C22 One Man One Punch

Wang Xiaochuan, seated in the car, swept his gaze over the group and recognized them as the thugs he had chased off earlier that day.

He couldn't help but pity them. They had already received a thorough beating from him, and now they were about to get another one from their boss.

"What are you waiting for? Apologize to Miss Lin, now!" Chen Hao's voice boomed from outside the car.

The thugs promptly began kowtowing to Lin Qianyi, whimpering what sounded like apologies. Their faces, swollen and bruised from the beating, could only produce these mournful sounds.

Lin Qianyi was still furious about the incident, and the memory of it made her shudder even now. If it hadn't been for Xiaochuan's timely arrival, she might have faced a terrible fate.

However, looking at the sorry state of the thugs, she found she couldn't muster any anger.

"Enough," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I accept their apology. Let's end it here, Chen Hao. It's late, and I'm heading home."

As she reached for the car door, Chen Hao suddenly seized her arm.

"Wait, Miss Lin, there's no need to rush. It's not often we get to see each other; why part so soon? How about we grab some late-night food together?" he suggested.

Lin Qianyi attempted to shake off his grip, but found herself unable to break free.

"Let go, Chen Hao! I'm exhausted and not in the mood for a late-night meal!"

"Not in the mood for food? We could always eat something else," he insinuated.

Just as Chen Hao was relentlessly trying to pull Lin Qianyi towards his car, the door of her Mercedes swung open once more. Xiaochuan stepped out from the passenger side and bellowed, "Back off!"

"Who the hell are you? And why are you in Miss Lin's car?" Chen Hao demanded.

Xiaochuan approached them, lifted his hand, and with an effortless move, he whisked Lin Qianyi away from Chen Hao's grasp.

Before Chen Hao could react, Lin Qianyi was already being pulled into an embrace.

"Why am I in Qianyi's car? Isn't the answer obvious?"

"You!!!"

Chen Hao's face darkened as he regained his composure. Seeing Lin Qianyi in another's arms, not resisting, his gaze became as fierce as a wolf's. "Kid, you've got some nerve trying to take my woman."

Lin Qianyi, with a frosty demeanor, rebuked him, "Chen Hao, show some respect. When did I become your woman? As you can see, I already have a boyfriend, so I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone and stop bothering me."

Chen Hao's mouth twitched, his expression growing more menacing.

"Qianyi, why can't you see my devotion to you? What do I lack compared to this pretty boy? Why would you choose him over me!?"

His words couldn't help but make Wang Xiaochuan chuckle. When had he become a pretty boy?

Lin Qianyi declared resolutely, "That's none of your business, Chen Hao. Just give it up! I will never be interested in you!"

"Damn it! You wretched woman! Harlot!"

Enraged, Chen Hao lost all pretense of civility. "Do you have any idea how many women beg to be with me every day? I've ignored them all, opting instead to pursue you earnestly! Yet you, ungrateful as you are, fail to appreciate it! If you're going to reject my kindness, then don't blame me for what comes next!"

"Hei Hu, take this guy down! Show him what happens when he dares to compete with me for a woman!"

"Chen Hao, you wouldn't dare?"

Lin Qianyi, now frantic, tried to shield Wang Xiaochuan.

But Wang Xiaochuan gently held her hand, reassuring her with a smile, "Qianyi, don't worry. Just stand back and watch."

Feeling the warmth from Wang Xiaochuan's grip, Lin Qianyi's anxiety subsided, and she chose to trust the man before her.

"Son of a... How dare you be affectionate right in front of me!" Chen Hao bellowed, his face contorted with rage.

He turned to the towering figure behind him and snapped, "What the hell are you waiting for? Get him! Kill him! I'll handle the fallout!"

At his command, the towering Hei Hu, standing at two meters tall, cracked his knuckles menacingly as he advanced towards Wang Xiaochuan.

"Kid, you think you can compete with Chen Hao for a woman? You're asking for trouble!"

Hei Hu, clad in an oversized black tank top, had arms that were thicker than Wang Xiaochuan's thighs. Towering over Xiaochuan, he resembled an adult looming over a kindergartner. Any ordinary person would have likely lost all nerve to even stand in his presence.

And for good reason. Hei Hu was Chen Hao's top enforcer. Chen Hao's rise from a street thug to a boss commanding over a hundred men owed much to Hei Hu's fearsome reputation. Countless battles with rivals had been turned in their favor by his brute force.

