Chapter 61: Looking for Your Sister

"It's alright!" Hearing Han Xue-mi apologize, Li Huan found himself at a loss for words. He had intended to apologize first, but Han Xue-mi had beaten him to it.

“Hmph, men always play the victim after taking advantage!” Han Xiaowei curled her lip from the side, but when she turned to face Xiao Yu, her smile blossomed as brilliantly as a flower.

“Mi-mi, you owe a glass!” Xia Mo poured a full cup of wine and handed it over. Han Xue-mi, feeling a bit embarrassed, took the glass and gulped it down. Perhaps she drank too quickly, because the last mouthful caught in her throat and she choked, spraying the wine all over Li Huan’s trousers—soaking a rather embarrassing spot.

“Oh, you’re all wet!” Seeing this, Li Gang could hardly contain his schadenfreude, staring at Li Huan’s pants with a wicked grin.

Han Xue-mi was startled by her own blunder. Seeing the wet stain she’d made on Li Huan’s trousers, she hastily grabbed a tissue, intending to wipe it for him. Just as she was about to, she realized how awkward the location was—her face flushed, and her hand, clutching the tissue, froze midair.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Li Huan smiled at Han Xue-mi, not the least bit bothered. Noticing there was wine on her face as well, he asked with a smile, “Do you want to come too?”

“Mm.” Wine had splashed on Han Xue-mi’s cheeks and clothes as well, and she needed water to clean up. At his suggestion, she nodded, and the two of them stood up together, pushed open the door to the private room, and walked out.

“I’m so sorry, it really wasn’t on purpose!” Han Xue-mi was still mortified by her own behavior. How unladylike—to have sprayed out the wine she’d just sipped! How humiliating!

“It’s nothing,” Li Huan reassured her genuinely. He didn’t find Han Xue-mi embarrassing in the least. His mind was still lingering on that earlier kiss—a kiss he considered himself lucky to have stolen.

Li Huan had drunk quite a bit of beer and was feeling the urge to relieve himself, so he headed straight into the men’s restroom. He also took the opportunity to wipe the wine off his trousers, but that only made things wetter. In the end, he had to use the nearby hand dryer for a while.

The hand dryer was fixed awkwardly to the wall, forcing Li Huan to press his lower half against it to get the hot air on the damp spot. His actions, however, drew intense curiosity from the other men present. Some even suspected him of having a serious fetish—almost to the point of wanting to call security and have him taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Li Huan ignored the strange looks around him, monopolizing the dryer until his trousers were more or less dry. Just as he was about to leave, a commotion broke out outside, with what sounded like a girl’s voice among the shouting.

It sounded a lot like Han Xue-mi. Realizing she was nearby, Li Huan’s brow furrowed, and he hurriedly pushed open the restroom door. Outside, quite a crowd had gathered—mostly onlookers—and at the center, Han Xue-mi was surrounded by several men, with shouting on both sides.

One of them—a chubby guy whose face seemed vaguely familiar—reached out to touch Han Xue-mi’s face. She shrank back in terror and screamed, only to find another man blocking her way behind. The chubby guy, sensing she had nowhere to run, grew even bolder.

“Little missy, if you don’t give Brother Dog some face tonight, don’t blame me for being rude!” The chubby man sneered, reaching for Han Xue-mi again.

Li Huan pushed aside the onlookers. Seeing the chubby fellow’s hand about to touch Han Xue-mi’s face, he shouted, “Stop!”

The words had barely left his mouth when Li Huan lunged forward, seized the chubby man’s wrist, and flung him aside. If not for someone catching him, he would have landed hard on the floor.

“Are you looking for trouble?” As soon as the chubby man found his footing, one of his lackeys erupted in anger. Usually he never had a chance to show off, but now, faced with someone who didn’t know any better, he was eager to make a scene, raising his voice as if to intimidate Li Huan.

“I’m looking for your sister!” Li Huan had already recognized the chubby man—what a narrow world! Last time at Dancing with Wolves, this guy had interfered on behalf of a friend, harassing a girl, and had been beaten up by Li Huan. This time, fate had brought them together again.

A quick glance confirmed to Li Huan that this was indeed Brother Dog. But before he could say anything more, one of the henchmen charged over, shouting. Li Huan didn’t bother with pleasantries—he sidestepped and landed a heavy slap across the man’s face, knocking out one of his front teeth.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Huan leapt forward, shoved aside the man blocking Han Xue-mi, and pulled her to safety, making sure she wouldn’t be bullied any further.

