"Starting today—no robbing, no scamming, no flirting with girls, no phone calls, no stealing underwear…" Seizing a moment of leisure on the return trip, Chen Mo fired off a relentless string of prohibitions, barely stopping short of banning speech and walking.
The electrical appliances exchanged glances, silently bemoaning: So what can we do now? Take singing lessons in Taiwan and form another F4?
Leaving their grumbling aside, Chen Mo dropped them off at home before riding off again to the restaurant.
At the entrance, little Xun'er was hopping in a game of hopscotch. The moment she saw him, she launched into his arms like an octopus and cooed sweetly, "Daddy… Xun'er's been thinking… I think I did something wrong!"
Such an adorable ambush instantly dissolved the stormclouds of Chen Mo's anger. He pulled a lollipop from his pocket and handed it over.
Xun'er, thus distracted, immediately forgot her remorse and launched a full-scale assault on the candy. Yet even as she devoured it with relish, she remembered to raise a tiny pink fist: "Mm! Next time Xun'er will sell it for more…"
"I swear…" Chen Mo, stepping into the restaurant, nearly stumbled in shock. He caught himself just in time by grabbing the doorframe.
Behind the counter, Ye Rong was on the phone. Seeing him enter, she showed little reaction—only let out a weary sigh.
Clearly, her plan to hook a rich fool was not going well. Understandable, really—there are plenty of suckers in this world, but few willing to sacrifice their lives for love.
"Tomorrow… it ends." She lifted her head, gazing at the dimming twilight with a trace of bitterness, and, for once, poured a cup of tea for Chen Mo.
Honestly, under the weight of her strange gaze, Chen Mo felt a bit unsettled. "Rong-jie, could you focus your stare somewhere else? I know I'm devastatingly handsome…"
"Am I… really that awful?" she blurted out, seemingly out of nowhere.
Chen Mo paused. Is she about to make a deathbed confession? Still, under her intense gaze, he sighed in defeat. "You're not that bad! Aside from being aggressive, petty, possessive and—uh, forget I said that."
For a brief moment, Ye Rong looked ready to explode. But in the end, she bowed her head slowly and whispered, "I'm sorry."
A few seconds later, just as Chen Mo began doubting his own hearing, she raised her head again and said quietly, "I know I'm a mess… but I only wanted to protect this restaurant."
"I know," Chen Mo sighed gently, patting the back of her hand without adding more.
Of course he understood. He understood just how much of her soul Ye Rong had poured into the Jixiang Restaurant. Her brashness, her shrewdness—these were weapons born of necessity.
A lone woman, far from home, trying to build a business in a hostile city, fending off all kinds of forces and ill-intentioned admirers…
Often, we do not choose to be hardened—it is life that leaves us no choice.
"Enough. Let's not act like we're in a Qiong Yao soap opera." Ye Rong's cheeks flushed from the warmth of his touch, and she discreetly wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye.
In the next moment, the familiar version of Rong-jie returned—with a bankbook in her hand.
"For me?" Chen Mo blinked at the passbook she extended.
"In your dreams! Why would I give you money?" she snapped, then said more gently, "But there's a hundred thousand in here. All my savings. Distribute it among Lin Lin and the others. Keep some for yourself too."
"Isn't that basically giving it to me?" Chen Mo shrugged, pushing it back to her. "Come on, don't make it sound like you're writing a will. So we lost the restaurant—we'll find another one. Worst case, we run a street stall."
"A street stall?" Ye Rong blinked and looked at him like he was mad.
But a few seconds later, her eyes lit up. She murmured, "Why didn't I think of that? Makes sense—with my beauty and your cooking skills, the two of us could conquer every food stall in South City within two months!"
"Sure, and I'll unite the martial world while I'm at it…" Chen Mo rolled his eyes, imagining guerrilla warfare with the city inspectors. Ten people sprinting off with their grills would make quite the spectacle.
But Ye Rong seemed more and more convinced, already standing up in excitement. "Let's do it! I'll scout for a prime location and design some custom uniforms…"
SCREECH! A sudden, ear-piercing brake cut her plan short.
