, he’d have to show me some respect."
At that moment, the glass door of the internet café burst open with a loud bang as Liu Hao stormed in, followed by seven or eight lackeys.
When he saw Yu Fei standing there, his body stiffened involuntarily.
His eyes flashed with anger—especially when he noticed Yu Fei making moves on Li Xiaohui—but the emotion vanished just as quickly.
"Yu Shao..." Liu Hao forced a smile as he stepped forward. "My little sister here doesn’t know any better. You’re a man of stature—could you do me a favor and let this slide?"
Truth be told, he wasn’t afraid of Yu Fei in terms of raw power. But Yu Fei was his financial backer.
Back when he was trying to establish himself in the university district and gather a crew, it was Yu Fei’s funding that made it possible.
Without that initial investment, an outsider like him, with nothing to his name, would’ve had no chance of making it here.
It was that startup capital that allowed him to rise step by step, eventually becoming the top dog of Internet Café Street.
"Your sister?" Yu Fei slung an arm around Liu Hao’s shoulders and pulled him aside, grinning slyly. "All-Seeing Eye, you never mentioned having a sister before."
Liu Hao chuckled awkwardly. "She’s my sworn sister, that’s all."
Yu Fei glanced back at Li Xiaohui, who was glaring at him furiously. "Sworn sister? More like you’ve got ulterior motives, huh? Be honest—you’re trying to get with this chick, aren’t you?"
Li Xiaohui had a great figure and looks, especially in certain eye-catching areas. To these street thugs, she was a solid 10.
Even though her style was a bit alternative, her natural beauty was undeniable. Plenty of small-time gangsters on Internet Café Street had their eyes on her—they just didn’t dare make a move out of respect for the All-Seeing Eye’s reputation.
Liu Hao neither confirmed nor denied it.
Yu Fei saw right through him. Leaning in, he whispered into Liu Hao’s ear, "How about we share this girl? But I go first—I don’t like leftovers. Once I’m done, she’s all yours. No shame in wearing my hand-me-downs."
Without waiting for Liu Hao’s response, he clapped him on the shoulder. "I’ll throw in an extra 10K next month. Deal?"
Liu Hao’s expression darkened. Right now, he really wanted to grind Yu Fei into the dirt.
But the thought of Yu Fei’s background made him hesitate.
Yu Fei wasn’t part of the underworld, but his family was filthy rich—rich enough to bury Liu Hao alive with money.
Losing a patron like this would make his future growth a lot harder.
Sure, he made decent money running protection on Internet Café Street, but as the saying goes, "It’s easier to rest in the shade of a big tree." Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to cross this guy.
While Liu Hao was still wrestling with his thoughts, Yu Fei had already returned to Li Xiaohui, flashing a predatory grin. "Hey, sweetheart, how about we head upstairs to a private booth? Better keyboards, comfier seats..."
Li Xiaohui stared at Liu Hao in disbelief.
This so-called "big brother" of hers, who usually strutted around Internet Café Street like he owned the place, was now cowering like a kicked dog, silent and submissive.
In that moment, a wave of disappointment washed over her.
She was disillusioned with these so-called gangsters—all talk, no backbone when it counted. Might as well castrate the lot of them.
They didn’t hold a candle to that female boss from the Ten Thousand Dragons Society.
Thinking of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society’s leader, Li Xiaohui’s mind flashed to that familiar silhouette—so similar to her best friend Liu Yutong’s.
If not for the fact that she’d never seen Liu Yutong wear black, she might’ve sworn it was her.
But right now, escaping was the priority.
With Liu Hao proving useless, calling the police was her only option.
Yu Fei smirked when he saw her pull out her phone. "Calling the cops? Do you even know who I am? Even if you dial 911, they won’t dare touch me. Just play along, and I’ll treat you right—I’m never stingy with my women."
He wasn’t bluffing. Given his family’s status in Bright Pearl City, the police wouldn’t risk arresting him without cause.
Yu Corporation was one of the city’s top taxpayers—even local officials had to show them respect.
SMACK!
A sharp slap landed on Yu Fei’s face.
"In your dreams!" Li Xiaohui spat through gritted teeth.
Yu Fei touched his stinging cheek, his eyes glinting with malice. "Oh, you’ve got spirit. Boys, take her upstairs!"
His lackeys immediately closed in.
The customers in the café, headphones on, pretended not to notice. If even the All-Seeing Eye was backing down, who’d dare intervene?
Besides, with the way that girl dressed, she probably wasn’t the innocent type anyway...
"Stay back!" Li Xiaohui retreated until her back hit the wall. "I’m warning you—come any closer and I won’t hold back!"
Yu Fei wasn’t intimidated. This wasn’t his first rodeo—any trouble could be smoothed over with money.
Just as Li Xiaohui braced herself for a fight, the shrill wail of police sirens cut through the air.
Yu Fei’s face darkened. Damn luck.
But when he realized it was just a routine ID check, he relaxed and cooperated with the officers.
Plenty of people in internet cafés logged on without IDs, and these places were hotspots for late-night brawls. Cops showing up to verify identities was nothing new.
Anyone without proper ID got hauled in for questioning and fingerprinting.
And if you had a record? Congrats—free pair of silver bracelets.
The arrival of the police sent a ripple of panic through the room. Even those with clean records didn’t want an unnecessary trip to the station.
Li Xiaohui had her ID ready. The officers checked it and let her go.
Before leaving, she marched up to Liu Hao. Under his guilty gaze, she grabbed his T-shirt and—
RIIIP!
The fabric tore clean in two, splitting from the hem all the way up to the collar, leaving his stomach exposed to the chilly air.
Liu Hao blinked, staring down at his ruined shirt and bare midriff in confusion.
"What the hell? Why’d you rip my clothes? What’d they ever do to you?"
Li Xiaohui glared. "Consider this our official split. No—more like ‘cutting the robe to sever ties!’"
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out.
The image of Liu Hao as her protective big brother had completely crumbled.
Watching her leave, then down at his new "outfit," Liu Hao cursed, "If you wanted to cut ties, why’d you have to wreck my damn shirt?!"
Hearing snickers from his lackeys, he kicked over a chair. "Shut the hell up! Someone get me a new shirt!"
Outside, Li Xiaohui’s heart raced.
Tearing the All-Seeing Eye’s shirt in front of everyone? That was a rush!
Though, admittedly, she did feel a twinge of regret.
The area around Internet cafes was always crawling with troublemakers.
Li Xiaohui, a rebellious girl who loved hanging out there, had somehow managed to piss off the local gang leader. How was she supposed to come back and surf the web now?
She didn’t dare use her father’s connections to smooth things over—if he found out she was out this late, dressed like some punk, she’d be in even deeper trouble.
As her mind raced with worries, the sound of footsteps suddenly closed in behind her.
Li Xiaohui turned and saw three or four thuggish-looking guys heading straight for her.
