Chapter 960: Chapter 960

The words of these individuals had thoroughly enraged Huangfu Ziyu. With her personality, how could she succumb to threats or coercion from these people?

"I'll say it one more time: either you walk away on your own, or I'll personally step in!" Huangfu Ziyu frowned deeply, her cold gaze sweeping across the few in front of her. Her voice was low and commanding: "Make your choice!"

Her words set off a spark of rage among the group, especially Li Lin, who was the first to change expressions. He spoke in a low, angry tone: "Huangfu Ziyu, don't you dare take my kindness for granted! I invited you for a meal as a gesture of respect. If you don't want to come, fine. But talking to me —seriously—do you think the Li Family is beneath your notice?"

"Miss Huangfu, I advise you to think this through carefully!" Ding Ziyang interjected, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "This is the Capital, not your Dongzhou. As the saying goes, 'Strong dragons don't overpower local thugs.' And you might not even qualify as the strong dragon. However fierce you are in Dongzhou, it's better to restrain yourself a bit here in the Capital. Your connections and influence back in Dongzhou amount to nothing here. What you plan to do here, well, it doesn't matter if no one helps you. But if someone wants to mess with you, that would spell real trouble!"

The group took turns trying to intimidate Huangfu Ziyu. She was ablaze with anger, her fists clenched tight, preparing to act. Fortunately, Ye Qing arrived in time and stepped in front of her.

"Everyone, apologies." Ye Qing smiled calmly and said, "Zi Yu is only here in the Capital for a brief stopover. She doesn't have much time. We truly appreciate your kindness, but unfortunately, we won't have the chance to join you for that meal."

Ye Qing, in a poised and courteous manner, had already gone out of his way to give the group some face. Yet his words had no effect and instead triggered dissatisfaction among the surrounding crowd. After all, seeing Huangfu Ziyu accompanied by a man was already enough to stir jealousy. At this moment, for that same man to step forward and prevent her from dining with them? It was bound to ignite their fury.

"Get lost! Did I say a word to you?" Li Lin cursed loudly and reached out to push Ye Qing.

Just as his hand landed on Ye Qing's shoulder, Ye Qing flashed a faint smile and hooked Li Lin's wrist with a light motion. Instantly, Li Lin felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his wrist and couldn't help but cry out: "It hurts, it hurts! Let go, let go!"

Ye Qing obediently released him but, before letting go, gave him a slight shove forward. Li Lin, who lacked physical strength and skills due to his unruly lifestyle, stumbled back several steps and landed flat on his rear, his embarrassment reaching its peak.

Witnessing Li Lin's disheveled state, Huangfu Ziyu couldn't suppress a chuckle. She was quite pleased with Ye Qing's actions; it had significantly quelled her inner fury.

However, Li Lin was utterly enraged. He jumped up from the ground and, pointing a finger at Ye Qing's face, shouted furiously: "You ****** dare to push me? Do you even know who I am? Do you know who my grandfather is? You dare push me? I'll make sure you're dead!"

Screaming and shouting, Li Lin refrained from approaching further and instead ordered his men to surround Ye Qing.

Seeing the situation escalate, Ding Ziyang and the others retreated slightly. They were far too smart to get involved physically, hoping instead to leverage Li Lin to deal with Ye Qing.

Ye Qing clenched his fists. Clearly, there was no avoiding a fight now, so he braced himself to teach them all a lesson. After all, these people had dared to harass and threaten Huangfu Ziyu right in front of him. He'd been angry for quite some time.

Just as the people were about to rush forward, a campervan suddenly sped over and stopped precisely beside the group under the eyes of everyone.

The front door swung open, and Black Mouse swaggered out of the vehicle, casting a disdainful glance at the crowd. When his gaze fell on Huangfu Ziyu, it flashed with obvious fanaticism. However, he quickly moved to the back of the campervan, opening the door to respectfully escort someone out.

When the person emerged, the expressions of the second-generation offspring in the crowd shifted dramatically. Someone couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "Why is he here?"

The newcomer was none other than Nalan Tianyu. As he stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes immediately fixed on Huangfu Ziyu. Upon seeing her breathtaking beauty, even Nalan Tianyu was momentarily stunned. Despite his extensive experience with women, this moment made him feel as though he had wasted his entire life. All the women he had seen combined seemed utterly insignificant compared to a single strand of Huangfu Ziyu's hair.

He finally believed Black Mouse's words. This woman was unquestionably more beautiful than his past school crush by a hundredfold—no, a thousandfold, even over ten thousandfold. They weren't even on the same level!

"Young Master Tianyu, perfect timing." Black Mouse's crafty eyes darted around the scene as he whispered to Nalan Tianyu, "It seems this group has fallen out with Huangfu Ziyu. The tension here is bad news. Our arrival is perfect; we can help Huangfu Ziyu out of this and she'll surely be grateful to you for it."

