Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing spent the entire morning drafting a business proposal; he applied for one of the one-million-yuan projects.

After handing the proposal to Mu Qingrong, Ye Qing left the company directly. He had to follow up daily on Chen Shibao’s situation; he needed to find the person who planted the bomb as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t until the afternoon, just before people started leaving work, that Wang Xuan finally came up with a draft proposal and proudly presented it to Mu Qingrong.

Having reviewed Ye Qing’s proposal in the morning, Mu Qingrong truly felt a sense of shock. Ye Qing’s proposal was exceptionally well written; although she wasn’t a specialist, even she could tell that his proposal was superior. When compared to Wang Xuan’s, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.

”Director Mu, with my proposal, securing this project will certainly be no issue!” Wang Xuan said with a triumphant smile, ”Landing the Lin Corporation’s business means we wouldn’t need to take on new clients for the whole year. Moreover, we can use this opportunity to expand the company. This is our chance!”

Mu Qingrong found Wang Xuan’s repeated use of ”us” somewhat irksome. She frowned slightly and replied, ”I understand.”

Wang Xuan was taken aback by Mu Qingrong’s cold response, which he had not expected. ”Director Mu, is there something wrong with my proposal?” he asked, puzzled.

”It could be refined a bit more,” said Mu Qingrong as she handed back the proposal to Wang Xuan. To be honest, after reading Ye Qing’s proposal, she had begun to doubt Wang Xuan’s abilities.

Wang Xuan was completely confused, as he believed he had drafted a fine proposal. He knew that the business from Lin Corporation was not only an opportunity for the company but also a significant one for himself. If he could secure this project, his reputation in the industry would soar!

After Wang Xuan left the office, Mu Qingrong couldn’t help but give some credence to what Ye Qing had said earlier. Considering the level of Ye Qing’s proposal, there was a strong likelihood he really was a top student from Northern University. As for Wang Xuan, Mu Qingrong’s aversion to him grew stronger and she even started to make plans.

If they landed the business, she would think about promoting Ye Qing, at least to be on equal footing with Wang Xuan—he shouldn’t be oppressed by him all the time!

At this moment, Ye Qing was standing in a square. Chen Shibao was shopping there with a girl. This guy really had the nerve; his uncle had just been blown up, and here he was, living life as if nothing had happened.

”Mister, would you like a shoe shine?”

Suddenly, a childlike voice came from the side.

Ye Qing turned and saw a boy of about eight or nine standing not far from him. Dark and skinny, with a worn backpack slung over his shoulder containing shoe-shining tools. Perhaps because of his youth, his gaze was somewhat timid. When Ye Qing looked at him, he quietly lowered his head and continuously fidgeted with the corner of his clothes.

A pang of empathy struck Ye Qing’s heart. So young, and he already had to struggle through life. But thankfully, he was working for his own living, not controlled by people like Boss Lin.

Seeing that Ye Qing did not respond, the boy took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and looked up, ”Mister, a shoe shine? It’s very cheap, just one yuan.”

The boy’s eyes were somewhat teary, indicating that he hadn’t been at this for long. Whether or not he could get this one-yuan job seemed to be very important to him.

”Alright,” Ye Qing gently patted the boy’s head and extended his foot. Although his shoes were so worn they hardly justified the use of polish, he was still willing to give the child a hand.

The boy was immediately overjoyed, took out a footrest from his bag for Ye Qing to rest his foot on, and then started working on the shoes with serious dedication.

The boy was clearly new to the job, clumsy in his actions, and several times he got polish on Ye Qing’s socks. Each time it happened, he would look up at Ye Qing, eyes filled with panic.

Ye Qing just smiled and said, ”No worries, these socks needed washing anyway.”

Reassured, the boy focused on shining one shoe and then started on the other. His actions were slow, but meticulous. Half an hour passed as he shined both shoes, his forehead beaded with sweat, yet his face showed satisfaction. To the boy, this was life!

Ye Qing pulled out one hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to him, ”Keep the change.”

The boy held the money, too stunned to react. A shoe shine cost just one yuan, but Ye Qing gave him one hundred. It was beyond his wildest dreams.

Ye Qing was not a wealthy man; to him, one hundred yuan represented ten days’ worth of living expenses. But he didn’t mind, he was an adult, and earning money was easier for him. For the boy, however, making money was not that simple.

The boy, still holding the money, said in a low worried voice, ”Mister, it’s too much, one yuan is enough!”

”Keep the rest as a tip,” Ye Qing bent down and patted the boy’s head, asking, ”What about your family? Why haven’t they let you go to school?”

”My parents are gone, and I... I could have gone to school, but my grandma got sick, and I...” the boy started to cry, the hardships of life forcing him to bear the responsibilities of his family far too early. But at heart, he was still just a child.

Ye Qing felt a pang of sadness as well, and patted the boy’s shoulder gently, ”Go home now, this money can help with your grandma’s treatment.”

