Chapter Fifty-Three: A Cry of Astonishment

Everyone stared wide-eyed, including the boss who had come to collect protection money.

Damn! Are people these days all this brazen? Not only was she not afraid of someone as fierce as me, she even flipped me off with her middle finger!

She actually flipped me off!

The boss’s arm, still resting on the smashed table, trembled and veins bulged with fury.

“You little brat—looks like you need a lesson!”

With that, he raised the heavy iron rod and swung it toward Song Waning’s stall.

Inside the livestream chat:

[This is bad! Song Waning just had to provoke the boss for no reason. Her stall is going to be trashed!]

[Is it just the stall? She’s about to get beaten up too, isn’t she?]

[Song Waning is in trouble! Where is Wen Jingxing? Why isn’t he here yet!]

[She deserves it if she gets hit. Why couldn’t she just lay low until the crew arrived and called the police? Instead, she had to show off and flip them off!]

The crowd of onlookers and other vendors all gasped in shock. Who was this remarkable woman? Facing several hulking thugs, she not only showed no fear but even looked down on them with a gesture.

Truly, a newborn calf that doesn’t fear tigers.

Those familiar with the area knew these bosses often harassed vendors. But the bosses were protected from above; whether you called the police or tried to have someone deal with them, people higher up would always intervene, threatening and bribing, so the vendors had long since stopped fighting back.

Besides, they only bothered the vendors; tourists, even if they witnessed it, wouldn’t get involved. Over time, everyone simply got used to it.

Li Weiwei, watching this unfold, felt a headache coming on.

Oh heavens, could you please just keep out of trouble for a little while? Wait until Wen Jingxing arrives—then you can do whatever you want! Right now, you’re all alone. Who’s going to protect you?

The uncle selling hats, seeing Song Waning about to get hurt, suddenly found his courage and grabbed the stool he’d been sitting on, ready to help her.

But in the next moment, he saw Song Waning calmly raise her hand and catch the iron rod. With what seemed a gentle twist, she wrenched it free from the boss’s grasp and took hold of it herself.

The boss clutched his twisted wrist and cursed, “What the hell—where’s my rod? How did it end up in this brat’s hands?”

“Don’t just stand there! Smash up her stall! She’s just a little girl—how much trouble can she be?” another boss shouted.

The group surged forward, intent on wrecking Song Waning’s stall.

Song Waning, without hesitation, raised the iron rod and brought it down directly onto the heads of the bosses.

After each received a blow, they all ended up either squatting or sprawled on the ground, clutching their heads in agony.

The first boss, who’d tried to smash the table, cursed again, “Damn it! She hit us—how does a basic attack come with a stun effect? I want to report her for cheating!”

[????]

[How did things change so suddenly in the blink of an eye?!]

[What just happened?!]

The cameraman, who had finally rushed to Song Waning’s side, grabbed a chair, prepared to join the fight against the thugs.

But Song Waning stopped him. “No need. They won’t be getting up any time soon.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Why can’t they get up?” the cameraman was curious, as were the vendors and the onlookers. The viewers in the livestream were even more intrigued.

But Song Waning offered no explanation. She simply said, “Just look at them rolling on the ground, clutching their heads—do you think they can stand up?”

The cameraman nodded, “That’s true.”

Wen Jingxing, having rushed over after receiving the news, found the scene far less dire than Li Weiwei had described. The bullies were all lying on the ground.

Cheng Mu, too, hurried over. He’d only just sent someone to jail last night—could he send several more today? Though Cheng Mu had never actually witnessed Song Waning fighting, last night he’d heard from the scoundrel himself, who insisted she’d beaten him and sent him flying several meters, calling it a mutual fight.

The evidence from the cameraman hadn’t been shown to Cheng Mu, but after the police reviewed it, they told the scoundrel, with utter impartiality, that he’d made the first move and Song Waning’s actions were self-defense. The scoundrel, infuriated, feigned illness, claiming pains all over.

Naturally, the result was that he got a few more months in jail.

As soon as Wen Jingxing arrived, the first thing he did was check on Song Waning’s hand, worried she might have hurt herself again. He took her injured hand and examined it.

“Is your hand alright? This morning I saw you’d taken off the bandage, and I spent a long time wrapping it for you last night. Try not to use your hand for fighting again—don’t risk a new injury before the old one’s healed.”

[So much information packed into Wen Jingxing’s words!]

[Breaking news! The man who’s always been aloof actually wrapped a woman’s hand himself late at night!]

[He’s not aloof anymore! Ever since meeting Song Waning, he’s changed!]

[This wasn’t in the livestream; it can’t be scripted! The couple I ship must be real!]

[Didn’t anyone notice Wen Jingxing’s strange focus?]

[Anyone else would ask what happened first, but Wen Jingxing’s first concern is Song Waning’s hand.]

[Couple fans: we’re getting fed again!]

Song Waning pulled her hand back and raised the other, still holding the iron rod. “I didn’t use my hand—I used this.”

Wen Jingxing let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

Then he turned, his gaze icy, toward the groaning thugs on the ground and said to Cheng Mu, “Call the police. Have them all arrested.”

Nearby, the vendors and tourists burst into applause. “Well done!”

These thugs had simply been too arrogant, and they were so big and strong that almost no one could stand up to them.

Still, the vendors knew not to get too excited. Usually, after the police came, the thugs would soon be back to extort money again.

But the hat-seller was delighted. He knew who Wen Jingxing was—the whole resort belonged to him. So what if the thugs had backing? Their boss still worked for Wen Jingxing. Who could be more powerful than him?

Soon, a group of uniformed security guards arrived and hauled the dazed thugs away.

With the trouble resolved, Song Waning calmly resumed her business as if nothing had happened, though Wen Jingxing remained uneasy and arranged for more security patrols in the area.

He seemed to have forgotten just how formidable Song Waning had been in her previous fights, including how effortlessly she’d just subdued several tough men.

As for Li Weiwei, who’d rushed over in a panic, seeing that Song Waning was fine, she didn’t come any closer but instead sent messages in all the group chats, reminding the staff to pay extra attention to the guests’ safety.

When the crowd dispersed, Song Waning’s stall was once again left deserted.

The hat-seller uncle tried to comfort her, “Business is like this—customers come and go…”

But before he could finish, a little girl in a dress appeared at the stall and said, “Big sister, I’d like ten stuffed pancakes, please!”