Chapter One: The Exceptional Landlady

Chapter One: The Exceptional Lady Boss

Hedong City, an ancient metropolis with a history spanning a millennium, had long been the beneficiary of governmental protection of its material and cultural heritage. This had left the city with an environment of rare beauty and tranquility, making it an ideal place for rest and recuperation.

As dusk fell, Xu Yun strolled out for his habitual wander. On his upper body, he wore a tank top emblazoned with the image of a beautiful woman, below which hung a pair of brightly colored beach shorts. Flip-flops flapped against his feet. The entire outfit, bought at a street market, could not have cost him more than thirty yuan. Humming a tune of dubious origin, he ambled along without a care in the world.

“A graceful lady to please the eye, a fiery beauty to win and try. Three years I toiled, like Yang Guang of Sui, if only there were a bed to share and lie…”

“Hey, look at that slim waist… damn…” Xu Yun was mid-chorus when a woman entered his field of vision—a slender figure, whose hips swayed invitingly with each step.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I’ve been wandering this backwater for over ten days and this is the first woman worth more than a passing glance…” he muttered, lengthening his stride to follow her, appraising as he went.

After trailing her for some fifty meters, Xu Yun’s interest began to wane. The woman had stopped in front of a nearby bar, lighting a cigarette and showing no signs of moving on.

Xu Yun needed no hints to guess her profession. Damn, what a waste of time!

Just as he was about to seek his next diversion, a sharp, feminine voice rang out beside him.

“What are you doing here again?”

Her voice was clear as jade beads falling into a silver dish, the tones melodious and distinct, imbued with a unique allure.

Xu Yun turned to look, and what he saw nearly made him freeze.

Willowy waist, pert hips, and a high ponytail that made her appear all the more pure.

Fair skin, exquisite features, beautiful eyes heavy with a languid melancholy, lips as red as ripe cherries—no matter how one measured her, the woman a short distance away was, without doubt, a peerless beauty.

Yet trouble seemed to be brewing for her. At her right stood a man of about twenty-five or six, with a sly, rodent-like face. Flanking them were several burly, tattooed men, forming a loose semicircle.

Xu Yun was not the type to meddle in others’ affairs—unless, of course, a peerless beauty was involved. Without hesitation, he stepped toward her.

“Sister-in-law, please, you have to help me! Only you can save me now…” The shifty-eyed man looked utterly miserable, almost falling to his knees in supplication before the beauty.

“I am not your sister-in-law, and I have no more money to give you for gambling. Leave at once, or I’ll call the police!” The beauty’s face had gone pale with anger as she spoke.

The crowd that had gathered began to murmur, exchanging their opinions in hushed tones.

The young man seemed unfazed by the threat of the police, as if he had expected it. He continued to plead, “Don’t, please, you can’t just stand by and do nothing! Just this once, the last time—help me, please…”

She was unmoved. Shaking off his hand, she snapped, “I beg you, stop pestering me! After I paid your gambling debt last time, we agreed we were square. You said so yourself!”

“Just this once, Sister-in-law, help me one last time!” The young man’s face flushed. When he saw her resolve, his expression suddenly turned sinister. “Fine, you’re just going to let me suffer? Then I’ll tell my brother what you’ve been up to in Hedong City!”

“You—shameless!” The beauty was so infuriated she nearly fainted. Twice before, he had used this same threat to extract money from her, and now he was at it again.

“Sigh… Poor girl, what a hard life she has,” an old man in the crowd lamented.

“Who wouldn’t agree? This is the third time, isn’t it? That kid is no good, I tell you! If it were me, I’d have sorted him out ages ago!” grumbled a middle-aged woman, indignant.

“Then why don’t you go deal with him, Auntie?” a balding man teased.

The woman shot him a withering look. “Do you take me for a fool? That punk’s nothing, but those men behind him are clearly thugs. Would you dare cross them?”

…

As the crowd gossiped, Xu Yun pieced together the story from their whispers.

The beauty’s name was Ruan Qingshuang. She ran a medicinal cuisine restaurant and made her living from it. The shifty-eyed youth was Lü Bao, her brother-in-law, a compulsive gambler who, having lost everything, would come to her to beg for money. If she refused, he would threaten to reveal her whereabouts to his brother back in the countryside—a tactic that had worked more than once.

“Sister-in-law, have you thought it over? Or should I call my brother right now? I’m sure he’ll be delighted to find you…” Lü Bao, gloating, pressed her further.

