Behind the man followed a young woman. She had delicate features, watery almond-shaped eyes, slight baby fat on her cheeks, and wore an off-white maxi dress.

She tugged at the man's sleeve. "Leiting, maybe... forget it? We can eat somewhere else. It doesn't have to be here."

He guided the woman down onto a nearby chair, leaned in close to her ear, and lowered his voice.

"Wanwan, don't worry. Give me one minute."

When he straightened up and turned back, every trace of tenderness vanished from his face. His gaze swept over the table by the window, a flicker of amusement in his eyes, and he waved at someone behind him.

A minion scurried over immediately, pulling a thick stack of cash from a black leather bag—brand-new, with the paper band still intact.

Huangfu Leiting pinched the stack between two fingers and tossed it casually onto the table with a smack. The banknotes splayed slightly at the edges, sitting there in a bright red pile.

"I've booked out this entire floor. I'll cover your tab and give you double compensation on top of it. Take the money and get lost right now."

Cold sweat beaded on President Wang's forehead as he lowered his voice to Su Chen. "President Su, should we leave first? There's no point in butting heads with these people."

Yu Wantang asked inwardly, "System, what breed of clown is this now?"

The System replied, "Huangfu Leiting, ruler of Haicheng's underworld. In the original plot, he was supposed to run into Jiang Wanwan tonight—the girl he had a crush on back when he was down on his luck. That's her sitting behind him. After tonight, they get together."

So just because this unhinged underworld boss wanted a romantic dinner with his female lead, he had to kick everyone else out? What kind of twisted logic was that?

Su Chen set down his knife and fork, dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and said, "Sir, I'm not lacking money for a meal."

With that, he picked up his cutlery again, speared a piece of beef, and brought it to his mouth.

Watching from the side, the bald man ground his molars so hard they creaked. Their boss had stepped up in person, yet these people hadn't even budged an inch. Wasn't this a blatant slap in the face?

Cursing under his breath, he raised an expandable baton and swung it straight toward Su Chen's head.

Su Chen was quick to react, raising his arm to block it. But these tattooed thugs fought for a living, and their brute force was immense.

Su Chen let out a muffled grunt as his abdomen slammed hard against the table corner. Clutching his stomach, a thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Resting the baton on his shoulder, the bald man tilted his head at Su Chen, grinning with utter nonchalance. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit."

Yu Wantang looked at the trickle of blood at Su Chen's lip, and the languid ease in her eyes instantly vanished. She glanced down at her phone—sent successfully.

Setting her phone down, she stood up and kicked the chair behind her over.

Only then did the bald man notice the woman who had been burying her head in lobster this whole time. Sizing her up, he sneered, "What? You want a beating too?"

Yu Wantang ignored him, pointing a finger at Su Chen. "Do you know who he is?"

The bald man cocked his head and snorted. "Who gives a damn who he is?"

"He's my boss," Yu Wantang said, retracting her finger. "If you beat him up and something happens to him, are you going to pay my salary?"

The bald man choked, his mouth hanging open without a comeback. Behind him, the tattooed thugs exchanged subtle glances.

Yu Wantang had already taken a step forward, tilting her neck side to side with a couple of sharp cracks. Then, she hooked a finger at the bald man. "Come here."

Amused by her antics, the bald man looked back at the boss.

The man curled his lips and gave a slight nod.

Emboldened, the bald man turned back to Yu Wantang with a grin. "Chick, are you sticking your neck out for your boss?"

Seeing this, a tattooed thug closest to her grinned savagely and reached out to grab her hair.

Yu Wantang sidestepped to evade his hand. Twisting her grip, she clamped onto his wrist and used his forward momentum to slam her shoulder hard into his chest.

The tattooed thug lost his balance from the leverage, and Yu Wantang seized the opening to drive her knee squarely into his stomach.

"Ugh..."

With a shrill cry of pain, the tattooed thug curled up like a cooked shrimp and collapsed to his knees.

Another thug raised his baton and swung it down at her.

Yu Wantang ducked underneath, casually snatched the silver steak knife off the table, and struck the thug's wrist sharply with the spine of the blade.

The baton clattered to the floor.

Yu Wantang kicked the baton away, spun around, and delivered a sidekick that sent the thug flying two meters back, crashing through a row of dining carts.

The man stepped forward, his voice dripping with sinister malice.

"Do you know who I am?"

Terrified by his overwhelming presence, President Wang was drenched in cold sweat.

"President Su, should we pull back first? It's not worth going toe-to-toe with these guys."

"Oh, no clue."

Clutching his stomach as he scrambled up from the ground, the bald man roared,

"Open your blind dog eyes! Our boss is the head of the Qinghai Gang! In the entire Haicheng underworld, my boss's word is law! Cross us, and tomorrow's headlines will feature your corpses lying in the streets!"

Yu Wantang watched his posturing display, the corner of her mouth twitching.

She lightly clapped twice, her voice flat and dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, wow, so scary. I'm trembling."

Huangfu Leiting stared at her for a couple of seconds; not only was this woman unafraid, but her eyes were brimming with mockery.

"Today, I'll make sure you learn the consequences of crossing Huangfu Leiting!"

He moved with lightning speed, launching a fist straight at Yu Wantang's face.

Yu Wantang didn't dodge.

She slashed the steak knife to the side, forcing Huangfu Leiting's punch back.

She then ducked low, closing the distance to Huangfu Leiting's body. Her left hand locked onto his punching arm while her right foot hooked behind his ankle, sweeping backward with force.

Huangfu Leiting lost his balance and pitched forward.

Capitalizing on his forward momentum, Yu Wantang grabbed his collar from behind and drove her knee forcefully into his chest.

With a dull thud,

Huangfu Leiting was pinned to the floor by her, his face pressed against shattered glass shards that sliced several bloody gashes into his cheek.

Yu Wantang looked down at him from above, still holding the bloodstained knife. She lightly patted his cheek with the tip of the blade: "If you're trash, practice more!"

The physical damage was negligible, but the insult was astronomical.

Spitting a mouthful of bloody froth, Huangfu Leiting lay sprawled on the floor, his face completely full of disbelief.

He, the dignified leader of the Qinghai Gang, had actually been wiped across the floor by a woman in business attire? What kind of monster was she?

Straightening up, Yu Wantang glanced around at the men sprawled haphazardly across the floor and curled her lip. Some underworld boss he was—more like an underworld loser. Not a single one could put up a fight; they were utterly fragile.

The System chimed in faintly in her mind: "Host, with your strength, are you sure you're not just picking on the weak?"

Yu Wantang retorted mentally, "He's a guy, and I'm a woman. If he can't win a fight, is that my fault?"

Just then,

a series of heavy, disciplined footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, loud enough that even the floor vibrated slightly.

The restaurant doors were flung wide open.

"Nobody move!"

Over a dozen fully armed officers charged in holding riot shields, followed by several uniformed police officers.

"You are suspected of endangering public safety, affray, and picking quarrels and provoking trouble! Everyone squat down with your hands behind your head!"

Yu Wantang tossed the dining knife onto the table.

She tilted her head toward Huangfu Leiting on the floor. "What was it you said just now? That you'd make me learn the consequences of crossing you?"

"Well, here are your consequences."