Chapter 33: Chapter 33 HeroesThey ordered two dishes and two bowls of rice, keeping it simple.

    Throughout the meal, Michelle kept her head down, displaying graceful and elegant table manners. Li Yifei could tell that she didn’t come from a wealthy family; her home must have been quite average. That a girl from an ordinary family could maintain such elegance was indeed rare.

    Dining with Michelle in this manner brought Li Yifei back to the days before he enlisted. Every day at noon, he sat down to eat with a girl, and though their meals were cheap and sometimes unsavory, he fondly remembered those times.

    "Have you had enough to eat?" Michelle, noticing Li Yifei had stopped taking food, looked up at him questioningly.

    Li Yifei smiled gently and said, "You go ahead and eat, I’ll wait until you’re finished." This was also what he liked to say back then. He always enjoyed watching that girl eat, waiting until she was nearly done before devouring what was left. He was aware that she never ate much, deliberately saving more for him.

    "Oh, no need," Michelle was startled by Li Yifei’s tender gaze and became somewhat flustered.

    It was then that Li Yifei fully emerged from his reminiscing, shook his head lightly, and said, "Hehe, then I’ll eat."

    Li Yifei knew how to behave properly; when taking food, he would only take from his side of the dish, never touching the other half. Having encountered many women on missions over the years, he understood that this was something many girls cared about.

    Michelle quickly noticed Li Yifei’s method of serving himself and her impression of him improved greatly. She had been somewhat anxious about bringing a male colleague out for an inspection, but her worries largely dissipated in the presence of such a gentlemanly man, who probably wouldn’t harass her.

    After they finished eating, Michelle insisted on paying the bill and explained, "I can get reimbursed by the company."

    Li Yifei didn’t argue; although he had made some money by pretending to be Xu Yingying’s boyfriend over the New Year, he didn’t have much savings and couldn’t afford to spend lavishly. Since the expense could be reimbursed, he let Michelle take care of it.

    At that moment, three men in their twenties walked out of a private room. They had an unruly air about them, with wildly colored hair and bizarre attire, reeking of alcohol. They were also on their way to settle their bill and happened to see Michelle paying. Their eyes lit up; they exchanged glances and all wore lecherous smiles.

    The small diner was located on the outskirts of the city, where it was rare to see a beautiful woman like Michelle. These three were up to no good, and though they weren’t going to abduct her right away, they certainly felt they had to catcall her; it was inevitable.

    A young man sporting dyed red hair and a leather jacket sidled up to Michelle, propped his left hand on the counter, and asked cheerfully, "Hey beautiful, you here alone?"

    Michelle turned to see the red-haired youth and immediately clutched her chest in panic, her face reflecting alarm.

    "Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. We’re civilized guys here, we won’t do anything to you. Just want to make a new friend," the red-haired youth winked at Michelle.

    Without a word, Michelle turned to leave, but she couldn’t move as the path behind and to her right was blocked by the other men, terrifying her even more. She stuttered, "I’ve finished eating, I have to go."

    "Aww, don’t leave. Let’s go sing some karaoke together."

    Michelle was too fragile and timid, which only emboldened the trio. As small-time thugs, they liked to show off and flirt with girls. If they encountered someone tough, they wouldn’t dare do anything, but Michelle’s fear galvanized them.

    Self-defense manuals for women state that one should not show fear when encountering rogues, as it could only encourage them further.

    "Yeah, come on. Let’s go have some fun. We’ll give you an unforgettable experience," the youth on the right boldly reached out to touch Michelle’s face. Sёar?h the N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although the bartender was present, he was too frightened to make a sound. The other few patrons in the diner also did nothing to intervene, feeling pity that a beauty like Michelle had to endure harassment, but lacking the courage to confront the hooligans. Some even had a crude enthusiasm for the unfolding drama.

    Michelle was on the verge of tears when she saw the hand approaching her face. Other than a scream, she didn’t know what else to do.

    Suddenly, a hand reached out, firmly grasping the wrist of the offending young man, and Li Yifei appeared beside Michelle.

    Upon seeing Li Yifei, Michelle grasped at him like a lifeline, clutching his arm tightly, her body shrinking into the space between him and the counter in search of protection.

    Yet, seeing the three imposing figures surrounding them and with only Li Yifei beside her, her heart sank. How could Li Yifei, alone, fight off three men?

    "Kid, beat it. This has nothing to do with you!" The guy whose hand was caught jerked it back sharply, pulling his hand free, and then glared at Li Yifei, looking quite vicious.

