The coffee shop was almost empty, with only a few customers scattered around.
In this section, their table was the only one, making them as conspicuous as rubies exposed to the sun. There was nowhere to hide.
Seeing this, Li Zhonglou made no move, but Wu Hao was instantly dumbfounded. He turned his head and said in a very low voice, "Damn, what's going on?"
"Let's wait and see," Li Zhonglou replied calmly. He had no intention of interfering with the girl hiding under his table. But when the girl's expressive eyes looked at him, he instantly changed his mind. It wasn't because he was attracted to her beauty, nor was he someone easily swayed or his will easily changed. It was her unusual eyes that reminded him of someone. Could it be such a coincidence?
"There!" Before the two burly men got close, they spotted the girl curled up under the table and grunted. They rushed to Li Zhonglou's table, and one of them reached down to grab the girl.
Seeing this, the girl's pretty face turned pale. She hugged herself tightly, her large eyes filled with disgust.
"Take your hand back," Li Zhonglou said coldly, extending his foot to block the approaching hand.
"Who are you?" The other burly man was surprised that Li Zhonglou dared to order him around, and his tone immediately became very displeased. Although his eyes were hidden by sunglasses, they were probably very fierce.
"What business is it of yours who we are? It's broad daylight, do you think you can kidnap someone?" Wu Hao, though a bit panicked, straightened his neck and confronted them directly, all for Li Zhonglou's sake. He could be bullied. But picking on his brother? Absolutely not! Even if they couldn't win, they had to stand up. That's what brothers do.
The two men were extremely displeased by Li Zhonglou and Wu Hao's interference. Though their facial expressions were hidden, their voices turned cold and sharp: "Li Duoer is wanted by our boss. We advise you not to bring trouble upon yourselves."
"Big brother, don't listen to him, help me!" The girl hiding under the table trembled upon hearing this. She wriggled out from beside Li Zhonglou and nervously clutched his arm, shaking her head. "I don't know their boss at all. They must be bad guys who traffic girls."
As she spoke, the frightened look on her pretty face was exquisitely portrayed. But in her large eyes, a hint of cunning gleamed. It was clear she did know the boss of these two men, contrary to what she claimed. This girl was indeed pure-hearted, but she was also a master of lying. Fortunately, her lies weren't meant to harm others but to protect herself. This, in turn, could further ignite others' protective instincts.
"If you don't want to go, no one can take you," Li Zhonglou said lightly. Yet, he felt an irresistible curiosity towards the girl. What kind of upbringing had shaped her clear eyes, and what kind of environment had forged her instinct for self-preservation through pretense? Of course, these were not the priorities at the moment.
"Kid, you're asking for death!" Before the girl could feel relieved, the two burly men were enraged. Li Zhonglou's words felt like two invisible slaps across their faces, as if he didn't take them seriously at all. Their superior had instructed them to bring this woman back no matter what. And now, these two ordinary people dared to cross them, showing a complete disregard for their own lives. As he spoke, one of them reached out to grab Li Zhonglou's shoulder with lightning speed.
The moment he made the move, Li Zhonglou's heart sank slightly. Not only was this person a trained martial artist, but his skill was second only to Xu Lie. These two were experts. If they were ordinary people, he wouldn't fear them at all, thanks to his mastery of the sheepskin scroll technique. But this man was different. Li Zhonglou shifted his shoulder, narrowly dodging the grab.
"Oh." The burly man seemed surprised but didn't hesitate, changing his grip. This time, he aimed for Li Zhonglou's throat. It was clear he had realized Li Zhonglou was no ordinary person and wanted to end the confrontation quickly to avoid drawing attention. Although the speed of this claw strike wasn't significantly faster, its force was completely different from before. If he were hit, he would undoubtedly suffer greatly.
"I'll f*** you..." He never expected Li Zhonglou to be so dishonorable and attack his lower body. If the situation were reversed, he would have suffered far more than Li Zhonglou.
"I've already called the police. If you have the guts, don't leave!" At this moment, Li Duoer shouted, waving her phone. The two burly men exchanged a look. It was unclear if they could see each other's expressions beneath their sunglasses, but their faces showed gritted teeth. They released Wu Hao and left resentfully.
Seeing them push the door open, the dumbfounded Wu Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. "My god, who are these guys? They know kung fu!" Still in shock, he still had the presence of mind to care for Li Zhonglou, demonstrating his loyalty.
"Are you okay, Zhonglou?"
"I'm fine," Li Zhonglou said with a smile. His move, the "monkey stealing peaches," was done under the table, so Wu Hao couldn't see it. Otherwise, he would likely have asked Li Zhonglou why he knew kung fu as well. Those two burly men wouldn't go far, and this girl named Li Duoer was mysterious. He needed to figure out her background.
"Why were they trying to catch you?" Li Zhonglou examined Li Duoer more carefully.
"Be-because I tricked their boss out of something," Li Duoer whispered, seemingly avoiding Li Zhonglou's gaze.
Tricked him out of money? Wu Hao's eyes widened, finding it hard to believe that such a pure-looking girl would do such a thing.
"Big brother, don't misunderstand." Before Li Zhonglou could ask further, Li Duoer quickly explained, "That man is a scoundrel. He pestered me every day at my workplace, and I knew exactly what his intentions were. To avoid him, I had to quit my job, but he could still find me easily. He kept offering me houses and cars... I didn't want them."
As she spoke, Li Duoer secretly watched Li Zhonglou's expression, seemingly very concerned. For some reason, seeing Li Zhonglou gave her a sense of security, as if he were a familiar person from a past life. She didn't even feel like lying.
"What did you trick him out of? Something worth such a big fuss?" Li Zhonglou's interest was piqued.