Chapter 40: Standing Up for Justice
Chapter 40: Standing Up for Justice
“I was truly broke, unlike you—your wallet never seemed to grow thin!” Feng Shao chuckled with a grin.
“Damn it, I earned this money myself! I didn’t steal or rob anyone; it’s all hard-earned!” Xing Weilong said angrily.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who is Brother Long but the king of finance in Donghai City? If others found out, they’d probably be begging you for tips.” Feng Shao nodded with flattery.
Hearing this, Xing Weilong quickly made a shushing gesture. “Shh! Keep it down! Are you trying to get me killed? We’ve got to stay low-key! Understand?!”
“Got it, got it. I don’t get why you’re so nervous. If you revealed your identity, I bet a bunch of campus beauties would chase after you. Why go through all this trouble to chase someone?”
Feng Shao laughed loudly and winked.
“What do you know? This is called having standards. Do you really think I’d go for those kinds of girls? Besides, the higher the quality, the less they care about money.” Xing Weilong shook his head.
“True, otherwise you wouldn’t have liked only her for two years.” Feng Shao giggled.
“There he is! That’s the guy.”
Xing Weilong was about to say something when he noticed someone walking out of the school gate out of the corner of his eye. He quickly pointed him out to Feng Shao.
“That’s him?” Feng Shao glanced at Lin Mu and noticed he had an ordinary build. Apart from being a bit tall and somewhat handsome, there wasn’t anything special about him.
“That’s him, no doubt about it.” Xing Weilong nodded firmly.
“Alright, but what should I watch out for while tailing him?”
“For now, just observe who he interacts with.”
“No problem. Let’s leave it at that for now—call me if anything comes up.” Feng Shao gave Lin Mu one more deep look, then called his lackeys and drove off.
Xing Weilong watched Lin Mu’s retreating figure with a sinister smile. “Kid, once I figure out your background, just wait and see how I take you down!”
Lin Mu went home alone and collapsed onto the sofa. He had been exhausted all day; those three girls really wore him out.
Bored, he turned on the TV and flipped through channels randomly. When he first arrived in this world, he learned about it through the TV, so he often watched it when he had nothing else to do.
Switching to one channel, a news report caught his attention—or rather, the beautiful woman featured in it made him take notice.
The report announced that Yao Xianxian, a superstar who was hugely popular, would be holding a concert in Donghai tomorrow. Though Lin Mu didn’t know how famous she really was, he could see she was undeniably beautiful.
Feeling a spark of interest, Lin Mu memorized the ticket website shown on TV.
Compared to Yuru and the others, Yao Xianxian clearly had a more mature charm and seemed more womanly. Even though Song Yuru had that “cool older sister” vibe, she was still too young and lacked something.
After watching TV for a while out of boredom and waiting over an hour without the three girls returning, Lin Mu didn’t feel like cooking alone, so he headed out to find a place to eat.
Wandering around, he found a small restaurant that didn’t seem to have much business. Only about ten people were scattered inside, eating.
“Welcome!”
As soon as Lin Mu stepped in, a female server greeted him politely.
“Here’s the menu, sir. What would you like to order?”
After seating him, the server handed the menu to Lin Mu.
After a quick glance, Lin Mu pointed to one item. “I’ll have the braised chicken and a glass of iced black tea, thanks.”
“Sure, please wait a moment.”
While waiting, Lin Mu looked around. The restaurant was nicely decorated and in a good location, so it should have been doing better business.
He found it strange that, although the street outside was busy, very few people came in to eat.
Soon, his food arrived. After a few bites, Lin Mu thought it tasted great, which only deepened his confusion.
While Lin Mu was busy eating, a few young men with wildly dyed hair walked in. One of them yelled as soon as he entered, “Boss, get us some food!”
The female server paled when she saw them and hesitantly approached. “What would you like?”
“Sweetie, we’ve been here before—same as last time, and hurry it up!” They laughed, found a table, and sat down.
“Okay.”
The server quickly agreed and rushed to the back. Shortly after, the owner came out and pleaded with the young men, “Everyone, this is a small business. Please have some mercy and leave us alone!”
“Easy, easy. Just pay 4,000 a month for protection, and we’ll leave right away. If anyone causes trouble later, we’ll step in. How about it? Sounds like a good deal, right?” A young man with yellow hair laughed.
“After all expenses, I only make a few thousand a month. If I pay you 4,000, I won’t be able to keep the restaurant open. Please, just let me be.”
