Chapter 140: Striking First

"What's all the shouting about?" At that moment, a middle-aged man came down from upstairs. He was dressed quite neatly, carrying himself with the mature air of a seasoned man. One had to admit that a man dressed like this at that age indeed possessed a distinct charm.

As soon as he stepped down the stairs, Han Xue's eyes turned red and she said, "Dad, look at Aunt and the others! What did you all tell me?"

It turned out this man was Han Xue's father. He patted Han Xue on the shoulder and said, "Dad just took a phone call. I saw everything from upstairs that I needed to see. Your aunt was in the wrong, but they're just worried about you."

"Dad! How can you be like this too?!" Han Xue protested.

The middle-aged man smiled, walked over to my side, and said, "The young man has a good temper. Very steady."

I stood up and smiled, "Uncle, it's only right."

He looked me over, nodded, and said, "You should head back first. That boy Pojun has been spoiled rotten, and he's dead set on winning Xueer over. There's no need to suffer an immediate loss."

Han Xue pulled on my sleeve at that moment and said, "Yezi, let's go. With them acting like this, I'm not in the mood to eat anyway."

I looked at Han Xue and shook my head gently. From the looks of it, Han Xue's parents were actually quite open-minded. As parents, having relatives test me out was understandable. Even regarding Han Xue's aunt and that kid, I didn't necessarily harbor deep resentment. First, I had mentally prepared myself before coming here; second, what they said wasn't entirely wrong. Han Xue was indeed treated like the apple of her family's eye, and it was only natural for them to have standards for her future husband. The reality was that when comparing my background to Han Xue's, it really did look like a toad trying to eat swan meat.

However, that person they called Pojun—someone who had relentlessly pursued Han Xue for seven or eight years and was now coming to call me to account—if I were to leave right now, I wouldn't even need them to say anything; I'd dig a hole and bury myself out of sheer shame.

I smiled at Han Xue, then turned to the middle-aged man and said, "If I leave now, how could I ever have the face to say I'll take care of Xueer for the rest of my life? You can run from a problem for a moment, but not for a lifetime. Besides, I have no intention of hiding. Xueer rejected him for seven or eight years, yet after just a few years of being together with me, she became my girlfriend. That just proves I am far superior to him."

"You punk, you're courting death! In a moment, Brother Pojun is going to beat you half to death! Aren't you just a little village official? Nobody's going to care if you end up dead in a ditch!" shouted the kid named Kaikai.

"Shut your mouth! Say another word, and get out of my house!" At that moment, the middle-aged man glared at the boy. Han Xue's father seemed to command immense authority among this family; a single sentence turned the arrogant kid's face white with fright, leaving him standing awkwardly, not knowing whether to sit or stand.

"Gelu, Kaikai is just a child. Why are you shouting so loudly?" Han Xue's aunt complained in a low voice.

"A child? The bad things he's done outside are enough to land him in prison for decades! If you keep spoiling him like this, you won't even know how your child dies! Xueer brought her boyfriend home today because the Han family is looking for a son-in-law, not the Song family! Whether I approve of this young man is my family's business, and it's none of your concern!" Han Xue's father glared at her. With that glare, the mother and son didn't dare utter another peep, and even the middle-aged man sitting nearby wore an expression of utter embarrassment.

Han Xue's father's words dissolved the last remaining trace of resentment I held toward him. It seemed that a family's background truly played a vital role in shaping a person's character. I smiled at Han Xue's father and said, "Uncle, only with parents like you and Auntie could someone as wonderful as Xueer be raised."

"Young man, have you really thought this through? You're not leaving?" Han Xue's father smiled at me and asked.

"I'm not leaving," I replied resolutely.

"Good. Since you're not leaving, let's eat first," Han Xue's father smiled. After taking his seat, he said to Han Xue's mother, "Doesn't this kid's stubborn mule streak look just like me back when I was chasing you?"

Han Xue's mother's face flushed instantly. She glared at him and said, "I knew you were going to bring that up. Birds of a feather flock together; I suppose stubborn mules like stubborn mules, don't they?"

Han Xue's father laughed, "Alright, enough said. Let's eat."

