Liu Hu the Idiot

Liu Hu stood with his hands on his hips and his chin raised high, looking thoroughly impatient.

The jeers rose one after another behind him.

Blondie was the most excited, jumping around and yelling at the top of his lungs, "Boss Hu! Quit wasting your breath on him! Teach him a lesson!"

Liu Hu looked Chen Yuan up and down and snorted.

"Fine. If you've got a fucking death wish, I'll grant it."

He rolled his neck, then his wrists, making his joints crack a couple of times.

Then he took a step forward, stretched out his right hand with his fingers spread, and beckoned to Chen Yuan.

"Come on. Let's see what you're made of."

The men behind Liu Hu grew even more excited!

"One hand's all you need, Boss Hu!"

"I bet this punk can't even take one hit from him."

"Don't hit him too hard, Boss Hu. You'll scare the poor little kid."

Blondie went even further, jumping to the front and cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.

"You're the best, Boss Hu! Knock him flat with one punch!"

Liu Hu basked in their praise, his lips curling upward and contempt gleaming in his narrowed eyes. He slipped one hand into his pocket and lazily flexed the fingers of the other, as though toying with prey.

"Come on, you little bastard!"

Chen Yuan had no desire to waste any more words on this dumbass.

He drove off his right foot, stepped forward with his left, leaned into the motion, and lowered his shoulder slightly.

The movement wasn't fast, but it was solid. The floor tile creaked beneath his foot.

Before Liu Hu could react, Chen Yuan's shoulder was already pressed against his chest.

Baji Fist, Mountain-Leaning Charge!

Liu Hu flew backward with both feet off the ground, as though a small truck had slammed into him.

Then he crashed hard into Blondie behind him, knocking him backward on the spot. The bald man reached out to catch them, only to stagger back two steps himself. All three tumbled into a heap.

Liu Hu lay flat on his back, the back of his head striking the floor tile with a dull thud. Stars swam before his eyes, and his chest felt as if it had been smashed with a sledgehammer. Unable to catch his breath, he gaped like a fish thrown onto the shore.

The lobby fell silent in an instant.

Sister Wang covered her mouth, while the people beside her stared wide-eyed. The two girls supporting Zhang Xiu'e stood with their mouths hanging open.

Liu Hu's men were stunned too, frozen in place as though someone had hit pause.

Blondie climbed off the floor and rubbed his aching arm. Looking down at Liu Hu, he opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.

The bald man scrambled up too, looking as though he had seen a ghost.

Liu Hu lay there for a full three or four seconds before he could breathe again. He braced his hands against the floor and sat up, his face flushed crimson.

Getting flattened in one move by some young guy in front of all his men—he couldn't have humiliated himself more.

Liu Hu stood, brushed the dust off his clothes, and cleared his throat, forcing his embarrassed expression into a stern one.

He glanced at Blondie, then at the bald man. The meaning in his eyes couldn't have been clearer—Hurry up and give me a way out!

Blondie caught on fastest and immediately chimed in, "Boss Hu wasn't ready just now. He gave the punk a free shot."

The bald man caught on too and nodded repeatedly.

"Right, right! Boss Hu was going easy on him. In a real fight, this punk wouldn't be worth shit!"

The others joined in, talking over one another.

"Boss Hu didn't even put any strength into it."

"Exactly! He was holding back."

"That punk launched a sneak attack! It doesn't count!"

Listening to his men, Liu Hu started believing it himself, and his expression finally eased a little.

He tucked the hem of his shirt into his pants, rolled his neck three times, rotated his shoulders, and bent at the waist. Finally, he straightened and took a deep breath, his gaze turning deadly serious.

"Not bad, kid!"

Liu Hu lowered his voice, deliberately adding a raspy edge.

"I underestimated you."

He paused and rolled up his sleeves, exposing the tattoos on his forearms.

"But I wasn't ready just now. This time, I won't hold back."

His men came alive again, applauding enthusiastically and showering him with praise.

"Boss Hu's getting serious!"

"This punk's done for. Boss Hu means business now."

"Show him what real strength looks like, Boss Hu!"

Their praise restored Liu Hu's confidence. He took two steps forward. This time, rather than beckoning with his fingers, he assumed a boxing stance, his left fist forward and his right guarding his chin. He even bounced on his feet a couple of times, looking fairly convincing.

