Not interested? Or not brave enough?

The room fell silent for a moment.

Even Pan TuozI choked a little on his smoke and coughed quietly a few times.

"Ooh-"

"Whee-"

Then cheers and whistles rang out.

The underlings in the room started hooting and jostling one another.

"Boss! This chick really has a thing for you!"

"Lucky you, boss!"

"Hey! She actually came offering herself up..." ...

Pan TuozI put the cigarette between his lips, stepped forward, and pinched Song Ning's chin, apparently wanting a closer look at her face.

Through the hair partly covering his eyes, his gaze was cold and mocking. "You like me?! Do you even know who I am? And you dare say that!"

But Song Ning shook her head. "You're just my type. Who you are doesn't matter!"

"Tsk! You've got some guts, huh? Question is, are you tough enough to survive? Can you handle what I'll put you through?"

Pan TuozI released Song Ning's chin, but wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer in a threatening gesture.

Song Ning showed no fear at all. She even reached out to take Pan TuozI's hand herself, looking him straight in the eyes. "Boss! Don't doubt me! I mean it!"

"Ooh-"

The underlings started hooting again, whistling even louder!

"Boss! Want us to clear out and give you some room?"

"Show her what you've got, boss!"

Pan TuozI took the cigarette from his lips, drew one last deep drag, and tossed the butt away.

Then he forcefully exhaled a cloud of smoke.

He pulled Song Ning into his arms and told the people around him, "All of you, shut the fuck up! Since this 'affection' came knocking, I'd better give it some proper attention!"

With that, he took Song Ning into a room next door and slammed the door shut with a bang.

A kerosene lamp burned inside.

Song Ning turned and quietly watched Pan TuozI.

Pan TuozI tugged at his collar, shoved Song Ning onto the bed, and leaned over her.

Song Ning neither shouted nor screamed, let alone resisted.

Pan TuozI braced his hands on the bed, keeping just enough distance from the girl beneath him. All he had to do was bend his arms, and he would pin her completely beneath his body...

But the girl gazed up at him with sparkling eyes, blinking again and again, as though she were looking forward to his next move.

He couldn't help frowning. With a cold laugh, he said, "I like women, sure! But a woman like you, offering herself up at my door? I really can't work up any interest!"

Song Ning smiled instead, softly uttering a few words. "Not interested? Or not brave enough?"

Pan TuozI's expression shifted. He grabbed her by the throat and said icily:

"Got a death wish?!"

"G-gently!"

Song Ning slapped at his hand with both of hers. "That hurts! It hurts!"

Pan TuozI actually let go, but then hauled Song Ning upright. Narrowing his eyes, he said:

"What? You came here in the middle of the night... to test my nerve? You really think I'm some pushover?!"

Song Ning clutched her neck and glared at him. This man had one hell of a grip!

She coughed softly a few times before speaking. "I escaped! Seven of us girls were abducted by traffickers. Five were sold, and the other girl and I escaped."

"You escaped?!"

Hearing her words, Pan TuozI took out a lighter and lit another cigarette with a click. He took a deep drag, watching her through the smoke, his gaze shifting in the flickering light...

Only after a moment did he speak, his voice laced with amusement and mockery. "You're saying-you escaped from traffickers, then came looking for me, Pan TuozI?! Have you misunderstood my reputation somehow?"

Song Ning shook her head. "I don't know whether I've misunderstood anything! But I don't think I came to the wrong person! Since I like you, surely you could help me out!"

Pan TuozI nearly choked on his smoke again. He went over, pulled the door open, and shoved Song Ning outside.

The underlings eavesdropping at the door scattered at once.

Pan TuozI looked around at his underlings, pointing at Song Ning as he coughed and laughed.

"Boys! You really do see every fucking thing if you live long enough! This chick says she escaped from traffickers and came to ask me for help! Tell me... is she... making a fool of me?!"

The underlings outside froze for a moment, then all burst out laughing!

Song Ning watched them without betraying any emotion. Only when their laughter had mostly subsided did she speak. "Tsk! I really do admire you, boss, and I'm sincerely asking you all for help! Since you're unwilling, I'll leave!"

But Song Ning had barely taken a step when Pan TuozI hooked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her straight back against his chest.

Pan TuozI looked down at her, his manner flippant and careless. "My place is easy to enter, but hard to leave! Unless you give me a proper explanation today, you won't be getting out that door!"

Song Ning looked up at him. His face was covered in a beard, and his hair nearly hid his eyes, making his features hard to see. His nose was quite straight, though. She wondered what he would look like clean-shaven.

Pan TuozI blew smoke into her face. "Don't look at me like that! I'm not interested in you! My patience has limits. If you don't start talking, don't blame me for getting rough!"

Song Ning thought for a moment, then said, "Those men you beat up just now were the traffickers who abducted me! But there are more than just those few!"

Everyone around her watched her, and so did Pan TuozI.

But she had already stopped talking.

She didn't seem to intend to say anything else, either.

"That's it?!" Pan TuozI couldn't help asking.

"Isn't that enough?" Song Ning asked earnestly in return.

Seeing the startled expressions around her, she had no choice but to add an explanation. "You beat up those traffickers for me and helped me get revenge and vent my anger! The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Isn't-isn't that enough?"

Pan TuozI laughed until his eyes reddened, even wiping their corners with his sleeve.

"Tsk! So that makes me someone who's rid the people of a menace! You-that's why you like me!"

Song Ning nodded. "Exactly! You were ridding the people of a menace, boss. I liked you the moment I saw you!"

"Hey, hey-listen, girl! There's something wrong with your eyes!"

One of the underlings beside them couldn't resist teasing her. "We were the ones beating them up just now. The boss never even lifted a finger! How did you end up liking him?"

Several others started chiming in...

"Are you stupid? She wasn't looking at what he did! She was looking at his face!"

"His face?! What can she even see of the boss's face?"

"Yeah! I beat them up too! I really put my back into it!"

Song Ning turned to study that underling seriously, then pointed at the man beside him and said:

"That's right! It was thanks to you two stepping in. Your elbow strikes and hooks had excellent form! And he was very skilled with his sweeping kicks and chopping strikes to the head! I saw all of it!"

Song Ning's words were like pressing a mute button.

The room instantly fell silent.

At last, Pan TuozI lowered his head and chuckled, then shook his head and said to Song Ning, "All right! You sneakily felt my hand earlier, twice! Tell me, why? Just trying to get fresh?"

Song Ning pressed her lips together, wanting to laugh.

Pan TuozI glanced sideways at Song Ning with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Unless your answer thoroughly convinces me, I'm not letting you off today!"

Song Ning fell quiet for a moment, then lifted her gaze to his eyes, which glinted with tiny points of light, and said, "You have calluses on the web between your right thumb and forefinger, on your palm, and on your index finger. You've been training with guns for years."