Chapter 21: You're Concerned About Him?!

Gu Yao was practically half-carrying and half-dragging Shu Nuan toward the exit of the bar. Along the way, she had to dodge men who kept trying to strike up conversations and the occasional unwelcome, deliberate bump.

When she dodged yet another greasy man in a floral shirt who reached out to grab her, Gu Yao couldn't help but frown. She really couldn't let Shu Nuan drink like this again. While she was a "happy drunk," her tolerance was abysmal. It was fine at home, but out in public, it was just too risky.

Gu Yao’s mind wandered with these anxious thoughts, but her hands never faltered as she guided Shu Nuan toward the door. Just as they reached the entrance, a deafening "bang" suddenly erupted from behind them.

Something heavy had been smashed down, accompanied by the chaotic clattering and shattering of glass bottles. Panic-stricken screams rose from the crowd, followed by the sounds of pushing and shoving as people scrambled to get out of the way.

She instinctively looked back. To her shock, she saw the very man who had tried to intercept her and Shu Nuan a moment ago, now lying disheveled across a booth table, curled into a ball and howling in agony. He seemed to have been struck hard in the abdomen; his arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach, and several wine bottles lay toppled on the table, with shards of glass scattered across the floor.

The surrounding crowd had retreated far from the center of the incident, yet they formed an inquisitive circle, watching the scene unfold.

Gu Yao stood frozen.

In the dim light, a tall, imposing figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the crowd and approached the table. The silhouette was chillingly familiar. The man looked down, expressionless, at the man gasping for air on the table, his aura radiating a dark, sinister intensity.

A flash of blue light from above caught the man’s face, highlighting his sharp, chiseled features. His narrow, piercing eyes rested on the man on the table as if he were looking at a corpse.

Gu Yao pursed her lips as she watched him. It was indeed Lu Zheng.

Before she could even collect her thoughts, Lu Zheng, his hands shoved deep into his suit pockets, stared down at the terrified man with a gloomy expression. He slowly raised a long leg, and the next moment, amidst Gu Yao’s wide-eyed shock and the gasps of the surrounding crowd, he brought his foot down heavily onto the floral-shirted man’s right hand.

"Aaaah!!!"

The man screamed with every ounce of his remaining strength, clutching his mangled hand, his eyes filled with sheer terror as he looked at Lu Zheng. He had no idea what he had done to offend this terrifying man. Having been beaten for no reason, he didn't even dare to retaliate. Having spent enough time on the streets, he knew at a glance who could be crossed and who absolutely could not. The man before him was someone he could never afford to provoke.

"Big Brother, I—I was wrong! I—I won't ever do it again! Please, spare me, spare me!"

The man in the floral shirt racked his brain, desperate to understand what he had done to anger this man. He apologized frantically while scrambling off the table, collapsing to his knees at Lu Zheng’s feet. Seeing that Lu Zheng remained expressionless, he became even more panicked, glancing around in search of someone who might help him.

His gaze suddenly fell on Gu Yao, who was standing not far away, supporting Shu Nuan. That woman! Could it be... he had only made a move on her just now! He hadn't even touched her yet, so could it be...

At this thought, the man in the floral shirt looked up quickly, pleading with Lu Zheng: "Big—Big Brother, i-is it because of those two beauties?"

He pointed sharply in Gu Yao's direction. Gu Yao, who had been watching the spectacle, froze. Suddenly, she felt all the surrounding gazes shift and land on her. She instinctively took a step back.

She looked at the disheveled man covered in spilled alcohol, then slowly raised her eyes to meet the gaze of the man standing over him.

In truth, since Lu Zheng had laid his cards on the table at the old Lu family estate, the two of them hadn't seen each other for nearly a week. Lu Zheng hadn't made any moves, and life had been so peaceful that Gu Yao had almost forgotten the complex, shocking emotions she felt after his sudden confession. Seeing him now, those chaotic feelings rushed back, and Gu Yao almost instinctively avoided his gaze.

Yet, she could still feel the weight of his dark, brooding stare.

She heard a muffled groan from the table and instinctively looked over to see the man in the floral shirt struggling to pull himself up. He managed to stand with great difficulty, then stumbled toward her. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he bowed to her.

"I—I'm sorry, miss. Just now, my hands were out of line. I—I was being a jerk. Please, let me go..."

The man had been beaten severely. From a distance, it hadn't been as clear, but now that he was closer, Gu Yao could see countless cuts from the broken glass on his body, some of which had soaked through his clothing with blood. His right hand was already swollen like a bun; just looking at it, one could imagine the agony.

Gu Yao couldn't help but frown. She looked up and saw that Lu Zheng was now standing right in front of her. He glanced sideways at the man in the floral shirt, who, sensing the cue, scrambled to the back, though he dared not leave.

Gu Yao remained silent, her brow still furrowed.

"Did he touch you just now?" Lu Zheng’s voice was cold—so cold that it seemed if Gu Yao had said "yes," he would have turned around and crippled the man on the spot.

The man in the floral shirt trembled all over, rushing forward to explain: "He didn't! Really, he didn't! Miss, p-please say something!" He looked at Gu Yao desperately, his heart filled with bitter regret.

He had only wanted to take advantage of the situation. Even if he had stopped Gu Yao, he only intended to buy her a drink and maybe get a touch or two; he hadn't planned on actually doing anything. He never imagined that this woman would have such a formidable person backing her! He had already noticed the bar manager standing in the crowd, and yet, upon seeing Lu Zheng, the manager made no move to intervene. Who on earth had he crossed?

Lu Zheng ignored the man’s frantic self-defense, his dark eyes fixed solely on Gu Yao.

Gu Yao met his gaze for a moment before shaking her head. The man in the floral shirt let out a sigh of relief, but before his heart could settle, he heard the woman’s cold, clear voice: "Lu Zheng, that’s enough. Don’t go too far."

He then saw the man’s expression darken instantly: "Are you worried about him?!"

The man in the floral shirt: "..."

...

Lu Zheng followed Gu Yao out of the bar.

Back in the crowd, the man in the floral shirt finally relaxed, collapsing onto the floor and grimacing in pain. Just as he was catching his breath, a pair of polished leather shoes entered his field of vision. He stiffened again.

He looked up to see a stack of high-denomination banknotes held out toward him.

Ming Lang looked down at the man sitting on the floor, his face a mix of panic, confusion, and greed, and smiled faintly: "Sir, this is your medical compensation. Of course, since you were in the wrong first, this is all you’re getting."

The man in the floral shirt was stunned. He took the money with trembling hands, his eyes glued to the cash. By the time he finished counting it and looked up, the man was already gone. Ten thousand yuan—just about enough to cover his treatment.

On the second floor of the bar, in front of the glass railing outside the private box, Han Guangzhou watched the drama with great interest. Seeing Lu Zheng chase after Gu Yao, he smiled playfully: "So, Lu-ge finally laid his cards on the table?"

Lou Yu swirled his wine glass, leaned back on the sofa, and glanced at him: "I heard Grandmother Lu was planning to set Gu Yao up with someone. How could he not be in a hurry?"