Chapter 76: Who Gave You the Right

Upon hearing Hao Lei’s suggestion, Zhang Shen turned to Ye Qiong and the others and said, “Let’s all try Mr. Lu’s cooking together.”

The three of them tasted a few bites each.

Ye Qiong remarked to Lu Ming, “Mr. Lu, you’re really talented in the kitchen. Whoever becomes your girlfriend in the future will be very lucky.”

“Oh, really?” Lu Ming knew well enough that his cooking was decent, which is why he dared to show it off. Still, in front of Hao Lei, he felt a bit embarrassed.

“Ms. Hao, you should eat more of this dish!” Zhang Shen urged.

“Why?” Hao Lei, of course, understood that Zhang Shen was hinting at something. But at this critical moment, she truly didn’t know whether to pick up her chopsticks.

“Is there really a need to ask? The food is delicious! What else did you think?” Zhang Shen replied.

Hao Lei’s face darkened at that. The way he said it made it seem like she was overthinking things.

Just as the group was gathered around the table, laughing and enjoying the meal, an unpleasant voice sounded from behind.

“Who’s the owner of this place?” The speaker was a young man with dyed green hair, followed by several others dressed much like him, each holding a baseball bat.

Wang Ying’s parents, seeing the threatening crowd, hurried out, clasping their hands in a gesture of respect. “We’re the owners. What do you need?”

“Need? We’re just here to tell you something. Starting this month, every stall on this street must pay a market management fee. We’ve already collected it from the others; yours is the last one.”

Wang Ying’s parents exchanged glances. They’d run their dumpling shop on this street for over ten years and had never heard of a market management fee.

“Who is this market management fee paid to?” Wang Ying’s father asked.

Seeing resistance, the green-haired leader spat, “Why bother with questions? Obviously, you pay it to me. Why else would I be here?”

“To you? We’ve never been charged this fee before!” Wang Ying’s father protested.

The green-haired thug realized this fee wouldn’t be easy to collect. He signaled to his henchmen.

The thugs, catching their boss’s signal, began waving their bats and started chasing out the customers one by one.

Naturally, the diners didn’t want trouble. When the thugs approached their tables, they hurried off.

Wang Ying saw what was happening in her family’s dumpling shop and wanted to get up, but Zhang Shen held her back.

“Don’t rush. Wait a bit,” he whispered.

As the last customer was chased out, the shop lost at least a hundred yuan, a heavy blow for their small business.

“Let’s talk this over,” Wang Ying’s father pleaded.

“Talk? I don’t want to talk to you, old man. I just want the money,” the thug replied.

Wang Ying’s mother, realizing these men meant trouble, was willing to pay to avoid disaster and was about to fetch money when a mocking voice rang out from the thugs.

“Hey, pretty girl! Want to keep me company tonight? Maybe if I’m happy…”

“Get lost!” Lu Ming slammed the table, stood up, and shouted before the thug could finish.

“Who dares cause trouble under Brother Hui’s nose?” he demanded.

“I don’t care who this Brother Hui is. I’m telling you to get out,” Lu Ming barked.

The thugs eyed Lu Ming’s muscular build, each feeling a bit intimidated. But outnumbered, they weren’t truly afraid. As for Zhang Shen and the three women, they didn’t even count them among their opponents.

The green-haired leader’s gaze lingered on the women, his eyes gleaming.

“These girls look pretty fresh, but I like the one with the bigger chest best. Must feel great,” he said.

Hao Lei realized he was referring to her. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest in silent protest.

Wang Ying’s parents, seeing the thugs approach their daughter’s table, rushed over.

“Please, I’ll give you money. Just leave my daughter alone,” Wang Ying’s father pleaded, nearly stumbling to his knees.

“Dad!”

“Old man!” Wang Ying’s mother and Wang Ying cried out, seeing how desperate he was.

“Hurry up, wife, go get the money!” Wang Ying’s father urged.

“Wait,” the green-haired thug said, sizing up Wang Ying with a leering grin. “So this is your girl. She’s quite pretty. Here’s an idea: let your daughter spend the night with my brothers and me, and you won’t have to pay the management fee this month.”

The thugs began whistling lewdly.

“No…” Wang Ying’s father gasped at the suggestion, unable to catch his breath, and fainted.

Lu Ming, without hesitation, punched a nearby thug, knocking him to the ground.

Seeing this, the green-haired leader ordered his men to attack.

Lu Ming was strong, but at the end of the day, he was just a PE teacher, unaccustomed to street fights. He swung his fists by instinct, without any real skill.

The thugs quickly spotted his weaknesses and changed tactics. As Lu Ming punched again, one thug circled behind him, raised his bat, and swung at the back of Lu Ming’s head.

A sly smile curled on the green-haired leader’s lips. He knew in three seconds this fool wouldn’t even know how he died.

But just as the bat was about to strike, less than a centimeter from Lu Ming, it suddenly stopped in midair.

No one saw how Zhang Shen, so inconspicuous moments before, had moved behind Lu Ming and halted the bat.

“Looking for trouble?” The thug, dismissing Zhang Shen, aimed a kick at his crotch.

“Damn, he’s trying to ruin my future!” flashed through Zhang Shen’s mind.

“If you’re ruthless, then don’t blame me for being merciless,” he thought.

With a swift blur, Zhang Shen vanished from in front of the thug.

“Where’d he go?” the thug muttered, unaware Zhang Shen had circled behind him.

Zhang Shen delivered a fierce kick right to the thug’s groin.

“Oh god—my mother, it hurts!” The thug collapsed, clutching himself, rolling on the floor.

Seeing his man down, the green-haired leader shouted, “Beat him to death!”

Zhang Shen remained unfazed. As soon as the words left the leader’s mouth, Zhang Shen darted behind him in a shadowy blur.