Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1643 - 896: Jiang Ning’s Face (2)

Zhou Jinglan gazed straight at the leopard-print woman, carefully phrasing her response as she clarified, "I have no connection with your boyfriend. I lost my phone one time, he picked it up, so to thank him I treated him to a meal, and it happened a few more times afterward..."

The leopard-print woman cut her off, sneering nonstop, "All that chatter means nothing. Tell me, why does my boyfriend hold me back when I try to hit you—and not you yourself?"

"Take her to the bathroom!" The leopard-print woman barked at several young thugs.

"You got it, sis!" The young men grinned eagerly, eyes gleaming wickedly as they eyed the fragile beauty. They yanked and pulled her along, groping where they could—who would notice? Besides, Miss Wang would back them up no matter what!

Though Zhou Jinglan was pursued by hordes of admirers daily, the overwhelming gap in physical power left her feeling utterly powerless.

Suddenly, Guo Kunnan jumped to his feet, yelling, "Stop it, release that girl!"

The instant he rose, Guo Kunnan felt a wave of emptiness inside. At 178 cm, he was shorter than three of the burly youths ahead, who exuded menace while gripping telescopic batons—clearly dangerous types.

Having stepped in already, retreat was impossible. Today, Guo Kunnan was ready to throw his life on the line for this beauty!

"Damn punk... you little dark-skinned twerp!" grumbled the yellow-haired goon.

Guo Kunnan despised him utterly.

"Haul him to the bathroom and sort him out!" the yellow-haired goon shouted.

Next, the two burliest youths advanced, seizing Guo Kunnan and shoving him toward the bathroom amid scraping chair noises.

Guo Kunnan freaked out inwardly, recalling his internet cafe pals. The reliable Brother Ma and toughest Brother Quan were absent, so he bellowed, "Cui Yu, Longlong, get over here!"

Cui Yu, still reeling from Chen Siyu's rejection, had headphones on and was focused on grinding his gaming skills—he heard nothing. Only Wang Longlong rushed in to help.

The disturbance drew gazes from other cafe customers nearby.

One muttered softly, "That’s the daughter of the Dingyun Club boss. You know Dingyun Club? Her dad ran casinos down south before going legit, and years back he brought in the Wu Brothers. He owned Tu County’s biggest bathhouse then."

"I’ve heard of that Tu County bathhouse. Last cab ride, the driver mentioned how years ago, every night cars lined up at Second Middle School’s gate to fetch students..."

"But word is Dingyun Club got shut down yesterday—sealed off, yeah?"

"A skinny camel is still larger than a horse."

The leopard-print woman was overbearing and infamous; in this packed internet cafe, nobody dared intervene—staying safe was the smart play.

Wang Longlong charged ahead. Spotting Guo Kunnan held tight, he fell back a couple steps and called out, "Hey brothers, what’s the beef? Let’s talk it out—maybe we’re all relatives!"

The leopard-print woman grinned mockingly, "You know Mr. Wang as well?"

Wang Longlong slapped his thighs, "Haha, I’m a Wang too—could be family!"

Her smirk vanished in a flash as she jabbed a finger at the plump Wang Longlong, snarling, "You’re begging to die!"

Wang Longlong swore inwardly—if Brother Ma, Brother Quan, and Brother Jun were present, these fools wouldn’t dare act so bold!

Seeing the chaos unfold, Zhou Jinglan sighed deeply, rose at last, and pleaded with the crowd, "Everyone, I’m Zhou Jinglan from Fourth Middle School. Please, call the police for me—thank you!"

Hearing this, the yellow-haired goon asked, "Sis, should we still drag her to the bathroom for a beating?"

The leopard-print woman’s expression darkened as she glared at Zhou Jinglan’s pointed chin. For no clear reason, intense hatred welled up inside her—’Dingyun Club sealed,’ ’boyfriend cheating repeatedly,’ ’dad warning her to lay low’...

Her fury boiled over, a urge to ruin this girl surging forth, "Destroy her, destroy her," like some inner voice urging her on.

With venom in her voice, the leopard-print woman declared, "Forget the bathroom—beat her right here!"

