Zhao Junjie's lackeys were utterly terrified by now.
With even their young boss beaten to such a miserable state, they stood no chance against this cold-faced young man. Trembling, they began pleading for mercy, begging to be let go.
But Zhao Tianyi raised a hand to stop them, turning to Yun Cheng and saying, "Brother Yun, make them stay put. No sudden moves."
Yun Cheng gave a slight nod, then pointed at Zhao Junjie and threatened, "Anyone who moves even an inch will end up just like him!"
The thugs froze in fear, stuck in their half-hearted stance of restraining Guo Yani, not daring to twitch a muscle.
Guo Yani herself was baffled. Were they here to rescue her or not?
Or was this just pure torment?
Before she could dwell on it, the bespectacled, scholarly-looking man—Zhao Tianyi—calmly pulled out his phone and started snapping photos of her and the surrounding thugs.
After reviewing the shots, he seemed satisfied.
While the phone's camera quality left much to be desired in this era, the blurriness worked in their favor—with the right angles, the images looked convincingly damning.
At a glance, the photos made it seem like the thugs were forcibly molesting an innocent girl.
Speaking of molestation, here’s the legal breakdown:
Under normal circumstances, using violence, coercion, or other means to sexually harass someone typically carries a sentence of up to five years in prison or detention.
But if any of the following aggravating factors apply, the sentence jumps to five years or more:
1. Committed by a group (three or more perpetrators).
2. Conducted in a public setting.
3. Resulting in severe consequences.
Unfortunately for these thugs, they’d already ticked at least one or two of those boxes.
Add to that the involvement of Zhang Dawei, the top lawyer from their firm, and the sentencing would be a slam dunk—three years might even be a lenient estimate.
These goons probably never imagined that helping their boss Zhao Junjie nab a woman would land them over five years of hard labor.
Just then, Zhao Junjie, finally catching his breath, stared at Liu Yutong and let out a strange laugh. "Heh... I know who you are now."
Liu Yutong replied flatly, "You know me?"
She was certain she’d never met him before.
But if he had significant connections, she might have heard of him in her past life—and if he was criminally notorious, she’d definitely have seen his file or caught his case on a legal show.
Wiping blood from his mouth, Zhao Junjie staggered to his feet. "Liu Yutong, don’t think your glory days will last much longer. Soon enough, you’ll be finished!"
It had finally clicked for him, especially after spotting the emblem on the black suits worn by the young men. This girl was none other than Liu Yutong—the daughter of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society.
Ma Da’s expression darkened. "Who the hell do you think you are, threatening our young mistress?"
Zhao Junjie sneered, "What, the Ten Thousand Dragons Society’s people have gotten so bold they don’t even recognize Zhao Junjie now?"
The name triggered Liu Yutong’s memory. This guy was a reckless hothead—and his father? A genuine madman, a true force of chaos.
Ma Da spat, "I don’t give a damn who you are! Disrespect the young mistress, and even the King of Heaven himself would have to grovel before speaking!"
Zhao Junjie wasn’t afraid at all—there was a hint of madness in his bones. "Go ahead, kill me if you dare!"
Ma Da rolled up his sleeves. "Looks like you won’t learn until—"
Liu Yutong raised a hand to stop him. "Zhao Tianxing’s son from the East Sea Alliance. We should at least give his father some face."
The moment Ma Da heard the name, it clicked.
Bright Pearl City’s underground was dominated by three major factions: the Righteous Brotherhood, the East Sea Alliance, and the Guangchang Society. Each controlled their own turf, keeping to themselves.
The Righteous Brotherhood mainly ran underground casinos and arcades. The East Sea Alliance held sway over the nightlife scene, with the most hostesses and escorts under their command.
The Guangchang Society was mostly made up of petty thieves and scammers—disorganized and low-key. The group that had tried to steal from Wanlong Supermarket? They were loosely tied to the Guangchang Society.
The three factions had long maintained an unspoken rule: no stepping on each other’s toes. They each made their dirty money in peace. Their leaders even met regularly for tea, smoothing over disputes among underlings to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to unnecessary bloodshed.
These weren’t the old days anymore. Now, it was all about connections. Only reckless fools resorted to violence.
Zhao Junjie’s arrogance and recklessness? That came straight from his family’s influence.
Ma Da’s eyes widened in realization. "Zhao Tianxing’s kid? No wonder he’s so full of himself. Boss, should we just take care of him?"
Liu Yutong shook her head. "Keep him. He’s useful."
Zhao Junjie burst into laughter. "Hah! At least your boss knows what’s up. Fine, I’ll take the L today—but mark my words, I’ll be back for payback!"
With that, he waved at his lackeys. "Let’s go!"
But Liu Yutong’s voice cut through. "Hold it."
Zhao Junjie sneered. "What? Changed your mind?"
Liu Yutong’s gaze was icy. "You can leave. But those dogs behind you? They stay."
"You think they can just walk away after bullying my classmate?"
Without solid evidence of Zhao Junjie’s crimes, holding him was pointless—his lackeys would never testify against him anyway.
Guo Yani’s eyes widened at Liu Yutong’s words.
The name "Liu Yutong" had already tipped her off—this was almost certainly her childhood friend and classmate.
But hearing Liu Yutong confirm their connection out loud? The shock hit her like a tidal wave.
It felt unreal. Completely surreal.
Was this really the Liu Yutong she knew?
And why were these people calling her "Boss"?
Zhao Junjie’s face darkened. "Liu Yutong, what the hell are you playing at? I already backed down. You really wanna go to war with the East Sea Alliance?"
Just then, the elevator dinged open—police officers stepped out.
Being near the university district, their response time was always quick. And when the Wanlong Society called? Even faster. Easy arrests meant easy promotions, so they were eager to act.
Zhao Junjie’s expression twisted in fury. "You bitch! Since when do we call the cops?!"
In their world, snitching was the ultimate taboo. It broke every rule, a betrayal that would get you shunned for life.
Liu Yutong couldn’t be bothered to explain—she wasn’t one of them, certainly not some troublemaker running with that crowd.
"If you don’t want to leave, then stay."
Zhao Junjie’s hands trembled with anger as he pointed at them. "You... you—"
"Fine, I’m leaving!"
Without another word, he turned and stormed off.
