When material comfort flourishes, the spirit of some people becomes correspondingly hollow.

Cao Zihao was a prime example. In his childhood, his grandfather was the Chief Procurator of Huangjiang District, and he was raised like a young master. Later, when his grandfather retired, his father was quickly promoted to Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Commission. His life was one where he could summon the wind and rain as he pleased.

Money? From childhood, Cao Zihao lacked any concept of such a thing. He only needed things others had to spend money to acquire; he obtained them without spending anything. Things others couldn't buy with money, he could usually manage to get with a little thought.

For supermarket trips, there were gift cards from others, requiring no expenditure from him. At the gas station, his car’s drawer held unused fuel vouchers. When reveling at Heaven on Earth, a host of rich second-generation friends would vie to cover the bill for him.

Houses? Whichever complex he liked, someone would always lend him one to live in indefinitely, with no expectation of return. Cars? That was something the young masters never lacked. If he took a liking to one, he’d borrow it until he grew tired of it; a single phone call, and someone would come to retrieve it. Women? Young Master Cao had long since grown weary; he had begun to take an interest in men.

Recently, Young Master Cao had become infatuated with a particularly cool guy named Wang Yi. Wang Yi stood around 1.75 meters tall, unremarkable in stature, with an ordinary appearance. His sole distinction lay in his supreme skill at riding—firm and long-lasting—coupled with a sweet tongue for flattery and unparalleled mouth skills, which had utterly bewitched Young Master Cao.

In truth, Wang Yi was not inclined toward male companionship, but he was lazy, lacked talent, and while exceptionally capable in certain areas, he had poor luck with women. Thus, somehow, he found himself drawn into the circle of men seeking male companionship.

Through repeated encounters, his reputation spread within that circle. Just as men hunting for romance might gossip about certain women, he became a sought-after figure among the wealthy young men and sons of officials.

This allowed him to thrive. He had young masters footing his bills, and powerful figures shielding him when he caused trouble. He had managed to climb out of society’s lowest rungs using nothing but an unyielding, golden erection, becoming someone many dared not offend.

As mentioned before, Wang Yi did not prefer men. He played the role merely to secure money and status. In reality, his pursuit of female beauty bordered on obsession; if he didn't taste something new daily, even his meals tasted bland.

Today, he accompanied Cao Zihao and others to the BB Karaoke Lounge to sing. While stepping out to select fruit platters, he spotted two familiar girls standing near a strikingly tall and beautiful woman. He pretended to need the restroom and slipped into the lavatory just behind the three girls.

After finishing his business, he recalled the identity of those two girls, and an immediate heat surged in his belly, sparking an idea.

This led to the prior argument, the incident where he attacked Bai Lu using a self-defense technique taught to girls, and his escape with the two women.

Wang Yi was instantly furious, beyond the limits of anger. He, Young Master Wang, who had even "ridden" the son of a Disciplinary Inspection Commission Director, was now being looked down upon by a mere escort, slapped, and knocked to the ground—a humiliation beyond measure!

"You bastard, stop right there!"

He cursed, chasing them to the private room where the girls had fled. Suddenly, the door burst open, and six or seven young men, clearly students, rushed out. Two of them looked powerfully built, obviously accustomed to regular training.

"Oh? No wonder you're so fierce. Turns out you rely on having more people, huh?" Wang Yi sneered. "Which one of you is the leader? Step forward and speak."

Seeing his arrogant demeanor, the impulsive ones were ready to fight on the spot, the calm ones knew this was a dangerous situation, and the timid ones immediately began to shrink back.

"Not even one dares to step forward?" Seeing no response, Wang Yi grew more convinced these were ordinary students lacking strength or background. He laughed wildly, "If you’ve got no backbone, why are you shouting? All of you, pull your softies in tight, stand aside, and let the woman who just provoked me come out."

Even a clay statue has three parts of fire, let alone a group of hot-blooded college students who had just been drinking? Geng Bin exchanged a look with a student beside him; the two suddenly darted out simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right. Geng Bin landed a punch on Wang Yi’s face, while the other student delivered a kick to Wang Yi’s stomach.

"Tie Feng, go settle the bill quickly!" Geng Bin shouted, grabbing Wang Yi by the neck and forcefully dragging him toward the private room.

The quick-witted students immediately understood, rushing forward to help drag Wang Yi into the room. The whole group swarmed him, raining down punches and kicks.

Wang Yi’s cries were drowned out by the blasting music, and thanks to the soundproofing of the room, nothing could be heard outside. Poor Young Master Wang never expected that a moment of carelessness would lead to him being brutally beaten like a stray dog by a few audacious students. Fists and feet rained down, deliberately avoiding vital areas. Terrified, he curled up in the corner, clutching his head and desperately protecting his weak spots, repeatedly begging for mercy.

"You women leave first. Act relaxed, don't give yourselves away."

"Get two taxis waiting for us at the entrance."

Geng Bin’s plan was for the girls to retreat first, then the boys would charge out, hop into the cars, and flee. That way, even if the beaten-up guy was capable, he wouldn't find them in the vast sea of people.

The plan was decent, but he had underestimated the capabilities of the karaoke bar’s security. When Wang Yi was pushed down by Bai Lu in the hallway, the security guards in the surveillance room had already reported the situation to the manager. Upon arriving and seeing Young Master Wang confronting a group of patrons, the manager immediately used his walkie-talkie to dispatch nearby security to assist Young Master Wang, then personally rushed upstairs to relay news to Young Master Wang’s friends.