Ruan Qingshuang bit down hard on her lip, her face drained of color, her eyes brimming with tears…

At that moment, a voice rang out from the crowd: “How much do you want? I’ll pay her debt!”

As the words echoed, those around Xu Yun quickly stepped aside, afraid they’d be mistaken for the speaker.

Xu Yun strolled forward, smiling broadly at Lü Bao. The crowd looked at him as if he were a fool.

Ruan Qingshuang, hearing someone offer to pay for her, felt a mixture of shock, suspicion, and the faintest glimmer of gratitude. It wasn’t the money that moved her, but the fact that, after being threatened three times by Lü Bao, not a single bystander had ever spoken up for her—until now.

Lü Bao, desperate under the weight of his gambling debts, turned eagerly to Xu Yun. “You—you’re going to pay for my sister-in-law?”

Xu Yun snapped his fingers. “You heard me. Name your price.”

“Not much, not much. Twenty thousand will do, twenty thousand!” Lü Bao, blinded by the prospect of cash, didn’t even stop to consider whether Xu Yun, dressed as he was, could afford it.

“Only twenty thousand?” Xu Yun feigned disappointment at the small sum.

Seeing this, Lü Bao’s eyes lit up. “Uh, I miscalculated—fifty thousand, fifty thousand will be enough!”

“Fifty thousand? That’s still not much. Probably not enough for your needs. How about I give you a hundred thousand?” Xu Yun said, grinning.

“What? Really?” Lü Bao’s face broke into a sycophantic grin as he scurried over. “My sister-in-law will pay you back later, alright?”

“You—” Ruan Qingshuang was beside herself with anger, at a complete loss for words.

“Pay me back? No need,” Xu Yun replied, still smiling.

Lü Bao’s eyes widened at the thought of a free handout. “Brother, you’re so generous! From now on, you’re as good as family to me…”

“Don’t try to get chummy with me. Do you want the money or not?”

“Yes, yes, of course…”

“Don’t give him anything!” Ruan Qingshuang cried out, summoning all her strength.

Xu Yun smiled, giving her a look of reassurance before rubbing his hands together. “Catch!”

“Huh?” Lü Bao looked baffled. He hadn’t seen Xu Yun take out any cash. Where was the money?

While Lü Bao was still confused, Xu Yun swung his arm in a wide arc and slapped Lü Bao hard across the face.

Smack—!

The sharp sound rang out. Lü Bao, caught completely off guard, felt an overwhelming force hit his cheek, spinning him around as he was launched sideways.

The crowd collectively touched their own faces in sympathy, feeling the sting of that blow.

Ruthless! Truly ruthless!

Everyone was stunned by Xu Yun’s thunderous slap. Even the tattooed thugs looked on in disbelief—a single slap had sent a man of over a hundred pounds flying. What kind of strength did that take?

Aside from Xu Yun, the only one not in shock was Ruan Qingshuang. It wasn’t that she was calm, but that she had only just snapped out of her anger toward Lü Bao. Seeing him sent flying, she thought she must be dreaming.

“Damn, your face is thicker than a brick wall—my hand’s gone numb from slapping you,” Xu Yun remarked. In a flash, he pounced on Lü Bao like a tiger descending the mountain, seized his arm, and yanked it down hard.

With a thud, Lü Bao crashed to the ground, dazed and nauseous.

“One slap for fifty thousand. Still one left. We’re square, right?”

“No, no more! I don’t want it!” Lü Bao, now wide awake, frantically waved his hands.

“That won't do. I always keep my word. If I said I’d give it to you and you refuse, you’re disrespecting me,” Xu Yun said.

“No, no, please—” Lü Bao was nearly scared out of his wits, struggling desperately.

Xu Yun couldn’t be bothered to argue. He grabbed Lü Bao by the collar like a chick, then delivered a solid kick.

With a dull thud, Lü Bao yelped in pain as he flew through the air, sailing over the crowd’s heads before crashing to the curb some distance away.

“So fragile—boring!” Xu Yun shook his head in disappointment.

The crowd shuddered at his words.

Ruan Qingshuang, seeing Lü Bao sent flying, felt a surge of relief and hope mingling with her shock.

She remembered how her father had arranged that absurd marriage for her years ago, how her family not only refused to help her resist, but kept her under watch to prevent her escape; how she’d fled, working tirelessly to avoid that fate, and how her family had disowned her over the phone; how Lü Bao had threatened her again and again, and how the onlookers had always turned a blind eye, never once speaking up for her. Overwhelmed, she could no longer contain her emotions—the tears she’d held back finally slid down her cheeks.