Chapter 74

Song Haowen quickly realized the situation was getting out of hand and about to escalate. Disregarding his celebrity status, he swiftly pushed through the crowd to the front. With a sudden kick, he sent the green-haired leader, who was leading the assault, flying five or six meters. The green-haired thug lay on the ground, unable to get up immediately, cursing and writhing in pain.

Witnessing their leader being attacked, the other thugs, without considering whether Song Haowen was a celebrity or not, abandoned the two fallen security guards and joined forces to attack him.

Seeing this, Su Yan was alarmed and worried about Song Haowen getting hurt. She hurriedly led her staff to intervene and prevent further violence.

While Su Yan was concerned about Song Haowen’s safety, he, in turn, was worried about additional injuries to the staff. He had to speed up his actions. In no time, punches and kicks were exchanged, and before everyone could fully react, all the thugs were already defeated and sprawled on the ground, leaving jaws dropping in astonishment.

Su Yan and the music studio staff initially thought the slender Song Haowen would be at a disadvantage against these thugs.

They were also worried that if he got injured, it would affect the performance at the theater later in the evening. However, to their surprise, the situation completely reversed – it wasn’t Song Haowen who was beaten up, but the thugs who suffered a beating.

Approaching the green-haired thug, who was attempting to get up, Song Haowen grabbed his collar and delivered two resounding slaps, left and right, causing the thug to spit blood and feel dizzy. Then, he threw the thug in front of the two injured security guards.

“Apologize to them! Otherwise, I’ll have you all taken to the police station for a chat!”

The green-haired thug still seemed defiant, so Song Haowen delivered another kick. Feeling like his ribs were broken, the thug, terrified, immediately apologized to the two security guards.

Feeling embarrassed, the two guards each gave the green-haired thug a slap. Witnessing Song Haowen’s prowess, although the thugs harbored resentment, they dared not express it fully, only glaring angrily and keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Song Haowen decided to end it there and then, chasing away the thugs. The music studio staff, already admiring Song Haowen, now looked at him with even greater admiration. Su Yan approached Song Haowen, concerned, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Song Haowen shook his arm. “I’m fine. Auntie, don’t worry.”

Su Yan, still worried, spoke with concern, “Little Song, Auntie really didn’t expect you to be so good at fighting. However, those thugs won’t let it go easily; you need to be careful of retaliation.”

Song Haowen reassured Su Yan with a relaxed expression, “It’s okay. If they don’t give up, we can always have another round.”

At this moment, Tian Nana rushed over from the rehearsal hall after hearing the news, asking what had happened. Su Yan explained the situation to her daughter, leaving her pale with shock.

“Haowen, did you really take down eight thugs by yourself?” Although Tian Nana had heard from Qian Youluo about Song Haowen’s fighting skills, she had been half skeptical without witnessing it firsthand.

“It’s nothing, not worth mentioning,” Song Haowen said nonchalantly.

“Hmph, you think it’s nothing? Have you ever considered the serious consequences if you couldn’t beat them? Even if you weren’t injured, getting caught by the paparazzi could lead to major trouble,” Tiana’s face turned stern.

Seeing Tiana’s change in expression, Song Haowen felt a bit awkward and just smiled, choosing not to respond.

Tian Nana sighed. “Remember this, no matter how good you are at fighting, you can’t just go around hitting people. Even if you’re not hurt, if the paparazzi catch wind of it, it’ll cause big trouble.”

Su Yan, fearing that Song Haowen might feel embarrassed, quickly intervened as it was for the sake of the music studio.

“Nana, don’t blame Haowen. If it weren’t for the other side going too far and injuring our two security guards first, he wouldn’t have acted so impulsively. Anyone in his place wouldn’t have tolerated that humiliation.”

Tian Nana didn’t want to dwell on the matter of fighting. “Right now, I’m worried about them bringing reinforcements. We only have him who knows a bit of martial arts.”

Song Haowen chuckled, “You and your mom are thinking alike. Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control. Is the rehearsal over? If it is, it’s my turn.”

Without waiting for Su Yan and her daughter to respond, he swiftly entered the office building, leaving Tian Nana stomping her feet in frustration at the entrance.

The evening performance at the theater went smoothly and was highly successful. The atmosphere reached its peak several times, resembling that of a concert.

Even the supporting acts, including comedy sketches, dances, and a solo performance on the erhu, received enthusiastic applause.

After the one-and-a-half-hour performance, the audience was reluctant to leave their seats. Song Haowen and Tiana thanked the audience three times before the curtains closed.

After the performance, Tian Nana, who had an out-of-town performance with the troupe the next day, left with Su Yan. The responsibility of overseeing the theater’s closure fell on Song Haowen.

When all the staff had left, he greeted the remaining security guards and set off alone for home.

Riding his bike out of the music studio, just as he turned onto a main street, two groups of people suddenly emerged from the alley, brandishing various tools, and swiftly surrounded him.

