"Don't threaten me, I won't fall for that... Besides, let me tell you, even if you're a miser, I'm going to pluck every last penny off you today, you're fucking shameless!"

The bar owner glared at me and replied, "I'm not going to waste my breath on you. If you've got the guts, just wait here."

"You're calling for backup, huh?... Fine, I'm not leaving. I want to see for myself just how despicable people can be!"

As I spoke, I pulled Nicole to the table where Ye Zhi and I were, so that the bar owner wouldn't lay a hand on her.

Nicole was a little nervous. She said to me, "Michael, don't get involved in this. I'm a woman, so they might hold back a bit. But if they really fight you, I'm afraid you'll get hurt!"

I lit a cigarette and said, "It's okay, I'll help you get the money."

Nicole looked at me with a skeptical expression, while I had already taken my phone out of my pocket, ready to call Cao Xue... My mind had already made up its mind that this was not something I could do out of personal heroism. And in my current social circle, I had Cao Xue. If he intervened, even if it was a matter of violence, it would be more effective than me fighting alone. Besides, I didn't think that under Cao Jinbo's tyranny, there was anyone in the ancient city who would dare to fight Cao Xue.

...

Cao Xue answered the call a moment later, and his attitude towards me had changed significantly. He called me "buddy" and then asked, "What's up?"

Are you busy right now?

"They're playing cards at the bathhouse."

"Come to the ancient city. The temporary inn has been doing well these past few days. It's time for me to pay you the share I promised you."

Cao Xue smiled and replied, "No rush today, let's do it tomorrow... You're a reliable person, I trust you."

"I really had to come today... I've run into a little trouble."

"Has someone contacted you about the inn?"

“My friend is being targeted… I think asking you to handle this would be more effective than asking anyone else.”

Cao Xue hesitated for a moment before replying, "Since you consider me a friend, I can't refuse you... So, how many people should I bring?"

"You handle it. As for what happened at the bar... I'll send you the address later."

"become."

...

After ending my conversation with Cao Xue, I immediately said to Nicole and Ye Zhi, "There might be a conflict later, you two should go first."

Nicole shook her head and said, "I'll stay even if there's a conflict. It's my business. If I ask you to take the blame for me and then run away, what's the difference between me and that guy surnamed Zhao (the bar owner)?"

Ye Zhi also stated, "I won't leave either; I'm worried about you."

I laughed and said, "It's okay, I just called my friend, he'll be here soon, you won't be at a disadvantage."

"Since I won't lose out, there's no need for me to leave... I'll stay with you."

I looked at Ye Zhi, and she seemed very determined... Her words, "I'll stay with you," were like a good medicine, killing the loneliness that felt like a virus, and showing me a genuine willingness to share hardships. She didn't abandon me because of her own safety!

...

Five minutes later, the men the bar owner had called arrived at the bar before Cao Xue. These guys were clearly not good people. One of them, a burly, bald man, walked up to me carrying a steel pipe and said menacingly, "Are you the one causing trouble?... You fucking tired of living, huh?"

Before I could reply, he smashed the beer bottle on the table with a steel pipe. The flying glass shards cut Ye Zhi's hand and made her pale.