“Why are you squeezing in? Rushing to work or what? Get the hell out of my way!”
With that, he forcefully threw Ye Qingning out of the crowd.
“Hahaha…”
It all happened in an instant, and Ye Qingning was completely stunned. She used her ability just in time to avoid being injured from the fall.
If it had been any other child her age, they would have suffered quite a bit.
Ye Qingning stood up and looked toward the person who had thrown her.
He was clearly a street ruffian, just with a few lackeys.
It seemed her casual outfit today had made people look down on her.
“Was it you who threw me?”
“That’s right! It was me! The fact you didn’t die from that fall means you’re lucky. I thought the corpse collectors would have one more body tomorrow, hahaha…”
Ye Qingning said nothing and walked toward the ruffian step by step. Anyone familiar with her would know that he was as good as dead.
Most of the onlookers were just there to watch the excitement, while others didn’t dare get involved.
Only at the entrance of the newly opened building did a young boy look up at a middle-aged man with a bandit-like aura.
“Dad, can you help her?”
“Little Gu Jin, you know what your father does, don’t you?” The man looked at him with a hint of disappointment.
“The black gang.”
“Do you think I would pity the weak?”
Hearing that, Gu Jin pressed his lips together and lowered his head in silence.
“Raise your head and watch!”
“Dad…” Gu Jin was unwilling, but under his father’s unquestionable tone, he still looked over.
Ye Qingning hadn’t intended to act just yet—after all, there were also police inspectors among the crowd.
Unfortunately, someone’s mouth was too foul.
Ye Qingning directly kicked the ruffian to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
“Hiss—”
The crowd gasped in amazement at the little girl’s strength.
It looked like a soft, light kick, yet the man couldn’t even get back up.
“Whose corpse are you collecting?” Ye Qingning asked lightly, stepping on the ruffian’s face.
Laughter broke out among the other thugs in the crowd—a grown man being beaten to the ground by a little girl.
The men who had come with the ruffian had originally intended to slip away quietly, but hearing this, their fighting spirit was stirred. If they backed down today, they’d never rise again.
So they shouted as they walked toward Ye Qingning, “You dare hit our boss? Brothers, attack together!”
“Wait!”
The crowd turned to look at the speaker—it was Gu Qing, the big boss of the establishment opening today.
“Causing trouble on the day of my grand opening—are you looking down on me, Gu?”
“Master Gu, we wouldn’t dare.” The few thugs exchanged glances, then dragged the fallen man away in panic.
Ye Qingning stared at Boss Gu without saying a word. She wanted to see what he was planning.
“Little sister, are you alright? Dad, you saved her!” Gu Jin didn’t know why his father had changed his mind, but he was delighted.
“You’re wrong. Your father saved those men just now, not me.”
Boss Gu laughed loudly upon hearing this. “Little girl, you were startled on my territory today. Why not come inside, listen to some music, have some pastries, and rest a bit?”
“Sure.”
Ye Qingning walked in without waiting for Boss Gu. Today, she would change her place to cool off.
She didn’t know that Sheng had happened to witness the beginning of the incident and had rushed off to the woodcarving shop to inform Liu Jinting.
At this moment, Gu Jin found it astonishing that Ye Qingning could converse so casually with his father. No child he knew wasn’t afraid of his father—even he himself was.
The crowd began discussing who Ye Qingning might be. Patrol Chief Zhu was also among them.
He hadn’t expected that even a major figure from the black gang would treat Ye Qingning so politely.
“Little sister, my name is Gu Jin. What’s your name?”
“Ye Qingning.”
“Which family are you from? Where do you live? Do you go to school? Why are you out alone? Where are your family?”
“You’re really talkative.”
“Hahaha… Xiao Jin, look at you—being lectured by a little girl.”
“Big brother!”
The eldest Gu brother ignored Gu Jin and said to Ye Qingning, “I saw everything from upstairs just now. You’re very strong. Born with great strength?”
“Something like that.”
“I’m Gu Lang. You can call me big brother like Xiao Jin does. I’m busy today, but you can come visit another day.”
“You’re too polite, Eldest Gu brother.”
As soon as those words fell, commotion arose at the entrance.
“Little one!”
The moment Ye Qingning heard the voice, she knew who it was.
Gu Lang’s expression clearly turned displeased at Liu Jinting’s arrival. “This isn’t a place you should be.”
“Eldest Gu brother, he’s my brother. He came to find me.”
“Your real brother?”
“My real brother.”
Liu Jinting was very satisfied with Ye Qingning’s answer. Seeing that she was unharmed, his tension and anxiety immediately disappeared, and he returned to his usual refined demeanor. “Congratulations on the Gu family’s new shop opening. I came in a hurry today—another day I will surely send a proper gift.”
“No need.”
Hearing their exchange, Ye Qingning realized they knew each other.
She didn’t bother with it and simply sat down to eat pastries and listen to the music. Liu Jinting also sat down without ceremony and poured himself a cup of tea.
“Hello, Sir Liu.”
“Hello.”
After that, the two stopped speaking. Ye Qingning wasn’t interested in other people’s private matters.
After listening for a while, she grew bored and prepared to leave.
She wasn’t someone who ate for free, so she gave Gu Jin a watch. She had stocked up on plenty of those while abroad.
“This is too valuable.”
“I don’t like taking things for free. And it’s not anything rare to me. Just take it.”
“Thank you.” The watch he usually used was just an ordinary mechanical one, but the one Ye Qingning gave him was foreign-made.
Just by looking at it, it was expensive—he even felt it was better than the treasured watch his elder brother owned.
“I’m leaving.”
“You still haven’t told me where you live. Are you staying at Brother Jinting’s place?”
“If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
She still needed to go get some exercise. There was no way she would let those who bullied her get off so easily.
“So staying at my place doesn’t count as freeloading?”
“Aren’t you my real brother?”
“Haha…” Liu Jinting laughed heartily, folding his fan and lightly tapping Ye Qingning on the head. “Well said!”
Ye Qingning glared at him and asked, “How did you come here?”
“That driver from earlier came to tell me. The man was drenched in sweat from running. By the way, I forgot to give him a tip just now.”
“Just give it next time you see him. Aren’t you going back to the shop?”
“In this heat, you’re not coming back with me?”
Ye Qingning thought about it and agreed. Dealing with those people could wait until night.
On the way, when she saw someone selling cold ice cream, her steps naturally turned in that direction.
Quite a few children were sitting nearby, perhaps thinking that being close to the ice cream would make them feel cooler.
From time to time, they licked their lips and stared blankly.
“Line up to get ice cream.”
“???”
“Didn’t understand?”
“We understood.”
“Then why aren’t you moving?”
The children seemed to confirm it was real, cheering as they quickly lined up.
“Pick your own flavor.”
But as if they had all agreed beforehand, they all chose the cheapest one—ten cents each.
Ye Qingning didn’t say anything. She and Liu Jinting each picked a large cup costing forty cents, paying three yuan in total.
Things sold by foreigners—don’t expect her to pay a cent more. Though she couldn’t control her craving for it.