Take Them All Down

Zhao Lei reached out to grab Zhou Min again.

"Stop!"

Chen Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it rang out distinctly.

Zhao Lei paused and turned to look at him.

"Well, look at this country bumpkin. Mind your own business and get the hell out of the way!"

Zhao Lei couldn't be bothered with Chen Yuan anymore and turned back to Zhou Min.

"Zhou Min, we dated for two weeks. I paid for your food, your drinks—nearly five thousand yuan altogether. Now you think you can just dump me?"

Zhou Min was a little rattled, but she still shot back defiantly:

"So what? Spending your money means I have to sleep with you? Do you think I'm a fucking hooker?!"

Zhao Lei's face darkened.

"Fine. You don't have to sleep with me." He took a step forward. "Then pay me back. Five thousand yuan, right now."

Zhou Min froze.

Where was she supposed to get five thousand yuan?

"No money, huh?" Zhao Lei sneered. "Then sleep with me once, and we're even."

Zhou Min's expression changed.

"Zhao Lei, have you got any fucking shame?"

"I've got no shame?!"

Zhao Lei raised his voice even louder.

"Why didn't you say that when you were spending my fucking money? You came when I took you out to eat. You came when I took you shopping. When I bought you clothes, you were fucking beaming. Now you just dump me? What do you take me for?"

Zhou Min opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Zhao Lei advanced another step. "You're sleeping with me today, whether you like it or not."

He gave the three men behind him a look.

The fat man, the short man, and the bald man all took two steps forward.

Zhao Lei looked at Zhang Xiu'e next.

"Sister Xiu'e, this has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it so you don't get caught up in this."

Zhang Xiu'e frowned and glanced at Zhou Min.

She knew exactly what her roommate was like. Zhou Min loved eating, having fun, and shopping. The only thing she didn't like was paying. She always made the men pay, then moved on to someone else.

But at a time like this, she couldn't just stand by and let something happen to Zhou Min.

"Zhao Lei, let's talk this out." Zhang Xiu'e tried her best to keep him calm. "Everyone needs to cool down."

"Cool down?"

Zhao Lei raised his voice again.

"Ask Zhou Min if what she did was remotely decent! Just last week, I bought her a bag for over eight hundred yuan. The day before yesterday, she said she wanted seafood, so I took her out. That cost me a thousand. Then yesterday she sent me a text saying we were done. She wouldn't even see me!"

Zhang Xiu'e glanced at Zhou Min.

Zhou Min kept her head down and said nothing.

Zhang Xiu'e was at a loss for words.

"Zhou Min, that really wasn't right of you."

Zhou Min raised her head. "Does spending his money mean I have to sleep with him? We were dating. I wasn't selling—"

"Shut up!"

Zhao Lei roared, his face turning red.

"Wasn't I fucking good to you? I bought you whatever you wanted, and this is how you treat me?"

The fat man behind him grew impatient.

"Lei, quit wasting your breath on her." The fat man stepped forward. "A woman like this needs to be taught a lesson."

The short man chimed in. "Yeah. Just fuck her and be done with it."

The bald man went straight for Zhou Min, grabbing her arm.

Zhou Min screamed in fright and tried to pull away.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!"

Zhang Xiu'e instinctively rushed forward to stop them.

"Don't hurt her!"

She reached out to push the bald man away.

The bald man swung his arm and shoved Zhang Xiu'e to the floor.

"Ow—"

Zhang Xiu'e cried out as she fell.

Startled, Chen Yuan hurried over.

"Sister Ezi!"

He crouched down and caught hold of Zhang Xiu'e to support her.

Zhang Xiu'e sat on the floor, rubbing her arm with a frown.

Meanwhile, the fat man and the short man had seized Zhou Min. The bald man held her other arm, and the three of them dragged her toward the bedroom.

Zhou Min struggled desperately, kicking and thrashing.

"Let go of me! Zhao Lei, you fucking bastard! Sister Xiu'e, help me!"

Zhao Lei followed them, excitement written all over his face.

He stepped up to Zhou Min and slapped her across the face.

Smack!

The blow knocked Zhou Min's head sideways, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

She froze for half a second, then struggled like a woman possessed.

"Help! Somebody help!"

The three men dragged her to the bedroom door.

Zhou Min was finally terrified.

Tears streamed down her face, and her voice went shrill.

"Sister Xiu'e! Sister Xiu'e, save me!"

Zhang Xiu'e stood up.

Watching Zhou Min's predicament, she felt conflicted.

Zhou Min had brought this on herself. She hadn't thought about the consequences while spending his money, and now that she was in trouble, she was crying for help.

But whatever had happened, Zhang Xiu'e couldn't stand by and watch Zhou Min get raped.

Zhang Xiu'e took a step forward.

Chen Yuan reached out to stop her.

"Sister Ezi, let me handle this!"

Zhang Xiu'e paused.

She looked at Chen Yuan. He was a little over 170 centimeters tall and looked fit enough, but he was all alone.

There were four men against him. They had been drinking, but they were all young and strong.

"Yuan..." Zhang Xiu'e said worriedly. "There are four of them."

Chen Yuan nodded. "I know."

"That fist thing you practice..."

"Baji Fist."

"Right, Baji Fist. Will it work?"

"Yes."

Zhang Xiu'e opened her mouth, hesitated, then finally nodded.

"Be careful!"

Chen Yuan murmured his assent, turned, and walked toward Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei was standing in the bedroom doorway, looking inside. Zhou Min had already been dragged in and was still crying out.

"Let her go!"

Zhao Lei turned, saw Chen Yuan, and laughed.

