12: The Business Queen Who Handles Flyers

Finally, his gaze swept over a corner of the plaza.

In front of a bakery named "Sweetheart," a figure appeared completely out of place amidst the surrounding bustle.

It was a girl with a simple high ponytail, wearing faded jeans and a cheap plain T-shirt, holding a thick stack of flyers and working hard to hand them out to passersby.

The girl's appearance wasn't stunningly beautiful; compared to Leng Yunyan's ethereal elegance and Qu Shuiyun's captivating charm, she looked delicate and plain. However, in those eyes, besides exhaustion, there was mostly resentment and determination.

She was Hu Yourong.

Girls like her were rare in this day and age.

The world didn't revolve around the Child of Destiny or him, but Ling Xian could clearly see what was in the depths of Hu Yourong's eyes.

Even if she hadn't met Lin Feng or himself, Ling Xian was certain that Hu Yourong's future would definitely be brilliant.

In the original plot, she was the operator of Lin Feng's massive empire in the later stages, hailed as the "Midas Touch" Business Queen.

But at this moment, she was just a college student struggling to make next month's rent.

The current Hu Yourong was still a bit slow and self-conscious, with a stiff smile on her face, only gathering the courage to step forward and hand out a flyer each time.

She would feel embarrassed when rejected, her outstretched hand hanging awkwardly in the air before being silently withdrawn.

Hu Yourong had a very good foundation with delicate features; with a little bit of dressing up, she would be a beauty no less than Leng Yunyan.

"It really is her," Ling Xian confirmed in his heart.

The Hu Yourong before him was worlds apart from the calm, decisive Business Queen who commanded the business world.

Right now, she was more like a startled fawn, sensitive and fragile.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a floral shirt with a beer belly, accompanied by two thuggish lackeys, sauntered to the bakery's entrance.

A plump middle-aged woman.

Who was the manager of this bakery, immediately greeted them with a forced smile: "Brother Biao, you're here?"

Her smile was filled with fawning and fear.

The man called Brother Biao, with a toothpick in his mouth, squinted at the manager: "Sister Wang, it's time to pay this month's management fee. And don't play dumb with me about last month's shared electricity bill."

Manager Wang turned pale: "Brother Biao, business hasn't been good this month. Can you give me a few days' grace for the management fee? As for the electricity... hasn't the plaza property management already collected it? Why is there still a share to pay?"

"Hmph!" Brother Biao snorted coldly, his spit nearly hitting Manager Wang's face. "The property management is their business. Does 'maintaining' order in the plaza not cost us anything? Stop talking nonsense—five thousand, hurry up! Otherwise, you know what I'm capable of."

The lackeys behind him were quick to catch on, snatching the remaining flyers from Hu Yourong's hand, tossing them onto the ground, and stomping on them: "What are you handing out! It's annoying just looking at you!"

Hu Yourong was terrified, her whole body trembling as she instinctively took two steps back. Her eyes even reddened, but she didn't dare say a word.

She crouched down and silently picked up the flyers that had been stepped on and dirtied.

"Look at this employee of yours, so clumsy!" Brother Biao mocked, pointing at Hu Yourong.

Manager Wang was both anxious and angry. Seeing the fierce looks of Brother Biao and his men, and the crowd of onlookers gradually gathering, she knew this wouldn't end well today.

She was distressed about the money but also afraid of her shop being trashed. Ultimately, she directed part of her anger toward the seemingly easy target, Hu Yourong.

"Hu Yourong! It's all your fault! Dawdling and can't even hand out flyers properly, making Brother Biao angry. You're fired! This month's salary is docked as compensation!"

Ling Xian watched it all, thinking that this Manager Wang was truly ruthless.

Unwilling to pay up herself, she used Hu Yourong's wages to cover the cost.

Brother Biao and his men crossed their arms, as if watching a good show.

"Heh!" A soft chuckle, not loud, but enough to reach the ears of everyone present.

Ling Xian stepped out from the crowd unhurriedly: "Are you gentlemen performing forced transactions here, or just bullying the weak?"

"Hero saving the beauty? Kid, have you been reading too many novels?" one of Brother Biao's underlings mocked.

Brother Biao was taken aback by the sudden interloper and sized Ling Xian up from head to toe.

Seeing his extraordinary clothing and outstanding temperament, he felt a measure of wariness.

He wasn't a brainless villain.

"Kid, don't meddle in other people's business! This has nothing to do with you!" Brother Biao feigned composure.

"She..." Ling Xian pointed at Hu Yourong, who was crouching on the ground with tearful eyes, "is my girlfriend. You're bullying her, so you tell me if it has anything to do with me."

Hu Yourong was stunned, staring blankly at Ling Xian.

She was certain she didn't know this handsome man and had never been in a relationship; where did this "boyfriend" with such an extraordinary aura come from?

Ling Xian continued to Brother Biao: "Management fee? Shared electricity bill? Show me the basis for these charges and a formal invoice. If it's protection money..."

He paused, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes: "I can call Deputy Director Liu of the Municipal Bureau right now to discuss what 'legal management' entails."

Brother Biao's expression changed.

Local thugs like him were most afraid of running into tough customers. Ling Xian's aura, combined with his casual mention of "Deputy Director Liu," made his heart pound.

"Who... who are you trying to scare!" Brother Biao said, feeling insecure.

Ling Xian didn't bother with nonsense and directly took out his phone: "Want to try?"

"Wait!" A forced, ugly smile appeared on Brother Biao's face. "Brother, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! We were just following the rules... Since this girl is your girlfriend, then let's just forget about today!"

After speaking, he glared fiercely at Manager Wang, as if blaming her for not clarifying sooner, then led his two lackeys away, slinking through the crowd.

Manager Wang was also dumbfounded.

If Hu Yourong had a boyfriend like this, why didn't she say so earlier?

Ling Xian bent down to pick up the last few flyers from the ground and held them out to Hu Yourong.

Hu Yourong looked up; with the light behind him, she felt as if an angel had descended.

"Tha... thank you." Hu Yourong took the flyers, her voice small and timid.

Actually, Ling Xian hadn't wanted to deal with these local thugs at first.

After all, Manager Wang wasn't exactly a good person either, but letting local thugs carry on like this would only harm more people.

In fact, the entire Yulong Plaza would lose its high commercial value because of it.

"Manager Wang, right?" Ling Xian said indifferently.

Manager Wang shuddered: "Yes, yes, what are your orders, sir?"

"Firing an employee without cause and docking wages is a violation of labor laws."

Ling Xian's tone brooked no argument. "Not a single penny of my girlfriend's salary can be missing; settle it now. Otherwise, I don't mind having the Labor Inspection Department talk to you about 'rules'."

Manager Wang's face turned red and white.

Facing Ling Xian, whom even Brother Biao feared, she could only nod: "I'll settle it right away, right away!"

A few minutes later, Hu Yourong stood before Ling Xian, holding her hard-earned wages along with an extra two hundred in "compensation," feeling somewhat at a loss.

Ling Xian grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the crowd.