She lunged for Zhou Jinglan. Guo Kunnan rushed to shield her, heroic passion igniting—’They want to harm you? Step over my corpse first!’

He bent forward halfway, only to get yanked back by the two brute youths.

The leopard-print woman clutched Zhou Jinglan’s collar.

No matter her beauty, any woman facing peril would thrash desperately to escape.

But who was the leopard-print woman? Her slap could send fiery Yu Wen spinning like a top!

Up went her hand—"Pa!"—a sharp smack across Zhou Jinglan’s cheek, the sound freezing her in shock!

Wang Longlong gaped in disbelief, "Whoa, you actually hit her? There are cameras here!"

The leopard-print woman whirled and snarled, "Beat him too!"

Wang Longlong exploded in rage: "You idiots are insane!"

At full volume, Wang Longlong hollered, "Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, save us! I’ll make you Fourth Middle School’s forum mod!"

The leopard-print woman clamped down on Zhou Jinglan, slamming her onto the desk and pummeling her without mercy.

Arrogantly, the leopard-print woman boasted: "Call the King of Heaven himself—it won’t save you!"

Jiang Ning caught Wang Longlong’s desperate pleas and mused, a forum mod gig sounds decent; someday Tongtong could rule the net.

With that thought, Jiang Ning’s calm voice cut through the din, drowning out the uproar: "You’re being way too loud."

Those words spoken, Jiang Ning strode into the fray’s heart.

His form emerged before the crowd.

The yellow-haired lackey sneered: "Who the hell are you, you fool..."

Before he could finish, a leg shadow flashed, slamming into his chest. The yellow-haired goon soared back, skidding over the marble floor to crumple five or six meters distant.

Jiang Ning eyed the leopard-print woman and uttered three cold words: "Get lost."

Now seeing his face up close, the leopard-print woman recalled that night’s beating flight—and in her last lucid instant, Jiang Ning’s features etched in memory.

Pinned to the desk, Zhou Jinglan felt the grip on her collar slacken sharply, then begin to quiver.

The remaining goons shook off their daze, staring at Jiang Ning in wary astonishment.

Kicking a man airborne—he’d scrapped for years without witnessing such a feat.

Trembling, the leopard-print woman forced a grin worse than tears: "We’re leaving, we’re out."

Jiang Ning merely hummed: "Mm."

In haste, the leopard-print woman fled the cafe with her crew, not lingering a moment.

The twins lingered behind Jiang Ning, having watched it unfold live. They knew his skills, yet each display of his clean, brutal efficiency still captivated.

Chen Siyu sidled up to Jiang Ning, eyes wide with awe: "Jiang Ning, you’re incredible—the toughest I’ve ever seen!"

She elbowed her sister.

Chen Siqing: "Your kicks are unreal!"

Chen Siqing: "I’m dying to see your punches!"

Chen Siyu: "Haven’t been this intrigued by someone in ages!"

Chen Siqing: "Wow, your hands are huge—let’s match them."

Chen Siyu: "You smell amazing."

Chen Siqing: "You stand out from the crowd..."

Chen Siyu: "Is this muscle? So solid!"

Bathed in their flattery, Jiang Ning sauntered back to his corner with the twins in tow, all eyes on him.

He departed, yet the shockwaves of his intervention rippled on.

Guo Kunnan froze in place, heart pounding. He hadn’t taken a hit in ages; that baton-wielding youth spelled disaster if things escalated. As the rush ebbed, pure dread remained.

Simultaneously, his gaze tracked Jiang Ning’s vanishing figure, emotions unreadable.

Jiang Ning hadn’t scrapped lately, nearly forgetting the vibe—now it hit him fresh: sheer terror. Hell, one kick sent a guy flying; the yellow-haired punk couldn’t rise alone at the end, carried off by pals!

With that power earlier...

Zhou Jinglan slumped in the seat, mechanically straightening her collar and tousled hair before donning her cap again.

She’d braved countless trials, commanded stages before thousands effortlessly—or so she thought. Yet then, terror had weakened her legs.

Only after fussing with her outfit did calm gradually return.

At last, she recalled that heroic silhouette, lifted her head, eyes scanning—but he’d melted into the shadows.