Dragon Totem Internet Cafe. Four young men were surrounding the doorway of a private booth.
One of them, wearing a ski cap, knocked on the door and said, "Come out, little sister, let's play games together."
"Yeah, it's more fun to play with everyone," one of his companions chimed in.
Another with a buzz cut mimicked Zhen Ye's delayed manner of speaking, "Don't you like... playing chicken? Perfect to join us for... chicken."
Their words ignited another bout of laughter among the group.
The internet cafe owner had already come over to persuade them twice, but the four young men refused to leave, warning her to not meddle in their business.
All she could do now was to keep an eye on the situation and be ready to call the police as soon as something was off.
At the same time, she sent Ma Lu two more messages, urging him to hurry up and pick up his girlfriend.
This time, however, Ma Lu didn't reply promptly.
Just as the owner was about to pick up her phone to prod him again, the door was pushed open, and Ma Lu walked in from outside.
"Oh, you've finally arrived," the owner said with a tinge of reproach, "I told you to pick up your girlfriend last night, but you wouldn't listen, always hoping for the best. And look, they came again today."
Ma Lu, however, seemed not the least bit anxious and even responded cheerfully, "Thanks so much, where is she?"
"Over by the booth."
"Oh, okay, and grab me two bottles of Hans's Cabin, how much?" Ma Lu pulled out Alipay to scan the code.
"You're in the mood for drinks?" the owner widened her eyes in disbelief, "You better focus on how to take your girlfriend home."
"No problem, not in a hurry, I'll just let my friend have a chat with them first," Ma Lu said as he took the Cabin.
The owner had already noticed the hulking man behind Ma Lu, primarily because Yan Wu's presence was too imposing to ignore.
Standing over 1.9 meters tall, with a physique as robust as they come, thick stubble, blue overalls, and large sunglasses, his entire being exuded a powerful aura of male hormones.
Even the owner's long-dormant heart couldn't help but skip a beat, cursing the damn allure of a mature man.
Still, she remembered to warn them, "Don't you guys start a fight here, okay?"
However, Yan Wu just stood there, expressionless, watching them.
The four youngsters exchanged glances, seemingly trying to psych themselves up, and charged at him shouting, aiming to pummel the old master with a flurry of wild punches.
But Yan Wu, using only his left hand, beat them until they were scattered all over the ground, and finally, he grabbed the head of the one with the short hair using his large palm, lifting him off the ground like a chicken.
The youngster with the flat-top struggled violently, kicking in the air, shrieking hehehe, and tried to smash the fire extinguisher against Yan Wu's arm, but the latter remained unmoved, scoffing.
"Come on, put some effort into it. Did you forget to breastfeed from your mom before you left the house?"
With that, Yan Wu casually threw him twenty meters away, and if Ma Lu hadn't stepped in just in time, the young man would have rolled into the road.
The remaining three, witnessing this terrifying scene, lost all will to fight and thought only of running away.
But they were stopped again by Yan Wu, "Don't run! Whoever runs, I'll break their legs!"
At his words, the three of them froze as if they had hit the pause button, petrified in place.
The young man with the ski hat looked like he was about to cry, "What... what are you going to do? I'm telling you, we're in a society governed by the rule of law now. Fighting will get you jailed!"
No sooner had he finished his sentence when his two companions echoed in agreement, "That's right, that's right, fighting is bad, we shouldn't fight."
The youngest of them, the boy in the jacket who was the most hot-headed, added, "The teacher said, you should be rational when you encounter issues, think of your family and friends, your life is still long, don't live a life of regret because of a moment of impulsiveness."
These words managed to amuse Ma Lu.
Yan Wu then threw the tool bag he was carrying on his right shoulder onto the ground, speaking gravely, "Pick one."
"What?"
"Pick one to use as a weapon. If you can make me move even slightly, I'll let you go."
The three looked at each other, and it was the youngest boy in the jacket who had the biggest guts, and he stepped forward to open the bag.
Seeing inside were wrenches, screwdrivers, impact drills... there was even a handsaw, he was taken aback.
"This... this isn't a good idea," said one of the young men with an Iverson-style "loyalty" tattoo on his arm, swallowing hard.
"Quit your yapping, I'm in a hurry!" Yan Wu said coldly.