Wen Tingli said quickly, “Thank you, Mr. Meng.”

“Are you hurt? Should I take you to the hospital to get checked?”

“I’m fine.”

Meng Qiguang said nothing further, turning instead to survey the state of the shop with an unreadable expression.

Wen Tingli quietly observed him for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Qiu Lingyun on the ground. With every cry of pain he let out, the satisfaction in her heart grew a little stronger. With every punch he took, the disgust still lingering in her body faded a little more.

Meng Qiguang showed no sign of wanting to call off his men, as if he intended for Wen Tingli to witness exactly how badly Qiu Lingyun was being beaten. It was only when Wen Tingli suddenly became aware of this that she realized Meng Qiguang’s gaze had, at some point, shifted to her face instead.

“Feeling a little better now, Miss Wen?” he asked, quite openly.

This man was clearly no ordinary kind of clever — he could see through other people’s little thoughts at a glance, and people like that often also possessed a gift for manipulating hearts. Wen Tingli eyed him cautiously and said politely, “Thank you, Mr. Meng, for your righteous assistance. I’ll go report this to the police now — when they come to make the arrest later, I’d appreciate it if you could serve as a witness.”

Meng Qiguang looked as though he’d heard a joke. “The police? The Concession police do everything except their actual job. For dealing with someone like this, there are more direct methods. Why don’t you step away for a bit, Miss Wen — I have a few words for this young man that wouldn’t be fit for your ears. Xiao Gao, take Miss Wen to wait in the car. She’s likely injured — help her get some medicinal powder as well.”

Hearing this, Qiu Lingyun clutched his groin and let out a pig-like scream. “Meng bastard! If you dare castrate me, I’ll burn your whole Meng residence to the ground! Other people might be afraid of you, but not me and my father! Do you even know who my father is?!”

Wen Tingli started. She meant to say something, but Meng Qiguang’s expression made it clear that whatever happened next was no longer her concern.

“You think I don’t know what you’re scheming?” Qiu Lingyun writhed on the ground like a madman. “We’re both men here — don’t act so high and mighty in front of me! Last time you meddled in the affairs between our two families, fine, but now you’re interfering again! Tingli and I grew up together — what right do you have to teach me a lesson? You think if you ruin me, Wen Tingli will be yours? Dream on!”

Meng Qiguang’s men, hearing this, grew furious and moved to strike him again, but Meng Qiguang raised a hand to stop them. He walked over to Qiu Lingyun himself, hands still in his pockets, and delivered a hard kick straight to his face. Qiu Lingyun’s nose was knocked sideways, and two of his front teeth flew out amid a spray of blood.

Still, Qiu Lingyun refused to yield, shouting stubbornly. “I didn’t want to say this, but you’re forcing my hand! My father is now the sworn adopted son of old Bailong Gang boss Cao Zhenyuan — everyone in Shanghai has to answer to him! The white dragon insignia of the Bailong Gang is tattooed on my back — don’t believe me, look for yourself! My father just helped the old boss pull off a big deal not long ago, and the boss already treats him like his right-hand man. Just try laying a hand on me again!”

Wen Tingli, who had already made it to the door, stopped in her tracks at this. Could this be why the Public Concession police had been so protective of Qiu Dapeng?

But the next moment, the door closed in front of her. The man called Xiao Gao spoke to her quite politely. “Miss Wen, let me take you to wait in Mr. Meng’s car.”

Wen Tingli hesitated. Qiu Lingyun had been beaten in her own family’s shop, and might soon be “castrated” right there as well. Meng Qiguang, naturally, feared nothing, but she was just an ordinary citizen — even if she simply walked away, the police would still eventually come looking for her. Besides, she was curious whether what Qiu Lingyun had said was actually true.

“Um…” she tried to speak up.

Xiao Gao said considerately, “Miss Wen, there’s no need to worry about anything. Even if the sky falls, Mr. Meng will hold it up.”

With that, he led Wen Tingli, without further argument, to the car.

Sitting in the car, Wen Tingli felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles. After an anxious wait, Xiao Gao returned with a packet of medicinal powder and some medical cotton.