Nalan Tianyu's eyes lit up at this suggestion. He surveyed the few individuals around him with a hint of disdain, clearly not taking them seriously.

"Li Lin, you truly haven't made any progress at all!" Nalan Tianyu stepped up to Li Lin first and remarked, "Bullying a single girl with so many people—don't you find that shameful? As a man, you lack all semblance of gentlemanly conduct. Is this how your family elders teach you their values?"

Li Lin's expression changed upon seeing Nalan Tianyu. He feared Nalan Tianyu greatly, but with so many onlookers here, he couldn't back down outright. Otherwise, his standing in their circle would crumble. Despite his unease, he forced himself to act tough as he faced Nalan Tianyu.

"Nalan Tianyu, this has nothing to do with you, so don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" Li Lin said coldly.

"You're terribly mistaken; this isn't meddling—it's called stepping in to help when needed!" Nalan Tianyu chuckled lightly and glanced at Huangfu Ziyu. "Such a beautiful young woman, and you dare try to intimidate her? Absolutely zero appreciation for beauty. Honestly, I don't even know what to say about you!"

"Shut up!" Li Lin snapped. "Nalan Tianyu, don't think for a second that the Li family is afraid of you. I'm warning you—stay out of my business, or I won't be polite about it!"

"Oh? And how exactly do you plan to be impolite?" Nalan Tianyu spread his arms mockingly. "What's the plan? Use your crowd to bully me? Go ahead, I'm standing right here. Let your little minions come at me!"

Li Lin completely lost it. "Nalan Tianyu, you're way too arrogant—it's as if you think I wouldn't dare touch you!"

Li Lin waved his hand and roared furiously, "Beat this bastard to death!"

Li Lin's lackeys exchanged nervous glances but none stepped forward. In the Capital, the Nalan family's influence far surpassed the Li family's. More importantly, Nalan Tianyu's personal prowess was exceptional. Even without factoring in Nalan's backing, Tianyu alone was someone they couldn't challenge. Stepping forward would only mean getting beaten themselves.

Seeing his men frozen in place, Li Lin's face burned with humiliation and rage. He yelled, "What the hell are you idiots standing around for? Attack! Fight him!"

Still, no one dared move. Nalan Tianyu let out a light laugh and commented, "Strength lies in numbers for the virtuous, and weakness in solitude for the wicked. Look at you now, Li Lin. Even the people around you won't stand with you. Isn't that telling? You ought to consider why your actions are so disgraceful they won't support you."

"Nalan Tianyu, you better not act so full of yourself!" Li Lin bellowed in rage. "You ******..."

Before Li Lin could finish cursing, Nalan Tianyu suddenly stepped forward and smacked him hard across the face. The slap was sharp and resonated through the crowd.

Li Lin froze in shock after the slap, his half-spoken curse abruptly cut off. He covered his cheek and stared at Nalan Tianyu in utter disbelief, only managing to stammer after a long pause: "You… you hit me? You… you actually dared to hit me?"

"Yes, I hit you. So what?" Nalan Tianyu remarked coldly before delivering another slap to the opposite side of Li Lin's face. This time, both sides of his face were swollen.

"Keep talking out of turn, and the next step won't just be slapping you!" Nalan Tianyu warned icily.

Li Lin was seething to the point of madness, ignoring Nalan Tianyu's threats. He roared like an infuriated beast and lunged at Nalan Tianyu, clearly intent on fighting for his life.

Nalan Tianyu didn't hold back. He deftly knocked Li Lin to the ground with a punch and followed it up with a relentless barrage of kicks. The surrounding onlookers merely stood by, none making a move to help. In fact, many were secretly enjoying the show. Li Lin's arrogance had earned him enemies among the crowd, and seeing him beaten by Nalan Tianyu was satisfying for quite a few onlookers who might even have cheered inside.

Meanwhile, in a distant parked car, a group watched the unfolding scene intently. One of them finally couldn't hold back and said quietly, "Should we intervene and get Tianyu to stop? Li Chengxing does have some capabilities—we don't want to provoke the Li family unnecessarily."

"No need to worry," another replied leisurely. "That Li Lin kid is notorious in the Capital for his stupidity. Even the Li family doesn't think much of him. Let alone this fight—even if someone else beat him, his family wouldn't bother stepping in. Just sit back and let Tianyu have his fun—it's not a problem!"

Understanding the Li family's internal dynamics, the group exchanged looks and chose not to stop Nalan Tianyu. They knew Li Lin's unpopularity within his own family was the unfortunate result of his own behavior. Despite years of failing to mature beyond childish antics, he remained oblivious to his lower standing, leaving even his lineage indifferent to his plight.