Shawn Young originally had quite a few complaints about Yvonne Chow offending Helen, but seeing her now getting beaten nearly to death by that crazed Howie, he figured she didn’t deserve to die for it. Shawn never liked Howie, and he was anxious to find Wendy Wang and Miss Claire, so he raised his brow, withdrew his ID, and directly ordered Gordon Gao, “We’ll settle accounts later. I don’t have time for your nonsense right now. Make that guy stop!”
Gordon Gao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. From Shawn Young’s tone, he knew Shawn still needed him, which meant he had a chance. He immediately sprang forward like he’d received an imperial decree, hurried up to Howie, and said in a low, submissive voice, “Young Master Howard, the higher-ups have spoken. They sent me to talk to you. I think you should calm down and let this woman go!”
Howie snorted, lifted his leg, and kicked Yvonne Chow—who was already half-dead—sending her flying. The unlucky Yvonne screamed and immediately passed out.
“Heh, Gordon, you old bastard, you dare pull some ‘higher-up’ crap on me!? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that! Tired of being a cop, huh? Ready to retire and go home?!” Howie glared at Gordon Gao, giving him zero respect.
“Uh—not at all, Young Master Howard, I-I didn’t mean that! It really was the higher-ups who told me to talk to you, so please, Young Master Howard, calm down. Don’t put me in a tough spot, okay? This isn’t good for anyone!” Gordon Gao said, forcing himself to sound humble and terrified.
“Heh. Higher-ups? Which higher-ups?! Gordon Gao, let me tell you—in Westwood City, your only boss is me! Who the hell do you think outranks you? Huh?! You trying to fool me? Watch it, or I’ll fire you on the spot!” Howie snapped, clearly pissed off.
“Uh—” Gordon Gao felt completely stuck, caught between two sides and unable to win. With Howie cursing him out, he didn’t dare talk back; he knew that Howie could really get him fired with just a phone call.
So all Gordon Gao could do was hang his head, wave over two cops, and have them take the unconscious Yvonne Chow to the hospital for emergency treatment.
But Howie suddenly shouted, “Hold it! Put her down! Did I say you could save her? Are you all brain-dead? Anyone who goes against me ends up just like this bitch!”
The two cops had no choice but to stop, looking helplessly at Gordon Gao. Gordon was out of options, so he glanced pleadingly at Shawn Young, but Shawn just stared back coldly, amusement flickering in his eyes, clearly enjoying the show.
In that instant, Gordon Gao realized his position. Offending Howie would only cost him his job, but crossing Shawn Young? That would be a death sentence! Shawn’s message was clear—he was waiting for Gordon to pick a side. Stuck in the middle, Gordon felt miserable. How did his life end up like this?
“Uh—the woman’s in bad shape, I’ll go check on her!” Out of options, Gordon Gao decided to play it safe. He shook his head and slunk off, pretending to inspect Yvonne Chow’s condition.
“Ha—being a cop here is so pathetic! In China, rank really does crush people! Sigh—” Helen watched, shaking her head with a soft, bitter laugh. She still trusted Shawn Young more, so she walked over and wrapped her arm around his.
Howie still had plenty of anger to vent. Glancing over, he saw Helen talking to a much more handsome young man—and even clinging to his arm. The way they looked together made it clear their relationship was anything but ordinary.
“Damn it—trying to steal my woman!!” Howie felt a rush of heat to his head. He’d been messing around with Yvonne Chow for ages, but it was Helen who truly stunned him. He hadn’t even said a word to her yet, and now some punk dared to touch her in front of him!
Suppressing his burning rage, Howie strode over to Shawn Young and Helen, his face twisted with malice. He glared at Shawn and growled, “Hey, punk, where’d you come from? Why are you holding my woman’s arm? Let go, or I’ll beat you up!”
Shawn Young already had a terrible impression of Howie, and now seeing him act all high and mighty, claiming Helen as his woman, Shawn was furious and ready to explode. But before he could, Helen snorted, wrapped her arms around Shawn’s waist, and planted a big kiss on his cheek.
“Ah!? Helen, what are you doing? Everyone’s watching, it’s embarrassing—” Shawn Young was baffled, but secretly pleased.
“What, you don’t like it?” Helen teased, shooting him a flirtatious glare. Howie nearly drooled at the sight, his eyes lighting up. If Helen kissed him like that, it’d be a thousand times better than Yvonne Chow! But seeing her kiss Shawn, his rage flared again, and he glared at Shawn like he wanted to grind him to dust.
But Shawn Young just scratched his head and grinned at Helen, "Uh, that's not what I meant. I just... I'm not used to people watching, that's all—haha."
"Heh, gorgeous, that clueless kid doesn't know how to treat a lady. Why stick with him? Come with me instead! Let's find somewhere quiet, away from prying eyes, and talk about life and dreams. How about it?" Howie stepped up, ignoring Shawn Young completely, and loudly tried to win Helen over.
"Ugh—so annoying! All I want is a nice chat, but there’s this giant fly buzzing in my ear, driving me crazy—" Helen said, shooting Howie a disgusted look.
"You little punk, are you itching for a beating? Messing with me, huh!" Shawn Young glared coldly at Howie, murder in his eyes, ready to explode.
"Hey!! Can’t we just talk this out? Young Master Howard, if we don’t get that woman to the hospital soon, she’s going to die! I think we should hurry and save her!" Gordon Gao rushed over, seeing both sides about to explode, and nervously tried to change the subject.
"Get lost! No one’s saving that bitch! I’m not done beating her yet! Anyone who tries to stop me gets beaten to death!" Howie barked at Gordon Gao.
Gordon Gao’s scalp tingled. He looked pleadingly at Shawn Young and Helen. "Leaders, I—I don’t dare touch that woman. You two should save her. She’s about to die."
"Don’t be afraid of him. Go ahead and save her—if anything happens, we’ve got your back. Relax!" Shawn Young told Gordon Gao.
"Alright, since the leaders said so, I’ll do as you say—" Gordon Gao replied quickly.
'Hold on! Gordon Gao, who did you just call your leader?' Howie suddenly interrupted.
"Oh come on, Young Master Howard, you’re my boss, they’re my bosses too—I’m just a lowly cop! I just don’t want anyone to die here, so please, don’t make things harder for me!" Gordon Gao pleaded, looking miserable.
"Chief Gao, take that woman to the hospital right now! We’ll handle things here. If you want to keep your job, do as I say." Shawn Young ordered.
"Alright, I’ll do as the boss says—right away!" Relieved by Shawn Young’s promise, Gordon Gao hurried to direct a few cops to carry the unconscious Yvonne Chow to the car.
"Oh, so I don’t exist now, Gordon Gao?! You’d better look carefully and remember who your real boss is!" Howie roared, pointing furiously at Gordon Gao.
"Chief Gao, I order you—take down that mad dog right now!" Shawn Young suddenly pointed at Howie and shouted.
"Uh—boss, I-I can’t! I don’t dare! He’s the mayor’s son—of Westwood City!" Gordon Gao was terrified.
"If you won’t do it, we’ll handle it ourselves. You take your men and get that woman to the hospital!" Shawn Young said.
"Uh—bosses, I’m begging you, please don’t fight like enemies! You’re all young people, can’t you just talk things out?" Gordon Gao really didn’t want to offend anyone.
"Heh—my dad is David Kay, mayor of Westwood City! In this city, he calls the shots! Gordon Gao, think carefully—do you dare go against me?!" Howie sneered, glaring at Gordon Gao.