Chapter 4: Collecting the Debt

Ye Xue’s expression changed drastically at the sound, her face filled with terror.

“Brother, whatever they ask you later, you mustn’t reveal your identity! If Wang Hai finds out you’re still alive, they’ll definitely kill you!”

Her earlier reproach was, in truth, just a way of venting her grievances. Ye Chen was her brother—how could she bear to see him harmed?

A warmth bloomed in Ye Chen’s heart. This is what family means. No matter how harsh their words might be in daily life, when trouble comes, your loved ones will always protect you without hesitation.

Soon, over a dozen men surged into the courtyard, steel pipes and machetes in hand. The leader looked to be in his thirties, stout and heavyset, a thick gold chain hanging across his chest and a briefcase tucked beneath his arm.

When he spotted Ye Xue, he pulled the briefcase from under his arm, brandishing it as he questioned coldly, “Let me ask you—when are you going to pay back Young Master Wang’s five hundred thousand?”

Ye Chen’s face darkened, about to speak, but Ye Xue stepped forward, quickly blocking him from view. She was desperate not to draw their attention to him.

Standing before the man, Ye Xue stammered in terror, “Boss Ba, I’m sorry—my part-time wages haven’t been paid yet. Please, give us just a couple more days.”

Liu Ba’s demeanor shifted instantly, his face contorting with anger. “A couple more days? It’s already been two damn years of extensions!”

“You’ve already paid back five million—are you really going to quibble over fifty thousand in interest? Looks to me like you’re just trying to renege on the debt!”

A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Chen’s somber face. The family’s apartment wasn’t even worth a million—where had the remaining four million come from?

Ye Xue, faced with Liu Ba’s fury, could only swallow her anger. This final fifty thousand was simply the Wang family’s deliberate extortion—a way to torment those with no power or influence, to squeeze the life from them.

Brushing away her tears, Ye Xue pleaded, “Boss Ba, I beg you, please show us some mercy. You know, the five million was from selling our house and from Miss Qin, who gave us four million to thank my brother for saving her life!”

“Honestly, we really can’t come up with this fifty thousand. I beg you…”

Liu Ba’s brows knitted, and he snorted coldly.

“You little wretch, I’m a debt collector, not a charity! If the Qin family’s willing to pay for you, go ask them for the rest!”

Only now did Ye Chen realize that the girl he’d saved all those years ago was surnamed Qin.

Ye Xue cried out, “Boss Ba, Miss Qin has already helped us with four million. We really can’t bring ourselves to ask her for more!”

“And I heard she’s come down with some strange illness—she’s been in a coma for a month. How could I possibly ask her for more money in a situation like this?”

“That’s your problem—not mine!” Liu Ba barked, his eyes raking over Ye Xue.

That look made Ye Xue’s heart lurch; she instinctively shrank back a few paces.

Liu Ba tutted, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. “Little girl, your mother’s about to die, and you’ll never pay off the debt on part-time wages alone.”

“Listen. You’re pretty enough, and I’m a generous man. Serve my brothers and me for a month, and I’ll settle the fifty thousand for you. What do you say? I’m a big-hearted guy, aren’t I?”

Roars of crude laughter erupted from his men, who began to pound their weapons against the ground in frenzied anticipation.

Bang. Bang. Bang…

Ye Xue turned pale at their words and the scene before her. Though five years of the Wang family’s oppression had made her far stronger than most, she was still just an eighteen-year-old student, unprepared for such horrors.

She backed away, her face stricken with terror. “No! Absolutely not!”

“Whether you agree or not isn’t up to you. I hear you’re still a student—probably your first time, huh?” Liu Ba sneered.

Then, with a wave of his thick hand, he ordered his men, “Go on, grab the girl! I’m taking her back for some fun, and when I’m done, you all get a turn!”

“Yes, boss!” Several of his underlings lunged for Ye Xue.

Ye Xue was nearly in despair. What good was Ye Chen’s return? Powerless nobodies could barely survive, let alone defend themselves. If these men took her, she’d rather die.

At that moment, Ye Chen stepped in front of Ye Xue. He finally understood everything. The Wang family and these thugs were beyond redemption.

“Enough!” Ye Chen barked coldly, an icy aura radiating from his brow.

The two goons charging forward snarled, “Who the hell’s making all this noise? Get lost, or we’ll break your legs!”

“You’re welcome to try,” Ye Chen replied calmly.

Ever since fusing with that venomous poison in the Poison Mountains, he hadn’t yet tested his own strength. This group would do nicely as a trial.

“Courting death!” Roaring, the two thugs raised machete and steel pipe, rushing him with murderous intent.

Ye Xue’s heart seized with dread. These debt collectors were no strangers to violence—how could her brother possibly stand up to them, especially armed as they were?

In a panic, Ye Xue cried out, “Brother, don’t! Run, hurry!”

Ye Chen ignored her, his gaze fixed on the two attackers. As they closed in, each brandished a weapon, aiming savage blows at his head.

“Brother…” Ye Xue squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch.

But in that instant, Ye Chen moved. His speed was so great it defied the eye.

Each thug took a punch to the chest—one each—and both flew five meters through the air!

Bang! Bang!

With twin thuds, the men crashed at Liu Ba’s feet, clutching their chests, blood trickling from their lips.

“Boss Ba…” they groaned.

Liu Ba and his men stood stunned by what they’d witnessed.

Between them, those two weighed at least three hundred pounds—yet this boy had sent them flying with a single effortless blow?

Ye Xue, hearing the unexpected sounds, opened her eyes. Seeing the two thugs sprawled on the ground, she was as astonished as anyone.

When had her brother become such a formidable fighter? What had he experienced in these past five years?

Beneath Ye Chen’s calm exterior, he too was shocked. He hadn’t expected that the old man’s poison experiment would come with a set of martial arts techniques, designed to purge the toxins from his body. Who would have thought those techniques would be so devastating in a fight?

A surprising bonus indeed.

Suppressing his inner excitement, Ye Chen turned to Liu Ba.

“From today on, no one will be allowed to bully my sister or my mother ever again.”