The open-mindedness of Han Xue's father eased the awkward atmosphere significantly. Han Xue no longer insisted on leaving. She sat beside me, looked at me with a wry expression, secretly kicked me with her foot, and whispered, "Yezi, don't be mad. I never expected things to turn out like this."

"Of course I'm mad," I said with a dark expression.

Han Xue's face turned pale instantly, full of anxiety. Then I smiled and continued, "You had a suitor chasing you for seven or eight years, and you didn't even mention it, keeping me in the dark for so long. Just wait and see how I deal with you later."

No sooner had those words left my mouth than the front door was kicked open. A young man led a group of people inside, pointed in our direction, and yelled, "Where is he? Get your ass out here!"

"Pojun! Stop making a scene!" Han Xue's father frowned and said.

"Uncle Han, please don't speak. Today's matter is about the humiliation of having one's wife stolen; no matter who intervenes, it won't change a thing. But don't worry, I won't dirty your house. Hey, punk, is that you? If you're a man, come outside with me," the man stood at the doorway and said.

I stood up. Han Xue pulled on my arm, and I patted her hand, saying, "It's fine, don't worry."

Ever since I was a child, I never liked fighting with others over things, but I also didn't like others snatching what belonged to me. I stood up and walked toward the entrance. At that moment, I got a clear look at the young man standing at the door. He was about the same height as me, around one hundred and eighty centimeters, though I was somewhat slender while he appeared extremely robust. His facial features were very handsome and chiseled, except that his entire face carried the arrogant戾气 of a privileged scion.

Putting everything else aside, I could immediately tell why Han Xue didn't like him. Given Han Xue's personality, she would never be fond of someone so flamboyant and overbearing.

"So you're the punk from the countryside?" The man looked at me with a sneer.

"I am Han Xue's boyfriend. My surname is Ye, Ye Jihuan," I said.

"Little Master has no interest in what your name is." The young man gave a direct signal with his eyes. Several men following behind him stepped forward, grabbed me by the arms, and tried to drag me outside.

"Are you sure you won't regret this?" I looked at him and asked.

"What? I heard you're a village official. Are you going to drag the old ladies from your village over to beat me up?" He walked up to me and threw a vicious slap at my face.

I tilted my head and dodged it. Although I didn't know martial arts, having recently witnessed experts exchanging blows quite often, I had unconsciously absorbed a bit of that formidable aura.

"You dare dodge!" He sneered coldly and threw a kick straight at me. Since I was being held by two men, there was no way to evade it, and I took the blow squarely. The pain instantly made cold sweat break out all over my head.

"Liu Pojun! If you dare touch him again, I swear I'll never speak to you for the rest of my life!" Han Xue rushed over and pulled me away.

"Punk, is all you can do hide behind a woman?" Liu Pojun sneered as he looked at me.

I looked at Han Xue and said, "Xueer, this is a matter between men. Trust me, it'll be fine."

With that, taking advantage of their lack of vigilance, I lunged straight at Liu Pojun, threw a punch square in his face, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and through clenched teeth, hammered fist after fist into his face. I knew I wasn't good at fighting, but this time I had to strike first!

When his lackeys saw me frantically beating him, they rushed toward me. But by then, I had already landed a dozen wild punches on Liu Pojun's face, nearly deforming his handsome features!

Just as his subordinates charged over, I twisted my body, snapped one of the chopsticks I had picked up from the dining table earlier, pressed its sharp end right against Liu Pojun's throat, and roared, "If anyone takes another step closer, I'll kill him!"

Yet right at that moment, Liu Pojun's body suddenly writhed. I had no idea how he managed to twist away, but in the next instant, he grabbed the hand holding the broken chopstick, executed a shoulder throw, and slammed me hard onto the floor. Then, pressing his foot down on my face, he sneered, "And here I thought you had some real skills. Turns out you're just a country bumpkin resorting to street-brawling tricks. Did you really think your fists could actually hurt me? I've been practicing martial arts since I was eight years old. You actually thought you could kill me with that?"

It wasn't that I underestimated him, but striking first was all I could do. I simply hadn't expected Liu Pojun to actually have formal martial arts training. He kicked me aside and instructed his men, "Drag him outside and beat him to death. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."

"Fatty, are you still not coming out? Are you just going to stand there watching the show?!" At that moment, I shouted toward the outside.