"At most, I can reduce it by five bucks. Let's make it forty-five altogether!" The woman saw Su Ming's pained expression and laughed, "Don't worry, I won't rip you off. This is already the lowest price."

"Alright!" Su Ming reluctantly handed over another ten as a deposit.

They agreed on a time and bid farewell to each other. The woman turned and merged into the crowd, while Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to return to his rented room.

Unexpectedly, just as he turned to leave, a familiar figure blocked his way.

It was the young woman who had taken him upstairs earlier.

She had clearly spotted Su Ming already, and now stood with a sullen face, accompanied by four unruly young men. They formed a semicircle, cornering Su Ming under the overpass.

"You bastard, you flirted with me!" the woman shrieked, her finger almost poking Su Ming's face, "I stripped for you, and you ran off. Pay up!"

Su Ming brushed her hand aside, annoyed, "Ma'am, you've got it wrong. I was here to get some documents."

"Documents, my ass!" The woman grabbed Su Ming's collar, her voice cold and sharp, "Don't give me that. I showed you everything, and if you don't pay today, you're not leaving!"

A nearby thug with a buzz cut, cigarette dangling from his lips, sauntered forward and patted Su Ming's shoulder, "Hey, kid, playing with women costs money. I'll give you two choices."

He held up two fingers, "First, pay thirty bucks, take her to a room, and have some fun. Second, just give twenty bucks, apologize to this lady, and we'll call it a day."

As the buzz-cut thug spoke, the other three subtly closed in, cutting off Su Ming's escape.

Under the overpass, pedestrians hurried by, occasionally casting curious glances, but no one stopped. This was the city's rule—mind your own business.

Looking at the malicious faces before him, Su Ming felt a strange calm. He slowly pushed away the woman's hand from his collar, his voice steady, "Paying is out of the question. I won't do anything with her."

The buzz-cut thug's face darkened, a fierce glint in his eyes, "You don't know what's good for you, huh?" He waved to his companions, "Get him!"

Before he finished speaking, the three thugs lunged at Su Ming. Their fists whistled through the air, aiming for his face and chest.

Su Ming's pupils contracted, but his body moved faster than his mind. He sidestepped the first punch and simultaneously clenched his right fist, using his waist and legs for power, landing a solid punch on the thug to his left.

"Ouch!" The thug cried out, clutching his stomach and doubling over, gasping in pain.

Almost simultaneously, Su Ming pushed off with his left foot, his right leg sweeping out like a whip, delivering a fierce kick to the buzz-cut thug's abdomen. The force of the kick sent the thug staggering backward, landing on his backside, sliding three meters before stopping against a bridge pillar.

The remaining two thugs, fists raised, froze in place, glancing at their companions on the ground and then at Su Ming's stern face. Their faces turned pale, and they turned and ran.

In just a few seconds, the situation had reversed.

The woman was stunned. As Su Ming approached, her legs gave way, and she turned to flee. In her panic, she twisted her ankle in her high heels, losing one with a "clatter." She didn't bother to pick it up, hobbling a few steps before looking back to see Su Ming closing in. Terrified, she collapsed to the ground.

"Please, don't hit me..." she pleaded, her voice trembling, forcing a smile uglier than crying, "I'll let you have me for free, okay? Don't worry, I'll make you very comfortable..."

Su Ming looked at her with disgust. He stopped and coldly spat out two words, "Get lost!"

The woman, as if granted a reprieve, scrambled to her feet, not bothering to retrieve her fallen shoe, and limped into the crowd.

Su Ming glanced at the two thugs still groaning on the ground, ignored them, and turned to leave. After a few steps, he realized his hand was trembling slightly—not from fear, but from the exertion.

The moves his grandfather taught him had come in handy after all.

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But while hitting someone felt good in the moment, the consequences were unpredictable. As he turned to leave, the two thugs glared at his back, exchanged a look, and started cursing.

"That bastard dared to hit us. He'll pay for this."

"Yeah, we Hunan Gang members aren't to be messed with. He'll definitely come back tonight to get his documents from that woman. We'll bring some guys and weapons, and break his legs!"

The thugs regrouped, plotting their revenge.

By this time, Su Ming had left the overpass. When he returned to his rented room, it was already three or four in the afternoon. The sun was setting, but the heat in the air hadn't diminished much.

Qiu Tong had already woken up and was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Hearing the door open, she turned and saw Su Ming, drenched in sweat and slightly disheveled. Her brows furrowed slightly, "Where have you been? Why are you so sweaty?"

Su Ming changed into slippers, walked to the fan, and wiped his sweat as he spoke, "I went to look for a job and... got some fake documents." He paused, too embarrassed to mention the encounter with the woman and the fight.

Qiu Tong stared at him for a few seconds, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she just nodded, "Change your clothes and take a shower. I'll wash them for you."

"No need, I can wash them myself," Su Ming quickly said.

"Men don't wash clothes properly," Qiu Tong stood up, her tone leaving no room for refusal, "Go on."

Seeing her firm stance, Su Ming had no choice but to agree. He went into the bathroom, took a cold shower, and changed into clean clothes. When he came out, Qiu Tong was waiting outside the door.

"Give me your clothes!" she held out her hand.

Su Ming handed over his shirt and pants but held onto his underwear, "This... I'll wash myself."

"Still shy?" Qiu Tong laughed, reaching for it, "I'm your cousin-in-law. What's wrong with washing your underwear?"

"Cousin-in-law, isn't that a bit inappropriate..." Su Ming blushed, instinctively pulling back.

"What's inappropriate? I'm not going to eat you, seriously!" Qiu Tong's hand had already reached over, her fingertips brushing against the back of his hand.

She looked up at him, her eyes playful, "Got something to hide?"

"No, nothing!" Su Ming's face turned even redder, shaking his head vigorously.

"If there's nothing, then let me wash it!" Qiu Tong smiled, gently taking the underwear from his hand.

As the fabric slipped through his fingers, Su Ming stood there, stunned, watching Qiu Tong walk towards the balcony, her words "Got something to hide?" echoing in his ears. His face flushed.

The faucet on the balcony gushed as Qiu Tong began washing clothes. With her back to the living room, as she bent over to scrub, the fabric of her cotton nightgown clung to her body, outlining the curve of her waist and hips.

Standing in the living room, Su Ming suddenly felt the room was too hot.

Even with the fan spinning, even with the breeze outside.

Some things, once uncovered, can never be hidden again. He found himself somewhat infatuated with his cousin-in-law, especially enjoying sneaking glances at her back and her curvaceous figure.

This can't go on! It can't continue like this!