"Did you hear that?"

"He said you should go ahead and hit him."

Lin Yu turned to Xia Yue Shan with a confused expression on his face as if questioning why he hadn't made his move yet.

Glancing at Lin Yu and then at the man behind Li Heizi, Xia Yue Shan, without any hesitation, charged straight at Li Heizi.

Xia Yue Shan wasn't lying; he indeed found it effortless to take down Li Heizi.

He began by kicking Li Heizi to the ground, then mounted him and rained down punch after punch, leaving Li Heizi no chance to fight back.

"Fuck you!"

Li Heizi's father, upon seeing his son being beaten, instinctively moved forward to intervene, but Lin Yu didn't waste any words. He stepped forward, delivering a hard slap across the man's face that sent him tumbling to the ground, his nose bleeding profusely, utterly stunned.

"Let's calm down."

Lin Yu protected Xia Yue Shan behind him, speaking with a grin:

"The parents are right here, man. If you've got a problem, come at me. Why take it out on a kid?"

Li Heizi's father wore a dazed expression, seemingly unable to recover from Lin Yu's slap. He held his nose as blood seeped through his fingers.

A woman, standing closely by Li Heizi's father, suddenly let out a piercing scream. She sat on the ground, crying loudly:

"Oh my!"

"Is there no justice left?"

"You bully people in broad daylight!"

"Doesn't anyone care?"

"My husband and son are being beaten to death!"

"Help!"

The woman's screaming was shrill and loud, and with the plaza already crowded, her cries only drew more onlookers.

Seeing the crowd that had gathered, Lin Yu felt no burden on his conscience, considering he was here for revenge.

He could brazenly claim he was upholding justice without any issue.

However...

Seeing the woman screaming her lungs out irritated Lin Yu to no end.

Looking around, Lin Yu quickly spotted a half-drunk bottle of mineral water a few steps away on a bench.

He walked over, picked up the bottle, and returned.

Holding onto the front end of the soft plastic bottle with his left hand, Lin Yu twisted the back half of the bottle with his right hand as if winding a spring.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

After twisting the bottle into a gourd-like shape, Lin Yu aimed the bottle cap at the woman's wide-open mouth due to her screaming.

With a gentle twist of the cap, the pressure built up in the bottle exploded at that moment, sending the cap rocketing straight into the woman's mouth.

Her wailing stopped abruptly. First, she clutched her throat, seemingly unable to breathe, and after prying the cap out, she lay on the ground, retching continuously.

The woman quieted down, but the surroundings did not.

The loudest voice had vanished, and a babble of whispers filled the air.

Many onlookers murmured amongst themselves, casting odd looks at Lin Yu and Xia Yue Shan, who was still pounding on Li Heizi.

Centered within the vortex of judgmental stares, Xia Yue Shan's punch speed slowed until he finally stopped.

Amidst the scrutiny and myriad gazes, Xia Yue Shan felt anxious and helpless. His eyes instinctively searched for the only person shielding him.

Lin Yu looked back, asking:

"Do you think you've had enough?"

Xia Yue Shan glanced around at the bystanders, then back at Lin Yu. Clenching his fists once more, he bit his lip and vehemently shook his head.

"Then, keep going."

"You've got my protection; there's nothing to fear."

Lin Yu's light-hearted words pierced Xia Yue Shan's ears. The pent-up emotions he had suppressed for so long burst forth now, funneling into his fists, striking Li Heizi's body and face repeatedly.

Lin Yu turned away from the fight, addressing the onlookers with a gesture like a greeting:

"Here's the thing."

"The person getting the beating right now,"

Lin Yu pointed at Li Heizi under Xia Yue Shan, continuing:

"He's been bullying my brother at school along with others. So, we're here for revenge."

"We're not the bullies."

"Of course,"

Lin Yu shifted gears, adding:

"But that's just my side of the story."

"If anyone doesn't believe it, or feels sorry for this kid getting beat and wants to play the hero, I won't object."

"All you have to do is come forward, knock me down, and you can save this beast who bullies others indiscriminately at school."

Lin Yu shrugged, speaking nonchalantly:

"If you save him, he'll probably be grateful to you. Maybe he'll remember your kindness when he's slapping your child at school and give them a few less slaps."

As Lin Yu spoke, the audibly fragmented conversations among the viewers dwindled significantly. Those with a sense of righteousness seemed less furrowed in their brows than at the beginning, especially upon hearing that saving the child might mean their own children could be bullied at school later.

Most chose to remain silent, opting to continue their silent observation.

They Didn't fully trust the punk-style young man's words.

However, at the same time, they were no longer convinced that the boy currently pinned and receiving punches was entirely innocent.

Seeing the crowd quiet down, Lin Yu lit a cigarette, taking a drag with satisfaction.

It seemed unlikely any 'heroes' would emerge to cause trouble now.

"I've had enough."

A calm voice rose from behind. Turning, Lin Yu saw – he didn't know when – Xia Yue Shan had climbed off Li Heizi.

In contrast to his calm tone, his face, flushed from agitation, was streaked with tear marks.

He...had cried.

"It's done. Let's go," Lin Yu spoke softly.

As Lin Yu and Xia Yue Shan were leaving, Li Heizi's father, who had been dazed from the slap, finally came to his senses. He got up, cursing loudly at their retreating figures:

"Fuck!"

"You little brats!"

"Fuck your mother, I'll be waiting for you!"

"This isn't over!"

"F******..."

Hearing the filthy curses behind them, Lin Yu paused, turning his head to nod at the bloodied man, stating:

"This was almost over."

"But now, it's not."

"Let's say tomorrow."

"It's getting late today, I'm busy."

"I'll have someone come and talk to you in detail tomorrow."

After speaking calmly, Lin Yu no longer paid attention to the cursing behind him, leading Xia Yue Shan away to collect their pork knuckles.

The pork knuckles were ready, and Lin Yu also bought several meat skewers and grilled squid before riding off with Xia Yue Shan away from the plaza, stopping at a secluded riverside.

Parking the motorcycle, Lin Yu, holding the skewers, led Xia Yue Shan to a vacant spot by the river to sit down.

After chatting about various things with Xia Yue Shan for a while, Lin Yu finally broached the question he was most concerned about:

"Xia Yue Shan, why are you on such bad terms with your sister?"

"Do you hate her?"