The brighter the neon lights, the easier it is for evil to breed. Under those waving sticks, I see the restlessness of human nature and the violence of this society. I am even like that myself. Once someone violates what I care about, I become manic and full of aggression.

Finally, Chen Jin and I rushed to the accident scene. Nicole had clearly been slapped; there were finger marks on her left cheek. Her old iPhone, which she had used for many years, was at her feet, shattered into pieces... Ye Zhi was protecting her in front of her, speaking sternly to those people.

Unlike Nicole, she possessed an intimidating aura. Even so, the man confronting her was still pointing at her and hurling insults. Fortunately, he didn't lay a hand on her, showing some restraint.

Chen and I rushed to Ye Zhi and Nicole's side and shielded them behind us. I turned to Ye Zhi and said, "Get in the car quickly and lock it. No matter what happens later, don't come out."

Unexpectedly, Ye Zhi said to me even more anxiously, "You guys take Nicole away right away, this isn't a place for you... They wouldn't dare do anything to me!"

The man in the jacket, holding a steel pipe, pointed at me and Ye Zhi and cursed, "Everyone who comes here, if any of them dares to take a single step, I'll break their legs!"

This arrogant disdain filled me with rage, but we were outnumbered, so I tried to restrain myself as much as possible. After all, I was no longer a greenhorn who had just entered society... My thinking was simple: as long as Ye Zhi was not physically harmed, I absolutely did not want to resort to violence if we could talk.

At the same time, Chen Jin asked Nicole, whom he was tightly protecting, "Why are there only two of you? I heard from Michael that Ye Zhi's friend came out with you."

Nicole has experienced a lot of ups and downs in Dali over the years. Despite being attacked, she remained relatively calm. She replied in a low voice, "He went back to the hotel to rest first. Ye Zhi and I wanted to go to Taiye for a stroll, but we didn't expect to run into these unreasonable bastards on the way!"

Who laid a hand on you?

“I’m fine. Don’t make a big deal out of this. Let Michael talk to them.”

I took another step toward the man in the jacket and sneered, "Dude, we don't need the traffic police. Anyone with eyes can see that you cut in line, that's why the two cars collided... There were only two women in the car, and you made such a big fuss, isn't that a bit too much?... Huh?"

"Stop talking nonsense to me, this is a top-of-the-line 911, it's no cheaper than her car... If you don't pay me back enough money today, nobody will be able to walk out of here, and I, Zhang Qiang, will have no place in Dali anymore."

"Zhang Qiang, right?... If this matter can be resolved with money, then things will be much easier... Just name your price, and I'll give it to you as long as you dare to ask."

As I spoke, I took the car keys from Ye Zhi and handed them to the man named Zhang Qiang, saying, "You've made such a big fuss, you must want a lot of money. I can't get that much cash in a short time... How about this, you take this G-Class, and we'll bring enough money to redeem it from you later, is that alright?"

"Bullshit...you're trying to scare me."

I laughed and said, "It's not about scareming you... I just wanted to give you a way out and save you face. If you really have the guts to drive this car away, I'll respect you as a hero."

After a brief pause, I added, "Not every car with out-of-town license plates is coming to Dali for a self-driving tour... You should consider that carefully."

"Are you not listening to me, or what?... I'm telling you, don't try to scare me!"

Without saying a word, I grabbed his hand, slapped the car keys into his hand, and said, "Go ahead and drive away if you dare." Based on my experience, if this was just a simple traffic accident, it would be pretty much over by now, at least there wouldn't be any more physical conflict, because the momentum had shifted to my side.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Qiang slapped my hand away from the key, then looked at Ye Zhi and Nicole and said in a flippant tone, "I don't want your car, I just want those two girls to treat me to a meal at a restaurant, apologize to me, and then this matter will be over."

I smiled and replied, "Do you think that's possible?"

As I spoke, I had already placed my hand on my waist, ready to draw my baton at any moment so that I could gain the upper hand when it came to making a move.

My palms started sweating. I hadn't expected these people to be so difficult to deal with... And this standoff where we were outnumbered was really nerve-wracking, because if they really intended to make a move, Chen Jin and I would definitely suffer a great loss.

Zhang Qiang, wielding a stick, shoved me aside and then grabbed Ye Zhi by the collar...

At that moment, I was enraged and reached for the baton at my waist... I no longer cared that I had struck first and would go from being in the right to being in the wrong, because I couldn't tolerate another man having physical contact with her in front of me.

Ye Zhi, who was closest to me, noticed the baton in my hand immediately. She first broke free from Zhang Qiang, then grabbed me from the side to prevent me from throwing the baton. She shouted at me, "Michael, calm down. If you make the first move, the nature of this matter will change..." Then, she scolded Zhang Qiang, "I've already called the police, and they'll be here soon. I want to see if the rule of law is just empty talk in Dali... I will definitely talk to your city officials to find out who is protecting your gang, which has the characteristics of organized crime, allowing you to be so arrogant in public!"

Ye Zhi's face was already red, and she looked extremely angry.

If things have come to this point and Zhang Qiang still doesn't know when to back down, then either he's incredibly powerful, or he's a complete idiot.

Throughout this process, Ye Zhi held me tightly, afraid that I would act impulsively and that I would not be able to control myself.

It's been a year and a half, and this is the first time we've been this close. Everything still feels the same as it did back then. Looking at her up close and feeling her breath, my heart still races, even in this situation. I know this is the feeling I want, and she is the woman I want... This is a deep, unspoken emotion that I can't lie to myself.

...

The atmosphere became extremely tense because neither side could find a way to back down... Just then, another Maybach stopped in the opposite lane. As soon as the car came to a stop, Cao Jinbo opened the door and got out, while Ye Zhi's fiancé got out from the other side...

They arrived faster than the police and were the best rescuers... The moment I saw Cao Jinbo, I knew we were safe; I heard that in this city, there aren't many things that Cao Jinbo can personally handle...