Chapter Forty-Six: Kicking the Face

On a late autumn night, the air was cold and biting. An incident of thuggery—bullying men and women alike—had drawn the attention of many passersby on the small street, yet all hurried on, afraid of being caught up in someone else's misfortune. The cowardice of the onlookers only fueled the arrogance of the one-eyed thug. Encouraged by his cronies and emboldened by a powerful backer in the police department, his audacity knew no bounds. He forcefully dragged the beautiful young woman toward the dark corner of the street, intent on committing his despicable act in broad daylight. He was shameless to the point of brazenness.

The street food stall was separated from the police station by just one street, and for the sake of his own position, Wang Ergou had mobilized every officer under his command, determined to catch the scoundrel who had brought him to the brink of disaster.

The disturbance at the food stall quickly reached the ears of the patrolling officers, and before long, a fully armed squad charged toward the night market.

“Hey, sweetheart, come have some fun with your brother here. I’ll make sure to frequent your stall and you’ll be rolling in money before the month is out.” The one-eyed thug brazenly teased as he held the struggling woman in his arms, his lecherous hand already slipping under her clothes, inching ever closer to her ample chest.

The terrified woman, reduced to tears, pleaded for mercy, but her sobs and trembling only heightened the one-eyed thug’s excitement. Just as he was about to enjoy his prize, a rush of disciplined footsteps echoed down the street. Moments later, a group of fully armed officers surrounded the thug and his accomplices.

Recognizing the leader as Xiao Wang, a subordinate of his “Uncle Yang,” the one-eyed man showed no sign of fear. He tightened his grip on the woman and greeted Xiao Wang with feigned warmth, “Brother Wang, what’s going on? So many officers out tonight—who’s causing trouble and making you work overtime?”

“Hmph, you bastard, it’s you! Arrest him! Cuff him and drag him back—resist and beat him within an inch of his life!” Furious at the sight of the one-eyed thug, who had not only endangered his own superior but also unsettled the entire department, Xiao Wang could no longer stomach the outrage of such blatant bullying—especially so close to the police station. Enough was enough, his anger boiling over.

“Brother Wang, there must be some mistake! Yang is my uncle! We’re family here, it’s just a misunderstanding!” The one-eyed thug, clueless about the situation, was held fast by two officers and struggled desperately as he tried to defend himself.

“Misunderstanding, my ass!” Xiao Wang pulled out his baton and landed a heavy blow on the thug’s head. The force and precision left the thug’s head ringing, dizzy and subdued.

After comforting the traumatized woman and arranging for someone to take her bleeding, unconscious husband to the hospital, Xiao Wang led his team to arrest the fugitive one-eyed thug.

When the thug finally regained his senses, he found himself in the interrogation room, sprawled on the cold tile floor. Looking up, he saw the room full of people—especially the young man he’d seen dragged away by his “Uncle Yang.” Now, that youth stood before him unharmed. Realizing something was amiss, the thug searched for his backer. But when his gaze landed on the corner, he saw Yang, his face covered in blood and swollen like a pig’s head, footprints still visible on his cheeks. At that, the thug felt a wave of dizziness and his blood pressure soared as he slumped to the floor, muttering, “It’s over, it’s all over.” His voice was quiet, but everyone in the room could hear it.

“So you’re the bastard? You tried to assassinate Mr. Lin Yang?” Wang Ergou was deeply unsettled—these influential figures before him could topple his position with a snap of their fingers. Nevertheless, as the chief, he had to at least put on a show of leadership.

“Yes, I did, so what…” The thug, acting on impulse, spoke without thinking and immediately regretted his words.

“Damn you, still so arrogant!” Even Wang Ergou couldn’t hold back his anger. Was this guy an absolute fool or just missing a few screws? Not only did he confess, he did so with outrageous bravado. Wang couldn’t stand it any longer. He raised his hefty right foot and kicked the thug square in the face, cursing under his breath, “Serves you right, you big mouth! For your arrogance, your tyranny, your…” Wang let out every insult he could muster in his heart.

“Uncle Ergou, if you keep kicking him, he’ll die before we can get a word out of him—you’ll have to bear the blame,” Su Xiaodong, usually a bit dramatic but well-meaning, stepped in to dissuade Wang as his kicks grew more fervent.

