Song Que reached for his phone, but suddenly sensing something was wrong, he looked up just as the opponent made a move.
The thug swung a plastic tray at Shao Fuguang’s head. Shao Fuguang stepped back half a pace, causing the tray to graze past his face. Song Que’s eyelids twitched violently. It was just a plastic tray and not particularly heavy, but Shao Fuguang had been caught off guard. He stumbled back, caught by his brothers who had rushed over, and the impact felt no different to him than being slapped across the face.
Shao Fuguang’s head was buzzing. He stared at the plastic tray on the floor in disbelief. He had been in scraps before, but never had he been struck by such an uncouth person. He decided he would not let them get away with even a touch.
The opponent pointed at him triumphantly, “You dare…”
“Damn it! Damn it!” Shao Fuguang covered his face, jumping up in a rage. “Damn it!!!”
As Song Que approached, the sheer volume of Shao Fuguang’s yelling made his eardrums ache. “Let me see where you are hurt.” Song Que tried to reach out to Shao Fuguang, but he could not hold him still. Shao Fuguang hopped on the spot, his hair standing on end from sheer fury, as he pointed at the opponent and roared, “Beat him up for me!”
Wen Liangmao, who had some martial arts training, was the first to charge in. Aside from being friends with Shao Fuguang, they also wanted to curry favor with him, as their families’ businesses relied on the Shao family. Shao Fuguang had been hit right in front of them; they knew they would have a hard time explaining it to their elders if they did not act. Seeing how things had escalated, Song Que realized there was no longer any need for a peaceful resolution. He was about to step in to help, but Shao Fuguang stopped him with lightning speed.
Stimulated to the point of madness by the plastic tray, Shao Fuguang shouted at Song Que, “You cannot go over there!”
Song Que did not understand his train of thought but complied. “Fine, fine. Just stop being so worked up.”
Shao Fuguang gestured for Song Que to look at the left side of his face. “Is my face ruined?”
“It is not ruined, just a little red.” Song Que grabbed his chin to examine it closely. It was indeed not serious. “If it hurts badly, we should go to the hospital.”
“I am not going to the hospital!” Shao Fuguang yelled. “I want them dead!”
Song Que felt a long, ringing sensation in his ears. Shao Fuguang lacked business sense and would have fallen into every trap set for him if it were not for Gu Yushuo and the others. As the younger brother, he had always been the designated heir’s shadow, never having to struggle; he lived a life free of worry, supported by his parents and his older brother. Such a pampered, golden boy being struck in the face naturally led to an extreme degree of indignation and shame. By the end, seeing the tears welling up in Shao Fuguang’s eyes, even after Wen Liangmao had beaten the thugs into a pulp, Song Que felt guilty. “It is my fault.”
Shao Fuguang looked at him. “What does this have to do with you? I was the one who insisted on staying and the one who wanted to stand up for myself. It is normal to get hit if my skills are not up to par, is it not?”
Song Que looked at the fragile tears in Shao Fuguang’s eyes and felt, for the first time, that the situation was incredibly thorny.
The security guards for the commercial street arrived, preventing further fighting. Compared to the thugs who were groaning on the floor, Shao Fuguang sat on a table, covered in oil and stains, looking unusually quiet. Song Que took a cold towel from Jiaojiao and applied it to Shao Fuguang’s face. Shao Fuguang let him, his fingers busy scrolling through his phone.
He did not need to feel embarrassed; this situation had to be reported to Qin Wangye and the others. Since Shao Fuguang’s older brother was usually away and had not shown up at the last chamber of commerce meeting, Song Que did not hesitate. He took his phone to a quiet corner. The line connected after two rings. Qin Wangye’s voice was low and pleasant. “What is wrong?”
Song Que felt like he was losing his mind, thinking that even the man’s voice sounded incredibly gentle. He quickly straightened his thoughts. “Brother Ye, Mr. Shao is here with me, and something has happened.”
Thirty minutes later, Qin Wangye and Gu Yushuo stepped out of their car. They had been discussing business together when Song Que called. Gu Yushuo had even mocked the tone Qin Wangye used on the phone. With the customers cleared out and the area surrounded by tables and chairs, Qin Wangye kicked a chair aside and strode in. He swept the scene with a quick glance, thinking he understood what happened.
He was wrong. At least, when he saw Shao Fuguang look up, unable to hold back his tears, Qin Wangye felt like he had been caught off guard. In his memory, Shao Fuguang had not cried like this in a long time. Gu Yushuo walked up to Shao Fuguang. “What is the matter?”
Song Que explained the situation in detail. Once he finished, Qin Wangye looked back at the thugs. The timing was off, but this was far from over.
Shao Fuguang rubbed his eyes fiercely and growled, “Touching my face is absolutely forbidden!”
Gu Yushuo said, “I know. I will handle it later, alright?” Only then did Shao Fuguang breathe a sigh of relief.
Li Shishan cooperated fully with the police who arrived. The situation was clear, but he would still need to go to the station to give a statement. Song Que patted him on the shoulder. “Go ahead, it will be fine.” Li Shishan nodded.
Qin Wangye looked Song Que up and down. “You were involved in the fighting too?”
“How could I be?” Shao Fuguang’s eyes were still red. He looked young, and usually, he was boisterous and blustering. Now, with the tip of his nose red, he looked utterly wronged. “I was there, so I certainly would not let him lift a finger.”
Qin Wangye wanted to apologize sincerely for the contempt he had shown toward Shao Fuguang that day. With the matter mostly resolved, the staff cleaned up the scattered tables and chairs. Song Que consoled Jiaojiao, who had been frightened, promising her that everything would be alright. Since Gu Yushuo had made several phone calls just moments ago, it was likely handled.
“Since you said it will be alright, then it must be alright.” Jiaojiao finally calmed down.
Song Que said, “I will send you home later. The shop will remain closed for tonight.”
“Okay.”
Qin Wangye waited for them to finish before walking to Song Que’s side.
“Brother Ye.”
“Mhm. Have you had dinner?”
“I have. What about you, Brother Ye?”
“I rushed here halfway through.” As Qin Wangye spoke, he noticed a drop of oil on the collar of Song Que’s wool sweater, likely splattered during the scuffle earlier.
“Do not move,” Qin Wangye said in a low voice. He pulled the collar down with two fingers and wiped it away with his warm thumb. Seeming worried it was not clean, he rubbed the spot twice more.
Song Que stiffened, a surge of heat blooming from his heart. He felt a tingling numbness where Qin Wangye had touched him, with a current racing through his entire body. Even though they had been more intimate in the past, this felt different.
“Done.” Qin Wangye simply could not stand seeing Song Que stained. As he withdrew his hand, he noticed Song Que’s flushed cheeks and curled his lips in amusement.
“And who did I do all this for?” Shao Fuguang watched the scene, his voice choking with emotion. Qin Wangye truly never lost a deal, even when it came to falling in love.
Gu Yushuo patted Shao Fuguang’s head. “Poor little thing. I will step in later and make Qin Wangye buy you a car.”
“Mhm!”
They did not bother hiding their conversation. Wen Liangmao, who was standing closest, heard every word. He reacted sharply, shooting a fierce look toward Qin Wangye and Song Que, his gaze darting between them.
The next second, Qin Wangye raised an eyebrow at him. Wen Liangmao squeezed out a panicky smile and lowered his head as quickly as he could.