The boy managed to stop crying and looking at Ye Qing, he suddenly bowed deeply, ”Uncle, you are a good man!”

Ye Qing bitterly smiled to himself, for he truly wanted to be a good person, to help others to the end. But he simply didn’t have the capacity!

”Go back quickly,” Ye Qing said softly.

The child nodded, took the money, and ran off joyously.

Ye Qing turned to look at Chen Shibao, who, along with the girl, was still trying on clothes inside the store. And around the plaza, there were no suspicious figures.

Ye Qing didn’t dare to be negligent, carefully observing his surroundings. Suddenly, he witnessed a scene that infuriated him!

In an alley on one side of the plaza, three teenagers around fifteen or sixteen were surrounding the boy from before, snatching the money from his hands. One of them was even patting the boy’s head, as if admonishing him.

These three young hoodlums didn’t look like decent characters at all, with their hair dyed in various colors, dressed in flashy and gaudy clothes. Their garments were garish, bearing the words ”Hoodlum” on their backs as if they felt being labeled hoodlums made them akin to Chen Haonan.

Ye Qing usually held contempt for these small-time hoodlums, who, relying on their minority status, aren’t highly restrained by the law, and are tyrannical and wicked in their actions. Not daring to provoke the big-time hoods, they would only bully children and the elderly, having no real skills to speak of while presuming themselves to be Invincible Under the Heavens.

When really beaten up by someone, they would shrink back like grandsons.

Now that these three hoodlums were bullying this child right in front of him, an inexplicable anger brewed within Ye Qing. He no longer cared about Chen Shibao on this side, quickly moving to handle the three young ruffians.

However, before he could reach them, a man of average stature had already stepped in.

Ye Qing hadn’t heard what he said to the three hoodlums, but a fight quickly ensued. The man seemed skilled, managing to knock all three hoodlums to the ground with a few punches and kicks. One of the ruffians pulled out a folding knife, which the man wrested away, pinning the ruffian’s hand to the ground with it. The man was quite ruthless!

Ye Qing halted in his tracks and didn’t proceed any further. The man helped the boy up, took out some money from his pocket and gave it to the boy, comforting him with a few words, showing he was a compassionate person.

Ye Qing couldn’t help but feel a surge of goodwill towards this man. The man saw the child out of the alley, and the child walked away happily with the money.

On the other side, the man seemed to notice Ye Qing’s gaze. They exchanged a glance from afar, Ye Qing offered him a slight smile, and the man returned a faint one, saying nothing before walking away.

If it weren’t for being preoccupied here today, Ye Qing would have definitely pursued him to make a friend.

Looking at the three sobbing and wailing hoodlums in the alley, Ye Qing couldn’t help but smirk. One of the hoodlums had even wet himself in fear. With such meager skills, they still dare call themselves hoodlums?

Ye Qing turned back to continue watching Chen Shibao, with nothing stirring there. However, as he watched, the man who had just saved the child started walking over this way.

Ye Qing took a harder look at the man, who went over to Chen Shibao’s car, appeared to bend over to tie his shoelaces, and then stood up and walked away after a short while.

Ye Qing was momentarily stunned, then his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly set off in pursuit.

But he’d only taken two steps when a loud bang came from behind him, followed by an outcry from many people.

Ye Qing instinctively looked back and saw the boy lying on the main road, covered in blood with a few bills still in his hand. On the other side, a Ferrari with its hood deformed had struck the boy and sent him flying.

Ye Qing’s expression changed, wanting to chase after the man from just now, but seeing the boy’s condition, he couldn’t leave him behind. After hesitating for half a second, Ye Qing ultimately abandoned the pursuit of the man and turned to rush toward the child instead.

However, just as he started running, the Ferrari, which had already stopped, suddenly accelerated again, heading straight for the boy.

”Stop the car! Stop the car!”

The people around cried out in unison, but the Ferrari didn’t stop; instead, it sped up even more, rolling directly over the boy. Yet, because the car’s chassis was too low, the boy was trapped under the wheels and dragged along the ground, leaving a trail of blood.

Ye Qing was almost driven insane. That driver was too damn cruel—clearly intent on taking the boy’s life!

Clenching his teeth, Ye Qing chased after the car. Fortunately, after being dragged by the Ferrari for more than ten meters, the boy finally broke free from the wheels and rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

However, the boy’s left arm was completely gone, and several fragments of bone and flesh lay on the ground. The boy’s left arm had been ground off!

Ye Qing ran over like a madman and quickly picked up the boy. The child was drenched in blood, his eyes shut tight, his right hand still clutching the few bills, with a faint trace of joy lingering on his face.

”Aah!” Ye Qing held the child tight and finally couldn’t help but let out a roar to the heavens. His eyes were bloodshot, his heart filled with nothing but a desire for vengeance!