C9 The Mental Loss Fee

Perhaps he had exerted too much force, because all that was heard was a sharp crack as the stick, aimed at Lee Mu's head, snapped clean in two.

The man in the floral shirt had put everything he had into that swing. His hatred for Lee Mu ran deep, driving his need for vengeance.

"Bravo, bravo, bravo!"

The onlookers clad in black erupted into cheers at the sight. But their applause soon faded as they noticed Lee Mu hadn't budged. Normally, anyone would reel from such a ferocious strike. At the very least, they'd stagger back a couple of steps—that would be the expected response.

Yet, the man before them stood completely still, as if the blow hadn't touched him. The man in the floral shirt slowly came back to his senses, staring blankly at Lee Mu, unable to utter a single word.

"This..."

"Enough of this and that. You had your fun, now isn't it my turn?"

Lee Mu flashed a grin that radiated positivity. To the man in the floral shirt, however, Lee Mu seemed nothing short of demonic.

"Don't... Don't... Big brother, you can't hit me. If you do, I might not make it out alive today!"

Desperation took hold, and the man in the floral shirt's knees buckled, sending him to the ground. He knew the severity of the blow he had delivered to Lee Mu. Had it landed on him, it would have been life-threatening.

"Oh? Is that so? For someone as fearful of death as you to aspire to be a thug is an embarrassment to thugs everywhere!"

"You're absolutely right, big brother. I am an embarrassment. Starting tomorrow, no, starting today, I'll change my ways. I'll never work as a thug again. I'm begging you, please spare me this once. My frail body can't take your rough handling!"

Lee Mu shook his head as he watched the man in the floral shirt kneel before him, a sniveling mess. Such a person really didn't deserve his time or energy.

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook this time."

"Thank you so much, big brother..."

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The man in the floral shirt kowtowed three times before standing up to dash away. But just then, Lee Mu grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him back. The man's face turned ashen, and he quickly pleaded, "Big brother, you said you'd let me go, right? You can't go back on your word!"

"When I said I'd let you go, I meant I wouldn't hit you. But what about the tire? Are you planning to compensate for that?"

The man glanced at the deflated tire and realized what Lee Mu was getting at. He hurriedly dug into his pockets and pulled out two wads of cash. "Big brother, here's 2000 yuan, all yours!"

"Not enough!"

Lee Mu was resolute, dismissing the offer with two words. The man in the floral shirt was taken aback. "Big brother, it's just a tire fix. It costs barely a hundred yuan."

"And what about the distress caused to the lady in the car?"

"Well..."

Though the man knew Lee Mu was strong-arming him, he had no recourse but to sigh. His pockets had already been turned inside out by Lee Mu, so he reluctantly turned to the men in black for assistance.

"What are you all gawking at? Get your money out, now!"

With the floral-shirted man's prodding, the reluctant men in black dug into their pockets and collectively handed over more than 3000 yuan to Lee Mu.

"Big brother, surely this is enough now?"

Lee Mu nodded. He had initially wanted to demand 10,000 yuan, but he considered the 3000 yuan a decent sum. Grudgingly, he said, "Seeing as you've been so forthcoming, I'll let it slide this time. But if there's a next time, it won't be a matter of just three or five thousand yuan."

"Yes, yes, yes... It definitely won't happen again."

The man nodded vigorously. Lee Mu gave him a look and said, "Why are you still here? Scram! Or do you want me to give you a couple of jabs?"

"Fine, fine, fine, I'm out of here."

The man in the flowery shirt hastily retreated with his black-clad cronies, their escape a picture of utter disarray. If Lee Mu had merely grazed his limits before, this encounter had truly introduced him to the meaning of fear.

Despite his history of misdeeds, the man in the flowery shirt was a coward at heart. He realized all too well that he was no match for the formidable young man before him.

But just because he couldn't take on Lee Mu didn't mean he couldn't use someone else to do his dirty work.

Once the man in the flowery shirt had fled, Xu Jin stepped out of her car and quickly approached Lee Mu, asking incredulously, "What were you thinking? Why did you just stand there and let them hit you?"

"If I hadn't, would they have left?"

"That's no excuse to let yourself get hurt. Let me check if your head's alright."

Xu Jin combed through Lee Mu's hair with her fingers, searching for a wound, but to her amazement, she found nothing. The broken stick lay on the ground as evidence, yet there wasn't a single mark on Lee Mu's head. How could that be?

"My goodness, what are you made of? Are you... are you even human?"

Lee Mu gave a nonchalant shrug and replied with a grin, "Ms. Xu, that's an odd thing to say. Even if you're mistaken, I'll take it as a compliment. But after I've just driven off those thugs for you, the least you could do is say thank you, right?"

"Hmph, I almost forgot to thank you amidst all this. It's clear they were after you, making me the most unfortunate party here. You owe me an apology."

Lee Mu didn't want to get entangled in a pointless debate with Xu Jin. He casually gestured towards the car and suggested, "I think the priority right now is to get your car fixed. Weren't you in a rush to get to work?"

"Oh no, look what you've done. You made me forget all about my urgent matters!"

With that, Xu Jin quickly grabbed her phone and called for roadside assistance. Ten minutes later, the rescue vehicle arrived and, after a bit of a struggle, the tires were finally repaired.

Xu Jin glanced at the clock and realized it was already 2:30 PM, a full half-hour past her normal start time at work. Furthermore, there was a critical issue on the table that required her attention and report. As the lead on this project, her absence would stall the entire project's progress.

*Ring! Ring! Ring!*

Just then, Xu Jin's phone burst into life. She quickly answered, only to be greeted by an insistent voice on the other end.

"Ms. Xu, what's the situation? The director and the vice president have been waiting for ages. If you're not here within the next half hour, we might have to call it quits!"