Chapter 26: Making a Move (Part 2)

"Damn it!" Chen Long suddenly cursed under his breath.

Zeng Yi turned to look at the group of people and asked, "Do you know them? What's their background?"

"Son of the deputy director of the district bureau, a complete scumbag!" Chen Long glared at them with hatred.

Before Chen Long knew this young master, he once received a report from the public about someone harassing women in a busy market. Chen Long led his team to the scene and arrested the young master and his henchmen. However, he had stirred up a hornet's nest. In front of all the police officers at the station, Chen Long was slapped hard twice by the deputy director's wife and scolded mercilessly. In the end, the young master was taken away, and Chen Long had to go to the deputy director's office to write a self-criticism. The deputy director left him standing outside his office for three whole days, and Chen Long's calf started to develop varicose veins, for which he even had to be hospitalized.

This humiliation was something Chen Long would never forget. But now, as he looked at those troublemakers, he lowered his head. He was no longer the passionate young police officer he once was. Reality had taught him when to keep his head down.

The female singer ignored those people, handed the microphone to the next singer, and prepared to leave the stage.

Several people immediately stood up and blocked the stairs, grinning and saying, "Sis, what's the rush? We haven't even heard your song yet."

"Sorry, please move aside. I've finished singing. You can listen to the others!" The female singer tried to push past them but was pushed back onto the stage.

"Our Master Chi hasn't heard yet. Sing quickly, and if you do well, Master Chi will reward you!"

"Or you can skip the singing and join Master Chi for a drink tonight. If you make him happy, the money is yours!"

"Right, right, singing is boring. Drinking is better, much better!"

A few hooligans blocked the stairs, grinning lecherously and even whistling. The people at the night market frowned and felt disgusted, but no one stepped in. These hooligans dared to harass the female singer in public, and it was clear they had some backing. They were not to be trifled with.

Zeng Yi also frowned. These people were too arrogant. This was a night market, and they were completely unashamed in front of everyone.

Seeing the stairs blocked, the female singer turned around and jumped off the stage from the other side. She landed steadily and, without looking at Master Chi, quickly walked toward the exit, heading straight for where Zeng Yi was.

The hooligans, seeing her run, quickly chased after her and stood in front of her again, blocking her path like eagles catching a chick, and deliberately pushed her with their bodies. "Sis, that's not very respectful to Master Chi! Listen to us, have a couple of drinks."

"Right, have a couple of drinks!" The hooligans laughed together, forming a half-circle and pushing the female singer back.

The female singer tried to push forward twice but failed. She grabbed an iron skewer from a nearby table, where someone had just finished eating skewers, and held it in front of her. "Move aside!"

"Wow, sis, you're pretty spicy! But Master Chi likes spicy, the spicier the better..."

Before he finished speaking, the female singer lunged forward with the iron skewer. The hooligans didn't expect her to act so quickly. One of them, unable to dodge in time, was stabbed in the arm and screamed in pain.

A gap appeared in the half-circle, and the female singer quickly ran out.

The hooligans behind her started shouting, "Damn it, she dared to stab me! Catch her, we'll definitely finish her off tonight!"

The scene was full of tables and chairs, making it impossible to run fast. As she was about to be caught again, the female singer rushed to the barbecue grill and snatched the small iron shovel from the chef. With a "hiss," she scooped up some red-hot charcoal and said coldly, "If you're not afraid of dying, come closer!"

The hooligans were terrified and backed off, remembering the lesson from the iron skewer. They knew this woman wasn't just talking; she was willing to throw the charcoal. The thought of being burned with red-hot charcoal made them shudder. If that happened, they would be covered in burns.

People within fifty meters who were eating barbecue also ran away, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

Only one table remained. Chen Long kept his head down and said nothing, while Zeng Yi leisurely peeled salted peanuts, as if he didn't know what was happening. He was actually quite impressed by the female singer. She was fierce, calm, and decisive. Most people, if they encountered such a situation, wouldn't even have the courage to scold, let alone fight back.

Zeng Yi was considering whether to intervene when Master Chi stood up.

"Spit!" Master Chi spat on the ground. The bloodshed seemed to have stirred his viciousness. He grabbed a chair and walked toward the barbecue grill, shouting, "Damn it, you bitch, you don't know how to show respect and even hurt my brother. Let's see how long you can last! Everyone, catch her, and we'll all get a share! If anything happens, I'll take the blame!"

Seeing that people were still eating, he became even angrier. "What the hell are you eating! Get out of here and go home to eat your mother's milk!" As he said this, he threw the chair, which hit Zeng Yi's back.

Zeng Yi pressed the corner of the table and prepared to stand up.

Chen Long had already noticed Zeng Yi's intention to intervene and had been on guard. Seeing Zeng Yi about to stand up, he grabbed him and shook his head vigorously. "Don't get involved. The police will be here soon." Chen Long knew the procedure for handling such incidents. With such a big scene, the police would definitely come. Even if the local police were afraid of Master Chi, they wouldn't dare to let him take the female singer away in front of so many people, as it would cause public outrage. So once the police arrived, the female singer would be safe, and there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

"It's fine, I'll deal with this Master Chi!" Zeng Yi pushed Chen Long's hand away and stood up.

Chen Long couldn't hold him back, and Zeng Yi walked away. He felt a chill run down his spine. If Zeng Yi got hurt today, his promotion hopes would be dashed.

The hooligans, hearing Master Chi's words, became excited like they had been injected with adrenaline. One of them, being quick-witted, picked up a square table and held it in front of him. "Brothers, let's go, use the table to shield us!"

The other hooligans followed suit, using tables to shield themselves and closing in again.

The female singer was truly worried now. With the tables shielding them, her burning charcoal had little effect. As they got closer, she began to panic and raised her hand to throw the charcoal.

"Put it down!"

A voice came from behind her. Before she could react, her arm went numb, and the iron shovel was taken from her hand.

"Stand behind me!"

Another voice, and she felt the light dim as someone stood in front of her, protecting her. The back of this person looked familiar, very much like the guest who had praised her singing earlier.

Zeng Yi inserted the iron shovel into the grill, stood with his hands behind his back, and coldly looked at the hooligans. "Who threw the chair at me? Step forward and speak!"

"Huh?"

The hooligans were taken aback. When did a meddler appear, and he sounded quite confident.

"It was me, Master Chi!" Master Chi stepped forward, pointing at Zeng Yi. "Are you tired of living or just itching for a fight? How dare you meddle in Master Chi's business! If you know what's good for you, get lost, or I'll deal with you too!" He was bad but not stupid. Seeing Zeng Yi protect the female singer, he knew this was someone who had overstepped.

Zeng Yi looked at the yellow-faced man with triangular eyes and chuckled coldly. "You're the one surnamed Chi? Very well. I'll give you a chance. If you kneel and apologize to me right now, I'll let you go. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Master Chi flew into a rage. "Let me tell you, because of those words, you won't leave here in one piece today!"