Chapter 29: The Real and the Fake Boyfriend

"Are you kidding me? Where am I supposed to find you a boyfriend right now? Should I just drag some random guy off the street for you?"
"How could you? I’m still a virtuous maiden!"
"You, a virtuous maiden…? So what do you suggest I do?"
At that moment, Zhang Shen, sitting across from them, caught Wang Ying’s attention. Wang Ying shot Ye Qiong a glance, then another at Zhang Shen. Ye Qiong immediately read Wang Ying’s mind.
"You mean him? I’d advise you against it."
"Why not…?"
Wang Ying wanted to ask more, but before she could, Xu Jinwen had already walked up to her side.
"Ying, what a coincidence! You’re here too!"
Wang Ying ignored Xu Jinwen, pretending to continue her conversation with Ye Qiong. As for Zhang Shen, he merely glanced up from the corner of his eye before burying his head again, picking up food and eating in silence.
Nothing kills a conversation faster than an abrupt silence, especially when you’re being outright ignored.
Feeling left out, Xu Jinwen grew irritated, but his eyes fell on Zhang Shen.
If these two women wanted to act aloof, he could at least understand, but this punk couldn’t even look at him directly? Where was the courtesy? The basic decency between people?
"Where did this brat come from? Get lost."
Xu Jinwen strode over to Zhang Shen, looming over him.
Zhang Shen remained indifferent, as if the threat had nothing to do with him.
Seeing Xu Jinwen’s burly frame and then Zhang Shen’s thin figure, Ye Qiong worried he might suffer. After all, Zhang Shen was entrusted to her care by her parents, who said he was a disciple of their benefactor. If anything happened to him, it wouldn’t just be a matter of a scolding when they got home.
Just as Xu Jinwen was about to bring his large hand down on Zhang Shen, Ye Qiong suddenly stood up and said, "He’s my friend. I hope you can let him go."
"Friend?" Xu Jinwen withdrew his hand, instead rubbing his knuckles.
"Beautiful lady, could it be he’s your boyfriend?"
"Of course not!" Ye Qiong replied instinctively.
"If he’s not your boyfriend, then he has nothing to do with you."
Xu Jinwen raised his thick hand again, ready to strike Zhang Shen.
Across the table, Wang Ying called out, "Xu Jinwen, stop!"

In her heart, Wang Ying knew she’d only just met Zhang Shen today; she couldn’t let someone else suffer for her trivial matters.
But her thoughts were unknown to Ye Qiong, Zhang Shen, and Xu Jinwen.
When Xu Jinwen heard Wang Ying call out, he was displeased and turned to Zhang Shen. "Kid, you’re pretty lucky—two beautiful women willing to stand up for you."
Still, Zhang Shen said nothing. Xu Jinwen turned to Wang Ying. "Who is he to you?"
"He’s… my friend?"
"Friend? If he’s your friend, I’ll let him off. He just needs to leave a finger here today."
"What? Xu Jinwen, don’t go too far!"
"Too far? Since when have I not gone too far?"
Xu Jinwen grinned shamelessly.
Wang Ying had heard Xu Jinwen was a troublemaker, but today she was witnessing it firsthand. Still, she couldn’t let an innocent bystander get dragged into this.
"What will it take for you to let him go?"
Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
"Let him go? That’s simple—he just has to be your boyfriend."
Wang Ying, desperate to avoid escalation, nodded without hesitation. "Yes, he’s my boyfriend."
"Really?"
A wicked smile crept across Xu Jinwen’s lips.
"It’s true," Wang Ying insisted.
"Why, just yesterday we were walking hand in hand down the street!"
Afraid Xu Jinwen wouldn’t believe her, Wang Ying even tossed in a few details.
But Xu Jinwen instantly flew into a rage.
"You little punk, you dare touch my woman? You must be tired of living. If I don’t ruin you today, you’ll never know how dangerous your Grandpa Xu can be! No wonder Wang Ying’s been ignoring me lately—it’s you meddling in the middle!"
With that, Xu Jinwen grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the table and aimed them at Zhang Shen’s eyes.
When the chopsticks were less than a centimeter from Zhang Shen’s eyes, Ye Qiong and Wang Ying screamed in panic. But to their shock, it was Xu Jinwen who let out a gut-wrenching howl of pain a second later.
No one noticed how Xu Jinwen suddenly collapsed, while Zhang Shen remained completely unscathed.

The truth was, just as the chopsticks neared his eyes, Zhang Shen had already jabbed a silver needle into an acupoint on Xu Jinwen’s arm, causing his muscles to go numb and his hand to lose strength.
Watching Xu Jinwen writhing in agony on the floor, everyone found it strangely amusing. Ye Qiong and Wang Ying were equally bewildered.
After a while, when the numbness wore off, Xu Jinwen staggered to his feet. "Kid, I was careless just now. Now I’ll show you what it means to wish you were dead."
He launched a kick at Zhang Shen’s face, but to everyone’s surprise, Zhang Shen simply flicked his right hand and Xu Jinwen crashed heavily to the ground.
No one saw exactly what Zhang Shen did. Due to his bulk, Xu Jinwen lay sprawled on the floor, unable to get up for some time.
Just then, several uniformed police officers entered.
"We received a call reporting a violent altercation here. We’re here to investigate," their leader announced.
Zhang Shen’s table was the most conspicuous spot in the restaurant.
The officers approached and, seeing Xu Jinwen still groaning, instructed the owner to call an ambulance. Then they began questioning the three at the table.
Wang Ying wanted to cover for everything, but before she could speak, Zhang Shen stepped forward.
"It was me. This man was bullying these two ladies. I was only standing up for them."
"Is that so?" The officer turned to Ye Qiong and Wang Ying.
Neither expected Zhang, who had been so quiet, to take responsibility so readily. They both nodded vigorously, like chickens pecking grain.
"In that case, the three of you will come with us to give statements. Once we’ve got everything sorted, you’ll be free to go."
As they were about to get into the police car, a voice called from behind, "Zhang Shen, you heartless brute!"
Zhang Shen looked back—it was Jiang Muyun, the feisty girl.
"Xiao Yun, what are you doing here?"
But Jiang Muyun had no intention of dealing with Zhang Shen, that big oaf, at this moment.