Xie Fangzhu’s gaze fell on the pale, plump face. He narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, gesturing for the fat man to look at his companion—the burly man still kneeling before Shen Yingying, his face a mask of panic.
“The other one is you, right?”
His voice remained calm and even, but to the fat man’s ears, it sounded more terrifying than the roar of a devil from hell.
The fat man was filled with regret, cursing his own loose tongue for daring to speak ill of Xie Fangzhu’s wife in front of him. It was like crying for help while hugging a tiger—simply asking for death!
His face turned as white as paper, and he hurriedly begged for mercy, “Brother Xie, Brother Xie, I was wrong! I misspoke! Please, don’t hold it against me, spare me!”
Xie Fangzhu snorted coldly. “Why didn’t you think before you spoke?”
With that, he delivered a clean, swift punch straight to the fat man’s stomach, causing his expression to contort in agony.
The fat man was utterly terrified, fearing that Xie Fangzhu would step on his face and grind it into the ground, just as he had done to his companion. He knew that to be spared, he needed Shen Yingying to speak up for him.
Ignoring the cold sweat from the pain in his stomach, he struggled to straighten up and slid into a kneeling position before Shen Yingying.
“Sister-in-law… I’m truly sorry! I was talking nonsense earlier! Please, be magnanimous and ask Brother Xie to let me go! I’ll never dare to do it again! If I ever talk nonsense like that again, I’ll cut out this foul mouth of mine!”
With that, he began slapping himself across the face—left, then right—crying and begging for mercy as he did so.
Shen Yingying: “…”
His performance was even more exaggerated than the burly man’s earlier display. He didn’t hold back, and after just two slaps, clear handprints appeared on his plump face.
Watching him sob and wail, Shen Yingying clicked her tongue. She had enjoyed the spectacle enough and was about to speak to Xie Fangzhu when suddenly, a thunderous, rough voice boomed beside her:
“Damn, it really is my brother!”
She turned toward the voice and saw a man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old peering through the crowd at Xie Fangzhu, his square-jawed face filled with surprise.
He rudely pushed his way through the crowd and stepped forward.
Once he emerged, his massive frame was fully visible.
He was slightly shorter than Xie Fangzhu. Xie Fangzhu had the kind of physique that was lean in clothes but muscular underneath, with rock-hard muscles—far from the frail, stick-like type.
But next to this giant, even the tall and sturdy Xie Fangzhu seemed somewhat slender.
This giant was twice Xie Fangzhu’s width, and that extra bulk wasn’t fat—it was pure muscle. The bulging muscles were even more exaggerated than those of bodybuilding champions in her own time.
Standing there, he looked like a small mountain.
The original host’s memories held little impression of this man, not even his name. She only knew he often followed Xie Fangzhu around.
But Shen Yingying had read the novel. Based on the author’s description, she recognized this giant at a glance—he was Xie Fangzhu’s loyal right-hand man, Han Wei.
Han Wei and Xie Fangzhu had met through a fight. At this time, Han Wei had only recently arrived at the mining area. Before coming here, he had been a street tough.
After arriving, he heard about Xie Fangzhu and Shen Yingying’s story and felt that Xie Fangzhu, being played by a woman like that, was a disgrace to men.He then blocked Xie Fangzhu, intending to teach this spineless coward who had shamed all men a good lesson on behalf of his fellow men.
In the end, he not only failed to teach Xie Fangzhu a lesson but was instead beaten up by him.
Han Wei, who had always relied on his size advantage to be invincible in fights since childhood—except when his mother played the emotional card to beat him—had never been bested by anyone, let alone beaten black and blue.
Xie Fangzhu was the first!
From then on, Han Wei admired Xie Fangzhu wholeheartedly and stuck to him like glue, becoming his loyal follower.
Han Wei’s motto was: It was fine to call him a coward, but anyone who dared call Xie Fangzhu a coward would be beaten until they couldn’t recognize their own mother.
Because of his intimidating size and unwavering loyalty, even though he wasn’t the brightest, Xie Fangzhu kept him by his side as a trusted confidant.
Han Wei’s gaze fell on the fat man kneeling before Shen Yingying and slapping himself in the face. He immediately pounded his chest in frustration, exclaiming, “Damn, I’m too late!”
He had just arrived at the cafeteria when he heard that his brother Xie Fangzhu had gotten into a fight with someone. He was thrilled.
It had been a long time since he’d been in a fight, and his hands were itching for action. Today, he finally had the chance to see who dared provoke his brother. He was determined to beat that person until they couldn’t recognize their own mother!
But to his surprise, Xie Fangzhu acted swiftly. By the time Han Wei arrived, the matter had already been settled.
Han Wei looked at Xie Fangzhu with a hint of resentment in his eyes. “Brother, why didn’t you call me for the fight?”
Xie Fangzhu ignored him. He glanced at the two men still kneeling obediently before Shen Yingying and sneered. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd as he raised his voice slightly and said:
“From now on, mind your own business. Stay out of other people’s affairs, and don’t meddle in mine!”
His face was dark with anger, and his voice was as cold as frost, completely devoid of his usual amiability. “Shen Yingying is my woman. No one has the right to gossip about her! If anyone dares to cross the line again, it won’t be settled with just a punch or two like today. Don’t blame me for disregarding neighborly ties!”
No one in the cafeteria dared to make a sound, afraid of provoking the enraged man.
Most of them had witnessed Xie Fangzhu dealing with the bullies from the neighboring village years ago.
They knew that although Xie Fangzhu was friendly and helpful in the mine, he was no pushover when it came to those who crossed him.
Han Wei, standing behind Xie Fangzhu, grew excited. It had been a long time since he’d seen his brother this angry, and he was just as impressive as ever!
He had heard about Shen Yingying’s reputation and knew she wasn’t a good woman. He disliked her intensely, feeling she wasn’t worthy of his brother.
But as long as his brother wanted to protect her, he would do the same in front of outsiders.
With this in mind, Han Wei glared fiercely at the crowd and growled:
“Listen up to what my brother said today! Mind your own business and don’t meddle in others’ affairs! If you’re really that bored and can’t help yourself, go shovel manure at the mine and contribute to the mining area! Don’t go around gossiping about my sister-in-law!”
“If I hear about it again, not only will my brother not let you off, but I’ll also make sure you regret it!”With that, he grunted twice, flexed his arm, and fully displayed his exaggerated biceps to the crowd. “I mean what I say! If anyone disagrees, feel free to come and try!”
If Xie Fangzhu alone could strip someone of their skin, let alone adding a big guy into the mix, who would dare to disagree?
The crowded cafeteria grew even quieter, making the crisp sound of the fat man slapping himself all the more distinct.
Seeing that no one dared to utter a word, Xie Fangzhu finally composed himself and walked toward Shen Yingying.
He approached her as if nothing had happened, glanced at the fat man still slapping himself, and asked, “Do you still want me to keep going?”