Can political power outweigh the will of the people?

Bei Chaonan raised an eyebrow and looked at Ye Wushang with a playful expression. "You brat want to play the hero saving the damsel?"

"Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? Fighting with me, do you even have the strength?"

A look of intense mockery filled Bei Chaonan's face.

The group of burly men snorted in disdain, their faces full of contempt.

"I didn't expect him to actually step forward at a time like this. What a real man."

"Being brave is one thing, but you have to read the room."

"Not to mention how heavily outnumbered he is, the crucial point is the Bei family's reputation. Who can afford to provoke them?"

"If they decide to retaliate, a hundred of him wouldn't even fill the gap between their teeth."

"Brother, a wise man submits to circumstances. Don't meddle in this blind mess."

The onlookers vied with one another to dissuade him.

They admired Ye Wushang's courage, yet they did not wish to see him throw eggs at a rock.

Since this was a completely unwinnable fight, why bother forcing it?

"Wushang, don't worry about me. Run!"

An Lan cried out aloud, tears welling up in her eyes.

She knew the Bei family's power all too well; if they were pushed too far, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"An Lan is my friend, and Su Xiaoding is her good sister."

"They both belong to me, Ye Wushang. If you dare to harm them, I will kill you!"

Faced with An Lan's dissuasion, Ye Wushang remained indifferent. His expression was stern as he looked straight into Bei Chaonan's eyes, every word ringing with iron resolve.

Hearing this, Su Xiaoding's pretty face flushed red, and she felt a wave of awkwardness.

First, she had mistakenly thought he was stealthily following them and hurled abusive words at him.

Just now while drinking, she had spoken disrespectfully to him as well.

Yet, in the end, when real trouble struck, her so-called boyfriend, Qi Tianfang, didn't even dare to let out a fart.

Instead, it was he who stepped forward.

Furthermore, he kept claiming that she and he were on the same side.

Had it been earlier, she would have considered any association with him to be a disgrace.

But now, upon hearing his words, she felt an inexplicable sense of shame and guilt.

Only...

The enemy was strong while they were weak.

Matching wits and strength with the other party was tantamount to seeking one's own death.

"Ye Wushang, you should hurry and leave."

Su Xiaoding sighed and said helplessly, "You can't beat him."

"The young master of the Bei family is a big figure in Jinghan who can make the ground tremble with just a stomp of his foot."

"Even Lanlan and I couldn't handle this, so how could you possibly do it?"

She had already made up her mind to play it by ear and seize the opportunity to escape.

Want her to serve this prodigal son?

Over her dead body!

Even though the Bei family possessed monstrous power, both of her good sisters belonged to first-tier families. If she truly drove them to suicide with threats, the other side would certainly have to consider the consequences.

However, Ye Wushang's expression remained unchanged. He glared at Bei Chaonan and held up three fingers. "I'll count to three."

"If you don't release them by then, don't blame me for being unpolite!"

"Three."

"Two."

"One..."

"Damn it!"

Feeling utterly humiliated up until the very last count, Bei Chaonan let out a rough shout and ordered, "Get him, all of you!"

"Beat this blind fool to death!"

"I'll take responsibility for whatever happens."

"Even if I kill someone in public, with the power of my Bei family, who would dare do anything to me?!"

"Yes, Young Master Bei!"

Following the command, over a dozen burly men swarmed forward all at once.

"Sigh, throwing away his life for nothing."

Seeing this, the onlookers sighed and said helplessly, "I told you, he's the young master of a chaebol family. What does a mere commoner like you have to pick a fight with them?"

"Without even using their power and status, just these thugs alone will pound you into a meat patty in a matter of minutes."

"You refused to listen to advice and sought death on your own; no one can save you."

"Wanting to be a hero saving a beauty is a good thing, but forcing your way out makes you a total idiot."

"Don't pity him!"

The crowd curled their lips, and the tiny shred of sympathy they held earlier was replaced by ridicule.

"Wushang, why are you so foolish?"

An Lan sobbed uncontrollably.

Su Xiaoding also sighed repeatedly, having no idea what to do next.

On the contrary, Qi Tianfang wore a predatory look in his eyes. Watching the burly men swarm forward, he was certain that this piece of trash was dead for sure!

It was all his fault.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have offended Bei Chaonan in the first place.

Moreover, by aggressively sticking his neck out now, didn't it just make him, Qi Tianfang, look even more incompetent?

Recalling how he had been forced to kneel and apologize earlier, a surge of fury rose in his heart, and he prayed that Bei Chaonan and his men would beat the fellow to death.

That way, it could be considered as venting his own pent-up anger!

"Rumble!"

Just when everyone thought Ye Wushang was bound to die without a doubt, he suddenly flashed forward with swallow-like lightness, darting into mid-air. Stepping off the heads of several burly men as if walking on floating water, he landed with seemingly casual ease, though it carried the weight of a thousand jun, causing the floorboards beneath their feet to sink three inches.

The floor cracked and dust billowed, startling the crowd into backing away repeatedly.

When the dust finally settled, all dozen or so burly men had been knocked flying to the ground.

Their clothes were torn.

Their skin was split open.

