He grabbed one of the thugs, pinning him to the ground and landing blow after blow. His fists connected with flesh, leaving the thug’s face bruised and swollen, as he cried out in pain, begging for mercy. Only then did Chu Cheng dust off his hands, feeling his anger subside slightly.

“Senior Chu, it’s all thanks to you this time,” Wang Xiaoke said, walking over with a grateful expression, showing no interest in chasing after the fleeing men.

“I didn’t really do much to help. Your moves, though—they’re seriously impressive!” Chu Cheng admitted sincerely.

“Well, if it weren’t for you diverting their attention, I wouldn’t have been so confident,” Wang Xiaoke said earnestly.

Chu Cheng’s face twisted awkwardly. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. He’d planned to play the hero and save the damsel in distress, only to end up being rescued by her instead. Now he was just a clown in her eyes—a weakling saved by a strong woman. How could anyone feel good about that?

“Senior Chu, are you okay?” Wang Xiaoke asked, noticing his peculiar expression.

“I’m fine, just a little… startled by you,” he replied without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. Great, now his image as a useless pretty boy was sealed. Chu Cheng could only stew in his frustration.

Meanwhile, the lead thug and his remaining comrades had taken advantage of the distraction and quietly slipped away. Wang Xiaoke’s attention shifted to the thug lying on the ground, whose face was now unrecognizable after Chu Cheng’s beating.

“Talk. Who sent you to come after me?” Wang Xiaoke asked, towering over him.

The thug, his eyes swollen and cheeks unevenly puffed from the punches, shrank under her gaze. His clothes were still covered in muddy footprints, but he remained silent.

Wang Xiaoke smiled sweetly, an innocent look on her face, as she casually stretched and cracked her knuckles. The popping sounds echoed ominously.

“Looks like you haven’t had enough of a lesson yet,” she said calmly, showing no urgency.

Seeing her stance, a flash of panic crossed the thug’s face. “I’ll talk, but you have to promise not to turn me over to the police. Otherwise, I won’t say a word!” he said through gritted teeth.

“That depends on how sincere your answers are,” Wang Xiaoke replied. She already had some suspicions. Based on everything so far, it was clear these men had come specifically for her, with a clear purpose.

“A woman called our boss and told him to deal with you. If we pulled it off, she promised to pay us a hefty sum,” the thug confessed, realizing his life was in Wang Xiaoke’s hands.

“Who is this woman?” Wang Xiaoke pressed.

The thug shook his head. “How would a low-level grunt like me know something like that?”

“One last question—did she want you to kill me?” Wang Xiaoke’s voice trembled slightly as she asked, her emotions a whirlwind of unease.

“No, not kill you. From what I heard, our boss’s plan was to rough you up enough to keep you in the hospital for a few months,” the thug admitted.

“Xiaoke, we should get out of here,” Chu Cheng interjected. “These guys are just street punks. They didn’t know enough about you this time and underestimated you, but if they come back, the consequences could be much worse.”

Wang Xiaoke nodded, agreeing with his logic.

Meanwhile, Feng Jin received a call. The voice on the other end was furious.“What kind of person did you send us to deal with? She’s trained! Why didn’t you tell us? Were you setting us up to fail and embarrass ourselves?”