Wang hastily stopped, glancing at Lin Yang and Guo Xiaoxiao’s displeased faces, and quickly apologized before handing the battered one-eyed thug over for further questioning.

Whimpering in pain, the thug became much more docile, clutching his swollen face in terror, afraid they would kick him to death. When he saw the young man he’d tried to ambush approaching, he instinctively tried to back away but hit the wall behind him, banging his head again.

“Who’s behind this?” Lin Yang’s steady voice was icy, sending chills down the thug’s spine as he stared at Lin’s seemingly harmless face in terror.

“I—I really don’t know who he is. He just gave me a lot of money to teach you a lesson. That’s all I know, I swear!” the thug stammered incoherently, terrified out of his wits.

“You don’t know him? Who are you trying to fool!” Guo Xiaoxiao, unwilling to let it go, delivered a swift kick. The dull thud of shoe against bone was followed by the sound of the thug’s head hitting the wall once more.

Dazed and in tears from the pain, the thug cursed his luck—what kind of people had he provoked, all with a penchant for kicking faces!

“Then how did you know who I was?” Lin Yang pressed, puzzled. He wondered if his attacker wasn’t Fang Tianqi, with whom he’d just had a falling out. But who else could be behind this? Jiang Tao? He considered the possibility, but Tang Yixue had told him Jiang was currently under house arrest by his family, making him an unlikely suspect.

“He… he sent me a photo of the target.” The thug carefully retrieved his phone and showed them the MMS that had plunged him into this mess.

Lin Yang took the phone and stared at the photo—a candid shot taken at night, showing Tang Yixue holding his arm as they walked. The dim streetlights, the distinctive iron fence of her villa, the stone statue at the gate—all familiar. Judging by the timestamp, it matched perfectly with the time Fang Tianqi had left.

Everything pointed to the mastermind being Fang Tianqi, the very man whose teeth Lin Yang had knocked out.

Lin Yang snorted coldly and muttered to himself, “So it’s him. Another one who can’t let go of a grudge.”

Tang Yixue, who had already suspected as much, strode over to Lin Yang, snatched the phone from his hand, and studied the photo of herself walking arm-in-arm with him. Her face darkened to an alarming degree—only Lin Yang could guess the mastermind as well as she could.

“That bastard! He’s courting death!” In the throes of love, Queenly Tang Yixue was truly enraged. Her cold, murderous glare made it clear: this attack on Lin Yang was, in effect, an attack on her—a provocation she could not tolerate.

The pair’s exchange left the others bewildered.

As always, Guo Xiaoxiao refused to be outdone. She too snatched the phone and studied the photo, but after a long look, saw nothing beyond the intimacy between Lin Yang and Tang Yixue.

Following her lead, the others looked as well, but were equally baffled.

“Brother Yang, who are you talking about? Don’t keep us in suspense—you’re killing me here!” Su Xiaodong, never known for his patience, was the first to demand an explanation.

As soon as Su finished, everyone’s gaze—except Tang Yixue’s—turned to Lin Yang. Even Hu Dongyang and the one-eyed thug, battered and bruised from the ordeal, were eager to know who had dragged them into this mess.

“Jiangning City. Fangyu Pharmaceuticals. The eldest son of the Fang family, Fang Tianqi.” It was not Lin Yang but Tang Yixue who spoke, her tone icy enough to raise goosebumps, her sharp gaze fixed on the ceiling as if it could pierce through it.

“Jiangning?” Zhu Yunyun frowned in disbelief, unable to fathom how Lin Yang could have crossed the Fang family. The time of the photo was at night—what had happened in the meantime was a tantalizing mystery.

“The Fang family—so it’s them,” said Meng Hu, who clearly knew of Fangyu Pharmaceuticals’ reputation in Jiangning.

“Hmph, Fangyu Pharmaceuticals again, the Fang family again—they never stop haunting us!” Bai Jing ground her teeth in anger, her beautiful face twisted with fury, as though the Fang family had wronged her more than anyone else.

“Fang family? The same Fang family that’s thrown Jinhai Pharmaceuticals into chaos lately?” Guo Xiaoxiao, never one to mince words, furrowed her brows and put her hands on her hips, her adorable anger making the tense atmosphere oddly comical.