When Lu Tie Feng arrived at the front desk downstairs to pay, he was immediately restrained by three security guards.

The girls hastily gathered their belongings. As soon as they opened the door, they were blocked head-on by several men.

Wang Yi instantly spotted a lifeline and shouted, "Zihao, save me!"

The man in the lead was Dong Shu, the owner of the BB Karaoke Lounge. He was twenty-seven years old; his father owned a listed company, and this karaoke bar, invested with several million, was merely a side project for him—though it was often used to entertain various powerful figures, Cao Zihao being one of the VIPs he sought to curry favor with.

Standing beside Dong Shu was Cao Zihao. He stood over 1.9 meters tall, built solidly and powerfully, with symmetrical and handsome features, possessing a certain attractiveness that belied his role as the 'bottom' in male companionship circles.

The term 'bottom' (zero) came from the hole in the middle of the Arabic numeral zero, while Wang Yi was the 'top' (one). Another interpretation of their relationship was that the 'one' was the active partner (attacker/seme) and the 'zero' was the receptive partner (receiver/uke).

Seeing Wang Yi kneeling and crouching in the corner, his clothes disheveled, his face and head brutally battered, Cao Zihao instantly erupted in fury and waved his hand, shouting, "Get those sons of bitches for me!"

The three men behind him clearly weren't benevolent; they were the young master’s lackeys, serving as errand runners and thugs. The students, half-drunk and disoriented, were no match for these men and were quickly beaten to the floor.

"Your second aunt introduced a prospective partner for Da Jun. I heard she works in the bank's credit department; her income is quite good," Gan Lin's mother happily told her daughter, smiling. "I'll call your third aunt and ask how things are going."

With that, she went back to the balcony to make the call, seemingly prepared for a lengthy conversation.

"Da Jun is that fat cousin of yours?" Wang Zhuo asked. He had seen a photo of this man in Gan Lin's album; it was said he had just retired from the military and managed to secure a driver position at the Public Security Bureau through connections.

"That’s him. But he’s much thinner now," Gan Lin nodded.

"Let me feel if you've gotten thinner too," Wang Zhuo reached out his hand to grope.

Gan Lin listened toward the balcony for a moment, then removed her hand that was guarding her chest, allowing him to conduct his 'weight inspection.'

Wang Zhuo kneaded contentedly, his eyes sweeping over the short-sleeved shirt hanging on the clothes rack. He suddenly noticed the mobile phone in the shirt pocket was still blinking.

Why won't this fighting ever stop? He felt a strange stirring in his heart. His phone had been blinking constantly since earlier; it seemed it hadn't stopped. Could someone have an emergency?

With a sigh, he let go of the beauty who was constantly twisting beneath his casual touches, walked quickly to the clothes rack, and retrieved his phone.

Checking it, he saw thirty-seven missed calls, over a dozen texts, and a continuously incoming call blinking insistently. Wang Zhuo's heart sank; something must have happened.

"Wang Zhuo, hurry to the BB Karaoke Lounge on Yu Xiang Road. We've gotten into serious trouble!"

"Lu Tie Feng? I'm on my way right now. What happened? Tell me!"

"Xiao Bai she…"

The voice abruptly cut off, replaced by the steady beeping of a disconnected line in the receiver.

"Can't even enjoy a holiday in peace," Wang Zhuo muttered helplessly, throwing on a shirt and quickly walking to the door to put on his shoes.

"Tell Auntie I had an emergency and have to leave," he told Gan Lin, who had followed him to the door. "Lu Tie Feng and the others caused trouble at the karaoke bar; I need to go sort it out."

Gan Lin looked at him, wanting to speak but stopping herself, finally managing only four words: "Be careful."

Walking downstairs, Wang Zhuo thought to himself, This is the kind of wife one should marry: no nagging or pointless arguments at a critical moment, just unconditional trust.

At the BB Karaoke Lounge, the manager and security guards were shoving Lu Tie Feng into a luxurious private room.

The girls were held under guard in the adjacent room, with a few thugs blocking the door. This room contained Dong Shu, Wang Yi, and the other beaten boys who could no longer fight back.

Cao Zihao, being from an official family, still exercised some restraint, so he wasn't present in this particular room. However, a spoiled brat like Dong Shu didn't care; he saw this as an excellent opportunity to beat up some human punching bags.

"Boss, this kid made a phone call just now," the manager reported sheepishly to Dong Shu.

Dong Shu immediately exploded in anger, glaring and yelling, "What the hell were you people doing?"

"It was like this," the manager explained, head bowed. "He never resisted; his hands stayed in his pockets, so we didn't pay close attention. We didn't expect the kid was secretly dialing on his phone in his pocket. Once connected, he suddenly turned and tried to run. We only managed to snatch the phone after he spoke just one word."

Dong Shu's expression eased slightly. He glanced at Lu Tie Feng, then suddenly delivered a fierce kick, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"Now everyone is here," Dong Shu said, looking at the pathetic Wang Yi and asking, "Tell me, how do you want to play this?"

On the marble table in the private room lay a pile of oddly shaped mobile phones, alongside some loose change, transit cards, student IDs, and other trinkets.

"Break one leg for every man here," Wang Yi snarled viciously. "As for those three cheap women, I want to break them open until they bloom."