127 Blood is Burning

I charged in wielding the mop handle, shouting, "Stop right there!"

Seeing me rush in, Bald Leopard was momentarily stunned, but when he realized I was alone, his courage surged. He lunged at me with two of his men.

It seemed Bald Leopard had two motives: first, to show off his merits to his new boss; second, to seek revenge—today was his perfect chance. Third, he had gained confidence by tormenting Jin Baoqiang in the past. He used to fear Jin Baoqiang and endure his slaps, but now, the tables had turned. Moreover, having aligned himself with Qian Duobao, a powerful figure, he now felt emboldened.

Before I could react, Bald Leopard pounced. I struck him hard with the mop handle; with a sharp crack, the handle snapped in two.

Though broken, the iron hook on the mop hit his forehead, causing blood to pour down. Bald Leopard howled in rage, protecting his bleeding head, "You bastard, I won’t let you off today!"

Holding the broken mop handle as a weapon, I stood my ground. The two thugs beside Bald Leopard, Amao and Ah Huang, dared not approach me for the moment.

I dashed over to Jin Yulian. Two thugs who had been rushing her, unarmed, scattered—one fled quickly, the other slower and was struck by my blow. But this guy was vicious; he gripped the mop handle tightly.

When I saw the scar on his forehead, my blood boiled. That scarred face belonged to none other than the man who had nearly beaten me to a pulp last time, leaving me close to becoming a mummy.

Enemies meeting are always fiercely hostile. Since he knocked me unconscious before, I swore I wouldn’t let him go today. Not only was he my enemy, but he might also be the mastermind behind the iron-headed car accident.

I aimed a fierce kick at his belly. With a heavy thud, he fell, but still clung to the mop handle.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind brushed past my ear. I had to release the handle and dodge quickly. I felt a heavy blow on my shoulder—sharp pain and numbness. I saw Qian Duobao had picked up an ashtray, aiming to smash my head. Luckily, I instinctively dodged so it struck my shoulder instead.

Almost simultaneously, my fist flew out in anger, hitting Qian Duobao squarely on the nose. The force sent him tumbling off the sofa onto the floor.

He growled thickly, "Beat him to a pulp—cripple him! I’ll pay two million to settle this..."

I thought to myself, to catch the leader first. In a chaotic fight, outnumbered, we stood no chance. So I lunged at Qian Duobao, raining punches on his head. If he wanted to cripple me, I’d cripple him first.

I was already a wrecked soul; if I ended up crippled too, I wouldn’t lose out. But after two or three punches, others charged at me. I had no choice but to release Qian Duobao and roll aside to avoid them.

Qian Duobao grabbed one of my legs, clearly desperate. I quickly lifted my other leg to kick his head repeatedly.

Several kicks later, his head was bleeding profusely. Realizing the situation, he let go of my leg and rolled aside, shouting, "Knock this bastard down! Whoever fights hardest, I’ll reward with a hundred thousand..."

Suddenly, a strong rush of wind swept past above my head. I ducked just in time and saw Scarface swinging the mop handle viciously.

Seeing me dodge a strike, he aimed the handle at my waist, leaving me no room to evade. I could only turn sideways to take the blow—pain flared sharply across my back.

Almost at once, Bald Leopard and Xu Qingyun charged me too. Four fists against two hands—soon I was overwhelmed, blood blurring my vision.

Qian Duobao roared, "Finish him off, cripple him..." When Jin Yulian rushed over to help me, she was slapped down by Qian Duobao. Taking advantage of this, Bald Leopard pinned Jin Yulian to the ground, attempting to strip her clothes and harass her.

Perhaps seeing his sister knocked down, Jin Baoqiang grabbed a chair and smashed it wildly, shouting, "Let go of my sister, or I’ll kill you!"

He smashed the chair onto Bald Leopard’s back. Bald Leopard lunged forward, rolling off Jin Yulian. But other thugs quickly swarmed and knocked Jin Baoqiang down.

At that moment, sirens wailed outside the company gate—police had arrived. Qian Duobao’s men ceased their assault.

Soon after, an ambulance arrived. The seriously injured were rushed to the hospital, and then the investigation began.

The conclusion was that the brawl stemmed from debt collection, with both sides bearing responsibility. Except for Jin Yulian and Qian Duobao, the others were detained.

Qian Duobao was not detained because I had broken his nasal bone, constituting a minor injury. Still, he was at fault too, so both sides compromised. He was not detained, and I was not criminally held.

Jin Baoqiang and I were seriously injured but only had surface wounds. We stayed in the hospital for three days, with Jin Yulian caring for us. After that bloody brawl, Jin Baoqiang’s attitude toward me changed completely.

He knelt before me, thanking me for saving his sister, and hoped I would take good care of her. But since I already had Sister Li, I only gave vague promises, saying I would do my best.

Qian Duobao fared no better. His nasal bone was broken, and his head was kicked open; he would be in the hospital over the New Year. As for Bald Leopard and Scarface, they were injured but not severely enough. After a week in the hospital, they were detained.

Once Jin Baoqiang and I were admitted, our phones and all belongings were confiscated. I had no chance to explain things to Sister Li and lost all contact with her.

When Jin Baoqiang and I were released, it was already the third day of the Lunar New Year. Jin Yulian drove us home.

I also got my phone back and saw over a dozen missed calls—all from Sister Li, dated more than ten days ago, probably shortly after I was detained.

Clearly, she had urgent matters to discuss. I quickly called her back, but she didn’t answer.

I kept calling, but still no answer. Something must have gone terribly wrong. Anxiety gnawed at me. I could not even listen to the grateful words from Jin Yulian and her brother.

With a heart full of worry, I drove straight to Nanxi Town in Huzhou...