Chapter 19: Are You Alone, Beautiful Lady?

"Hey there, gorgeous, are you alone?" A handsome man with a slicked-back hairstyle approached Sun Feifei. Without waiting for her reply, he took it upon himself to sit beside her. Of course, seats at roadside food stalls were open to everyone, but it was obvious the man’s intention was to strike up a conversation.

There’s an old saying: if someone approaches and immediately calls you “gorgeous,” chances are he’s up to no good. And if he calls you “miss,” he’s probably a john.

Li Huan turned his head just in time to see a strikingly attractive face lean close to Sun Feifei. The man wore a mischievous grin, exuding the air of a streetwise ruffian. Dressed in leather from head to toe, his look was undeniably cool, and he did have some appeal for picking up women.

"Sorry, I'm here with a friend," Sun Feifei replied, without so much as a glance at the man’s face. Her indifference dealt a serious blow to his overinflated confidence. Yet, being an old hand at flirting, he didn’t get angry. He ordered a bottle of imported liquor, a bottle of soda, and a small bucket of ice from the waiter. With practiced movements, he mixed a drink—a so-called “Deepwater Bomb”—added a few cubes of ice, and slid it gently in front of Sun Feifei. Bubbles frothed, releasing a sweet scent laced with alcohol.

"This is how you drink it! Why not call your friend over? I’ll treat you both!" He was confident in his bartending skills, a trick that had already won over many naïve girls.

One had to admit, petty thugs these days weren’t just mindless brutes anymore—they had all sorts of new tricks for picking up women.

Li Huan watched the man’s smug expression and smiled faintly. The guy’s mixing skills were mediocre at best; this wasn’t how you made a Deepwater Bomb. If it were some typical college girl or someone new to the city, perhaps she’d be impressed. But Sun Feifei was a bar manager—she’d seen every trick in the book and wasn’t the least bit interested in his antics.

"That won’t work on me, and I’m not interested in you. Please stop bothering me," Sun Feifei said coolly, her tone reverting to the authoritative air of a bar manager. With a single sentence, she dismissed him utterly.

"Oh, playing hard to get, are we? So you think you’re too good for Old Four?" The man’s expression changed instantly; his earlier ingratiating smile vanished, replaced by a hint of arrogance.

"Hey, isn’t that Old Four? What brings you here tonight? Let me treat you—whatever you need, I’ll bring it over!" The stall owner, sensing trouble, hurried over to defuse the situation. Clearly, Old Four was someone of influence in the area; otherwise, the owner wouldn’t be so deferential.

"None of your business. Stay out of it!" Old Four shot the owner a glare, then turned back to Sun Feifei. "You see, I’ve got a reputation around here. Don’t be ungrateful. If you don’t drink this, don’t blame me for turning nasty!"

Sun Feifei stared back, unafraid. "We don’t even know each other. Whether you turn nasty or not has nothing to do with me."

"Damn it, you really think you’re something, huh? Want me to strip you naked and dump you on the street?" Old Four, infuriated, lunged at Sun Feifei, reaching to grab her clothes.

"Hey, man, let’s talk it out. If she doesn’t want to drink with you, there’s no need to force her. How about I have a drink with you instead?" Li Huan stood up abruptly, grabbing Old Four’s wrist. He towered over him, but wore a gentle smile.

Old Four was momentarily startled, stepping back and freeing himself from Li Huan’s grip. He looked at Sun Feifei, asking, "Is this the friend you mentioned?"

Sun Feifei nodded silently.

Old Four’s bravado returned. He curled his lip, "Who the hell are you, calling me ‘man’? Do you think you can butt in? Tonight, this girl is going to drink whether she likes it or not—or neither of you will leave here standing!"

Li Huan was amused. These petty thugs were getting bold. He’d met a chubby guy before, but at least he was the son of the Dog Boss from the north district, with real backing. Yet this guy spat threats without so much as blinking.

"Hey, just so you know, my buddy’s name is Li Gang," Li Huan recalled a joke and, on impulse, mentioned the name of his senior who’d recently been hospitalized after a fight.

