The woman was clearly frightened by the man's actions. He was a notorious bully in this area, and even the bar's security didn't dare intervene rashly.

"Let you go? I already cut you some slack, it's your own fault for pissing me off. Can't blame me for that," the man said with an infuriating tone.

The woman was a singer at the bar. Right after she finished her song on stage, this man had stopped her and insisted she drink with him.

She'd already downed several drinks, but the man's hand grew bolder, sliding around her waist. When she tried to make an excuse, saying she felt unwell so she could leave, he turned violent.

"I-I'm sorry, I was wrong." The woman apologized timidly, hoping the man would let her go.

But he clearly had no intention of backing off. He gripped her chin playfully and said, "Want me to forgive you? Sure. Spend the night with my buddy and I'll let you off the hook."

Such a demand, truly shameless!

Lauren Shaw and Claire Xu had seen enough; they rolled up their sleeves, ready to step in.

Henry Mills stopped them. "What are you two doing?"

"Helping her, obviously. That guy is a scumbag, and if I don't give him a beating, my Qi will be blocked!" Claire Xu said seriously.

Henry Mills chuckled. "Just the two of you?"

Claire Xu straightened up. "You looking down on us?"

"If you want to play the hero, you have to make sure you're safe first," Hugo Pierce said, placing himself between them and the trouble.

"Let us handle this. You two find a safe spot and watch from there." With that, Henry Mills and Hugo Pierce strode over.

The man continued to harass the woman, spouting filthy words.

Henry Mills called out, "Hey buddy, bullying a woman—does that make you feel tough?"

The man whipped around, a vicious look on his face. "Get lost! Don't get in my way!"

The man's name was Brother Hong, a local thug even the bar owner didn't dare cross. His name alone instilled fear in the neighborhood.

Henry Mills walked over to the woman. "You should go home now."

Brother Hong shot Henry Mills a cold glare, and the woman stood frozen in place. "I'm warning you, get lost before things get ugly!" he growled.

Henry Mills smiled harmlessly. "Oh, really?"

One of Brother Hong's goons stepped up, shoving Henry Mills and trying to overpower him. "Didn't you hear him tell you to scram? This is Brother Hong's turf. Got a death wish?"

Henry Mills said nothing. Several more goons rose to attack. He grabbed a bottle from the table and smashed it over one thug's head.

Hugo Pierce saw this and dove into the fray.

The bar erupted into chaos.

Henry Mills grinned at Brother Hong. "So you’re Brother Hong? Remember this—I'm Brother Ming." With that, he landed a punch right on Brother Hong’s face.

Lauren Shaw and Claire Xu, itching for action after watching, couldn't hold back and dove in, grabbing bottles and chairs as weapons.

The brawl raged for ten minutes before the police finally arrived, putting a stop to the mayhem.

The place was a wreck, bottles and plates everywhere. The woman who'd been bullied stood in a corner, gazing gratefully at Henry Mills and Hugo Pierce.

All of Brother Hong's lackeys lay sprawled on the floor, and Brother Hong himself was sporting a battered, swollen face.

The police surveyed the scene, unable to tell victim from perpetrator.

"Officer, thank goodness you’re here! That was terrifying just now," Claire Xu exclaimed, dramatically recounting the scene.

After her explanation, the police promptly took them all down to the station.

By the time the statements were finished, it was late at night.

Brother Hong was locked up and wouldn't be making trouble for a while.

As they left the station, Yancy Shaw's car rolled up just out front. Seeing him, Lauren Shaw ran over.

"Yancheng!"

Yancy Shaw reached out and touched her cheek. "Are you alright? Not hurt, are you?"

On the way, he'd heard they were at the police station. What was usually a twenty-minute drive, he'd made in ten.

Lauren Shaw shook her head. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Come on, with me around, how could I let them get hurt?" Henry Mills winked at him from a short distance away.

"How about you—did you get hurt?" Yancy Shaw asked offhandedly.

"Is that concern I hear? Never thought I'd see the day you cared about someone!" Henry Mills joked.

Yancy Shaw rolled his eyes. "Quit acting."

A red Maserati pulled up at the curb. Before anyone could react, a woman leapt out and threw herself into Hugo Pierce's arms. "Hugo Pierce! I heard you got in a fight. Are you hurt anywhere?"

Hugo Pierce tensed up, letting her hug him but not moving a muscle. He answered softly, "I'm fine."

Still worried, she looked him over from head to toe, cupping his face and checking for any bumps or bruises.

Lauren Shaw and Claire Xu exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Hearing their laughter, He Shuang finally noticed there were others present.

"These are Lauren Shaw and Claire Xu, the ones I've told you about," Hugo Pierce introduced. Then, turning to them, "This is my girlfriend, He Shuang."

He Shuang greeted them warmly. "Hi, I’ve heard Hugo Pierce mention you both a lot."

As two of Hugo Pierce's only female friends, He Shuang showed absolute friendliness, no hint of jealousy.

On the ride home, Henry Mills kept glancing over at Claire Xu while driving.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Claire Xu noticed his furtive glances.

"I heard from Lauren Shaw that you’ve moved out from the Xu family’s place?"

"Yeah." She'd done this before, but within days of moving out, George Xu had frozen her card and blocked her from getting work, forcing her back. Now George Xu was out of ways to control her—she’d quit her job, and he had nothing left to threaten her with.

Claire Xu returned to the apartment building where she used to live with her grandmother. It wasn't luxurious, but it was nice enough—after all, it was all her grandmother had left her.

When they arrived downstairs, Claire Xu was about to get out when Henry Mills asked, "Aren’t you going to invite me up for a bit?"

"What for? Let me warn you, just because I agreed to give this a try doesn't mean you can march into my place like you own it." Claire Xu looked at him warily.

"What's running through your head? I was just asking, look how nervous you are. You think I’m going to eat you or something?" Henry Mills suddenly got a mischievous idea. "How about tonight we…"

Claire Xu eyed him suspiciously. Seeing the mischief in his eyes, she decided to play along. "Sure—why don't you come up and have a drink? My bed is big, and soft, and I've been sleeping alone… gets pretty lonely sometimes."

"Are you serious?" Henry Mills’s eyes lit up with excitement.

"Of course… not!" Claire Xu couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face.

Henry Mills fixed her with a serious look. "Promise me—even if you don’t let me in, you can’t bring home any other little vixens."