The main thug shouted angrily, “What did you just say?!”

The young man smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Lin Zhixia hurriedly stepped forward and blocked in front of him, saying softly, “It’s better to call the police. We shouldn’t challenge them ourselves.”

The main man sneered, “You think we’re afraid of you calling the police? I tell you, we have a few brothers that can be very idle. It’s nothing for them to come here and hang around. Do you think the police can run them off every day?”

The young man sneered, “Shameless.”

“Who the fuck are you? Just shut up and stop intervening!”

“I haven’t seen a scoundrel like you for many years so I find it fascinating,” the boy looked at them contemptuously, “I’ve really learned a lot today.”

“Fuck, you bastard! Are you looking for a fight?”

Lin Zhixia stepped between the two of them again and said to the young man, “This gentleman, just go ahead and leave it. Thank you but don’t fight with them. You might get hurt.”

“Sister-in-law, no, I mean, Boss, you are too good-tempered! Can’t you see they are clearly trying to blackmail you? I’ve been here all day without seeing even the shadow of a cockroach. How old are these scoundrels? They are really too shameless.”

The young man rolled his eyes, “I think these old hooligans are all talk. Who knows who would win in a physical fight?”

As soon as he finished talking, the main middle aged thug suddenly kicked the bottom of the young man’s chair. From the kitchen, Lin Zhixia heard Lin Keai start to cry again. His heart felt like it was squeezed tight at the sound and he wanted to rush back there.

But the two people in front of him were still facing off and Lin Zhixia was afraid that the young man would be seriously hurt. In turmoil, Lin Zhixia looked back and forth between the door to the kitchen and the young man in front of him.

*

When Luo Qin arrived, the scene before him was already very chaotic. There was a crowd of people on the sidewalk, excitedly watching inside the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant was a smashed mess and the boss from next door was trying to shoo people away.

Lin Zhixia was standing in the middle of the confrontation, shielding Xiao Qi. His face full of disgust, Xiao Qi was still yelling something at the other man from behind Lin Zhixia. The middle aged man he was yelling at had a nasty expression that grew darker and darker.

Suddenly, one of the men grabbed an empty wine bottle and smashed it. Then he advanced on Lin Zhixia.

Luo Qin immediately rushed inside.

*

Lin Zhixia tensed up when he was suddenly pulled into someone’s embrace. He turned his head and looked up to see that it was Luo Qin.

Luo Qin kicked away the man coming at them and then turned to look coldly at the young man, saying angrily, “Very good! Qi Mingyuan, is this how you help me watch over him?”

“Brother Luo, you don’t understand! These thugs were bullying him!” Qi Mingyuan protested, “I just wanted to help sister-in-law..”

He looked around at the messy store, his voice getting smaller and smaller. He turned his head to take in Luo Qin’s dark, sullen face. He grimaced and scratched the back of his head before quickly nodding. Then he suddenly exclaimed, “Brother Luo, your hand!”

At that, Lin Zhixia came back to his senses. He looked down at Luo Qin’s hand and saw that it was bleeding. Then he saw the broken wine bottle on the floor nearby and understood what had happened.

Luo Qin hid his bleeding hand behind his back and said coldly to the other men, “ I have already called the police and will prosecute you directly for this. I suggest you hurry up and contact the person who sent you here. See if he can keep you out of prison.”

Luo Qin shook his blood soaked hand at them and his low voice was loud and clear, “But I highly doubt it.”

Luo Qin’s declaration stunned them and they looked at each other, cursing one of them in a low voice, “Fucking hell, who told you to make him bleed?!”

“I just want to scare the little boss.. That guy came out of nowhere. I couldn’t stop!”

Qi Mingyuan ran to the door and shouted, “Hey everyone! The police are coming to take them away!”

At this, the crowd dispersed and Lin Zhixia stepped out of Luo Qin’s arms. It was obvious that this young man and Luo Qin knew each other. Lin Zhixia’s expression was complicated and he turned to look at Luo Qin, asking, “Why are you here?”

Qi Mingyuan stopped yelling and came over.

“Sister-in-law, can you help my brother look at his hands first? This much blood is so scary.”

Lin Zhixia only noticed then that Qi Mingyuan kept calling him ‘sister-in-law’. Before he could say anything, Luo Qin said darkly, “Watch what you say.”

Qi Mingyuan shrank his neck, “Okay, I’ll shut up.”

Luo Qin had a deep wound on his hand and there was still some broken glass stuck in the flesh. It looked very shocking. Lin Zhixia knew that Luo Qin had gotten hurt protecting him and felt very guilty. He whispered, “You should go to the hospital. Your wound needs to be treated.”

“Yes, Brother Luo, hurry up to the hospital. You don’t want it to leave a scar on your hand,” Qi Mingyuan continued to babble next to him, “Boss, how about you accompany Brother Luo in my place? I’ll help you watch the restaurant. Don’t worry, these scoundrels won’t get away.”

Lin Zhixia was silent and then..

“Dad..”

