Ye Zhibai’s subtle shifts in mood went unnoticed by most, but Ye Zhiyun and Guang Yu always picked up on them right away.
Guang Yu, bolstered by divine power, had senses far keener than any ordinary human’s. She could especially feel that bone-chilling frost radiating from Ye Zhibai, beyond mere coldness.
Guang Yu remembered the time she had accidentally knocked over a teacup in her cat form—Ye Zhibai hadn’t even come close to being this icy!
The guys at the next table were in for it big time!
Yun’er lacked that kind of perception.
But her love for her sister cut through even the iciest expression, spotting the tiniest changes.
That was the magic of love’s keen attentiveness.
Ye Zhibai was just about to rise and have a word with the pests at the neighboring table—to lay down some ground rules.
But the instant the thought formed in her mind, Ye Zhiyun and Guang Yu, one on each side of her, simultaneously set down their utensils. (Guang Yu slipped hers under the table.)
Even Guang Yu stopped mid-bite of her wasabi paste!
She balled her little fist, as if gathering boundless power within!
“What’s up, Ye Zhibai? You heading over to throw down? Hold on, let me charge up some divine power first. Then we’ll flip their table in style—make sure they can’t touch a bite of what they paid for! Waste their money!”
“Guang Yu…”
Talk about vicious!
Still… reliable little fox. If only you could strike with precision, nailing the enemy without wrecking the tables in our own family’s restaurant.
Yun’er had been chatting with Ye Qinghe just before and hadn’t caught the conversation from the next table.
But it didn’t matter if she hadn’t heard.
One glance at her sister’s expression told her everything—trouble was afoot.
Ye Qinghe, however, remained blissfully wrapped up in the joy that Zhibai had made a new friend. He had no clue what was going on!
Of course, Ye Zhiyun had no specifics either.
Her first instinct was to reach under the table and clasp Ye Zhibai’s hand, shooting her a calm, supportive glance.
The message was clear:
—No matter what, Sister, do what you want. Yun’er will always be your rock-solid backup. No need to hold back.
Ye Zhibai squeezed back, their grip firm.
How fortunate she was to have such unshakeable confidence before even making a move.
The Ye Zhibai of her previous life? Faced with this, even her overflowing sense of justice would’ve made her hesitate, weighing the odds of taking a beating.
But now? She had real backbone!
Her family was loaded beyond measure, always had the sweetest words—and there was even Guang Yu from the Heavenly Realm, ready to unleash Heavenly Punishment at a moment’s notice!
She had never felt such rock-solid security before.
That said, feeling secure didn’t mean she always had to hide behind protection.
Ye Zhibai lightly tapped Yun’er’s palm with her fingertip.
She tilted her head to meet her sister’s eyes—those shimmering blue pools reflecting nothing but Ye Zhibai’s resolute expression.
“Yun’er, you and Dad just keep eating. I’ll handle this.”
“But Sister…”
“I’ll be right nearby. Don’t worry. Though if anything goes down… you can jump in to help anytime.”
You’d better watch close!
If I actually take a hit, you hit ’em back twice as hard!
She could just hand it off to Yun’er and Old Dad for maximum efficiency.
But…
Well… Ye Zhibai figured that since Yun’er always called her “Sister,” she counted as the elder one.
And if an older sister always let the little one take the front lines? That’d make her one lousy big sis.
Yun’er respected her sister’s choice.
Her heart swelled with delight—she truly believed her sister was the best person in the world right now!
No—her sister always had been!
Ye Zhibai stood up, their eye contact perfectly in sync.
The sisters were both lost in mutual admiration.
Ye Qinghe glanced left and right, his brows furrowing tighter by the second.
He still had no idea what was happening!
The meal had been going fine—now what was this drama?
Old Dad wasn’t totally sidelined, though.
Before rounding the table, Ye Zhibai reached out to him with her small hand.
“Dad, lend me your sunglasses.”
“Zhibai…?”
“No time to explain. Dad, please—sunglasses. I need them now.”
“!”
Ye Qinghe was stunned!
This was the first time in his life that Zhibai had ever asked him for anything!
Xiao Qing, your spirit in the heavens… Bah! Xiao Qing’s definitely alive somewhere.
Anyway, Xiao Qing—wherever you are—did you see that? Hear that? Our daughter finally knows how to rely on her old man!
Ye Zhibai thought: It’s really just the sunglasses. Calm down, calm down.
Ye Qinghe removed the sunglasses from his face and handed them to Ye Zhibai with solemn gravity.
Ye Zhibai wasted no time, slipping them on right away.
Her icy pale-purple eyes were instantly concealed by the shades. But at first glance—it was even more intimidating!
Ahem… Sure, the sunglasses were a bit oversized on Ye Zhibai’s face, coming off a tad comical, but that was beside the point.
It was exactly the effect she wanted.
Sunglasses always carried that oppressive vibe.
Bodyguards wore them to intimidate thugs all the time—not just for the shade.
This would give her a serious edge in the conversation ahead.
Ye Zhibai rounded the table with righteous determination!
Her movement tugged at the heartstrings of the two girls and one divine being left behind.
It was just like a little white rabbit hopping boldly off to negotiate with the big bad wolf—while three T-Rexes loomed protectively behind her.