"Ah!"

"Pfft!"

"Clang! Clang!..."

Wails echoed everywhere, and they coughed up mouthfuls of blood.

As for the regulated weapons the thugs had been holding, they emitted chime-like sounds.

Almost simultaneously, they were snapped completely in half, dropping to the floor to become a pile of scrap metal.

"Thud."

Ye Wushang landed.

His face was neither red nor out of breath, and his body was completely uninjured.

Hiss!

Seeing this, the crowd could not help but draw in a cold breath.

Their faces were filled with shock!

"This martial art is simply peerless!"

"It's even more exciting than the action scenes in the movies. This is my first time seeing something like this!"

"Before, I just thought he was a mental patient trying to show off, but I never expected him to have real strength."

"These thugs are all martial artists, but in front of him, they're like kindergarteners—completely not worth mentioning."

"Awesome!"

Applause erupted like rolling thunder.

As for Qi Tianfang, his heart was gripped by terror and his face filled with utter bewilderment.

He never imagined that this piece of trash would possess such formidable kung fu.

Damn it.

He had actually told Bei Chaonan's men to kill him, but now they had been counter-killed instead.

A creeping fear took hold of him.

Fortunately, he hadn't ordered his own lackeys to make a move; if they had actually fought, he wouldn't even know how he died.

"Do you guys also want to join them?"

At that moment, Ye Wushang glanced sideways at the four burly men who were still holding An Lan and the other woman hostage.

They were scared to the point of pissing themselves on the spot. Subconsciously releasing the two women, they scurried over to Bei Chaonan—who was equally terrified—and stammered in panic, "Y-Young Master Bei."

"This brat is too fierce. We, we are no match for him..."

"Slap! Slap!"

Bei Chaonan struck them across the face with two sharp slaps, cursing angrily, "Useless trash! Absolute trash! A bunch of rice buckets!"

He never expected this brat to have such formidable kung fu. No wonder he had dared to threaten him just now.

He had originally thought the fellow was just a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, but who could have known he was a wolf in sheep's clothing?

Yet, he wasn't panicked in the least.

As the young master of the Bei family and the future head of a dignified chaebol family, with just this reputation alone, who would dare provoke him?

Even if his kung fu was remarkable, before absolute power and influence, he could only lower his head and submit!

"Wushang!"

At this moment, An Lan ran over quickly. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight embrace!

"Sob, sob."

"Just now, I thought I would never see you again."

"You scared me to death! You really scared me to death!"

An Lan wept a rain of pear blossoms, still shaken with lingering fear.

Ye Wushang felt somewhat at a loss. After a moment of hesitation, he patted her back with both hands and soothed, "It's alright, Lanlan."

"Dealing with these clowns is as easy as lifting a hand; they can't hurt me."

"Instead, it's you two who were frightened..."

"Ye Wushang."

Before he could finish, Su Xiaoding, feeling a sense of unworthiness, bit her lip and hesitated before finally saying, "I'm sorry. I misjudged you earlier. I never expected that you would actually step forward at a time like this. I, I..."

"It's fine."

Ye Wushang waved his hand.

In truth, he held no ill will toward Su Xiaoding.

After all, she had been standing up for An Lan. Her words might have been harsh, but her intentions weren't malicious.

Besides, to err is human; who among us is without fault?

The fact that she now recognized her mistake and corrected it showed her inherent purity of character.

"Miss Su doesn't need to blame herself. I didn't take your previous insults to heart."

"However, don't do things like that in the future. Even a clay figurine has three parts of temper, let alone a human being."

Hearing this, Su Xiaoding's face burned even hotter, and she nodded, "Rest assured, now that I know what kind of person you are, naturally I could never treat you the way I did before."

"Right now, I'm just a bit worried about Bei Chaonan..."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Ye Wushang waved his hand dismissively and said coldly, "I don't care who he is, but bullying you two is simply not allowed."

"He even wanted to violate you. If we don't get an explanation for this matter, then just as he said, I'll make him regret ever coming into this world!"

With that, he made to move forward, but An Lan stopped him. "Forget it, Wushang. The other party belongs to the Bei family; we truly cannot afford to provoke them."

"I need to go back and report this to my grandfather, and then we can plan our next move carefully."

"The current Bei family is transitioning into the top three chaebol families, and their power is growing day by day."

"Neither my An family nor the Su family is a match for them..."

"No matter how great their power is, can it surpass the hearts of the people?"

Ye Wushang let out a cold snort, raised his voice, and proclaimed clearly, "Even though the Bei family is a chaebol family, precisely because of their high status and heavy authority, they care all the more about public opinion."

"In broad daylight, attempting to forcefully seize women and make them sleep with him?"

"If this matter is pursued to the end, leave aside a chaebol family—what would happen even if it were a tycoon family?"

"Whoosh!"

Before he finished speaking, Ye Wushang whirled around and charged forward, grabbing Bei Chaonan by the throat and lifting him into the air!

As the grip tightened, Bei Chaonan's face turned pale in the blink of an eye. He coughed repeatedly, suffering as if in agony!

"D-Don't, let, let go of me."

"I b-beg you."