Before Leo Li could finish speaking, a burly man sitting right in front of him had already stood up, glaring at him like a tiger eyeing its prey.
"Who the hell are you calling a dog!"
The man's tone was harsh and intimidating.
"We weren't talking about you! Why are you jumping up all of a sudden? Mind your own damn business!" The spoiled rich kid shouted, but as he looked at the muscular man in front of him, a hint of fear flickered in his eyes.
"You'd better keep your nose out of this! Do you even know who we are? We're from Oceanport! Watch yourself, or I'll have you taken care of!" Leo Li threatened, his eyes locked on the man in front of him.
"Oceanport? Oceanport my ass! Quit acting like you're some big shot! Around here, you're nothing! This is Whitewood! This is Minghai!"
The burly man cursed and, without warning, slapped Leo Li across the face.
With a loud smack, the slap landed, leaving Leo Li completely stunned.
"You were talking trash about my second uncle! You tell me, does that have anything to do with me or not?"
The man's face hardened, eyes blazing with fury.
"Why did you hit me!" Leo Li shouted, his face twisted with rage.
Bang!
Before he could finish, someone kicked him in the stomach, making him double over in pain, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"Yeah, we hit you. What are you gonna do about it? Oceanport punks coming here trying to act tough? You deserve a beating!"
A man in the seat nearby spat with contempt.
"You... Why did you hit me too!"
After getting slapped and kicked, Leo Li looked absolutely miserable.
He bent over, glaring at the other man who had just kicked him.
"You threatened my brother-in-law! Who else would I kick if not you?"
The man looked like he was completely justified.
"Enough! Stop arguing!" Faye Zheng saw the situation getting out of control, her face shifting rapidly as she hurried to pull Leo Li back.
Normally, Leo Li would have started silently reciting his heart-formula, but now he was so weak he couldn't even finish it, let alone use any occult arts.
"Senior brother, just don't say anything for now."
Faye Zheng tugged at Leo Li, and only then did the group restrain themselves a little.
Everything inside the car felt bizarre—none of these people seemed normal, each one packed with muscle, making your heart race just looking at them.
One wrong word and out pops a second uncle, a brother-in-law—who knows what other relatives might be hiding in this beat-up car?
"Just wait until my master gets here—I'll make sure he teaches all of them a lesson! When we get off, remember to check the license plate!"
Leo Li covered his face, his expression dark. As he spoke, a cold draft hit him and he couldn't help sneezing.
While the back seats were noisy, Evan Lin sat up front, leaning against his chair and gazing out the window. He yawned and spoke casually: "Why go out in this freezing weather? Wouldn't it be nice to just stay in the office?"
"So why aren't you at home?" Sitting beside him, Lily Zhong glanced over, her eyes a bit complicated. "I thought, once you got to Whitewood, you'd find time to visit me. But I've waited so many days and still haven't seen you—so I had to come find you myself."
"Just as well, I'm planning to spend a few days in Brightsea. Staying in Whitewood County for too long does get a bit boring."
Lily Zhong's voice was soft, her breath fragrant as orchids.
Her whole body radiated a faint, pleasant scent.
"I'm just worried about distracting you from your work. You're not like me—you're a busy person now. Pretty soon, all of Big Tank's business will be yours to manage."
Evan Lin paused for a moment. "Of course, if you ever feel life is too exhausting, you can always delegate some of your work. That way, you'll have more time for yourself."
Lily Zhong had been helping manage a lot of businesses lately, and Big Tank regularly reported to Evan Lin.
Evan Lin didn't want Lily Zhong to be overworked, but she seemed to find purpose in her work, so he never interfered and let her do as she pleased.
"No way. I want to help you, even if it's just a little. Maybe my abilities can't keep up with your needs right now, but someday I'll be able to do something for you."
Without letting Evan Lin respond, Lily Zhong leaned back in her seat and stretched, her curves on full display. "Besides, everything I have now is because of you."
"If it weren't for you, I probably would've married someone I didn't love and lost all hope for the rest of my life."
Lily Zhong looked serious. "So, Evan Lin, I want to be your support. Besides that, I truly love my current life. For once, I can actually live for myself!"
Her words made Evan Lin pause. He turned to look at Lily Zhong and nodded. "Then you'd better work hard, Teacher. Maybe soon, there'll be a whole lot of trouble for you to handle."
"Still calling me Teacher?" Lily Zhong shot Evan Lin a look.
The bus kept moving forward, but it wasn't taking the main road—instead, it wound through endless twists and turns.
"This road feels kind of off."
In the back, Faye Zheng and the others, shivering in the cold wind, looked outside the window.
Outside, all they could see were endless mountains.
A fine layer of white snow covered the mountains, and the road here wasn't paved with asphalt but was a bumpy, muddy track.
"Who knows when the driver turned off the main road and came here—maybe he wants to take a shortcut?"
Someone guessed.
Just as they finished speaking, the sound of brakes echoed through the bus.
The bus stopped on a wild mountain road.
"We're here! You in the back, get off!"
The chubby driver bellowed in a muffled voice.
"Get off? Why? We're headed to Brightsea! We bought tickets! Brightsea isn't here yet, why should we get off?" Leo Li's face changed.
"You're not robbers, are you?" Faye Zheng suddenly thought of the possibility, her face turning pale as she clutched her down jacket tighter.
"What nonsense! You're the robber! I'm a law-abiding citizen!" the chubby driver cursed, glaring at Leo Li and the others in the back. "I said we're here, so we're here! All of you, get off now!"
"I'm driving you and you still dare talk back! I'm in a bad mood today! So before I really lose my temper, you'd better get lost!"
The chubby driver roared, and Leo Li trembled uncontrollably.
"This is a crime!"
Someone's face flushed red, shaking with anger.
"Crime? This is my bus! I don't want to take you, so get out! What, you say it's a crime? Go ahead, report me!"
The chubby driver raised his voice first, his face darkening as he yelled at the strong men in the back: "Strip all the men! Just looking at them pisses me off!"