Chapter Twenty: In Need of Discipline

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them. He had not expected this girl to be so vicious and unruly. Turning around, he clamped his legs together, trapping the girl’s long leg firmly.

"You... what do you think you're doing? Let me go! You jerk!"

Seeing the cold, sharp look in Lin Chen’s eyes, the girl felt a surge of panic. Unable to pull her leg free, she snapped, "Let me go! If you don't, my father and my sister will never let you get away with this. My sister loves me the most; if you dare touch a single hair on my head, don’t even think about staying in Yuehai City!"

Lin Chen let out a cold hum. "You’re quite pretty, yet you dye your hair and wear colored contacts to look like this. Do you think it looks good? Your personality is spoiled and willful, and it’s repulsive. I think you’re in need of some discipline, so I’ll take it upon myself to educate you on behalf of your parents."

To be honest, while the girl’s style was unconventional, she did possess a certain allure—after all, a beautiful person looks good in anything. However, Lin Chen was currently too annoyed by her sharp tongue to offer any compliments.

"How dare you! If a hick like you touches me, you’ll die a miserable death! My sister will—ah! What are you doing? Let me go, let me go!"

The girl felt Lin Chen press a point on her body, and suddenly, her entire frame went limp. Lacking the strength to resist, she collapsed.

Lin Chen sneered, "I’ll give you one chance: apologize to me right now, or I will continue to discipline you for your parents."

Furious, though unable to muster the strength to fight back, she still cursed, "You filthy hick, you dead-broke loser! You have no idea who you're dealing with, and you expect an apology? You—"

*Smack!*

Lin Chen dealt a sharp blow to her backside. "Apologize!"

"Ah!"

The girl let out a startled cry, followed by a shriek of shame and rage. "You... you jerk! No one has ever dared to hit me! I will never let you go! You’re dead, you hear me? You are absolutely dead!"

"Oh, really? If you want revenge, you’d better figure out how to get away from me first."

After saying this, Lin Chen delivered a few more smacks, showing no mercy for her delicate state.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

"Apologize!" Lin Chen commanded again.

"Ahhh! You bastard! Go to hell! You hick! You hillbilly! You loser..."

Clearly, the girl had never been treated this way before. She screamed and hurled insults, but remained stubbornly defiant, like a little leopard clawing at the air.

Lin Chen’s expression grew colder, and he delivered several more smacks.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

"Ah! Wuu-wuu-wuu... stop it, it hurts! Don’t hit me anymore... wuu-wuu... you monster, you big bully, you big bully... wuu-wuu..."

Finally, the girl couldn't take it anymore. She began to sob, tears streaming down her face.

***

Lin Chen said, "Are you going to apologize now? You think you’re the aggrieved one, but have you considered what would have happened if that kick had actually landed on me? If you know you were wrong, apologize."

The girl bit her lip stubbornly, but when she saw the icy, frost-like look in Lin Chen’s eyes, her mouth quivered. With reddened eyes, she dared not act tough anymore.

"I... I’m sorry..."

As she spoke, she pouted, her nose sniffling. Her tear-streaked face was heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

"Speak up! You had plenty of strength when you were kicking me earlier, why do you sound like you haven't eaten now?" Lin Chen said loudly.

"Wuu-wuu... I’m sorry! I’m sorry!" Seeing Lin Chen frown again, the girl trembled in fear and quickly shouted the apology.

Lin Chen had been genuinely angered by the girl’s vicious kick, but seeing her apology, he released her.

The girl felt him press a point on her waist, and her strength finally returned. She sat down on the ground, then immediately jumped up with a cry of pain. She stared at Lin Chen with a mixture of hatred and grievance.

Lin Chen turned back to the white-haired man. "Are you convinced now? If your leg is handled like this a few more times, it will be ruined. Even if it’s reattached, you’ll be a cripple."

The white-haired man’s face was covered in tears and snot. Hearing Lin Chen’s words, he shrieked in terror, "I’m convinced! I’m convinced! Please, don't mess with me anymore!"

"Then go to the hospital and get your leg set."

Lin Chen stopped paying attention to him and walked toward the two little girls. His icy expression vanished, replaced by a warm smile.

He turned to the little girl who had scraped her hand and had tear tracks on her face. "You’re Mengmeng, right? Does your hand still hurt?"

The two girls had been frightened by his fierce demeanor earlier, but seeing his gentle smile now, their fear dissipated.

The lively little girl named Keke said admiringly, "Big brother, not only do you know martial arts, but you also know medicine! That’s so cool!" She waved her little fist in the air to express her excitement.

Mengmeng, who had been crying, was much more introverted, but she looked at Lin Chen with a gaze full of admiration. When she heard his question, she pouted and pitifully showed him her scraped hand.

Lin Chen smiled. "It’s nothing, it will be better soon."

He patted Mengmeng’s head and examined her scraped palm. Then, he held the little girl’s hand, channeling a thread of spiritual energy to heal the wound.

A moment later, he asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Mengmeng blinked her bright, large eyes. "It feels cool and comfortable. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Seeing the young mother next to them looking at him with surprise, Lin Chen smiled. "It was just a small scrape; it’s fine now. The main thing is to make sure the child doesn't suffer any psychological trauma. You should talk to her about it when you get home."

***

The young mother nodded. Recalling how she had mistaken him for a child trafficker earlier, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Just then, Lin Chen’s phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, his expression turned incredibly tender.

Lin Chen answered the phone. "Sister Xixi, what brings you to call me?"

From the other end came the soft, sweet, and complaining voice of Su Xiran. "You stinky Lin Chen, it's one thing to quit your job, but why haven't you come to see me for so many days? Have you found a girlfriend?"

There was a hint of panic in her voice as she finished the sentence.

Lin Chen laughed. "Sister Xixi, you’re overthinking it. Who would ever want me? I’ve just been busy with some things these past few days."

Su Xiran sounded relieved and happy, then continued in a cautionary tone, "Lin Chen, women out there can be very materialistic. They demand cars and houses when looking for a boyfriend, and many are insincere. You must not just go out and find any girlfriend, you hear me?"

Lin Chen was speechless. Just because some women are materialistic doesn't mean all of them are. If he followed that logic and didn't find a girlfriend, was he meant to be a bachelor for life?

Su Xiran then asked Lin Chen to join her for lunch, and he agreed.

The purple-haired girl, who had been ignored by Lin Chen the entire time, watched him with grinding teeth.

How could this jerk be so ruthless to her but so gentle with other women? Was that girl prettier than her? Was her family background better?

After Lin Chen walked out of the intersection with the two little girls and their mother, he said his goodbyes and headed toward the restaurant where he had arranged to meet Su Xiran.

Behind Lin Chen, the group of teenagers—who had acted as if a blade were held to their throats—finally relaxed once he was far away.

One of the girls turned to the purple-haired girl and said, "Su Ruan, that guy is too ruthless. He actually dared to treat you like that!"

The girl called Su Ruan gritted her teeth. "The ignorant have no fear. A hick like that will never touch our world in his entire life. But no matter what, I will never let him get away with this!"

It was the first time a man had dared to be so fierce with her, the first time she had been hit, the first time she had been moved to tears by frustration, and the first time she had ever apologized to a man... For her, today was undoubtedly a day she would never forget.

...

Noon. Green Western Restaurant.

In the disdainful gaze of the waiter, Lin Chen ate his well-done steak and downed a glass of red wine in one gulp.

Although he had been in this big city for several years, he was still not used to Western cuisine. It wasn't that he looked down on it; he simply couldn't get used to the taste.

Su Xiran sat opposite him, smiling gently, showing no signs of disdain at all.