“Miss Wen, you have a cut on your neck — let’s get that treated. Here’s a mirror.” This man was surprisingly meticulous in his work — he handed the medicine through the window, then immediately turned his back.

Wen Tingli thought to herself that this Meng Qiguang wasn’t just impressive himself — even his subordinates had been trained to be so thoughtful and considerate. She thanked him and applied the medicine herself in front of the mirror, when suddenly another car appeared at the far end of the road. It sped forward like the wind, screeching to a stop right at the mouth of the lane, and five or six young men in silver-white short jackets leapt out.

The Bailong Gang! This group often collected “rent” around the local markets, and ordinary people were more or less afraid of them.

The group headed straight into the depths of the lane the moment they got out. Wen Tingli’s eyes followed their backs intently, thinking to herself — could it be that Qiu Lingyun hadn’t been bluffing after all?

Before long, members of the Bailong Gang emerged carrying a half-dead Qiu Lingyun. By the light of the street lamp, Wen Tingli could see that his entire body was covered in bruises, but there wasn’t a trace of blood around his groin.

Right behind them, Meng Qiguang and his men emerged as well. Another man, dressed like a gang leader, walked up and made pleasant small talk with Meng Qiguang.

“Much obliged to Mr. Meng for showing mercy. This little bastard deserves to die, honestly, but his old man did some work for our boss once, and you know how our Boss Cao is — always protective of his own. Good thing this lesson should teach the boy something — he’ll never dare bother Mr. Meng’s friends again. Since you’ve vented your anger well enough, Mr. Meng, why don’t I take this little wretch off your hands now?”

The words sounded gentle enough, but in truth left no room for refusal. Meng Qiguang’s expression darkened, and the man quickly added with a smile, “Since Mr. Meng is willing to give us face this time, our Boss will remember it well. Wasn’t there a shipment of yours stuck at the docks recently? No trouble at all — the old boss will give Commissioner He a call tonight.”

Meng Qiguang still showed no sign of relenting, so the man quickly crouched down in front of Qiu Lingyun instead. “Speak up! Will you dare bother Mr. Meng’s friends again in the future?”

Qiu Lingyun clenched his teeth and refused to say a word no matter what.

“You little wretch, still so stubborn with death staring you in the face. Don’t expect Boss Cao to bail you out again. Speak up now — will you dare do it again?”

Finally, Qiu Lingyun grudgingly grunted out, “No… I won’t.”

The man quickly said to Meng Qiguang with a smile, “Did you hear that, Mr. Meng? This little wretch says he’ll never dare again.”

Meng Qiguang watched expressionlessly as they carried Qiu Lingyun onto another car. Amid the roar of the engine, the car sped off into the night just as quickly as it had come.

Inside the car, Wen Tingli watched the whole scene with her mouth agape. The moment Meng Qiguang got in, he said, “Take Miss Wen back to Cixin Hospital first.”

“That’s not necessary,” she said quickly. “There’s a streetcar nearby, it’ll be easy to get back. Thank you, Mr. Meng.”

Xiao Gao spoke up from the front seat. “Miss Wen, please let us take you back. The Bailong Gang members haven’t all dispersed yet — best to be careful on the road.”

The car turned around and headed toward Cixin Hospital. In the car, Wen Tingli shifted her position slightly. Meng Qiguang sat right beside her, and the two of them were close enough that she could almost hear him breathing. She felt oddly restrained, sitting properly upright for a while before finally asking, “Mr. Meng, was it you who covered my father’s hospital deposit last time?”

As she spoke, she pulled out another banknote from her schoolbag — since they’d run into each other here, she figured she might as well repay Meng Qiguang directly, which would feel more proper. As for the one she’d left with Dean Deng earlier, once she explained the situation, the Dean would surely return it to her.

Meng Qiguang, however, suddenly changed the subject entirely. “How long have you known the Qiu family, father and son?”

“I’ve known them for a long time,” Wen Tingli said, thinking it over. “Back when we lived in Nanjing, my father and Qiu Dapeng were sworn brothers. It was only after we came to Shanghai that the relationship gradually cooled.”