"Li Gang, my ass! You think you can show off in front of Old Four? You must be tired of living!" Old Four was stunned for a moment, then saw the infuriating smile on Li Huan’s face. He lost his temper and grabbed the bottle of imported liquor, swinging it at Li Huan’s head.

Sun Feifei gasped, reaching out to pull Old Four away, trying to prevent him from hurting Li Huan. But she was a woman—her strength and speed couldn’t match his. The bottle was about to smash into Li Huan’s head when suddenly there was a dull thud. Old Four doubled over and collapsed backwards.

The bottle shattered with a loud crash, spilling liquor across the floor and filling the air with a strong smell of alcohol. Broken glass scattered everywhere.

At that moment, several young men who’d been watching nearby rushed over, quickly helping Old Four to his feet. One of them noticed his hand had been cut by the broken glass, blood staining his palm bright red.

"Li Huan, are you alright?" Sun Feifei, still shaken, grabbed his hand to check for injuries. Seeing nothing amiss, she finally relaxed.

Li Huan forced a bitter smile. He’d used his foot for the kick; why would his hand be injured? But now wasn’t the time to tease Sun Feifei. Across from them, three more thugs approached, clearly Old Four’s accomplices.

Li Huan understood their tactics well enough. Old Four relied on his looks to lure girls; once he made contact, he’d take them somewhere secluded, and his buddies would join in. Afterwards, they’d extort some cash and leave. It was a common scam—every district had people like this, heartless enough to prey on naive girls with little social experience. These thugs were clearly a gang specializing in harming unsuspecting women.

"Brothers, teach him a lesson! Grab the girl, too—tonight I need to blow off some steam!" Old Four barked. At his order, the three thugs pulled spring-loaded knives from their pockets and closed in on Li Huan and Sun Feifei.

The surrounding diners had scattered the moment Old Four was kicked to the ground, now watching from a safe distance. Li Huan didn’t expect anyone to intervene; if it were him, as long as it didn’t involve him, he’d probably just be another bystander—though he’d at least call the police.

Seeing the three thugs brandish knives, Sun Feifei’s expression changed dramatically. She’d been calm, but now panic set in. She was just a girl, after all. In the world of power and influence, she might have been fearless, but faced with these reckless thugs, even the biggest names wouldn’t intimidate them—they probably hadn’t even heard of such people.

A murmur ran through the crowd, someone whispered, "The police are coming," and the onlookers stirred anxiously. But Old Four’s comrades were unfazed—they knew perfectly well how long it took the local police to respond, so none of them fled, instead advancing quickly toward Li Huan.

"You idiots want to die? Damn cowards…" Old Four cursed at the crowd, silencing everyone.

"Li Huan, let’s run!" Sun Feifei urged, anxiety in her eyes. All of the thugs had knives—if something went wrong, there’d be real trouble.

Li Huan glanced at Sun Feifei’s high heels and shook his head. "We can’t outrun them. When things start, stay behind me, or you might get hurt."

"No, you’re not their match…" Sun Feifei began, but Li Huan pulled her firmly behind him, shielding her.

Just then, the nearest thug, spring knife in hand, lunged at Li Huan, aiming for his abdomen. These thugs weren’t stupid; though they had knives, they avoided striking lethal areas, which gave Li Huan an opening. As the thug crouched and attacked, Li Huan clenched his fist and landed a powerful blow to his head. The thug was stunned, lost his balance, and crashed to the ground with a loud thud, his nose hitting the pavement and erupting in streams of blood.

"Damn, still resisting? Finish him off!" The remaining two thugs were startled. A blond youth shouted and rushed forward, threatening violence but not daring to truly kill—this wasn’t a gangland showdown, and if someone died, he’d be facing a bullet himself.

The blond was aggressive, spinning his spring knife and gripping it tightly as he stabbed toward Li Huan’s shoulder.

Li Huan wasn’t a pushover. He couldn’t take on a hundred men, but two petty thugs were nothing—even with knives, as long as he stayed alert, they posed little threat. He’d trained in martial arts since childhood, his stance solid, and specialized in leg attacks—nothing fancy, just speed, precision, and force. With his height and long legs, he swept his foot toward the blond’s waist, striking him sharply. The pain left the thug incapacitated, half his body numb.