Gu Hongyun was furious.
Why would such a stunning girl be with a loser like that?
He hadn’t relied on his politically connected parents—starting from scratch, he’d built two companies by the age of twenty-five, amassing a fortune worth hundreds of millions!
He was one of Jiangbei City’s Top Ten Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs!
Yet even with his success, none of the women he’d been with had ever matched this level of beauty.
At this moment, he was genuinely jealous.
"You damn fool, are you saying my six-hundred-yuan-a-case Feitian Maotai is fake?" An Yi’s gaze turned icy as he rolled up his sleeves, looking ready for a fight.
Looking for trouble?
He’d never been one to back down.
"Calling it fake isn’t wrong. Six hundred yuan can’t even buy a single bottle of real Maotai!"
Seeing An Yi, who didn’t look particularly strong, Gu Hongyun smirked dismissively.
He’d trained in Muay Thai!
One punch from him could smash through wooden planks—let alone this guy, who aside from being slightly taller, didn’t seem physically impressive in any way.
Plus, with a beauty watching, showing off his strength would be a nice bonus.
Luxury cars lined the street, and quite a few people had noticed the commotion.
"An Yi? What’s this guy doing here?"
Inside a Porsche, a young man with a crooked neck rolled down the window. When he saw Gu Hongyun facing off against An Yi, his expression changed. "Oh no, Brother Gu’s gonna get killed!"
Back then, even Red Poison—a ruthless underground fighter—had been beaten half to death by An Yi in the ring.
How could an ordinary guy like Gu Hongyun stand a chance?
"Brother Gu, s-stop! Don’t do it!"
The crooked-necked man, Qiu Xu, scrambled out of the Porsche.
Gu Hongyun spotted him and said, "Qiu Xu? Didn’t expect you here too."
Jiangbei City wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either.
People like Qiu Xu and Gu Hongyun—rich second-gen heirs and politically connected elites—all moved in the same circles.
Qin Yao didn’t interact much with them, but she was still part of that world, so it was normal for them to know each other and attend the same birthday parties.
Qiu Xu grabbed Gu Hongyun’s arm and whispered urgently, "Brother Gu, don’t bother with him."
Gu Hongyun, full of arrogance, shook him off and snapped, "Why not? This punk deserves a beating!"
Seeing that persuasion was useless, Qiu Xu simply said, "Red Poison almost died by his hands."
Gu Hongyun: "..."
"Red Poison was taken down by him?!"
"Shit!"
Now what?
If he backed down, the gorgeous girl and all his high-society friends were watching—losing face wasn’t an option.
But if he fought, he might end up dead. He wasn’t delusional enough to think he could beat Red Poison.
Gu Hongyun shot Qiu Xu a desperate look.
"Damn it, pull me back now!"
Cold sweat dripped down his back as An Yi rolled up his sleeves further.
Just then—
A tall, broad-shouldered man in a black suit—Lin Chen—walked out of the villa with a stern expression. "Guests, please proceed inside in an orderly manner. No disturbances in the courtyard. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky this time! But mark my words—there won’t be a next time!"
Gu Hongyun straightened his tie, relieved, and turned to leave after delivering his empty threat.
But the moment he turned, he froze.
An Yi was already standing right in front of him.
His spine turned to ice.
When the hell did he get here?!
"‘Handle today’s business today, and improve every day.’ That means if I dislike someone, I settle it immediately."
An Yi grinned, flashing white teeth. "And buddy, I really dislike you. You want to wait for next time? I don’t."
Gu Hongyun paled. "W-we’re civilized people! What do you think you’re doing?"
"Guess!"
An Yi’s fist shot out like a bullet, aimed straight at Gu Hongyun’s face.
Gu Hongyun’s face drained of color.
Thud!
Lin Chen intercepted, blocking An Yi’s punch with precision.
An Yi raised an eyebrow.
After all they’d been through—narrow escapes, life-and-death situations—their relationship was still rocky, but they had shared history.
Yet here Lin Chen was, protecting this trash?
Gu Hongyun gasped for air, drenched in cold sweat.
That punch would’ve crippled him.
He owed his life to this bodyguard.
Lin Chen lowered his fist and said coolly, "It’s Qin Yao’s birthday. No bloodshed today. Wait until the party’s over—kill him on the way out."
An Yi nodded. "Fair point."
Gu Hongyun: "..."
"Yamete! Help!"
"All I said was your liquor was fake! That’s not a death sentence!!"
"Hey, neck still messed up?" An Yi greeted Qiu Xu cheerfully.
Qiu Xu forced a smile. "Thanks to you, yeah."
An Yi beamed. "I’ve got a family secret—massage and acupuncture. Guaranteed to fix that neck in three days. Only 300,000 yuan. Interested?"
Qiu Xu: "..."
"You’re the one who messed up my neck, and now you want to profit off it?!"
If he weren’t terrified of An Yi, he’d have lunged at him already.
Lin Chen cut in coldly, "Everyone, please head inside."
As An Yi walked off with his liquor, Qiu Xu patted Gu Hongyun’s shoulder. "We’re all here for Qin Yao. Don’t stir up trouble."
"This is humiliating!" Gu Hongyun clenched his fists, face pale with rage.
In a normal story, he’d get to insult the guy a bit before getting his comeuppance.
But this bastard skipped straight to murder after two sentences!
"A walking disaster. Stay the hell away from him."
The Qin Family Villa was even more extravagant than expected.
In a city like Jiangbei, where land was worth its weight in gold, owning this much property spoke volumes about their wealth.
"Why are you here?" Lin Chen asked An Yi, frowning.
An Yi scoffed. "Why can’t I be?"
Lin Chen’s frown deepened.
Today was Qin Yao’s birthday, and every eligible bachelor in Jiangbei with any status had shown up, hoping to win her favor.
After all, Qin Yao was Qin Zhengwei’s only daughter—stunningly beautiful, with a fortune waiting for whoever married her.
But Lin Chen never expected An Yi—this particular toad—to show up.
And unlike the others, Qin Yao actually had feelings for him.
A highly toxic, lethal toad.
Lin Chen glanced at Shen Muxuan, who was looking around curiously beside An Yi.
Seemed like his girlfriend. If Qin Yao saw he was already taken, maybe his presence wouldn’t be so bad.
"Where’d you even get that fake liquor? You’ve been carrying it around forever," Lin Chen remarked dryly.
An Yi’s expression darkened.
One person calling it fake pissed him off.
Two people? Now he was suspicious.
And since he’d bought it from Chuanfang International Supermarket… he was starting to doubt himself.
He set the box down solemnly. "No good tools around. Just carrying it for exercise. I’ll take it back later—just messing around."
Lin Chen: "..."
After An Yi entered the Qin Family Villa, three more guests arrived at the entrance.
Leading the group was a stern-faced middle-aged man, followed by a delicate-looking young man with bandaged fists and a chattering, sparrow-like girl with twin ponytails.
"Little Ming, let me tell you, Qin Yao may be gorgeous, but don’t you dare get any ideas about her. She’s super picky about boyfriends, and a straightforward guy like you isn’t her type. Plus, you’re still too young!"
"Uh, Shuangshuang, I’ve never even met Qin Yao."
"I don’t care! You’re not allowed to like her. Who knows if you’re secretly some pervert hiding behind that serious face?"
The doorman stopped the trio and said, "Please present your invitation— Oh! You—you’re Director Wu!"
At the sight of the cold-faced middle-aged man, the doorman’s expression lit up with excitement, his eyes filled with admiration.
Wu Tong—the "Axe-Fist"!
A legendary martial artist of Jiangbei City!