Lin Keai poked his head out from the back kitchen, his face full of panic and covered in tears, looking like a lost little kitten. The tears that had stopped earlier began to pour out again and Lin Zhixia hurried over to hug him. He picked up Xiao Ai and patted his back, looking distressed, “Don’t be afraid, baby. It’s okay.”

Luo Qin looked at them in silence and wanted to step forward to help. After a long moment, he lowered his head and turned, leaving the shop.

Not long after he went out, Lin Zhixia chased after him.

“Wait,” Lin Zhixia called out to stop him, “I’ll go to the hospital with you.”

“What about the baby?”

“He’s not crying anymore. I asked the neighbor to watch him for now,” Lin Zhixia whispered, “Anyway, you helped me today and I don’t want to owe you.”

Lin Zhixia flagged down a taxi and the two of them entered the car. Luo Qin’s hand was still dripping blood so Lin Zhixia helped him wipe it with a tissue. Luo Qin watched him in silence.

Lin Zhixia’s hands were small and warm.

He was a few years older than Qi Mingyuan but he looked so much more immature than Xiao Qi. More youthful and tender.

Lin Zhixia never intentionally showed his vulnerability. On the contrary, in Luo Qin’s opinion, Lin Zhixia was a person who liked to be strong.

But looking at Lin Zhixia’s gentle profile, the desire to protect him suddenly rose in Luo Qin’s heart.

“Zhixia,” Luo Qin suddenly spoke, his voice soft, “can I call you that?”

Lin Zhixia didn’t look up from his task, “Yes, if you want to.”

“Zhixia, I have something to tell you. Can we talk about it now?”

Lin Zhixia paused for a moment and then said in a low voice, “Wait until you go to the hospital and finish treating your wounds. Otherwise I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself and make your injuries even worse.”

Hearing that, Luo Qin couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. Lin Zhixia gave him a blank look then put down his hand and moved away, putting some space between them.

Until the wound was finished, Lin Zhixia didn’t talk to him again. When the doctor left the room, Lin Zhixia asked him, “What do you want to say to me?”

“I’m sorry.”

Lin Zhixia suspected that he had heard wrong, “What?”

“Those men today, I think they were sent by my dad.”

Lin Zhixia was stunned. He had been wondering why a group of people looking for trouble would suddenly show up at his restaurant. It turned out to be because of Luo Qin.

Burning with rising anger, Lin Zhixia turned quickly to leave the room. Luo Qin reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. Without thinking, Lin Zhixia smacked his hand away and then heard a repressed groan from Luo Qin. He had forgotten that Luo Qin’s hand was injured.

Lin Zhixia looked down at Luo Qin’s hand and saw that it had started to bleed again.

“I’ll call the doctor.”

“Wait,” Luo Qin stubbornly grabbed his hand, “You listen to me, otherwise I don’t know when you’ll give me the chance to talk to you again.”

Luo Qin’s expression was so pitiful that Lin Zhixia felt his anger subside a little. He felt awkward being so stern with Luo Qin while the man was hurt. He sat down again and said in a resigned voice, “Talk.”

“You were right the other day. Everyone in the Luo family is indeed arrogant and annoying,” Luo Qin smiled faintly, “Luo Yao and I are half-brother and sister. My dad went out to sketch one day in college and met the woman that gave birth to me. They fell in love but then that woman found out that my dad was already arranged to marry someone else, for the good of the Luo family. So that woman left me with my dad and disappeared.”

He sighed, “I am actually an illegitimate child but I was always very smart. No one from my generation of the Luo family is as intelligent as me and my grandfather treats me very well. That’s why, no matter how they really think about me in private, the members of the Luo family all praise me to my face.”

He shook his head, “No one ever mentions the person who gave birth to me, not even my dad. In their eyes, I am the child born to Luo Yao’s mother, especially after I inherited the company. So you see, the Luo family is indeed all a very ridiculous bunch of people, looking down on me with derision behind my back.”

Lin Zhixia lowered his head and said nothing.

In the novel, the Luo family relatives were all a bunch of tiresome people. They always made stupid mistakes and messed things up forcing Luo Qin to step in and set things right.

It was as if these family members were merely tools in the story, there to show off Luo Qin’s golden finger. There was also very little revealed about his birth. Hearing Luo Qin talk about it himself was much more impactful to Lin Zhixia.

With Luo Qin’s proud temperament, he certainly would never reveal this to outsiders but he told Lin Zhixia all about it.

“I know you don’t want to see me anymore but I need to explain my side of things. When I first said that I wanted to take Keai away from you, I only said that to test you. Then I quickly realized that Xiao Ai should be raised by your side.”

After a pause, he continued, “When I say that those men were sent by my dad, I’m not trying to avoid the blame for myself. I’m not surprised that something like this happened today. When my dad does something, he never considers how it will affect those around him. It only matters that his personal goals are met by his actions. He will continue to make trouble for you until you can’t take it anymore.”

Lin Zhixia raised his head suddenly, staring at him with scorching eyes, “I can take anything he throws at me.”

“I know,” Luo Qin smiled. Of course he knew how strong this weak-looking sapling was. He put away his smile and looked seriously into Lin Zhixia’s eyes, “Although I have no right to say this, I really can’t stand to see him hurt you like this.”