Chapter 96: Captured (Third Update)

The sky had begun to darken. After strolling around the county town, Le'er and Li Ying felt a bit hungry.

"Sister, let's have dinner before we head back to the village."

"All right."

Li Ying was in high spirits. With Feng Shuya’s assistance, the contract signing and company registration had gone smoothly. After the registration, Secretary Feng hosted a banquet for them at the county guesthouse to celebrate. Boss Hong was very pleased; although the banquet was modest, the presence of the County Party Secretary signaled that the company’s future development was guaranteed, which satisfied him far more than any lavish feast.

However, he could not be away from Foshan for long. Trusting in the business acumen of Le'er and Li Ying, he left them to manage the company and returned to Foshan immediately after the banquet. A one-million-yuan investment was not enough to require his personal supervision here.

Le'er took Li Ying to the Sihai Restaurant. They requested a private room and, declining alcohol, Li Ying ordered a few refined dishes, while Le'er chose a local clay-pot stewed chicken. Le'er ate quickly and heartily, whereas Li Ying ate delicately, savoring every small bite.

The weather was chilly, and Le'er wore the black trench coat that Li Ying had bought for him in Guangzhou. In this small southern town, his stature was considered tall. Li Ying also wore a trench coat over a snow-white sweater, with a delicate silk scarf wrapped around her neck, making her look graceful and breathtakingly beautiful. Walking together, they were a striking pair—a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match that drew many eyes in the small county town.

As they left the private room and entered the lobby, preparing to drive back to Xiasha Village—a journey of about an hour—they were suddenly confronted by three drunken young men. The trio staggered toward them, their eyes lighting up the moment they saw Li Ying, their expressions turning lewd.

They were in their twenties, and judging by their accents, they were locals. Their rough, insolent demeanor made it clear they were the town's local hoodlums.

"Hey, little lady, why don't you come and have a drink with us?"

As they spoke, the three surrounded them. While Li Ying was poised and composed in any business setting, the sight of these thugs rattled her. Le'er stepped forward, shielding Li Ying, his fury igniting.

"You bastards, what do you think you're doing?"

The three were stunned for a moment before erupting into arrogant laughter.

"Look at this little bastard," the one in the black suit sneered, mocking him after his laughter died down. "I thought some foreigner had crawled out of the woodwork, but it turns out to be just some country bumpkin. Haha... Piglet, Rat, make this wild brat clear out!"

At the black-suited man’s command, the other two hoodlums pulled out switchblades, their thumbs flicking the blades open with a sharp click.

There were many people in the lobby, but seeing the weapons, no one dared to stay. The manager, sensing trouble, rushed over in a panic.

"Boss Long, please, don't cause trouble here."

"Manager Liu, get the hell out of my way," Boss Long glared. "Do I need your permission to mess with someone? If you keep yapping, my knife won't recognize you."

"Boss Long..."

Manager Liu wanted to say more, but seeing the look in Boss Long’s eyes, he dared not speak. He retreated, trembling, and looked at Sha Le'er and Li Ying with a gaze full of pity.

Seeing the two men brandishing knives and closing in, Le'er felt a chill, but looking at the trembling Li Ying behind him, he knew there was no retreat. He guided her backward, his eyes fixed on a plant stand nearby holding a spider plant.

"Run further back!"

Le'er whispered to Li Ying, then suddenly surged forward, leaping to the plant stand. He grabbed the pot and hurled it with all his might at one of the men. Startled that someone would dare resist even under the threat of a knife, the man tried to dodge, but his drunken reflexes were sluggish. The pot struck his shoulder, sending him tumbling. The other man, after dodging the pot, charged at Le'er in a rage, brandishing his blade. Le'er had no formal combat training, but he was strong. He grabbed the steel plant stand and swung it horizontally, striking the man in the head. Blood sprayed instantly, and the man collapsed to the ground.

"You sons of bitches, you dare hit my men!"

Seeing his subordinate fall, Boss Long charged like a mad tiger, brandishing his own knife. The man who had been hit by the pot also scrambled up and rushed forward.

"Damn you, I’ll kill you bastards!"

Le'er, who had a ruthless streak in a fight, felt his confidence surge after taking one down. He swung the plant stand at Boss Long, striking him square in the waist.

"Ouch!"

Boss Long fell with a groan, but just then, the man called "Piglet" stabbed at Le'er. Le'er was a split second too slow, and the blade pierced his thigh; he only managed to retreat enough to keep the wound about an inch deep.

"You dog!"

Sha Le'er brought the plant stand down on the attacker's head. The man dodged, but the stand struck his back, sending him crashing to the floor. Fueled by rage, Le'er struck him again, and with a cry of pain, the man lay motionless.

While the fight left blood splattered across the floor, Li Ying had retreated to a corner and pulled out her mobile phone. Finding Feng Shuya's number, she made the call. Le'er’s trousers were soaked in blood from his leg wound. Boss Long had climbed back to his feet, but seeing Le'er still wielding the steel stand, he stepped back, step by step.

Manager Liu rushed over, blocking Le'er from further action.

"Brother, stop fighting. You’re in deep trouble."

"What trouble? They came at me with knives; am I not allowed to defend myself?"

"Do you know who he is?" Manager Liu whispered. "He’s the younger brother of Chief Long of the West Town Police Station. You need to leave, now!"

"Damn it, does the police chief eat people?" Only now did Le'er feel the searing pain in his leg, and he crouched down with a groan. "Fine, I’d like to see if they can swallow me whole."

Li Ying ran over, and seeing the blood on his leg, her face went deathly pale.

"Le'er, is the wound deep?"

"It's not that bad..."

"You’re bleeding so much, how can you say it's not bad?"

Li Ying began to cry, quickly taking off her scarf to bind his wound. Seeing her struggle, Manager Liu helped her tie it.

"We need to get to the hospital immediately."

"It's too late," Manager Liu sighed.

The sound of sirens wailed outside. Moments later, three policemen stormed in, looking aggressive.

"Who’s fighting here?"

The leader saw Boss Long and his two men on the ground and roared. Manager Liu tried to step forward, but the officer shoved him aside. Following Boss Long’s gesture, the officer sneered and walked toward Sha Le'er.

"Cuff him."

"Are you not going to listen to reason?" Li Ying’s face turned livid. "They were the ones with the knives! You aren't arresting them, but the victim?"

The lead officer glanced at Li Ying, momentarily struck by her beauty, but his expression quickly turned cold as ice.

"We’ll discuss everything at the station."

"He’s injured! He needs to go to the hospital!"

"Is a little scratch like that going to kill him?" another officer scoffed. "You dare to hit people? Are you blind? Do you have any idea who these people are?"

"Stop the chatter. Call an ambulance to take them to the hospital," the lead officer commanded before turning back. "Take them away."

Le'er regained his composure.

"Wait, let me make a phone call."

Le'er used his cuffed hands to pull out his phone, intending to call Bureau Chief Xie, but a police officer snatched it away.

"Trying to coordinate your story, are you?"

The officer looked at the phone, saw it was an expensive brand, and smirked, pocketing it. Le'er glared at him in fury.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Trying to assault an officer?"

Suddenly, the officer kicked Le'er. Le'er lost his balance and nearly fell, but Li Ying caught him.

"Take them away. Bring the woman too for questioning."

Two officers escorted Le'er and Li Ying to the police car. The lead officer walked up to Manager Liu, gave him a dark, ominous look, muttered a single sentence, and strode toward the vehicle.