I didn't turn back, nor did I care for such trivial matters, but the voices still reached my ears. A woman whispered, her tone suppressed, "Wu Jun, don't push it. We've severed ties; stop treating me like an ATM, or I'll report you for extortion."

The man sneered, "Go ahead and report me. Calling you a slut is the mildest thing. You are utterly shameless; I'll expose everything about you getting **..."

There were several girls here. I feared the man behind us might get too offensive and considered stepping in to warn him a couple of times, but unexpectedly, Miss Xiaowan, seated across from us, suddenly shot to her feet and called out behind me, "Xiao Ru, why are you still here!"

The woman addressed as Xiao Ru replied, "Xiaowan, why haven't you left yet?"

Xiaowan's face flushed. She had just refused an invitation to stay for dinner, "I... I ran into Mr. Li from the company and some friends, so I... What's going on with you?"

The man calling himself Wu Jun interjected, "Didn't you say you had no money? See, you've run into friends now. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance; my patience is limited."

Xiao Ru hesitated for a moment before finally speaking to Xiaowan, "Xiaowan, do you have any money on you? Lend me some first."

Xiaowan reached into her handbag immediately. "Yes, I just received my year-end bonus today. How much do you need? I have five thousand here; if that's not enough, I can find an ATM for you."

Xiaowan left our table and went over there. Only then did I turn around to look: a fashionably dressed young woman sat alone at a table with a rather lewd-looking man. Xiaowan handed five thousand yuan to Xiao Ru, but Xiao Ru said, "Just lend me a thousand for now. I'll pay you back once I find a job."

At that moment, the man named Wu Jun snatched the five thousand yuan from Xiaowan's hand, causing her to let out a sharp scream. Xia Huren, who had been sitting and watching coldly, could bear it no longer. He shot up like a flash and lunged in front of Wu Jun, delivering a sharp slap that sent the lewd man Wu Jun flying out into the snow by the roadside. The five thousand yuan scattered in the wind, and immediately a crowd of petty opportunists converged, chasing after the drifting bills.

Xiaowan's face was pale. Xia Huren gently took hold of her fingers. "Xiaowan, don't be afraid. I'm here."

Xia Huren's timely appearance provided an aura of security that made Xiaowan involuntarily draw closer to him, treating him as her support. The two young hearts began to connect.

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er had already been itching to act. Now that Xia Huren had made his move, they were not about to be left behind, afraid they wouldn't get a chance to fight. His corpulent body darted through the crowd like a nimble snake toward the roadside. Wu Jun, nursing his cheek from the slap and baring his teeth, was just about to scramble up to retaliate when a large foot kicked him squarely in the backside, sending him face-planting back into the snow. Immediately after, a large foot stomped down onto his chest.

"You punk, first order of business: pick up every single bill on the ground, or else..." Cai Bao'er stepped forward and twisted one of the man's arms. Wu Jun shrieked like a slaughtered pig from the pain. Perhaps the scene was too intense; Xiaowan, startled, turned her face into Xia Huren's embrace. Xia Huren looked anxious but eventually reached out a hand to gently rub her back, offering some comfort. His movements were rather stiff, causing Linglong and Ma Xiaorui beside me to giggle softly.

Wu Jun seemed defiant. This guy probably wasn't ordinary and had some backing. He roared, "Damn your ancestors! You dare hit me, Wu Jun? Ah Lü, who runs this area, is my buddy. Brother Lü's backer is the Director of the Federal Planning Agency. None of you will have an easy time!"

Zhu Da asked Cai Bao'er, "Hey, Baozi, who's the Director of the Planning Agency? I don't know him."

Cai Bao'er retorted, "How would I know? Supporting some 'Brother Lü'—I bet he's just some bastard. I need to ask Qiqi about this."

Wu Jun trembled from the pain in his fingers. "You... you guys are screwed! If you have guts, wait here, and I'll find people to deal with you! You think you can bully people just because you're fat and strong? You're blind!"

Zhu Da was about to teach him another lesson, but upon hearing this, he stopped Cai Bao'er, who was preparing to strike. "Let him go. These little minnows are boring. Didn't he mention some Brother Lü? We'll wait right here. We haven't been out in the world for a while; any shrimp or crab thinks it can challenge us now."

By this time, Xiaowan and Xia Huren had joined the money-collecting brigade, and the rest of us also got up to help. However, some of the money had already been secretly pocketed by a few customers. Those bills were scattered at their feet, easily snatched up with a slight bend, slipped into a pocket without anyone noticing, and those people wouldn't be giving it back.

Xiao Ru repeatedly apologized to Xiaowan, "Xiaowan, I'm so sorry. I'll pay back whatever is missing. Is he... is he your boyfriend?"