“Li Huan… I was so scared!” Han Xue-mi was already in tears. She’d only been cleaning the wine stain off her clothes when the chubby man approached, leading a group of four or five unsavory-looking companions. She’d tried to ignore them, but they started getting handsy. Thank goodness Li Huan arrived in time, or she would have been taken advantage of.

“It’s alright, I’m here.” Truth be told, Li Huan still felt some apprehension toward Brother Dog. After what happened last time, though, Dog wouldn’t dare seek trouble with him so soon. Yet fate had brought them together again today—a surprise Li Huan hadn’t expected.

“So it’s you again!” By now, Brother Dog had recognized Li Huan and paused, a flash of instinctive fear in his eyes. But he quickly sneered and beckoned five of his henchmen forward.

“Hmph, punk, you picked the wrong place tonight. This karaoke bar is mine—you won’t walk out!” Wang Xiaogou (Brother Dog) stepped back, snickering as his men surged forward.

Li Huan’s fighting abilities had improved dramatically without him realizing it. He vaguely sensed it, especially after that time he’d punched clean through a two-inch board—something he’d never been able to do before. He knew it was the Super Transformation System subtly reshaping his body.

Under normal circumstances, three or five men might not be a match for Li Huan—let alone now. Still, with Han Xue-mi by his side, he had to be careful not to let her get hurt.

Two of the five henchmen were actually decent fighters. One came in with a heavy punch, while the other circled, aiming a kick whenever he saw an opening. Li Huan, shielding Han Xue-mi, couldn’t use his legs and relied solely on his fists, raining blows left and right.

Even so, those two couldn’t withstand Li Huan’s onslaught for long. Fewer than a dozen punches later, both had taken several hits—one was struck in the chest, the other in the knee, unable even to stand.

The remaining three were all show and no substance. Li Huan barely exerted himself, swinging his fists to lay them all out, black and blue, cowering in the corner, unwilling to come at him again.

“You’ve got guts, kid!” Wang Xiaogou had experienced Li Huan’s strength before, having taken a beating himself. Now, it seemed Li Huan had gotten even stronger. His two carefully chosen bodyguards had been put down in less than three minutes, which left him fuming.

After his humiliating loss at Dancing with Wolves, Wang Xiaogou had put Li Huan on his blacklist. Now that Li Huan had turned up on his turf, he couldn’t let him escape easily. Glancing at his five defeated men, Wang Xiaogou spat, “Useless!” and bolted for the hallway.

He wasn’t stupid. If he stayed and faced Li Huan, he’d only get beaten again. But if he could make it to the main hall and shout for help, the security guards with electric batons would swarm in, and not even Li Huan could handle that.

Of course, reality rarely matches fantasy. Wang Xiaogou was no exception. He’d barely taken a step when Li Huan dashed after him, grabbed his shoulder, and yanked him backward, sending him sprawling.

“You’re right—I’ve got guts!” Li Huan sneered, stomping hard on Wang Xiaogou’s stomach, then turned, took Han Xue-mi by the hand, and left the karaoke bar without a backward glance.

The fight had been almost too easy; Li Huan hadn’t even used much strength. It made him realize just how much the Super Transformation System was altering his body—changes he only noticed in moments of danger.

They walked for two blocks before Li Huan called Li Gang, telling him to gather everyone and leave the bar quickly. Sensing something was off in Li Huan’s tone, Li Gang didn’t ask questions; he relayed the message and left with the others.

All his life, Wang Xiaogou had believed that on the turf behind the main street, he was the future king of the underworld—untouchable by anyone but his own father. Unfortunately, Li Huan had become the first stain on his reputation, and today, the same man had given him a second humiliation.

“Dog, should we get some guys to lie in wait for him? The brothers have been itching to deal with him for a long time. Just say the word and tomorrow he’ll be on the front page!” The karaoke bar’s manager had once been one of Wang Xiaogou’s bootlicking followers. Thanks to his flattery, he’d been promoted to manager—after all, someone had to keep an eye on this place for Wang Xiaogou’s sake.

Wang Xiaogou sat on the plush sofa, his plump body taking up most of the space. He held a glass of red wine, gazing at the blood-hued liquid with a cold, ruthless glint in his eyes.