Chapter 106: Likely Stunned into Silence

Chen Hong was thrown into a state of disarray, nearly bursting into tears again. Thinking it was sulfuric acid, she felt an overwhelming sense of grievance. Fortunately, hearing his remark that she was "not yet disfigured," she deduced it must have been vinegar.

Her fear quickly curdled into rage. Accustomed to acting on impulse, she lost her composure and shrieked, "He's a madman! Is he insane?"

In truth, Chen Hong knew better than to provoke Chen Haodong. She dared to act this way only because she was confident in his mild temperament, assuming there had been some misunderstanding or that a petty person had been sowing discord. She continued to scream, "You beast, just wait! Brother Dong won't let you get away with this."

*Smack! Smack!*

After two more slaps sent Chen Hong clutching her head, the Beast sneered, "Go eat your own filth. This is exactly what Brother Dong ordered. He’s had enough of you and told me to let you know you're dumped. He’s letting you keep the gifts he gave you as a fee for your company, so he won't be taking them back. But if you keep acting up, causing trouble, or misusing Brother Dong's name, next time it won't be vinegar. You can spend your time guessing what it’ll be."

Chen Hong was truly terrified now, rendered speechless.

The Beast was a man of extreme volatility. Although his task was complete, he remained in a state of hyper-arousal. He had a penchant for abusing beautiful women, and since he had never dared to strike this troublemaker before, doing so now gave him a perverse thrill. He grabbed her collar again, intending to deliver a few more heavy blows.

"Let go of the teacher." Empowered by his newfound strength, Xiao Ma couldn't help but shout, rising to his feet and walking over.

The elementary students began gossiping:
"Someone actually dared to crash Brother Beast’s scene. This is getting good."
"Impressive. Who is that badass?"
"Of course he’s a badass. That’s Brother Xiao Ma, the one everyone’s talking about lately."
"Is that really Brother Xiao Ma? I heard he had eyes like copper bells and a waist as thick as a bull’s!"
"Just watch. If he gets beaten to a pulp by the Beast, he’s a fake. If he beats the Beast to a pulp, he’s the real deal."

Caught between nerves and shock, Chen Hong stared at Xiao Ma in astonishment. Of all the people to step in, she never expected it to be this kid.

"Who the hell are you?"

The Beast turned, ready to glare in fury, but he faltered. Was this the same young man who had dared to provoke Brother Da Dong yesterday?

It was illogical for anyone to challenge Da Dong here, but even more bizarre was the fact that Brother Dong had specifically instructed him today not to provoke this man, as he was supposedly one of "Big Boss's" people.

Looking at how bewitchingly handsome he was, the Beast wondered if he might be the Big Boss’s boy toy. Without a word, he slowly released Chen Hong, gave a slight bow to Xiao Ma, and left in his car without another syllable.

"?" Xiao Ma felt a bit sheepish, wondering if his mouth would end up crooked, but he hadn't expected this outcome.

Chen Hong looked at him with equal surprise. At first, she’d thought he was a jobless hoodlum, then a kidnapper. Now, he didn't seem like a good person either, but he was clearly in a different league. She knew the Beast’s temperament well; he was usually cheeky even with Chen Haodong, yet he had left so meekly and quietly?

Chen Hong was filled with embarrassment and speculation. For a moment, no one spoke, both locked in an awkward silence.

In the distance, the students eating lunch erupted again:
"It really is Brother Xiao Ma."
"He’s definitely a gang leader—the real deal. I thought they were equals, but he’s clearly a cut above Brother Da Dong."
"He scared off Brother Beast just by showing his face. Brother Xiao Ma’s rise is unstoppable."
"After saving the damsel in distress, is it time for some 'action'?"
"Probably."
"Yeah, I don't know the rules of the underworld, but I watch *Animal World*, and that’s how it goes in a lion pride. This is the Lion King championship, and I bet Brother Xiao Ma won."
"Amazing. Just by showing up, he gets to hook up with a bombshell. Too bad there’s nothing for us kids to see."

*Sweat.* These elementary students were too brazen. Their voices carried, and the more he heard, the more preposterous it became—*Animal World*, hooking up, and so on. These kids really knew how to stir the pot.

Chen Hong couldn't very well scold a whole crowd of students during recess, but she was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole. Xiao Ma was equally speechless. It had been an accidental turn of events—a secondary move to pacify the "demon"—but after the kids' commentary, it looked far too much like he was showing off.

As Xiao Ma pondered whether to walk away without a word or find an excuse to join her for lunch and perhaps offer a comforting touch to her hand, he lost the chance. A Range Rover Executive edition pulled up.

*Swoosh.*

The window rolled down to reveal Feng Chenchen’s assistant, who smiled and said, "Brother Xiao Ma, she asked me to come pick you up. She has something to discuss."

Feng Chenchen was a big name.

Naturally, beyond Chen Hong’s flushed, embarrassed face, the students didn't miss the chance for more gossip. *Sweat.* He couldn't tell if all elementary students were like this or just the ones at Wang Xiaoai’s school. The latter were probably a bit more "mature." Wang Xiaoai was a miraculous person; anyone around her stopped being normal.

Take the place where Xiao Ma used to live—hardly anyone there was normal: Fan Lulu, her husband, the little girl’s father, the landlady—even Xiao Ma himself was a bit neurotic. However, the little girl couldn't be classified as a "demon"; she was a rare prodigy.

Finished with his internal monologue, Xiao Ma didn't say a word. He pulled the door open, watched the electric step extend, gave a slight nod to the stunned Chen Hong, climbed in, and patted the seat as they drove off.

Still influenced by the students, Chen Hong began to think like one, staring in surprise as the Range Rover disappeared, her eyes flickering with unvoiced thoughts...

Inside the car, Xiao Ma asked the driver curiously, "How did she know I was at the school?"

"She went to your company," the assistant replied. "Yu Chengmin told her you were there, so she sent me to find you."

"Why didn't she call my phone?" Xiao Ma asked, feeling like an investigator.

"Your phone seems to be dead. She only knew one of your numbers," the driver said, looking slightly awkward.

Xiao Ma took out his four phones and checked them. *Sweat.* Having too many phones wasn't a good thing; he rarely kept track of the battery levels, and it just so happened that the one number Feng Chenchen knew was dead.

Xiao Ma stopped thinking about it and asked casually, "Why did she change cars?"

"It's not really a change; she still likes her old one," the driver explained. "She bought seven of these yesterday. She said you like to show off, so one is for you to use. But the main reason is for the upcoming shoot. It's a big production, and the script requires several scenes with a fleet of cars, including some high-speed collisions and even the pyrotechnic destruction of two of these Range Rovers. It turned out to be cheaper to buy them than to rent and risk them being unreliable."

*Mm-hmm.* These trivial matters really had nothing to do with him.

They soon pulled up to a restaurant even more upscale than Yingjiang Tower.

The assistant smiled, "You can go up. She’s waiting for you in Private Room 3 on the third floor."