Chapter Six

Page 1/3

Without so much as a word, one of the ruffians named Yongshou swaggered forward and swept his hand across the hanging accessories, sending a cascade of trinkets clattering to the floor.

“Damn it, what kind of shoddy junk is this? Can’t even hang properly,” he cursed.

Another boy followed, grabbing a handful of items from a display, glancing at them with disdain before tossing them to the ground. “What trash. You actually have the nerve to put this stuff up for sale?”

At that moment, two others began to shout, “Who’s the owner here? Get out here! What kind of garbage are you selling? I heard you take custom orders and do engraving or something—get over here and do one for me!”

The last of them let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, put ‘Beauty, I love you’ right on my tongue!”

The two young salesgirls had never encountered anything like this before and shrank back in fear, while the girl who had been shopping looked up at the gang of petty thugs.

Xiao Tianci hurried out, glanced at the mess on the floor, then looked at his unwelcome guests. By now, he understood full well that they were here to cause trouble.

“Gentlemen,” Xiao Tianci said amiably, “looking to pick something out? How about this—anything you like today, just take it. On the house.” Inwardly, he thought, as soon as you brats walk out with the goods, I’ll call the police and report a robbery.

But the punks weren’t so easily dismissed. One of them sauntered over, his body jangling with trinkets he’d draped around himself. “So you’re the owner? What kind of crap store is this?”

“Yeah, you’ve got nothing here but still dare open a shop?” the others chimed in.

At this, several customers who had been about to enter took one look at the scene and hurried away. Xiao Tianci took a deep breath to calm himself, reminding himself that he was the proprietor.

So, keeping his smile, he replied, “You’re right, gentlemen. We’re newly opened, so there are bound to be shortcomings. We’ll certainly listen to everyone’s suggestions and strive to improve.”

But with troublemakers like these, nothing good could come of it. Not knowing what they’d do next, Xiao Tianci subtly gestured behind his back, urging the girls to leave quickly.

Page 2/3

The shop was narrow, with a rack down the center and accessories hanging on both sides, leaving space to walk on either side. Catching Xiao Tianci’s signal, the two salesgirls gently tugged at the customer; the three of them tried to slip out the other way.

But one of the four noticed, and with a thug’s agility, darted over to block their path, thrusting his chest forward. “Hey, guys, get over here! Shop’s small, but there’s real merchandise!”

The other three closed in, whistling and crowding the exit, one of them reaching out. “Come on, let’s show you a good time.”

Ni’er—Xiao Tianci had heard her called that by a man the other day—was braver than the salesgirls. With a sharp slap, she knocked away the outstretched hand, the two salesgirls cowering behind her.

“Get your filthy paws off! Look at you all, just boys trying to act tough like grown-up thugs!”

Though these boys weren’t very old and Ni’er wasn’t afraid, she was no martial artist. Her words wiped the smirks off their faces—they were petty hoodlums, lacking any tolerance for insult.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” The one who’d been slapped lunged at her.

Bang! Before he could do anything, Xiao Tianci, who had circled behind Ni’er, delivered a swift kick to the boy’s stomach. The punk let out a shriek and collapsed, sprawled on the floor.

When Xiao Tianci fought, he never hesitated. That was his way. Before the others could react, he swung a punch that left another boy reeling, his face blooming with bruises.

As the last two realized what was happening and rushed him, Xiao Tianci swept their legs out from under them, sending them toppling. Pinning one by the neck, he landed two solid punches to the face. The final boy tried to get up, only to be kicked so hard he rolled across the floor, groaning before passing out.

Only when he was sure the gang was no longer a threat did Xiao Tianci carefully retreat to Ni’er and the girls. He wasn’t sure why he’d lost his temper—it hadn’t been necessary to resort to violence. But seeing that punk try to lay hands on Ni’er had sent his anger surging.

He turned to her. “Are you alright?”

Ni’er, jolted back to her senses by his voice, clapped her hands in excitement. “Wow, that was incredible! You really showed those punks, boss. I never knew you were so tough!”

Page 3/3

Ni’er’s praise left Xiao Tianci at a loss for words; he scratched his head with a sheepish grin. “It was nothing, really. They were just asking for it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have…”

“You did the right thing!” Ni’er said emphatically. “That’s the only way to deal with bullies—if you let them off, they’ll only get worse!”

By now, a crowd had gathered outside the shop. Two of the thugs lay unconscious on the floor; the other two groaned in pain. Before Xiao Tianci could reply, the wail of sirens pierced the air.

Two police cars pulled up. The crowd parted as officers burst in, and Xiao Tianci immediately sensed something was wrong. He hadn’t called the police—maybe someone had reported the fight, but surely they couldn’t have arrived this quickly. Could the patrol cars have been just around the corner?

“Were you the one fighting with them just now?” There was no time to think; the police were already upon him.

“Yes, I—” Before he could finish, Ni’er jumped in. “Officers, I can testify—it was these punks who came looking for trouble. The boss only acted in self-defense.”

Smart girl, thought Xiao Tianci. She knew to speak up for him right away. Though the situation felt off, he wasn’t afraid. After all, he had three witnesses on his side.

“Come to the station. We’ll sort this out there. All of you—come along.”

A bag of discs was slammed onto the table in front of Xiao Tianci, spilling open from the force. He glanced at the covers and instantly recognized the type.

“Alright, kid,” a stout officer said, coming over and delivering a heavy slap to Xiao Tianci’s shoulder. “Where’d you get these? How long have you been at this, and who’s your supplier?”

Xiao Tianci’s body dipped under the weight of the blow. The officer sat down across from him, fixing him with a penetrating gaze. Now Xiao Tianci understood what was happening.

They claimed to have found several bags of illegal discs behind his shop. It seemed he’d been set up and was in for a tough time. The other three shops had already been shut down, and now they wanted him to admit to using his accessory store as a front to sell illicit discs.

(Thank you all for your support. Please help with the monthly votes—Pingfanxin promises to bring you the most enjoyable reading experience. The main story updates will begin tonight, so rest assured and look forward to it.)