Chu Xing walked towards Song Mai step by step, his eyes seeming to hold some terrifying beast imprisoned within them, cold and stern yet filled with anger.

"open."

The man exuded an imposing aura, his presence as swift and dangerous as a hurricane.

The two thugs instinctively took two steps back, but their hands were still tightly gripping Song Mai, unwilling to let go.

Summoning her courage, Song's mother hurriedly stepped forward to stop Chu Xing, but the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her nervousness and fear.

"It's my right to take my daughter with me!"

As Song Mai watched the man approach her, she felt a lump in her throat, whether from grievance, fear, or finally seeing someone who could put her at ease. She almost burst into tears.

The man's thin lips curved slightly into a smile, but his eyes were icy cold, giving off an air of contempt and mockery.

"You just said these two people are her cousins, so what are their names?"

Song's mother was surprised by his sudden question and her heart tightened. She quickly made up two names: "Cheng Feng and Cheng Yuan."

"laugh--"

Chu Xing chuckled, his gaze as clear as a morning bell or evening drum.

"As far as I know, your surname is Fang, and Song Mai's surname is Song. How come her cousin's surname is Cheng?"

The man's voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was like slowly peeling back the layers of the truth with a knife.

Song's mother's eyes widened in surprise. She had been so focused on getting the information out of the way that no one would suspect anything that she hadn't thought of this point at all.

But she had already said this much, and if she didn't continue, it would be perfectly clear that what she said was false.

In desperation, she could only say, "They are distant relatives, distant cousins, not related by blood."

Seeing that Song Mai's face was pale, and that the two thugs showed no intention of letting her go.

Chu Xing grabbed the shoulder of the thug on the left and then suddenly exerted force. With a "click," the thug's hand, which was gripping Song Mai's wrist, suddenly went limp and fell down as if it had no bones.

"ah--"

The thug screamed in pain, his cries piercing and shrill, as if he were in excruciating agony.

Seeing this, the other thug no longer dared to hold Song Mai like that and quickly let go.

Chu Xing took the woman's hand and pulled her behind him, checking her over from head to toe, his eyes filled with concern as he asked:

"How are you? Are you alright?"

While pressing her wrist, which was being gripped so hard, Song Mai shook her head and said, "It's nothing."

The man's expression faltered slightly, but the coldness in his eyes remained undiminished, and his imposing aura intensified.

"Are they distant cousins, or thugs sent by that old man to help you arrest people?"

When the truth was revealed, Song's mother avoided eye contact, but remained defiant.

“They are clearly Song Mai’s cousins, what do you know! You’re just a gigolo who only knows how to live off women! You’re only trying to stop her because you’re afraid she’ll divorce you and you’ll lose your source of income.”

The man was tall and protective, shielding Song Mai tightly. Looking at his tall back, Song Mai felt a sense of security.

Chu Xing questioned her calmly and deliberately:

"Distant cousins, which branch are they from? If I remember correctly, when you and the old man you forced her to marry came to cause trouble a few days ago, these two were still that old man's henchmen. How come they've changed so quickly?"

"You've got it wrong!"

Chu Xing glanced at the people around him, no longer having the patience to argue with a scoundrel like Song's mother.

Meanwhile, the people around her whispered among themselves: "No wonder she married this man. I would have married him too. He's so handsome, it's a pleasure to look at him every day! Who would want to marry a man more than ten years older than themselves?"

"This man makes me feel so safe, and look at how expensive his clothes are, how could he possibly be living off a woman?"

"Yes, and what era are we living in? We've long advocated for free love. What more could you ask for if you can find such a handsome man who can protect you? I don't think this mother really wants to find a rich family for her daughter to marry into. I'm afraid she just wants that 500,000 yuan herself, and she's making it sound so noble."

"I agree. The young couple has a great relationship, so why do you have to break them up? Money is something that can be earned eventually if both people work hard together. Besides, it's always better to marry someone you love than someone you can't even look at."

...

Seeing the shift in public opinion, Song's mother was extremely anxious.

Unfortunately, those two thugs were no match for Chu Xing, and Liu Weiqiang hadn't come. Even though she had made careful arrangements today, it seemed it was all in vain now.

But she still wanted to struggle a little longer.

“I’m her biological mother, would I harm her! You’re all outsiders, you don’t know the truth, how can you make such comments!”

Chu Xing did not respond to Song's mother's words, but turned to look at Zheng Yao with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"You said you're her colleague, so you should know a lot about their family situation, right?"

Zheng Yao didn't know what the man was up to, but she could only nod.

"So what if it is?"

"So you also think that older man is a very suitable marriage partner?"

Zheng Yao had always sided with Song's mother, so she naturally couldn't change her mind now. Even though she did find Liu Weiqiang disgusting, she would be happy if Song Maizhen married him.

"Of course, a mother would never choose a bad one for her daughter."

Chu Xing lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, his eyes full of meaning.

"As far as I know, you're still single, right? Since that person is such a good catch and you think he's great, why don't you marry him? You're so devoted to Song Mai, so it's already a thank you that she's giving up such a good man to you."

It would have been fine if these words had come from anyone else, but they had to come from Chu Xing's mouth.

He was well aware of Zheng Yao's feelings for him, yet he still said such things in front of so many people. Wasn't that an insult to her?

Her expression immediately changed. "What does their family's business have to do with me! She can marry Song Mai to whomever she wants, why should I be involved?"

The man's gaze sharpened.

"Yes, what does it have to do with you? You're jumping around like a clown, saying that a mother wouldn't harm her child, and that the man is a good catch. If he's really that good, why are you willing to give him a try?"

Chu Xing is known for his blunt and uncompromising remarks, but he rarely speaks so directly and bluntly.

Now, with so many people saying this to Zheng Yao, Zheng Yao noticed that everyone around her was looking at her.

Many people agreed with Chu Xing's point of view, believing that she was a petty instigator who felt she had lost face but did not want to leave, so she argued desperately.

"No! I just can't bear to see a mother suffer so much because her daughter is unfilial. Can't I pity her?"