The sight of the person before them, weeping and begging for mercy, was a stark contrast to his previous arrogance. The newly arrived, unsuspecting onlookers initially thought Cheng Qingyan was the one who had bullied others.

Cheng Qingyan pulled her foot back and slapped him across the face: "Does it hurt?"

Feng Yishui nodded, then suddenly shook his head, his fear only intensifying. He dared not speak, his eyes darting cautiously, afraid to utter a single word, lest he say something wrong and be beaten again.

Cheng Qingyan suddenly looked at him with a fake smile: "Young man, I still prefer your arrogant and unruly demeanor just now."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I'm not used to you being like this now~ It's only interesting to discipline disobedient people. I like disobedient children the most, especially disobedient bad children."

"That way, even if I hit them, or accidentally kill or maim them, I won't feel any guilt."

As if suddenly realizing something, Cheng Qingyan said, "Oh right, what was your mentality when you hit that child just now? Did you think that even if you beat him to death, no one would back him up, and no one would dare to do anything to you?"

"Remember this feeling. When I hit you just now, it felt the same way you hit him. You're probably thinking, why are you the heir of a marquis's family, while he's just a beggar? There's no comparison."

"But in my eyes, you are all the same. Rich or poor, everyone has only one life, and no one can be brought back to life after death."

The man on the ground trembled all over, not daring to raise his head, unaware of what awaited him with the next breath.

Perhaps, for the first time in all his years, he felt the threat of death. So he was terrified. Even though he was arrogant and had a powerful background, he knew that once a person dies, everything is gone.

There were quite a few onlookers, and staying on the street wasn't going to solve anything, so Cheng Qingyan looked around, trying to find a place to wait.

At this moment, a person squeezed through the crowd and bowed to Cheng Qingyan: "Young master, there are teahouses and restaurants ahead. You and your wife can go there to rest for a while."

This person looked completely unfamiliar; Cheng Qingyan was certain she had never seen him before.

But since he dared to speak to me, he must not be afraid of offending Marquis Jingyuan.

Cheng Qingyan helped the boy up from the ground, Ye Lingyu carried the young woman, and Feng Yishui was dragged forward by his attendant.

Arriving at the nearest restaurant, Cheng Qingyan tried to go in but was stopped outside.

The shopkeeper and waiter had both witnessed Cheng Qingyan break the leg of the Marquis of Jingyuan's heir with a single kick. Letting Cheng Qingyan in now would be tantamount to openly opposing the Marquis of Jingyuan.

They dared not say anything harsh, so they politely and tactfully explained that their restaurant was small and had no powerful backing. After Cheng Qingyan and the others left, they planned to continue operating their restaurant in the capital; then, the Marquis of Jingyuan would be able to manipulate them at will.

Cheng Qingyan understood this, so he didn't make things difficult for them and led Ye Lingyu forward.

The young man who had previously suggested they rest at a restaurant came over again: "Young master, madam, why don't I show you the way?"

Cheng Qingyan did not refuse, and the young man led the way. They hadn't gone far when they arrived at the entrance of a large restaurant.

The restaurant's signboard was quite bold: "The Number One Restaurant Under Heaven."

When the restaurant manager saw Cheng Qingyan arrive with a group of people, he sensibly led them to the main hall: "Young master, madam, would you like to rest in the main hall or go to a private room? Our private rooms upstairs are quite spacious, but it seems that this young master is not quite comfortable there."

It's inconvenient, isn't it? Feng Yishui is being dragged along right now; climbing stairs is indeed inconvenient.

But who cares about convenience? Cheng Qingyan smiled kindly and benevolently: "Please, have a private room upstairs. Bring out whatever you have good food and drinks, something special. Also, have someone find a doctor to come over."

The manager quickly led the people to the second floor, and the dishes and snacks were served in no time. However, none of this concerned Feng Yishui; he was simply left outside the door and not allowed to enter the house.

The two children inside the house had pure eyes that held both awe and fear. But the child who had been beaten earlier, even after Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu saved them, still shielded the younger child behind him.

Perhaps they've been bullied so much that even after being rescued, they're still like frightened birds, seeing threats everywhere.

Of course, they were more wary of Cheng Qingyan by comparison. Perhaps it was because Cheng Qingyan had beaten up the people who bullied him badly right in front of them, making them even more afraid of him.

The little girl's eyes would occasionally glance at Ye Lingyu, perhaps because Ye Lingyu had protected her on the way here and before, making her feel kindness. So she subconsciously trusted the person protecting her, but after all, she was still a child, and she was still very afraid of the fierceness that Cheng Qingyan showed.

Ye Lingyu handed them a plate of pastries, smiling gently, "Would you like to try some of these pastries? They're sweet and delicious!"

The young girl glanced at the pastries, said nothing, and then turned her gaze to the young man.

She was cautious; although she wanted to eat, she wouldn't express her desire without the young man's permission.

I don't know if it was because of the young master's good teaching, or because of the repeated disappointments and beatings that made her so obedient.

Under the girl's piercing gaze, the young man timidly spoke up: "We have no money..."

He meant that they didn't have the money to afford the pastries here.

Ye Lingyu stroked the little girl's messy hair and said softly, "Come and eat, sweetie. You can eat whatever you want here, don't worry, it's free."

The young man secretly glanced at Cheng Qingyan, who smiled back, making the young man's heart pound.

This benefactor who saved them seemed quite gentle when he wasn't hitting them.

After receiving permission from Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu, the young man reached out and took two pieces of pastry. He handed one to the little girl and kept the other in his hand without eating it.

He only handed over the pastry in his hand after the little girl had wolfed it down.

The little girl licked her lips and smiled brightly: "Wanwan is full, brother, eat now~"

Just kidding, a tiny pastry, about the size of a mahjong tile, how could it possibly fill you up? I'm just trying to comfort the child in front of me out of concern.

Ye Lingyu picked up a piece of pastry and handed it to the little girl: "Good girl, Wanwan, Auntie has a lot more. You eat what Auntie has, and leave what your brother has for him."