The big bad wolf was doomed.
Truth be told, Ye Zhibai was furious. What she hated most—what she couldn’t stand—was scum like this, sniping at others behind their backs with their filthy mouths.
Especially when their target was Zhibai’s brand-new friend, who’d been working so hard to face life’s challenges. Why should she have to endure their garbage talk?
Ye Zhibai might not have had friends before… but she treasured the ones she did!
Fueled by righteous anger, Ye Zhibai strode a few steps to the side.
She planted herself menacingly at the young men’s table.
These two: one with garish purple hair and an earring.
The other with hair permed into a bird’s nest—not a decent sort between them.
The Purple-Haired Guy grabbed a pack of smokes from the table, about to tear it open, when he sensed someone nearby. He figured it was the waiter.
He shot a disdainful glance sideways.
And came face-to-face with a massive pair of sunglasses!
“Fuck!”
“Brother Xu?!”
The Purple-Haired Guy jumped, his hand jerking with the cigarette pack. Clang!—he knocked over the water glass on the table.
And that water? Scalding hot.
The spilled liquid poured across to the other side, dousing the Permed-Hair Guy. He yowled in pain!
Ye Zhibai smirked to herself.
See that?
Sunglasses for the preemptive strike—works like a charm!
The Purple-Haired Guy, fuming, slammed the smokes down on the table.
He slapped the surface, threw one leg over the other, and snapped irritably.
“Who the hell are you?! What’s your problem? Wearing shades outdoors—are you blind or something?!”
From the corner of her eye, Ye Zhibai saw Yun’er cracking her knuckles, ready to charge.
Ye Zhibai pressed her fingers down slightly, signaling Yun’er to hold steady.
Easy there. Look at this Purple-Haired Guy already losing it—flipping out before I even start. Pathetic. Hilarious.
The Purple-Haired Guy was about to keep ranting.
But after a couple barbs, he clammed up.
Because he suddenly realized: even behind those shades, the woman standing at their table had to be drop-dead gorgeous!
Well, well—prey walking right into the trap!
The Purple-Haired Guy casually dropped his leg, sitting up straight.
Casually, he tossed a napkin across to let the Permed-Hair Guy mop up the hot water on his clothes.
His tone shifted to sleazy flirtation.
“Yo, miss. Great taste you’ve got. Y’know, sunglasses are all the rage now? Haha… Look, that little show just now with my bro? We were acting—pretending your shades scared us. Fooled you good, huh?”
Classic pickup artist move: play up the humor to spark her interest.
But Ye Zhibai’s sunglasses cut through all the BS.
Inwardly, she cursed:
—Douche.
She didn’t waste words, cutting straight to the chase.
“Can you two shut the hell up? I heard every word. Harming innocent girls—evil as sin. You deserve to rot.”
“……”
“I suggest you apologize for that crap right now. Quit gossiping behind people’s backs. Lowest of the low. Didn’t your moms teach you how to act human?”
Ye Zhibai marveled at her own bluntness.
But damn, she loved talking like this now. Felt damn good!
The Purple-Haired Guy’s brow twitched hard at her words.
He held it together, though.
Just some little justice warrior—not worth throwing punches over.
The Permed-Hair Guy had just recovered from his scalding ordeal.
Looking up, he saw Brother Xu in an awkward spot. His eyes darted slyly as he waved it off with a laugh.
“Brother Xu, she’s got a point, y’know~ Look at you, always scheming pickups. So low-class.”
“Rat, what the fuck?!”
“Hey, Brother Xu, don’t get mad—this is just me speaking the truth. Miss, see, I’m not like him. Didn’t you say we should apologize? You’re right! So, about what happened earlier, I’ll apologize to you on Brother Xu’s behalf! Now that we’ve said sorry, we’re square, yeah? Meeting like this must be fate, so why don’t you sit down? Let’s have a drink to bury the hatchet. If booze isn’t your thing, water works just fine. That’ll settle everything nice and clean!”
“Bitch.”
“What?!”
This girl was a total beauty with a voice sweet as honey, so why did she have to keep cursing like that?!
Not gonna drink, huh?
This was the moment to get tough!
Straight from Brother Xu’s playbook—for a proud girl like her, only strong-arm tactics would do the trick!
“Aww, don’t be shy! Come on, just one drink! Let’s be friends!”
With that, the permed-hair guy reached out in a sleazy manner, trying to grab Ye Zhibai’s arm.
Ye Zhibai instinctively pulled back out of reach!
In truth, the permed-hair guy never had a chance of touching her.
Because halfway through the air, his arm was seized by a thick, broad hand that shot out from behind the sofa—emerging suddenly from the bamboo grove!
A cry of agony followed from the permed-hair guy!
“Huh? Aah!! That hurts!!!”
Of course it hurt.
His arm wasn’t just gripped tight.
It was being twisted backward at an unnatural angle with a force so overwhelming it defied comprehension.
And accompanying that brutal strength came a low, rumbling voice from behind the bamboo grove.
It sounded like thunder rolling in the distance… or the deep, muffled growl of a tiger on the prowl.
“You little punk… what the hell were you just trying to do to my daughter…?”
