Chapter 27: Keep Your Hands to Yourself

"That's right. You can spend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with your boyfriend, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with us. You'll even get Sundays off—how comfortable is that?" the blond-haired man said with a lecherous grin, reaching out directly to lift Bai Yu's chin.

They didn't truly want Bai Yu as their girlfriend; they just wanted to get their hands on her for some fun. Once they grew tired of her, they planned to send her to work as a hostess at a bar, where they could take a cut of her earnings.

"Keep your hands off me!"

Seeing Bai Yu being bullied, Chen Dabao strode over and pulled her behind him.

The three thugs paused, their expressions turning vicious.

"Listen here, kid, playing the hero, are you? If you know what's good for you, get lost, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

The blond man gave Chen Dabao a forceful shove, but Chen Dabao didn't budge an inch.

Seeing that Chen Dabao wasn't a pushover, the two other thugs arrogantly pulled butterfly knives from their pockets, flicking the blades open and twirling them right in front of Chen Dabao's face.

"Brother Dabao, don't mind them, I'm fine!"

Bai Yu said in a panic, clutching Chen Dabao’s sleeve. She was terrified that if a conflict broke out, Chen Dabao would get hurt, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Did you hear that, kid? Get lost while you still can!"

"Beat it, kid, or you'll be going in with a white blade and coming out with a red one!"

The two thugs blustered arrogantly. None of the three punks took Chen Dabao seriously; he was dressed in plain, rustic clothes, and they pegged him for a country bumpkin. They wouldn't dream of fearing a hick.

"Did you hear me? Get lost!"

Backed by his cohorts, the blond man regained his arrogance. He pointed a finger at Chen Dabao, attempting to jab at his forehead.

"I don't like people pointing fingers at me."

Chen Dabao suddenly reached out, grabbed the blond man's hand, and squeezed hard.

"Crack!"

"Ah! My hand!"

"My hand is breaking!"

The blond man felt as if his hand were caught in a hydraulic press; the bones in his palm were on the verge of being crushed.

"Kid, let go of Brother Blondie!"

The two thugs flew into a rage. The hotheaded one on the left lunged with his butterfly knife, aiming for Chen Dabao's stomach. The one on the right, perhaps a bit smarter, didn't dare use his blade and instead threw a kick at Chen Dabao.

Seeing the knife coming, Bai Yu froze in terror.

"Brother Dabao, watch out!" she screamed.

Chen Dabao sneered. Unfazed, he lashed out with a lightning-fast kick that sent the thug on the right flying. In the same motion, he grabbed the wrist of the thug on the left, pushing and pulling in one fluid movement.

"Argh!"

The thug felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and suddenly, his hand went numb, hanging limp and lifeless. Chen Dabao had dislocated his wrist.

Chen Dabao was careful with his actions. This was a public street, after all; if he caused serious injury and the police were called, it would be a headache. A simple dislocation didn't even count as a real injury.

The three thugs were neutralized in an instant. They looked at Chen Dabao with terror and scrambled backward.

"Get out of here! If you dare harass Bai Yu again, I won't let you off so easily!"

Chen Dabao roared. The three thugs shuddered, turned, and bolted, disappearing from sight within moments.

Standing behind Chen Dabao, Bai Yu looked at him with sparkling eyes, filled with a newfound sense of security.

Years ago, Chen Dabao had been the prodigy of their village. He was the first from their town to get into a top-tier university, and countless young women in the village had looked at him with admiration. Bai Yu, just starting high school at the time, had idolized him too. But fate was cruel; after two years of college, Chen Dabao was beaten until he became mentally disabled, and his parents passed away shortly after.

From then on, he became known throughout Qingshan Town as "the fool."

Bai Yu’s family had moved to the town, and though she eventually got into college, her mother fell critically ill. The medical bills drained their savings and left them deep in debt. She had been forced to abandon her studies to find work.

She had lost track of him over the years, never expecting that when they met again, he would be healed.

"Brother Dabao, thank you. Let me treat you to lunch!"

Seeing Chen Dabao about to leave after dealing with the thugs, Bai Yu gathered her courage and spoke up.

"Aren't you working?" Chen Dabao checked the time; it was just past eleven.

"I'm on shift at noon, but I can go to lunch first. Wait here!"

Bai Yu hurried to find the store manager to swap shifts. Although she wasn't originally scheduled for the midday shift, she could trade to work later in the afternoon, allowing her to take an early lunch break.

"Xiao Yu, take your time, don't rush! I'll cover your spot for a while!" a young married woman in her twenties teased. The other saleswomen giggled and winked at her.

Blushing, Bai Yu grabbed Chen Dabao and hurried away.

"Brother Dabao, what do you want to eat? Let’s pick a place in the pedestrian street!" Bai Yu pointed toward the row of restaurants.

"Let’s have some claypot rice. I haven't had it in ages!"

Chen Dabao didn't head for the restaurants. Instead, he led her to a small claypot rice shop nearby. If they went to a restaurant and ordered a few dishes, it could easily cost over a hundred yuan. A portion of claypot rice was only twenty-some yuan; by each having a bowl, they could save half the money. He knew Bai Yu’s situation was likely difficult, and he didn't want her spending money unnecessarily.

"Brother Blondie, they're going to eat claypot rice. Should we call the boys and take them down?" Not far away, the three thugs were still there, tailing them from a distance.

"Brother Blondie, my hand hurts so much. Can we find an old bonesetter to fix it?" the thug with the dislocated wrist whined.

"Do you have the money to pay for it, you idiot?" The blond man glared at him viciously. Between the three of them, they couldn't even scrounge up a few coins, and their credit lines were frozen. A bonesetter was out of the question.

"Then what do we do?" The thug looked at his limp, dangling hand.

"Call Young Master Huo. He loves chasing women. If he hears there's such a pretty girl here, he'll definitely come!" The blond man’s eyes darted around as he whipped out his phone.

"Young Master Huo, I found a beauty at your family's store. Great figure, skin so tender you could pinch water out of it. Her face? Even prettier than that school beauty you were chasing before!"

"Especially her skin—smooth and white like milk. A mosquito would slip right off it!"

"It's true, when have I ever lied to you, Young Master?"

"Yes, yes, she's still at the pedestrian street. You'll see her the moment you arrive!"

The blond man bowed and scraped as he spoke, then hung up, staring toward the claypot rice shop with a malicious glint in his eyes. If he couldn't have her, he would see her destroyed.