    Li Yifei looked at the three men coldly and said, "Beat it."

    Thinking they had Michelle cornered for the day, the sudden interference by another person wrecked their plans, making them extremely irritated. The red-haired punk glared and cursed, "F*ck, who the hell are you? Not a local, are you? Acting tough in front of us three, do you have a death wish?"

    Li Yifei’s gaze swept over the three of them again with an intensity that made their hearts grow fuzz, but they had drunk far too much that day, and the alcohol fueled their audacity. They didn’t take Li Yifei’s warning looks to heart, and even felt that Li Yifei’s gaze was a form of contempt, which infuriated them further. The red-haired punk cursed again and swung a punch at Li Yifei.

    The people in the restaurant gasped, and the owner inwardly lamented. A fight in his restaurant was the last thing he wanted. Michelle, out of instinct, let out a high-pitched scream and closed her eyes.

    "Thud!" A muffled sound followed by a scream that apparently did not come from Li Yifei.

    Michelle quickly opened her eyes and saw that Li Yifei was still standing in front of her. To her right and a couple of meters away, the red-haired thug sat on the ground, clutching his stomach in agony, then coughed and spat out a mess.

    Michelle could hardly believe her eyes. She had thought Li Yifei would be the one taking the hits, but now it was the punk.

    The others in the restaurant were stupefied. They hadn’t seen how Li Yifei had made his move, but the red-haired thug had flown away, and now they realized that Li Yifei was quite formidable, no wonder he wasn’t afraid of the three street thugs.

    "F*ck!" The other two thugs finally snapped back to reality, cursed simultaneously, and swung their fists at Li Yifei. They hadn’t yet acknowledged Li Yifei’s prowess, thinking he had just caught them off guard before. Now prepared and with both attacking at once, they thought they could easily take down Li Yifei.

    But their ideal was beautiful, and reality cruel. Li Yifei’s punch landed in the belly of the first punk, who immediately clutched his stomach, gasping for air. With a sweep of his leg, the other punk was knocked off his feet, his head banging against the counter and nearly knocking him unconscious.

    Just like that, Li Yifei had taken down all three punks, leaving the restaurant’s patrons and owner dazed. By the time they came to their senses, Li Yifei and Michelle had already left the restaurant.

    The three thugs struggled to their feet and cursed a few times in the restaurant but ultimately didn’t dare to chase after Li Yifei. As long as they weren’t fools, they should know that they were no match for him; chasing him would only result in another beating.

    Since there were few taxis in the area, Li Yifei and Michelle had to walk to the main road a few hundred meters away, where taxis were more frequent.

    Michelle was still in a daze, being led by Li Yifei. Her mind was blank, and she didn’t even realize what she was thinking until they had walked over a hundred meters. Then, Li Yifei spoke to her, snapping her back to reality. Only then did she notice she was still holding Li Yifei’s hand and quickly blushed and gently pulled her hand away.

    "Thank you," Michelle said, walking side by side with Li Yifei, her gratitude evident.

    Li Yifei chuckled and replied, "Thank me for what? You’re my colleague, and my mentor for now, so of course, I have to protect you."

    The word "mentor" made Michelle feel a bit embarrassed, but it also eased her tension. She said, "If it weren’t for you, they would have bullied me just now."

    Li Yifei looked down the road and asked, "You’ve been here for inspections before and never encountered such a thing?"

    "No, I’ve only been here twice. And the previous times, Brother Li accompanied me. We left immediately after the inspection and didn’t dine around here. Perhaps Brother Li knew this place wasn’t very safe, and I just didn’t realize."

    "That makes sense; a beautiful woman like you really shouldn’t go to secluded places. Next time, take me with you. Protecting my mentor is the responsibility of a pupil like me, and this is a good opportunity for me to learn from you as well."

    Michelle couldn’t help but laugh softly, saying, "I’m not your mentor, you’re even a year older than me."

    "The capable one should be the teacher. Now that I’m learning from you, of course, I should call you ’mentor’."

    Michelle’s face flushed red, and she protested, "Really, it’s not right. We’re just colleagues; helping each other out is what we should do. President Xu has told us that the most important thing in a department is teamwork. Without cooperation, we are just loose sand. Only by working together can a department function at its best."

    When Michelle mentioned Xu Yingying, her eyes filled with admiration. This made Li Yifei also admire President Xu’s charismatic personality. Xu Yingying was indeed an exceptionally capable woman.