"Come on. Come meet your maker!"

Chen Yuan nearly burst out laughing at this idiot. Holding it in was a struggle.

He used the same movement again—pushing off his right foot, stepping forward with his left, and lowering his shoulder.

This time, Liu Hu was watching for it. He retreated half a step, swung his right fist, and sent it crashing toward Chen Yuan's head.

But he was far too slow. Before his fist could connect, Chen Yuan's shoulder reached him first.

This time, it struck his ribs rather than his chest.

Liu Hu's punch was only halfway through its arc when he went flying sideways again—and even farther than before.

He slammed into the wall behind him with a bang. A picture frame fell from the wall, its glass shattering and its frame bouncing twice on the floor.

Liu Hu slid down the wall and sat on the floor, clutching his ribs. His face turned a dark, purplish red, his mouth hung open, and every breath came with a whistle.

The lobby fell silent once again.

Blondie gaped in shock, while the bald man's eyes bulged like light bulbs.

Sister Wang gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles went white. Zhang Xiu'e's colleagues beside her were even more stunned; one of them dropped a bag and forgot to pick it up.

Liu Hu sat on the floor, breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain. He forced himself to his feet, the veins on his forehead bulging.

"All of you, fucking get him! Cripple that little bastard!"

His men froze and exchanged looks. Not a single one moved!

Humiliated and furious, Liu Hu shouted, "Didn't you hear me? Get him! Anyone who doesn't is dead!"

That worked!

Blondie charged first. A bottle had appeared in his hand at some point, and he raised it to smash it over Chen Yuan's head.

Chen Yuan turned sideways. The glass bottle whistled past his ear and smashed into the wall with a crash, bursting into fragments that scattered across the floor.

His right hand shot out and caught Blondie's wrist. He pulled him inward, then drove his left elbow up into Blondie's chin.

Blondie's teeth slammed together with a crack. He toppled backward, struck the back of his head against the floor, and passed out with his eyes rolling back.

The bald man swung his telescopic baton with a rush of air. Instead of retreating, Chen Yuan stepped in, lowered his shoulder, and rammed him. The bald man flew backward and smashed through a coffee table, sending cups and a teapot shattering across the floor.

The skinny man thrust a switchblade at Chen Yuan's waist from the side.

Chen Yuan caught his knife-wielding wrist with his left hand and twisted it outward.

The skinny man cried out as his arm was wrenched behind his back. The switchblade fell to the floor and bounced once.

Chen Yuan kicked the back of his knee. The skinny man dropped to his knees with a thud, driving them into the broken glass. Blood immediately seeped out, and he clutched his legs, howling nonstop.

The remaining men stopped in fright.

But Chen Yuan didn't stop.

He stepped forward, pushed off his left foot, brought his right foot up, and lowered his shoulder into the chest of the man at the front.

The man flew backward, bowling over two others behind him. All three landed in a pile. The one at the bottom smashed his face against the floor tile, blood spurting from his nose and smearing his face.

Another man raised a stool and brought it crashing down.

Chen Yuan raised an arm to block it and drove his right fist into the man's ribs. The man rolled around on the floor, clutching his side.

In less than a minute, bodies lay sprawled all over the floor.

Liu Hu cowered at the very back, pressed tightly against the wall, his face deathly pale.

He looked at his men groaning on the floor, then at the completely unscathed Chen Yuan before him. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Sister Wang and the others stared blankly at Chen Yuan, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open for a long time.

Just then, Zhang Xiu'e stirred.

She lifted her head from the girl's shoulder, her eyes half closed and her cheeks flushed red. The alcohol on her could be smelled from two steps away.

Zhang Xiu'e hazily surveyed the lobby, looking at the people strewn across the floor before turning to Chen Yuan in the middle. She blinked in surprise, then smiled.

She raised a hand and pointed an unsteady finger at Chen Yuan, her tongue thick and her words slurred.

"That... that's my little brother! My brother's the best... None of you are allowed to bully him!"

No sooner had she finished than her head tilted and dropped heavily back onto the girl's shoulder. Her eyes closed, and she mumbled a few unintelligible words before soon falling silent.

Looking at her, Chen Yuan couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching.

Liu Hu swallowed hard and forced out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"You win today, kid. But we'll see about that!"