The other thugs, aware of Hei Hu's reputation, began to shout their encouragement.

"Hei Hu, take him down!"

"Finish him, Hei Hu!"

Hei Hu halted less than a meter from Xiaochuan, his fists clenched tight.

His massive fist, larger than Xiaochuan's head, hurtled through the air with a menacing whoosh. A blow like that could easily break bones in a normal person.

But Xiaochuan just snorted in contempt and shook his head dismissively.

He too clenched his right fist and countered Hei Hu's punch, ready to clash with full force.

The onlookers, including Chen Hao, scoffed at Xiaochuan's apparent folly.

Lin Qianyi cried out in alarm, "Dodge it!"

But in the next instant, as their fists met, the expected outcome didn't materialize. Xiaochuan's fist didn't shatter like an egg against a rock; rather, it was Hei Hu's fist that was deflected.

Xiaochuan's punch, unstoppable, continued its trajectory and landed squarely on Hei Hu's face.

The man was sent flying backward like a baseball struck by a bat, ultimately crashing through a car door and landing inside the vehicle.

Everyone around was left in stunned silence.

"Good, very good."

Chen Hao's facial muscles involuntarily twitched as rage filled his heart. Thoughts of Lin Qianyi and the incident of the stolen woman were cast aside. His sole focus now was on vengeance, on doing whatever it took to restore his boss's honor.

"Get him, damn it! Take him down!"

Someone immediately dashed to the car, popped the trunk, and pulled out a heap of machetes, handing them out.

"Kid, you dare to mess with Chen Hao's woman!"

"Are you sick of living?!"

"Brothers, charge!"

"Take him down for Chen Hao!"

The gang of men sneered menacingly and charged like a pack of wolves, slashing and stabbing with the machetes they wielded.

Chen Hao watched with a savage grin. What good was martial arts skill? What good was the ability to fight? Could you really take on a dozen men alone?

But to his astonishment, Wang Xiaochuan was indeed capable of taking on a dozen men by himself.

Wang Xiaochuan faced the onslaught without a hint of fear, charging at the attackers and swinging his fists with precision.

His strikes were swift as lightning, each punch sending a burly man flying, screaming as they hit the ground.

As each of the muscular figures was launched into the air and then dropped, Chen Hao remained the only one standing, his eyes bulging in disbelief.

Thud!

After the last adversary hit the ground, Wang Xiaochuan rotated his arm and advanced toward Chen Hao.

"Don't come any closer! Stay back!"

As Wang Xiaochuan drew nearer, the once imposing Chen Hao lost all semblance of authority, his face now etched with sheer panic.

With Wang Xiaochuan just a step away, Chen Hao, overcome by fear, lashed out in desperation, grabbing a machete from the ground and swinging it toward Wang Xiaochuan's head.

Wang Xiaochuan stood his ground, throwing his fist toward the machete in Chen Hao's grasp.

"Fool! Die!"

Chen Hao watched with a smug grin, convinced Wang Xiaochuan had lost his mind, attempting to punch a machete. He surely wasn't scared of splitting his fist in half.

But in a flash, the stark reality left him dumbfounded.

"Crack!"

Chen Hao's machete met Wang Xiaochuan's fist and astonishingly snapped in two.

Holding the broken hilt, Chen Hao stood shell-shocked as Wang Xiaochuan stepped closer, smiling as he raised his fist and landed a punch.

"You think you're a mob boss? You want to take me down? Compete for a woman? Now tell me, do you still have the nerve?" Wang Xiaochuan straddled Chen Hao, unleashing punch after punch without restraint.

This time, he was careful to pull his punches. They hurt Chen Hao but didn't knock him out.

Still, a few punches later, Chen Hao was on the ground, curled up and wailing, a far cry from his former boss-like swagger.

After several more punches, Wang Xiaochuan stopped, pressed Chen Hao's head to the ground, and growled, "Remember this day. Don't bother me or Sister Qianyi again, or your life will be at stake!"

With that, he walked back, took Lin Qianyi by the hand, and they both returned to the car.

Chen Hao seethed with envy from a distance.

As the pair drove off laughing, Chen Hao watched the fading car, fuming with rage.

Biting down hard, his face twisted with fury, he swore, "Damn it, you despicable pair! This isn't over! You'll see!"