"You're still fucking here?" He waved Chen Yuan away. "Get lost. Don't ask for trouble."

"I said, let her go!"

The smile vanished from Zhao Lei's face.

"Fine. You want a beating, huh?"

He waved a hand and shouted to the other three, "Get out here! Let's deal with this suicidal idiot first."

The fat man and the short man came out of the bedroom. The bald man stayed inside, holding Zhou Min down.

The fat man walked over and reached out to shove Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan didn't dodge. He stepped forward to meet him.

With that single step, Chen Yuan's shoulder slammed into the fat man's chest.

Mountain-Leaning Charge!

A muffled thud rang out.

The fat man, who weighed over ninety kilos, flew more than two meters backward and hit the wall. He slowly slid down, clutching his chest, his face flushed deep red.

The short man froze. So did Zhao Lei.

Chen Yuan didn't.

He took a step toward the short man.

The short man snapped out of it and threw a punch.

Chen Yuan turned sideways, dodging the fist. His right hand darted out and caught the short man's wrist. He pulled it toward his chest while driving his left elbow upward.

Crack!

The short man's arm was dislocated.

He screamed and crouched down, cradling his arm.

The bald man charged out of the bedroom with a beer bottle in his hand.

"Motherfucker!"

He raised the bottle and swung it at Chen Yuan's head.

Instead of retreating, Chen Yuan closed in. He tilted his head, and the bottle skimmed past his ear.

Chen Yuan raised his left arm to block the bald man's bottle-wielding arm and drove his right fist into his ribs.

Just one punch!

The bald man's eyes rolled back, and he crumpled to the floor like a heap of sludge.

Zhao Lei stood rooted to the spot, utterly stunned!

From the fat man flying backward to the short man's dislocated arm to the bald man collapsing, no more than ten seconds had passed.

This country bumpkin standing before him in baggy shorts and slippers had taken down all three of them.

Zhao Lei's legs began to tremble.

"Your turn."

"B-brother, let's talk this out..."

Chen Yuan said nothing and stepped forward.

Zhao Lei stepped back and bumped into the wall. He had nowhere left to go.

He stared at Chen Yuan as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Are... are you a fucking human or a ghost?"

Chen Yuan raised his hand and patted Zhao Lei's shoulder.

Zhao Lei's legs gave out, and he sank straight to the floor.

"My grandpa told me never to hit women."

Zhao Lei looked up blankly.

"But you did. So you need to be punished."

Zhao Lei's lips trembled. He couldn't say a word.

Chen Yuan bent down, grabbed his collar, and hauled him up before slapping him across the face.

Smack!

It was much louder than the slap Zhao Lei had given Zhou Min.

Zhao Lei spun around on the spot and landed on the floor again.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and half his face swelled up immediately.

"Anything else to say?"

Zhao Lei clutched his face and shook his head frantically.

Zhang Xiu'e stood beside the sofa, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.

Zhou Min came out of the bedroom, her hair disheveled, tears on her face, and blood still at the corner of her mouth.

She stood in the doorway, staring at the four men on the floor, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

Looking at the four men on the floor, Chen Yuan scratched his head.

He turned toward Zhang Xiu'e and found her still standing there, frozen with her mouth open.

"Sister Ezi?"

Only then did Zhang Xiu'e come to her senses.

She walked over and circled Chen Yuan.

She looked him up and down, then down and up.

"Chen Yuan..."

"Yeah?"

"You..."

Zhang Xiu'e didn't know what to say.

Zhou Min came over too, standing in front of Chen Yuan and staring at him.

She looked at him as if he were a monster.

Her stare made Chen Yuan a little uncomfortable.

"What?"

Zhou Min swallowed.

"You... what do you do for a living?"

Chen Yuan paused. "Me? I'm just a farmer."

Zhou Min opened her mouth.

A farmer?

Could farming give someone skills like that?

The fat man on the floor finally caught his breath and tried to stand, bracing himself against the wall. He only got halfway up before his legs gave out, and he dropped back onto the floor.

He looked at Chen Yuan, his eyes filled with fear.

"B-brother, what gang are you with?"

Chen Yuan glanced at the fat man.

"What gang? I told you, I'm a farmer."

The fat man froze, looking from him to his three buddies, utterly bewildered.

A farmer?

A farmer had beaten all four of them this badly?

Chen Yuan couldn't be bothered with him. He walked over and crouched in front of Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei shrank back in fright, but the wall behind him left him nowhere to go.

"You... what else are you going to do?"

"You coming back for more?"

Zhao Lei shook his head frantically.

"You still going to bring up that business with Zhou Min?"

"No, no!"

"You still want that five thousand?"

"No, no!"

Chen Yuan nodded and stood up.

"Get lost."

As if he'd been granted a pardon, Zhao Lei scrambled to his feet and fled, bracing himself against the wall. The fat man, the short man, and the bald man followed, each running faster than the last.

As the short man ran, his dislocated arm swung back and forth, making him howl in pain.

The door shut, and the living room fell quiet.

Chen Yuan stood where he was, scratched his head, and turned to look at Zhang Xiu'e.

Zhang Xiu'e stood there, still staring at him with wide eyes.

Zhou Min was looking at him as if he were a monster too.

Their stares were starting to unnerve Chen Yuan.

"What?"

Zhang Xiu'e walked over. "Chen Yuan."

"Yeah?"

"What exactly does your grandfather do?"

Chen Yuan paused.

"My grandfather? He's just a farmer."

Zhang Xiu'e stared at him for several seconds.

A farmer?

Someone trained by a farmer could take down four thugs in ten seconds?