Although Song Haowen was surprised, his expression remained unchanged. He quickly scanned his surroundings and understood what was happening.

So, after Green-Haired and his gang suffered a defeat under Song Haowen’s hands in the afternoon, they sought out their backing—the local underworld leader, Black Bear, who was in charge of the area.

They asked Black Bear to intervene and punish Song Haowen. Without disappointing Green-Haired, Black Bear immediately gathered his most formidable enforcers, the “Eight Great Apes,” and went to the music studio to confront Song Haowen.

Upon seeing this group, which included Green-Haired and his gang, Song Haowen sneered at Green-Haired, saying, “What’s this, Green-Haired? You and your eight buddies couldn’t handle me alone, feeling embarrassed, so now you’ve got the nerve to call for reinforcements?”

Green-Haired’s swollen face showed a tinge of red and black as he gritted his teeth, “Don’t think just because you’re a popular singer, you can look down on everyone.”

He pointed to a tall and hefty man beside him, “Let me introduce you, this is our leader, Black Bear, and his Eight Great Apes. Show some respect, kneel down and beg for mercy. If our leader is pleased, maybe he’ll let you off; otherwise, you might end up incapable of taking care of yourself, turning from a pretty boy into a beaten face, and your singing career will come to an end.”

Song Haowen chuckled coldly, “Green-Haired, do you think I’m scared of you? I spared you this afternoon, and instead of being grateful, you come back for revenge. Aren’t you afraid that after I deal with you, you’ll be missing a few parts?”

Green-Haired wanted to retort, but Black Bear pulled him aside, saying to Song Haowen in a cold tone, “Besides being a good singer, I’ve heard you’re quite skilled in martial arts. Let me experience it myself.” He cracked his knuckles, muscles bulging, giving off an intimidating presence.

Song Haowen could tell Black Bear possessed raw strength, but he was not intimidated. To prevent being overwhelmed by over a dozen people, he deliberately provoked Black Bear.

“Black Bear, huh? Looks a bit tougher than Green-Haired. This afternoon, Green-Haired and his gang were all taken down by me with a single move. I’m afraid you won’t last much longer under my hands. To spare you from embarrassment, why don’t you and your so-called ‘Eight Great Apes’ come at me together? That way, even if you lose, it won’t be solely your responsibility, and you’ll have something to tell the underworld.”

“Go to hell! I’ll beat you to death, just like squashing a bug. I don’t need anyone else’s help; a single punch from me can make you shit yourself!” Black Bear roared.

Green-Haired hastily interjected, “Boss, please don’t underestimate this guy. It’s better if we all attack together, we can quickly solve the problem.”

Black Bear glared at Green-Haired menacingly, scaring him into closing his eyes. The Eight Great Apes were eager and ready.

“Boss, no need for all of us to go. Let one of us handle it.”

“No, I don’t need you guys to step in. Originally, I didn’t want to get my hands dirty, but this kid is too arrogant. Successfully triggered my anger, and if I don’t beat him to cool off, I’m afraid I’ll end up burning myself.” Black Bear exuded an air of unwavering determination.

Song Haowen’s lips curved into a mocking smile. He ran his fingers through his hair, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and gestured with his right hand towards Black Bear, “If you’ve got the guts, come at me then.”

Black Bear was nearly furious to the point of exploding his lungs. He immediately roared and swung his iron fist towards Song Haowen!

At this moment, due to the commotion caused by Black Bear and the others, many pedestrians were alarmed. Although they didn’t dare to approach the scene, they were unwilling to miss a street fight. Dozens of meters away, they stopped to watch.

However, when they realized that a group of thugs was targeting a graceful young man, and this young man happened to be a popular singer, they were all stunned.

They couldn’t understand how Song Haowen got involved with this societal scum. Some of his fans were secretly preparing to intervene in case things turned sour.

But what the onlookers couldn’t anticipate was that, facing over ten thugs who were older than him, Song Haowen not only showed no fear but intentionally provoked them, pushing the situation towards the worst outcome.

Watching Black Bear suddenly go berserk, and seeing his fist, the size of a monk’s alms bowl, swiftly descending towards Song Haowen’s face, the crowd couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

They couldn’t imagine the horrific scene that would unfold under that punch. A few female fans were so frightened that they covered their eyes with their hands, tears streaming down, while the older folks felt a sudden tightness in their chests, a gripping pain.

But in the split second, Song Haowen’s body instantly dodged to the side, tilting his head to the left. Black Bear’s alms-bowl-sized fist whizzed past him, grazing his left ear. Simultaneously, Song Haowen’s left hand lifted upward, catching Black Bear’s attacking right arm.

His right hand swiftly struck forward, accompanied by a muffled thunderous sound. Black Bear, the massive two-hundred-something-pound creature, flew backward two or three meters away, like a meat mountain, crashing to the ground with a thunderous “boom.”

The entire venue fell into complete silence. Everyone’s breath seemed to stop in that moment, and even the sound of a needle drop could be heard.