“Last month, this Qiu Dapeng privately used two of Dabao Trading Company’s ships to transport two crates of gold bars for the Bailong Gang.”

Wen Tingli froze.

“When the cargo ship passed through Wuhan, customs officials from the maritime bureau happened to come aboard for inspection. The Bailong Gang men, having had too much to drink, carelessly let something slip in front of the officials. With the two shipments of ‘gold fish’ about to be confiscated, it was Qiu Dapeng who, risking his own life, moved the goods to another ship right under the gun barrels, successfully saving the gold bars. Ever since then, the old gang boss took Qiu Dapeng in as his sworn adopted son.”

Wen Tingli listened with a deepening frown — no wonder Qiu Dapeng had dared to act with such impunity that night, bullying her father without restraint, and afterward so brazenly evading legal consequences! So it was because he had the mighty backing of the Bailong Gang.

“Now even the Public Concession police can’t touch Qiu Dapeng, because touching him would be tantamount to making an enemy of Boss Cao.” After a moment of silence, Meng Qiguang shrugged. “There’s nothing even I can do about this father and son.”

Wen Tingli’s thoughts were already in a tangle, and hearing this only left her further stunned — this Mr. Meng was clearly unfathomably deep, yet at times surprisingly candid.

She bit her lip. “Thank you, Mr. Meng, for telling me all this backstory. This is, after all, a matter of enmity between the Wen family and the Qiu family — it has nothing to do with you from beginning to end. You’ve already helped us so many times, one after another — I’m truly grateful, and I’ll make sure to repay you properly when I have the chance.”

Meng Qiguang turned to look at Wen Tingli.

Just then the car happened to pass by a department store, its window lit with colorful neon lights spilling in through the car window, illuminating Wen Tingli’s face completely in the glow.

He himself remained turned away from the light the entire time.

In that half-lit, half-shadowed moment, Wen Tingli noticed for the first time just how strikingly bright Meng Qiguang’s eyes were.

But soon enough, he turned his face away, looking out the window instead. “Actually, I’m just doing someone a favor. Xingchu’s been kept locked in his study by his father this whole time, worried something might happen to you, and he’s repeatedly asked me to look after you. Otherwise I wouldn’t keep showing up in front of you like this — so Miss Wen needn’t feel she owes me anything. As her uncle, I’m simply doing Xingchu a favor.”

The moment Wen Tingli heard the name “Qiao Xingchu,” she fell silent.

Meng Qiguang glanced at her. “My cousin-in-law had people follow you?”

Wen Tingli gave a soft “mm.” Meng Qiguang’s expression showed a hint of disapproval, as though he found his cousin and her husband’s methods rather distasteful. Then, seeming to recall something, he smiled. “I hear you forced my cousin into transferring you to Wushi Girls’ Middle School? I’m honestly curious how Miss Wen managed that. My cousin is stubborn and capable — not many people can get the better of her.”

Wen Tingli pressed her lips together. “I have my own methods, but I’m afraid it’s not convenient to tell Mr. Meng. Please don’t take offense.”

Meng Qiguang didn’t press the matter further.

The car fell silent again, and that intangible pressure crept back in. Wen Tingli sensed, vaguely, that the person sitting beside her wasn’t just a man — he was like a sword sheathed in its scabbard. Even with its edge concealed, that sharp, keen aura remained ever-present.

A dangerous, commanding presence.

Though both men — this Mr. Meng gave her an entirely different feeling than Qiao Xingchu did.

She quietly turned her face toward the other window and stared out in a daze. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before they reached the hospital entrance. She reached back and pressed the banknote into Meng Qiguang’s hand.

“This is for the hospital deposit you covered for my father last time — please take it.” The moment she got out of the car, she bowed to him. “Thank you for your help tonight.” She turned and dashed off into the hospital in a flash.

Meng Qiguang held the banknote for a long moment without speaking. Xiao Gao, still waiting in the front seat without instructions, finally turned back. “Mr. Meng, home, or should we go find Master Gao and the others?”

