Chapter Sixty-One: Two Girls Who Do Not Know Gratitude

Mo Lan sensed that the atmosphere was off. An Feng’s words were truly excessive and unpleasant, making it near impossible for Qian Yin to speak up.

“This isn’t really suitable for takeout. Why don’t we just eat here? Afterward, we can find a quiet spot to enjoy the night. Isn’t that nice?”

“Can you actually finish it?” An Feng looked at Mo Lan with some confusion. You should have told me long ago, but you kept it hidden until now and are still siding with them. Whose girlfriend are you, anyway?

Leng Xue glanced at the other tables, silent, but he found that no matter how lovely the surroundings, none could compare to the woman before him. He turned back to watch Qian Yin obediently eat, then picked up his chopsticks to serve her all sorts of delicacies, always offering her favorites.

Qian Yin did not refuse the food. Since someone was giving her food, she might as well eat. After all, it wasn’t hers, so she’d eat as much as she could; it would be a waste not to.

“I’ll tell you once I’m done eating. Keep your mouth quiet and don’t spoil my mood, or we’ll settle things with a fight first,” Qian Yin said, lifting her head and fixing An Feng with a challenging look, not wanting to make things hard for Mo Lan.

At this, Leng Xue pressed his lips together, stifling a laugh at the side. His little woman was so bold and imposing. Clearly, the aura of a former champion was still there and hadn’t faded.

Having a woman like this by his side gave him a true sense of security—when there was a fight to win, she’d stand at the front; if not, she’d stay behind.

Mo Lan felt the same. Having such a fierce friend was a blessing. If only she’d had someone like this back in school, no one would have dared to bully her.

An Feng was speechless. If the two really fought, who would win or lose? And if he accidentally hurt Qian Yin, Mo Lan would probably beat him up herself.

At that moment, the two girls who’d been in trouble earlier made another mistake, nearly spilling an entire tray of drinks over four men while serving them. Those men, already angry, were now furious. One of them grabbed a girl, squeezed her neck, and lifted her off the ground.

The girl’s face reddened and her neck swelled as she struggled for breath; with her feet suddenly dangling, her heart skipped in terror. Hanging in the air by someone’s grip was a terrible feeling. She tried desperately to break free, clawing at his hand, but suspended as she was, she lacked the strength.

The other three men didn’t react, their expressions cold as they stared at the spilled alcohol, clearly anticipating a spectacle. These two girls needed to be taught a lesson.

People nearby all turned to look. When they saw the girl being held by the neck and suspended in midair, cries of alarm echoed around the room.

“Ah!”

The proprietress, hearing the commotion, rushed out immediately. Seeing the two girls had caused trouble with those four guests again, her brow furrowed deeply. Though disappointed in the girls, saving them was the immediate concern. She hurried over and grabbed the man’s hand.

“Sir, please, there’s no need for such anger. My staff were out of line. I’ll have them apologize, all right?” she pleaded, trying to get the girl released.

The other young waitress, seeing the proprietress intervene, quickly said, “We’re sorry. We truly didn’t mean it. If you take off your jacket, I’ll wash it for you, or if you’d prefer, we’ll compensate you.”

“Can you afford it? If apologies fixed everything, why would we need the police?” the man replied, relentless, as if he had these two girls entirely at his mercy. While he stopped squeezing her neck, he didn’t let her down.

“Sir, what would it take for you to let this go?” the proprietress asked, swallowing her anger. Dealing with such unreasonable, arrogant people was infuriating, but to save the girl, she had to humble herself.

“I’m not looking for trouble, but these two really overstepped. How about this: each of them drinks these two bottles of beer, and I’ll drop the matter,” the man declared, completely unaware of how outrageous he sounded.

The proprietress clenched her fists. These were just student girls—how could they handle bottles of beer? What if they got drunk, or something went wrong?

“I’ll drink. Just put her down first, please?” the other girl said quietly.

The man raised an eyebrow and nodded, releasing the first girl, who nearly collapsed. The proprietress caught her just in time.

The girl summoned her courage, picked up an opened bottle of beer, and drank it down in one go. She didn’t pause for breath and ended up choking, coughing violently as she set the bottle down and gripped the table.

The onlookers watched with amusement. Mo Lan and Qian Yin had been watching for some time, exchanging glances and seeing the anger in each other’s eyes.

These four men were too much—bullying a defenseless girl. They were truly contemptible.

Mo Lan and Qian Yin stood up together, hand in hand, and stepped between the two groups. Mo Lan’s face was grave as she said sternly, “Enough of this joke. It’s gone far enough. If someone gets hurt, it won’t end well.”

Leng Xue and An Feng followed behind them helplessly, like knights escorting their ladies.

The men glanced at the two newcomers and, not wanting to escalate things, softened their stance. “Ladies, we didn’t mean to cause trouble, but these girls made a mistake. Shouldn’t there be some explanation?”

“Mercy should be shown when it’s due. If you refuse to let them go, I won’t be so polite,” Qian Yin replied coldly. She had no patience for men who bullied women. If she didn’t send them to hell, she was already being lenient.

“Which family are you ladies from, meddling so much?” the troublemaker asked, growing cautious. If he’d accidentally crossed a powerful family, things could get complicated.

“I’m Mr. Jin’s honored guest!” Qian Yin declared, knowing that in this area, Mr. Jin’s name carried weight—no one dared provoke him, except for those with a death wish.

“Oh, a guest of Mr. Jin’s? In that case, out of respect for him, we’ll let this go.” The men threw a few hundred yuan on the table and swaggered out, looking every bit as nonchalant as they claimed.

“Thank you, ladies,” the proprietress said gratefully, still supporting the girl who remained silent with her head bowed. Even the one who had just drunk the beer set the bottle down without a word of thanks.

Mo Lan and Qian Yin frowned. Was there truly no sense of gratitude? Or had they just meddled where they shouldn’t have? At this thought, both smiled wryly, a touch of self-mockery on their lips.

They’d helped simply to prove that girls are not weak. Qian Yin didn’t pity them in the least. Perhaps this was just what they deserved.

The two men behind them also looked displeased. Clearly, their goodwill had been misplaced.

“How much is the bill? Let’s settle up and go,” Mo Lan said coolly, ready to leave. She was genuinely disappointed.

“This one’s on us, ladies. Consider it our thanks for standing up for our little shop,” the proprietress replied, understanding that the girls were sulking, but still finding it rude of the waitresses not to thank their benefactors.

At this, the four of them strode out, leaving behind a room full of onlookers and the two foolish girls.