Chaotic footsteps and shouted curses followed.
Chen Mo reacted instantly. In one fluid motion, he grabbed Xun'er and pushed both her and Ye Rong into the kitchen.
Just then, dozens of thugs surged in, wielding steel pipes and machetes.
In their midst stood He Neng, bandaged like an extra from a Bollywood film, roaring, "It's here! They messed with my BMW—tear this place down!"
"No problem, Brother He!" growled a tattooed brute with a voice like sandpaper. He crushed a cigarette underfoot and raised his pipe.
Before he finished, the gang had already swarmed forward like a tidal wave, each with enough spit to drown the restaurant.
Inside the kitchen, Ye Rong saw this through the crack in the door and nearly charged out with a butcher's cleaver in each hand. But Xun'er tugged her gently and said, "Auntie, don't worry. Daddy's really strong."
"Strong? With those puny arms?" Ye Rong rolled her eyes. Unless he wears his red underwear on the outside, he's toast.
But before she could finish, Chen Mo, facing the oncoming mob, suddenly struck the stone statue at the entrance with a heavy punch.
The sound was deafening. Startled, the gang paused mid-charge.
They glanced at one another, confused. Is this guy trying to self-harm by punching stone?
CRACK! A fine fissure split the seemingly unbroken statue.
Under stunned gazes, the stone sculpture began to crumble—until it was nothing but gravel on the floor.
Even with a sledgehammer, it would've taken minutes to pulverize it like that.
"Impossible!" gasped the bald brute, eyes bulging.
He Neng wasn't much better off—he trembled so violently it looked like his fat was doing the wave.
In the kitchen, Ye Rong shivered. So Mo-mo was hiding all this time…
"Come if you dare." Amid their horror, Chen Mo casually rotated his elbow like a martial arts master. None noticed that his face was twitching—he was clearly in agony.
"Damn it, I overdid it again!" he winced, glaring at his swollen wrist. The electric burst he used to shatter the statue had been a bit… excessive.
Still, pain or not, professionalism required presence. He struck a Bruce Lee pose and curled his finger in invitation.
Unfortunately, his charisma fell flat. The gang retreated in perfect formation.
Who would be dumb enough to charge a guy who shattered stone with his fists?
"Retreat! RETREAT!" the bald man shrieked, flinging his pipe away as he bolted. The rest scattered like pigeons.
He Neng jumped up and cursed, "You cowards! There's just one of him!"
"Yeah? Then you fight him!" the bald man shot back, flipping the bird before vanishing around the corner.
And really, who would risk their life for a few thousand yuan? One punch from that guy might mean months in the hospital!
In moments, the area was deserted save for the scattered pipes and one trembling fat man.
A cool night breeze stirred. He Neng shivered involuntarily.
As Chen Mo approached with a faint smile, He Neng paled and backed up, clumsily raising a defensive stance. "D-Don't come any closer! I-I'm a 65th-generation master of Mantis Fist!"
"Uh-huh…" Chen Mo gave him a deadpan look. Mantis Fist my ass—more like Fat Mantis.
Seeing Chen Mo pause, He Neng exhaled in relief.
But just as quickly, Chen Mo stepped forward again and said with a smile, "Mantis Fist? Great. Show me your mantis moves… Or better yet, I'll turn you into a hybrid—mantis, dung beetle, and cockroach combined."
"AAARGH!" With a howl of shame, He Neng struck a pose.
Chen Mo blinked. Didn't expect him to actually fight.
But before he could react, He Neng fell to his knees with a thud and wailed, "Boss, I was wrong! I surrender! Please, spare me!"
Chen Mo staggered from the whiplash of the moment.
He Neng crawled forward, pulling out his wallet and emptying his change with tears in his eyes. "Take it all, Boss! This is everything I have… Wait, there are two coins in my pocket too—take those as well!"
"…Do I look like a robber now?" Chen Mo muttered, rubbing his chin. First I'm mistaken for a dad, now a thief?
Just then, little Xun'er ran out of the restaurant and stared wide-eyed at He Neng.
"Uh…" He Neng touched his face nervously, wondering if he'd somehow grown flowers on it.