Meng Qiguang idly flicked the corner of the banknote, then tucked it into his suit pocket. “Back to the Meng residence.”

The moment Wen Tingli reached the ward, she got a fright — the bed was surrounded by doctors. Besides Thompson, who normally oversaw her father’s condition, Dean Deng was there too.

Zhou Sao came out to meet her, carrying Xiao Taozi. “Oh, you’re finally back. Eh, eldest young lady, what happened to your neck? Did you get into a fight with someone?”

Xiao Taozi curiously reached out to touch her sister’s neck. “…hurt… hurt…”

With so many people around, Wen Tingli couldn’t say much. She took Xiao Taozi into her arms and kissed her a couple of times, then asked Zhou Sao quietly, “Why is Dean Deng here?”

“She said the hospital just got a new batch of medicine in from England, and Dean Deng’s planning to work out some new kind of ‘treatment plan’ for your father.”

New medicine? A glimmer of hope suddenly kindled in Wen Tingli’s heart. Not daring to interrupt, she stood at the door and strained to listen.

Before long, Dean Deng emerged with a group of doctors, giving instructions to Thompson as she walked. Spotting Wen Tingli, she said kindly, “We’ve switched your father to a few different medications. Come by my office in a bit — I’ll go over everything with you in detail.”

Wen Tingli quickly agreed. Going to her father’s bedside, she found — whatever medicine Dean Deng had just administered — her father was sleeping noticeably more peacefully than usual.

Once the crowd around the ward had thinned, Wen Tingli went upstairs to find Dean Deng, and the moment she entered, she asked eagerly, “Dean Deng, my father—”

But the Dean was only staring at Wen Tingli’s neck. “I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me earlier — you really are hurt. What exactly happened? Did someone bully you?”

In front of the kind and gentle Dean, Wen Tingli couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer. She only managed to get out “I…” before bursting into tears on the spot.

Dean Deng, startled, rose and came over to Wen Tingli, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and patting her gently. “There, there, good girl, don’t cry yet — tell me what happened first.”

That warm embrace reminded Wen Tingli of her own mother, and she cried even harder, recounting the entire evening’s events between broken sobs.

Deng Yi was both shocked and furious. “Shameless! Absolutely shameless!”

Wen Tingli wiped away her tears. “Dean Deng.”

Deng Yi’s face turned grim as she thought for a moment, then returned to her desk and pulled out a document, guiding Wen Tingli over to sit on the nearby sofa.

“Take a look at this first.”

It was an injury report Cixin Hospital had prepared for her father, signed at the bottom by both Dean Deng and Thompson.

“I was just about to have Thompson personally deliver this injury report to the police station, to push them into handling the case properly,” Deng Yi said, her expression stern. “But if the Bailong Gang really is protecting the assailant, I’m afraid your father’s case won’t be easy to resolve. Little Meng was right — the Bailong Gang has always been something local officials and businessmen fear, not so much because of how much power they hold, but because of how dirty their methods are. Anyone who crosses them ends up tainted.”

Wen Tingli’s face was first filled with resentment, then gradually darkened.

Dean Deng’s expression, however, remained resolute. “Don’t worry. We can figure something out, slowly. If we want your father’s case handled with real justice, the only way is to bring in someone even the Bailong Gang would fear to cross. Government officials mostly won’t want to get tangled up in gang affairs, but among the merchant families — in all of Shanghai, I think only the Lu family doesn’t answer to the Bailong Gang.”

“The Lu family?”

“The Nanyang Lu family. Their base of power is in Nanyang — the Bailong Gang’s reach doesn’t extend that far. I hear that Boss Cao doesn’t dare provoke the Lu family at all — quite the opposite, he’s been trying every which way to get in on some overseas trade deals with them. If we could get someone from the Lu family to step in, this whole matter might take on a very different shape. But—”

Who would be willing to wade into such murky waters for someone who had nothing to do with them?

Wen Tingli fell silent. Dean Deng, however, suddenly seemed to think of something and rose, walking over to her desk. “Wait here a moment — let me give a friend a call.”