“Either pay up, or we’ll come by every day until you close down. Think it over!” The yellow-haired guy sneered and threw a dagger onto the table.
Seeing the dagger, the owner immediately fell silent and retreated to the back without another word. He didn’t dare call the police on these thugs.
Even if they got arrested, they’d just get a warning and be back on the streets in no time, causing trouble every day and ruining his business.
“That server earlier wasn’t bad. Wanna try hitting on her?” After driving the owner away, the young men started joking around.
“Not interested. With a figure like that, how can you even look at her? So tasteless. Don’t tell people you know us!” The others teased him.
“Ah, you don’t get it. I haven’t collected any money lately, so I’m broke. The higher-ups are pressuring me—life’s tough!”
“Who told you to spend like crazy when you had money? Now you’re stuck!”
“But seriously, this boss is stubborn. We’ve come so many times, and he still won’t pay up.”
“I think we need to change our approach, get tougher. We can’t just come here for free meals every day!”
The troublemakers argued back and forth, their expressions growing fiercer and their voices rising. They scared off the other customers, and even people about to enter turned around and left when they saw the scene.
Before long, only Lin Mu remained, still sitting there and eating calmly.
“What did I do in a past life to deserve running into these hoodlums? Do I really have to close up and leave Donghai?”
The owner’s heart bled silently. He had worked so hard to start this restaurant and was just seeing some success when these guys showed up. Giving up felt unfair, but with them around, his business was doomed.
Just as the owner was about to lose it, a girl pushed the door open. “Dad, I’m back.”
Lin Mu, who was eating, suddenly looked up and recognized her as the bespectacled girl from class. No wonder her voice sounded familiar—her father owned this restaurant.
Seeing his classmate, Lin Mu was about to stand up and say hello when one of the young men got up first, grabbed Mo Anyao’s hand, and said with a grin, “Come on, girl, sit with us for a bit.”
Mo Anyao had a tall, slender figure—after all, she was 175 cm tall. Her long, well-shaped legs were perfect for modeling. She wasn’t bad-looking either, but her plain style and glasses made her seem a bit plain.
“Stop! What are you doing?!”
The middle-aged owner saw his daughter being harassed and shouted anxiously, rushing out from behind the counter. He pulled his daughter away and shielded her behind him. “My daughter is still young—don’t you dare mess with her!”
“Still young? I can see she’s plenty grown where it counts. How about this, boss? Let your daughter spend the night with us, and we’ll forget about the money today. Sound good?” The yellow-haired guy said with a lecherous expression.
Hearing that, the owner couldn’t take it anymore. His face turned red with anger. “You animals! Not only are you ruining my shop, but you’re also trying to take advantage of my daughter? We’re all just trying to get by—don’t push me!”
“Ooh! Finally showing some temper!”
The yellow-haired guy laughed strangely, picked up the dagger from the table, and pointed it at the owner with a menacing grin. “You got the guts to say that again?”
“You’re going too far! What you’re doing is against the law!” The owner pushed his daughter aside. Mo Anyao, terrified, ran to the back to call the police.
The yellow-haired guy signaled to his friend, who ran over, yanked the phone cord from the wall, and then tried to grab Mo Anyao.
“Hey! Kid over there! Get out now—your meal’s on the house!” The yellow-haired guy yelled when he noticed Lin Mu still in the restaurant.
Looking around, Lin Mu stood up and faced the yellow-haired guy. “Are you talking to me?”
“Duh, who else is here?!” The yellow-haired guy waved impatiently.
“Oh?” Lin Mu grinned. “Aren’t you people? How can you say I’m the only one here?”
“You little punk, tired of living?” The yellow-haired guy tilted his head, a vicious glint in his eyes.
“This is a society of laws. Huaxia advocates for a harmonious society. What you’re doing is very disharmonious!” Lin Mu said seriously.
“Shut up! In this neighborhood, we are the law! We protect the harmony! What do you know?” The yellow-haired guy sneered and shook the dagger.
“I’ve seen shameless people, but never as shameless as you. What makes you think you can act like this?” Lin Mu sighed and walked toward the yellow-haired guy.
Lin Mu’s sudden appearance distracted the thugs, and Mo Anyao slipped away in the chaos.
After searching around, she found a mobile phone, called the police, and hurried back out to check on her dad, afraid the thugs might get violent.
But when she ran out, the scene stunned her. Apart from her dad standing there unharmed, all the young thugs were on the floor, moaning and groaning.