Chapter 134: Deserved Punishment

Zhao Hu pretended to reach for his wallet, but a second later, he pulled a pocketknife from his pocket.

"Die, you bastard!" he roared, gripping the knife and lunging at Ye Xuan.

The surrounding crowd hadn’t expected this sudden escalation. Screams erupted as everyone assumed Ye Xuan was about to be stabbed.

However, the man in question remained perfectly calm. Without so much as a blink, Ye Xuan reached out and clamped his hand around Zhao Hu’s wrist. With a swift twist of his hands and a burst of force, he completely dislocated one of Zhao Hu’s arms.

"Ah!"

Denied even the chance to resist, Zhao Hu let out a bloodcurdling shriek. The pocketknife fell to the ground with a sharp CLANG.

The onlookers were dumbfounded. None of them had expected Ye Xuan to be so capable, neutralizing the thug with such effortless ease.

Standing to the side, Yang Bingyu stared in shock for a moment before snapping back to reality. When Zhao Hu had pulled out the knife just moments ago, she had been scared half to death, terrified that Ye Xuan would get hurt. Now, seeing Zhao Hu swiftly dealt with in just a couple of moves, the heart she had in her throat slowly settled back into her chest.

"You scumbag! How dare you attack someone with a knife! Just wait to rot in jail!" Yang Bingyu raised her foot and delivered two vicious kicks to the groaning Zhao Hu on the ground. After cursing him out, she immediately called the police.

Two officers arrived on the scene shortly after. But just as they were about to arrest Zhao Hu, his girlfriend suddenly spoke up.

"Sir, Miss, please let my boyfriend off this once," the girl pleaded, her eyes brimming with desperation as she grabbed Yang Bingyu’s hand.

Yang Bingyu furrowed her brows, looking at her in utter confusion. Was there something wrong with this girl’s head? Zhao Hu had treated her terribly and had even tried to hit her. Why was she still protecting such a piece of trash?

"Miss, do you have some unspoken difficulties? There’s no need to plead for a scumbag like him!" one bystander chimed in.

"Exactly! Look at how he treated you just now. Why are you even still with a man like that? You should take this chance to break up with him," another added.

"He just tried to stab someone in broad daylight. This is an incredibly serious offense! If this gentleman wasn’t so skilled, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Seeing her plead for Zhao Hu, the surrounding crowd actively tried to persuade her otherwise. Ultimately, not a single person agreed that Ye Xuan should let the man go.

The girl bit her lower lip hard. Her head hung low, her shoulders slumped, and her body trembled slightly. Of course, she knew he had brought this upon himself, and she knew she shouldn’t stay with him anymore. But she had no choice! Her mother was sick, and all the medical bills and household expenses were paid by Zhao Hu. If he got locked up, what would she do?

"Here’s my contact info. If you need anything, you can call me," Ye Xuan said. "But I won’t let your boyfriend off the hook like this. When someone does something wrong, they have to face the punishment, or they’ll never learn their lesson."

Seeing that the girl had her own silent struggles, Ye Xuan thought for a moment. He took her phone, typed out his number, and handed it back. Then, he signaled the officers to take Zhao Hu away.

Staring at the number on her screen, the girl bit her lip. She knew Ye Xuan was determined to teach Zhao Hu a lesson. The whole incident was entirely Zhao Hu’s fault anyway; it was perfectly justifiable for the victim to refuse to forgive him.

"Sir, Miss, I am truly sorry about what happened today." Knowing there was no room for negotiation, the girl didn’t pester them any further. She gave Ye Xuan and Yang Bingyu a deep bow to express her apologies.

Her sensible behavior earned the praise of the bystanders and prompted Ye Xuan to take a few extra glances at her. She was actually quite pretty, just overly frail. Her thin frame looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over. Furthermore, her clothes were washed to the point of fading and were outdated styles from years ago. It was obvious she didn’t come from a wealthy family.

Ye Xuan quickly pieced things together. It was highly likely she hadn’t willingly gotten together with Zhao Hu in the first place, but was merely forced into it by the harsh realities of life.

"It’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong," Ye Xuan said, his tone softening since he knew she was in a tough spot. "Don’t contact that man again. He doesn’t deserve you."

After saying that, he crouched down and smiled at the little girl selling flower crowns. "Little girl, are you still selling these? How much for all of them? I’ll take the lot."

With a teardrop still hanging from the tip of her nose, the little girl froze at his words. Then, she sniffled and held out all the flower crowns to him.

"Big Brother, I’ll give these to you. For free." The little girl was exceptionally sensible. She knew she was the cause of all this trouble and had nearly gotten Ye Xuan hurt. Thus, she wanted to use these flower crowns as a gift to thank him for stepping in.

"What a good, sensible kid." Ye Xuan accepted the flower crowns and reached out to ruffle her hair. It was soft and felt nice to the touch. As expected, such an obedient, sensible, and adorable little girl was naturally endearing.

After ruffling her hair, Ye Xuan pulled two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and stuffed them into her hands.

"Take this two hundred yuan. I’m not taking your flower crowns for free."

Two hundred yuan was mere pocket change to him. Whenever he frequented high-end establishments, he tipped far more than that. But for the little girl, it was likely her entire day’s earnings. She and her grandmother had spent so long weaving these crowns just to make a little money. If he simply took them for nothing, he would feel incredibly guilty.

"No, no, no, I can’t take your money! You almost got hurt because of me. Please just treat these flower crowns as my thank-you gift," she refused in a panic. Though young, she understood many principles.

Her well-behaved nature won over the crowd once again, and the bystanders began urging her.

"Little girl, just take the money he’s giving you. It’s not easy for anyone to make a living."

"Yeah! Besides, this whole thing wasn’t your fault. There’s no need to blame yourself. This is your hard-earned money; you deserve it."

"Just accept it. Your Big Brother here isn’t lacking this little bit of money."

Listening to the crowd’s persuasion, the little girl’s thin eyebrows furrowed into a tight knot.

"Big Brother, I really can’t take this money. Even though my family is poor, I’ve known a principle since I was little: always repay kindness. You helped me and this Big Sister tonight, so I have to repay you. I can’t accept money for these flowers."

Faced with her resolute attitude, Ye Xuan was at a loss. Helplessly, he took the cash back.

"Alright, then. Thank you for the flower crowns," he said with a resigned smile, giving her hair another rub.

Seeing him accept the flowers, the little girl’s scrunched-up face finally relaxed. She broke into a sweet smile once more.

"Yaoyao wishes Big Brother and Big Sister a lifetime of love and a long, happy life together!"