The Beautiful Boss's Personal Bodyguard-Chapter 335

Ye Tian rushed in, not to fight, but to break up the fight.

How could Xiao Jian fight like that? It’s just a brawl, not a battlefield duel; why use all moves targeting people’s bodies? Play a little Grapple Sanda, sure, but why go straight for the throat?

On one hand, Xiao Jian was hitting people, and on the other, Ye Tian countered every move. If Xiao Jian kept this up, not one of these guys would survive unscathed. The more the fight went on, the more shocked Ye Tian felt. He originally thought this guy was just a gentle scholar, but watching his drunken fist, he really had the air of a master, probably a trained one.

"Fuck your mother... ah!"

"I’ll fight you... ugh!"

"Let’s gang up... ah, my hand!"

Screams erupted one after another. Ye Tian counted quietly; fewer than three people managed to utter a complete threat, mostly just things like "Fuck!" "Fight!"—short tirades of two or three words.

In the end, the melee naturally concluded with a comprehensive victory for Ye Tian and his side. Amidst the cursing, Zheng Ergou was driven away. Originally, he was hiding at the very back, but Xiao Jian was relentless, insisting on emulating Zhao Zilong’s repeated charges in and out of battle. He thrashed about ten people no less than five times, shouting until the end, "I must reclaim what I’m owed, don’t stop me, two more times, two more!"

When the battle ended, the scene was a mess—glass shards and leftover food were strewn all about, and a few stray dogs and cats lurked in the distance, watching but ultimately not daring to scavenge. Under the moonlight, Xiao Jian, swaying with difficulty, finally steadied himself, then turned to look at Ye Tian, burping up alcohol as he asked if he was fierce or awesome. Ye Tian quickly agreed, proclaiming his prowess while taking the opportunity to pocket the special supply of Zhonghua cigarettes from the lad’s pocket because why not?

"How about it, can you still walk?"

Ye Tian patted Xiao Jian, who still swayed on his feet.

"Yes..."

"That’s good, let’s go, I’ll take you to a sauna... hey, hey, hey! What the... no, no, no... damn it!"

Xiao Jian turned around and vomited uncontrollably, drenching Ye Tian, who was now splattered and in disarray—undigested dog meat and peanuts were clearly visible among the remnants of food. Xiao Jian’s head turned and he flopped to the ground, followed by thunderous snoring.

...

After this ordeal, not only Ye Tian, but Mo Yan also became a bit curious about the Zheng Family. Who were they? So fierce to fight like that. Brawling was one thing—it wasn’t unusual for young men in their twenties—but if it was as Ye Tian said, smashing, looting, burning, and openly dominating the streets and neighborhoods, that was crossing the line.

The hotpot restaurant owner poured tea for both Ye Tian and himself, and the three of them sat down to talk. Xiao Jian was arranged to stay in a nearby motel, with He Biandan and He Ku also moving in as it was getting late, they decided not to head back.

Ye Tian popped peanuts into his mouth, oblivious to the reproachful glance Mo Yan passed him.

"Uncle, where are you from?" asked Mo Yan.

"I’m from Henan, moved here last year."

"Oh. A Henan person, huh. It seemed just now that those people were here to cause you trouble?"

Mo Yan wasn’t certain what exactly the group brought by Zheng Ergou was up to; it just sounded like they were here to pick a fight, and she happened to arrive right in the middle of it.

The hotpot restaurant owner took off his white hat, now stained black from oil, scratched his greasy hair, and let out a sigh. "I’m just an outsider, moved here last year and rented this place. Business wasn’t too bad, and although Zheng Ergou often looked for trouble, everything was alright as long as I paid him two thousand yuan for protection money each month. All the nearby shops follow this rule."

"So, you just give him the money? Why not report it to the Business & Commerce department?" Mo Yan couldn’t hold back her indignation, but she felt a bit embarrassed as soon as she said it. For such minor issues, the Business & Commerce department probably couldn’t be bothered.

She wasn’t a pampered young miss, and although she had heard quite a few things about these lower-class issues, this was her first encounter with a real-life situation, and her capacity to accept it was far less than she had imagined.

Ye Tian glanced at her but didn’t interrupt, allowing the owner to continue.

"Originally, there wouldn’t be an issue with just paying money to avoid trouble; it’s the same everywhere. I’m not going to complain. But as the year is coming to an end, my lease is about to expire. I was planning to renew it for another year, and had already paid the money and signed the contract, but now Zheng Ergou won’t allow it. He claims it violates regulations and obstructs city traffic."

"What’s the actual reason?" Ye Tian was more experienced in these matters; back in Huaizhou, he had used the same excuse to extort others.

The owner lit a cigarette and took a drag, exhaling, "The actual reason is that one of his relatives took a fancy to this location, claiming it had good feng shui, and wanted to open a beauty salon here. But I’ve already paid my dues, fifty thousand yuan at that. Why should I have to move just because he says so? I refused, and so he came looking for trouble. Eating and drinking here for free every day, causing disturbances, and even getting violent at the drop of a hat, not to mention taking liberties with the young women, making it impossible for me to run my business. I heard something happened in his family these past few days, and my place finally got a bit of peace—didn’t expect today, well... sigh."

Mo Yan and Ye Tian exchanged glances. The owner had no idea that the very people responsible for the trouble in Zheng Ergou’s family were sitting right in front of him.

"What will you do from here?" asked Ye Tian.

"What else can I do, but hold on? If I go back, this place will be even harder to hold onto. Zheng Ergou has his ways. He’s got a brother in the police force, who knows when they could detain me for public security reasons. Why the hell does he get to do this?"

"If it really comes to detention, what will you do then?"

Mo Yan shot him a disdainful look. Ye Tian was unperturbed.

The owner took another drag, his face serious, "I have my mother at home, and a sick child as well. If things go south for me, there will be no way out. Even if it kills me, I’ll have to drag someone down with me."

"Uncle, please don’t think like that," Mo Yan hurried to say.

The owner sighed, "Around here, things don’t get done unless a few people die."

A chilling statement.

They chatted a bit more about other local customs, but the mood was dampened by the recent events. After a while, Mo Yan began to yawn. Fortunately, the small inn was close by, just two streets away. As Ye Tian and his companion walked back, neither spoke a word, though they both smelled somewhat unpleasant.

...

The next day, when Ye Tian woke up, He Biandan and He Ku were already waiting in the hostel’s lounge. Seeing He Ku’s neat and tidy appearance, Ye Tian thought it was good that he knew to take a bath; a bath will do wonders.