Xiaowan clutched a few bills in her hand, bending over as if trying to find a mouse hole to crawl into. She was a very introverted girl; she didn't really care about losing the money—the People's Shopping Group was an extremely profitable company, and her monthly salary was well over ten thousand. She could afford this small loss, but Xiao Ru was her classmate from high school through college. Suddenly exposing her romantic secret in front of her good friend made it very difficult for her to explain.

"No... no..." Xiaowan stammered, trying to deny it, because she had emphatically told Xiao Ru at her place that she didn't have a boyfriend.

Xia Huren suddenly extended his hand toward Xiao Ru. "Hello, my name is Xia Huren. I am Xiaowan's boyfriend. Heh heh, we haven't known each other long, so we prefer to keep our relationship private."

Xiaowan stood behind Xia Huren, her face red, saying nothing. Her posture clearly affirmed Xia Huren's claim. Xiao Ru giggled and shook Xia Huren's hand. "Very well. A man Xiaowan approves of can't be bad. But I warn you, you must be devoted to our Xiaowan. She is too kind; if you hurt her, I will not be done with you."

Xia Huren gently took Xiaowan's hand. "Don't worry. No one can hurt her, including myself."

Xiao Ru handed the collected money to Xia Huren. "Help Xiaowan count it. If there's a shortfall, put it on my tab, but I don't have money to pay you back right now. I'll settle up after I find a job and get paid."

Xia Huren knew a significant amount was missing because he saw some customers stuffing bills into their clothes, but he didn't want to haggle over such a small matter to avoid further conflict and making things awkward in front of Xiaowan. So, he tucked the money into his pocket and said, "No need to count. It should be enough. I'll tally it up later and give it to Xiaowan. But you..."

Xiao Ru's face darkened. "It's nothing. That man was my ex-boyfriend. You... you all should leave. He is truly not a good person, and it's not worth offending him over my petty problems."

Xiaowan said, "Xiao Ru, don't be afraid. Our group's Mr. Li is here. He is a good man and knows many influential people and federal officials. I'll beg him to help you get rid of that guy's harassment."

Xia Huren smiled. "Come sit with us first. That guy will probably be back soon. He seemed to be threatening you earlier. If you trust us, leave this matter to us."

Xiaowan glanced at Mr. Li behind her, then nodded at Xiao Ru. Xiao Ru's expression was grim, and after some hesitation, she finally nodded in agreement. Suddenly, two clear female voices rang out: "Hand over the money! Have you no shame? You dare hide money you picked up right in front of everyone!"

Everyone turned to look. It was a pair of twin sisters furiously addressing two diners. They were holding a handful of money, apparently what they had helped collect, and were now demanding the hidden money from customers eating spicy skewers. It turned out they were quite zealous.

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er were delighted to see this. The twin sisters were not only beautiful but also kind-hearted—this was exactly the type of woman they were looking for! They immediately zeroed in like flies. Zhu Da put on a stern face and addressed the two male diners, "The ladies asked if you have no shame. Don't just sit there like a mute!"

Unexpectedly, the twin sisters ignored Zhu Da's attention and instead turned to glare at him, "You fat slob! Why did your friend go and slap someone's money flying for no good reason? This is your fault!"

Cai Bao'er retorted, "What do you mean for no good reason? That scumbag was harassing our brother's girlfriend! He’s lucky we didn't skin him alive; what's wrong with a single slap?"

One of the sisters said, "If he was being obnoxious, you could have called the police! Who do you think you are? Saviors? Even if you want to play the hero, you can't do it like this. That Brother Lü he mentioned is really powerful; you guys are in danger, don't you know?"

Zhu Da's face lit up. "So you do care about us? Don't worry. With your concern, we brothers dare to cross mountains of knives and seas of fire."

The sisters spat in unison, "Shameless! Who cares about you? You're being completely self-important."

The two girls' coquettish expressions mesmerized Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er. Being naturally boisterous, their minds soared into the heavens, and they blurted out, "Misses, what are your ages? Would you consider becoming friends?"

The pig-headed looks of the two fat men actually amused the twin sisters. It seemed they often encountered men like this and were unfazed. "A girl's age is a secret; don't you know that? If you want to make friends, worry about whether you'll be alive to see tomorrow first."

While the four were conversing, the two diners who had pocketed the money tried to slip away. Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er grabbed one each, squeezing down so hard they nearly cracked the fellows' bones. The two howled and produced the money before being tossed into the snow, accompanied by the remark, 'Dishonest gains must be forfeited.'

With this precedent set, it became much easier for the sisters to demand money from others. Although they quickly recovered most of the cash, they essentially drove away all the diners at their stall. The owner watched from the side, shaking his head repeatedly. Finally, he came over and warned us, "You all need to leave quickly. That guy from before is not someone to trifle with; we small business owners can't afford to offend these thugs!"