After the divorce, the aloof CEO begged me not to withdraw my investment.

A bald man sat imposingly in the center, slowly wiping his face with a handkerchief in his hand.

Aunt Li held tightly to Li Ting, who was trembling.

Several thugs were yelling at them, "You stinking bitches, come over here and clean this up for your boss!"

Upon seeing the Xiong brothers emerge, the thugs became somewhat more subdued.

Knowing she had caused trouble, Li Ting fearfully stepped out from behind her sister-in-law, walked shakily to the bald man, and bowed her head in apology: "I'm sorry, brother, I didn't mean to..."

Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, Li Ting stumbled and fell into the bald man's arms.

The bald man laughed loudly, grabbed Li Ting's waist, pulled her onto his lap, and said in a flirtatious tone, "Oh, little sister, you're quite good at throwing yourself into my arms."

Seeing this, Brother Li quickly stepped forward to try and smooth things over: "Brother, this is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

The thugs waved their hands impatiently: "Stop talking nonsense! Pay up!"

As he spoke, one of the thugs raised his fist to strike Brother Li in the face.

Someone suddenly tugged at Brother Li from behind.

Brother Li stumbled and almost fell. When he turned around, he saw Ye Feng.

Ye Feng's eyes sharpened. He kicked the thug who was throwing a punch away, then pulled Li Ting back and protected her behind him.

Li Ting's heart pounded. Looking at Ye Feng's broad back, a strange sense of security welled up inside her.

The thug who had been kicked away struggled to his feet, and a group of thugs, seeing this, shouted and pulled out their weapons, pointing them at Ye Feng.

"Who do you think you are, kid? How dare you interfere in our boss's business! You're asking for trouble!"

Ye Feng frowned, glanced at the rabble in front of him, and finally his gaze fell on the bald man with a gloomy face.

The bald man narrowed his eyes, sizing up Ye Feng: "Kid, what are you doing? What does this have to do with you? Did you stand up for what's right? Or are you playing the hero?"

Ye Feng looked around.

The Xiong family members were all here, and he didn't want to make a big fuss and cause trouble for them.

He decided to try a polite approach first, giving the other party some face: "I'm the landlord here, and I've already called the police. If you don't want trouble, leave now."

The bald man scoffed, "So what if the landlord acts like this? What if I call the police? This little girl spilled wine all over me, even if the police come, I'm still in the right!"

He lightly patted Li Ting's cheek, and Li Ting flinched in fright.

Ye Feng suppressed his anger, his voice icy: "I'll ask you one last time, are you leaving or not?"

Seeing this, Brother Xiong quickly stepped forward and pulled Ye Feng back, then turned to the bald man and said, "Brother, what you say is true, but you've already hit him and smashed things, what more do you want?"

The bald man looked at Brother Xiong defiantly: "And who are you? Are you a landlord too?"

Ye Feng took two steps forward, his tone firm: "This has nothing to do with you. I'll ask you one last time: are you leaving or not?"

The bald man's eyes flashed with malice as he said viciously, "I'm not leaving today. What can you do to me? If you push me too far, I'll set this dilapidated house on fire!"

Ye Feng's patience finally ran out.

He grabbed the chair next to him and held it high above his head.

"What do you want to do?!" Liu Qingyi's rebuke suddenly rang out.

Ye Feng abruptly stopped, the chair in his hand hovering in mid-air.

Liu Qingyi's heart was in her throat.

What if he gets arrested again?

"Why did you come out?"

Ye Feng put down the chair and shielded the three women behind him.

Mother Bear shoved Ye Feng aside, walked up to the bald man, and asked sharply, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

This sudden turn of events left the bald man momentarily stunned.

He hadn't expected the old woman to have such an imposing presence.

The bald man smiled dismissively: "Just an ordinary citizen, here to eat."

The mother bear sneered, "You are not welcome here. Please leave immediately."

The bald man was about to say something when he was interrupted by a sudden commotion outside.

The crowd parted like a tide, and a dozen or so gray-haired community defense team members walked in.

The woman leading the group looked around and asked in a deep voice, "Who's causing trouble here?"

Her gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on the bald man. "Since it's a misunderstanding, explain it clearly and leave quickly. Otherwise, our auntie's fists aren't to be trifled with."

"Correct!"

"Yes."

A dozen or so aunties were talking all at once, making a racket that gave me a headache.

The bald man couldn't help but think of his elderly mother at home, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Instantly, he lost all desire to stay there.

"Alright, that's enough, let's go."

He ordered his men to retreat, but before leaving, he gave Ye Feng a meaningful look.

He won't let this go so easily.

Brother Xiong noticed the bald man's gaze and his heart skipped a beat.

He walked up to Ye Feng and asked in a low voice, "Ye Feng, what did Guang Ge's look mean?"

An uneasy feeling spread through Brother Xiong's heart.

Ye Feng shook his head: "It's nothing."

Even after the bald man walked out of the store, the gloom in his heart had not yet dissipated.

That look was a threat to him, and also a threat to the Xiong family.

The Xiong family is his bottom line.

Ye Feng walked to the restaurant entrance and his gaze fell on a black Mercedes-Benz van.

The four prominent characters "Chengbang Real Estate" on the car made his heart sink.

He knew that the appearance of this group of thugs today was no accident and was probably related to the demolition.

Ye Feng narrowed his eyes, various thoughts flashing through his mind.

Liu Qingyi followed and also saw the car.

She frowned slightly: "It's actually someone from Cheng Bang..."

Ye Feng turned to look at her: "What do you know?"

Liu Qingyi pondered for a moment: "Chengbang is a local developer, and I've heard they're very shrewd. In recent years, they've monopolized most of the construction projects."

Ye Feng pressed further, "Is their boss a local?"

Ye Feng was completely unaware of these things.

In the past, he was only focused on his own business empire and had no understanding of these local forces.

Liu Qingyi nodded: "Yes, they're local. Ye Feng, don't be impulsive, I can help you find out some information."

Ye Feng understood her good intentions: "As long as they don't cause trouble, that's fine."

He paused for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, please help me find out."

Back at the convenience store, Brother Li walked up to Aunt Xiong and said gratefully, "Aunt Xiong, thank you so much for everything today!"

The mother bear waved her hand: "They're all neighbors, it's only right."

She smiled kindly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

As the dinner was drawing to a close, Xiong's mother took Liu Qingyi's hand and whispered a few words to her.

Liu Qingyi listened attentively, nodding in response from time to time.

Looking at them, Ye Feng felt a warm current welling up in his heart.

These two women were the most important people in his life.

He secretly vowed to protect them.

Afterwards, Ye Feng and Liu Qingyi walked out of the restaurant together.