As soon as Deputy Director Zhou finished speaking, the tightly packed crowd suddenly parted to make way. A young woman with an exceptional aura, dressed in a beige trench coat, walked gracefully forward in high heels.
"I'm the person in charge," she said.
"To be precise, they are all my employees. I'm their boss."
Zhou Hong was visibly taken aback, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes.
A female gang leader in this day and age?
Is this a movie? Even in films, female bosses are rare.
Moreover, this woman had long, glossy black hair—undyed—and was dressed elegantly, looking every bit like a college student. There wasn’t a trace of the underworld about her.
Just as he was about to question her, Baldie was brought over by Ma Da and several men in black.
The moment Baldie saw Zhou Hong, it was as if he had spotted a savior. He wailed, "Director Zhou, you must stand up for us! These gangsters are too arrogant. We just came to demand an explanation, and look what they did to us—black eyes all around! So many witnesses here can testify!"
To hint that they were on the same side, he deliberately added, "Yu Corporation has always cared about the safety of our district. These gangsters must be severely punished!"
"Oh, really?"
Zhou Hong turned his gaze to Liu Yutong, who stood calmly nearby, and waved his hand.
"Take them all away!"
"Wait!"
Liu Yutong stopped them. "Director Zhou, on what grounds are you taking us away? Aren’t you going to ask for the full story first?"
"Illegal assembly, assault on innocent civilians, and so many witnesses present—isn’t that reason enough?"
"Director Zhou, words must be backed by evidence. And coincidentally, I happen to have plenty of it." Liu Yutong then had someone bring forward the prepared video evidence.
The footage first showed the aftermath of the two supermarkets being vandalized, followed by the troublemakers beating each other up for no reason. As for whether Wanlong Hui was an illegal assembly, Liu Yutong also provided ample proof—security company licenses, employee IDs—all demonstrating that they had come solely to protect company property.
"Director Zhou, is this evidence sufficient?"
Zhou Hong hadn’t expected her to be so well-prepared. His expression darkened slightly, but he remained firm. "Evidence or not, you’re all coming to the station for questioning!"
"And if we refuse?" Liu Yutong countered.
"That’s not up to you!" Zhou Hong’s face hardened as he barked, "Arrest anyone who resists!"
He had no choice.
Yu Corporation’s headquarters were in Lingshan District, a major taxpayer with close ties to local officials. This matter had to be handled, at least for appearances’ sake.
The officers moved in to make arrests.
Just then, a booming voice rang out behind Zhou Hong.
"Zhou Hong, quite the authority you have there, arresting people at will?"
Zhou Hong bristled at the interruption, ready to see who dared speak out of turn. But when he recognized the speaker, his demeanor instantly shifted 180 degrees.
"Sec… Secretary Huang! What brings you here?"
"Why do you think? This nearly escalated into a mass incident. And the leadership wants to know—why did it take your team half an hour to respond?" Secretary Huang demanded sternly.
Zhou Hong broke into a cold sweat. "Secretary Huang, we came as soon as we received the call, following procedure—"
"What procedure?"
Secretary Huang cut him off coldly. "The video evidence is right here, yet you ignore it and arrest the victims instead? Is that your so-called procedure?"
Zhou Hong was left speechless. But he recovered quickly, turning to his men and shouting, "Cuff that bald guy! And take all these suspects who vandalized the supermarkets in for rigorous interrogation!"
The officers exchanged confused glances, slow to react.
"Are you deaf? Carry out the order!"
"Yes, Director!"
Liu Yutong stepped forward, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a faint smile. "Director Zhou, not arresting us now?"
Zhou Hong forced an awkward smile. "A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. Our oversight. Miss Liu, if you have any concerns, feel free to raise them. We’ll take them into consideration."
Knowing when to yield, Liu Yutong didn’t press her advantage despite Secretary Huang’s presence. Instead, she pointed at Baldie.
"Since Director Zhou asked, I hope you’ll punish the criminals accordingly. This man is guilty of inciting illegal assembly, violent destruction of property, and malicious false accusations—typically a 3-to-7-year sentence. I expect the maximum penalty, along with a full investigation into the mastermind behind this."
Secretary Huang added pointedly, "Zhou Hong, Miss Liu’s case requires a dedicated task force. Investigate thoroughly, hold every responsible party accountable—no leniency. Understood?"
"Yes! We’ll get to the bottom of this!" Zhou Hong hurriedly agreed.
Baldie and his crew paled. What the hell?
Were they trying to bury them alive?
They never imagined Wanlong Hui had such powerful backing. From Secretary Huang’s demeanor, he must have been here for a while—maybe even higher-ups were watching...
Sure enough, sharp-eyed onlookers spotted a black car with special plates parked not far away.
Baldie’s heart sank. They were done for.
This was a one-way ticket to prison labor.
All he wanted now was to call Yu Fei—not to report, but to scream one thing...
Damn it, pay up!
Zhou Hong wasted no time, ordering his men to haul Baldie’s gang into police vans.
The three hundred-plus core and peripheral members of Wanlong Hui erupted into cheers.
"Long live the Young Mistress!"
"Long live the Young Mistress!"—repeated hundreds of times.
In their world, choosing the right leader was everything—and the answer was clear. Even outside their university stronghold, they could walk with swagger.
"Badass" didn’t even begin to cover their reverence for Liu Yutong.
With her tactics and unshakable connections, who wouldn’t believe in a brighter future?
Who wouldn’t trust the gang’s rise to greater heights?
Hundreds chanting one name was a spectacle—enough to startle Secretary Huang and send nearby rubbernecking bystanders scrambling.
At first, when the police arrived, many assumed the "lawless" gangsters would be rounded up. After all, ordinary folks feared these underworld figures and longed to see them locked away.
Initially, things seemed to go as expected—until the sudden twist. Instead of the men in black, the "victims" kneeling on the ground were the ones cuffed and hauled off.
Even those street thugs were still shouting, and the scene was like a bucket of cold water being poured over everyone's heads—their hearts instantly turned ice-cold.
"Holy crap, is Uncle here to be an honor guard for these guys in black?"
"What's going on? Why aren't they arresting them? Anyone with eyes can see those guys in black are the real gangsters!"
"Yeah, seriously, what the hell is happening?"
"Suddenly, the sky feels so dark..."
"Maybe... the sun's just setting."
"……"
Standing among the crowd, Xue Qian witnessed the whole thing too. Especially when he saw those men in black boldly cheering right in front of the police, his heart sank even further.
What kind of world is this? Why aren’t they arresting them? This is just too shady.
Suddenly, he felt that what his manager had said earlier might actually be worth considering.
Maybe going out for drinks with Sister Liu was the right choice after all.
In a place where street thugs ran wild, investing in an internet café didn’t seem all that safe.
Seeing Xue Qian wavering, Wang Lixing seized the moment to press further:
"This place is too chaotic for investment. And think about it—can running an internet café really earn you more than accompanying someone for drinks? Can an internet café make 100,000 in a single night? But if you can make Sister Liu happy, that kind of money could be yours in minutes!"
"Besides, apart from Sister Liu being a little... plump, having a few tiny freckles, some bad breath, and a tendency to drool, isn’t everything else about her just great?"
Xue Qian: "......."
If Wang Lixing hadn’t pushed, Xue Qian might have hesitated. But now, his resolve only hardened.
"If Lingshan District is crawling with thugs, can’t I just invest somewhere else? I heard the university district is in Lijin, and it’s full of bright-eyed college students. An internet café there would definitely do well."
"Qian, you..."
"Don’t try to talk me out of it. My mind’s made up!"
