Zhou Yang didn't give her a chance to pay at all, and immediately covered up the QR code for receiving payment, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

"Stop dawdling, there are so many people in line behind you, hurry up and go slurp your food to the side!"

Xu Yao was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by Zhou Yang's domineering attitude.

I could only obediently carry my bowl to the side of the road, find an empty seat, and begin to savor the legendary "fried pebbles".

Xu Yao's eyes lit up as soon as she took a bite.

This taste... is absolutely amazing!

The sour, spicy, and savory flavors exploded in her mouth, stimulating her taste buds and making her unable to stop eating, one bite after another.

Just as Xu Yao was enjoying the delicious taste of the fried pebbles, a lewd figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Xu Yao? So you're here! We've been looking for you everywhere!"

A middle-aged man with yellow teeth and an ugly appearance stared straight at Xu Yao with a disgusting smile on his face.

"ah!"

Upon seeing the man, Xu Yao screamed in fright, and the bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering pebbles all over the ground.

She stared in terror at the man before her, her body trembling uncontrollably, her mind blank, her instinctive urge to run away.

"Trying to run? No way!"

The middle-aged man grabbed Xu Yao's arm with surprising strength, causing Xu Yao to almost cry from the pain.

He grinned maliciously, his tone fierce: "You can run for a while, but you can't run forever! I've caught you this time, haven't I? Come back with me and get married!"

"Ah! Let me go!"

Xu Yao's voice was choked with sobs as she struggled desperately.

The man grinned maliciously, increasing the pressure in his hands, almost crushing Xu Yao's bones.

"Your parents have already betrothed you to me, and I've given the bride price. Where do you think you're going now? You little slut, you're quite the troublemaker!"

"I don't want to marry you! Let me go, let me go!"

Xu Yao completely broke down.

She never imagined that after running away for so long, she would still be found by this devil!

This scene took place in front of Zhou Yang's stall.

Just as Zhou Yang handed the fried pebbles to the next customer, he heard Xu Yao scream.

He looked up abruptly and immediately saw the scene.

"stop!"

Zhou Yang shouted.

He dropped the spoon in his hand and rushed over in three strides, shielding Xu Yao behind him. "What do you want to do?"

The fire in Zhou Yang's heart suddenly ignited.

In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how dare someone forcibly abduct a woman in the street?

Is there no law anymore?!

The middle-aged man was startled by Zhou Yang's imposing manner, but then became arrogant again.

He sized Zhou Yang up and down, and said disdainfully, "She's my wife. I'm taking her back to get married and have kids. What's it to you? If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

"He's my cousin... he's my aunt's son..."

Xu Yao quickly hid behind Zhou Yang, tightly gripping his clothes, and explained while crying, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"He...he couldn't find a wife, so he set his sights on me, and even tried to molest me..."

“I’ve always rebelled, and I ran away after I became an adult… I never expected him to track me down here…”

"I don't want to go back with him! I don't want to marry him! Help me..."

Xu Yao's voice was filled with fear and helplessness, as if Zhou Yang was her only lifeline.

Zhou Yang understood—this was forced marriage! And it was forced marriage by close relatives!

He gently patted Xu Yao's shoulder, "Don't be afraid, I'm here, I won't let him take you away."

Turning his head, Zhou Yang looked at the middle-aged man, his eyes instantly turning icy cold. "Get out of here! Or I'll call the police!"

Zhou Yang's warning still echoed in his ears, and his cold gaze sent a shiver down Zheng Qiang's spine.

But when he thought of his "legitimate" status as a "fiancé" and the humiliation of being publicly rebuked by a young man, a surge of anger instantly overwhelmed his fear.

"Call the police? Ha! Who are you trying to scare!"

Zheng Qiang spat, his words a mix of bravado and fear, "It's my right to bring my wife home! Even if the police come, it's none of their business!"

Not only did he not let go, but a lewd glint flashed in his eyes, and his other free hand actually reached out to touch Xu Yao's rather large breasts!

Their filthy intentions are utterly obvious!

"You're asking for it!"

Zhou Yang's anger completely exploded!

His friend was right behind him, and he was being humiliated and molested like this. How could he possibly swallow this insult?

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yang had no time to think; his body reacted before his reason could.

He took a sudden step forward, his right arm muscles bulging, the accumulated power like a compressed spring.

A precise straight punch, accompanied by the sound of wind, landed squarely on Zheng Qiang's nose with a muffled "thud"!

The force was so great that one could even hear the faint illusion of a bone cracking.

"Awooo—!"

Zheng Qiang let out a pig-like scream, staggering back several steps from the sudden heavy blow, and crouched down, covering his nose.

Bright red blood gushed out from between his fingers in an instant, dripping onto the ground in a horrifying sight.

"You...you fucking dare to hit me?!"

Zheng Qiang was in so much pain that tears and snot mixed with blood streamed down his face, his voice became distorted, and his hand pointing at Zhou Yang trembled like a leaf.

"I'm calling the police! I'm going to sue you for intentional assault! You'll be going to jail!"

He was both shocked and furious; this kid had gone too far!

Zhou Yang stared at him coldly, without the slightest fear on his face. Instead, he took a step forward and looked down at Zheng Qiang, who was squatting on the ground.

"Why didn't you call? My phone is with me, do you want me to call for you?"

Zhou Yang took out his phone, pretending to dial a number, "Perfect, let the police come over and settle this."

"Let's see if it's more serious that you forcibly abducted a woman in the street and attempted to sexually assault her, or if it's more serious that I taught you a lesson to protect my friend!"

Zhou Yang knew perfectly well that the other party was acting out of guilt and trying to shift the blame.

With so many eyes watching, it's clear who's right and who's wrong!

"That's right! You filthy scoundrel, how dare you accuse someone first?"

From the crowd, a young girl holding a phone and wearing a cat-ear headband stepped forward. She was Zhou Yang's fan and had been recording the conversation.

She shoved her phone screen right in front of Zheng Qiang's face and shouted, "Uncle, look carefully!"

"I recorded everything you did, from pulling at this girl to trying to take advantage of her with your groping hands!"

"Mr. Zhou, you're doing a heroic act, don't you understand! If you dare to slander an innocent person again, I'll immediately post the video online and make you famous all over the internet!"

The girl's tone was agitated, and she was clearly furious.

"Yes! We all saw it!"

"To bully a young girl in broad daylight and even try to touch her, what a scoundrel!"

"Good job, young man! People like that deserve to be taught a lesson!"

"Protecting girls is what men should do!"

"Sexy hands should be chopped off!"