The burly man looked down at Lihua. "Who are you to interfere? Stay out of this, bitch. I am talking to him."
Lihua gnashed her jaw in anger. "He is my friend. You are threatening and humiliating him. Of course, I will interfere! Who do you think you are!?"
Lu Bojing quickly said, "I-Its okay. Don't come in between us-"
Lihua shook her head. "I cannot stand this injustice. We were not in the way. There is clearly so much room to walk by, but he just crashed into you. I can say the same to him. Can't he see this huge space? Is he blind? On top of that, he just started insulting you out of nowhere."
The man's face turned red in a fury. "How dare you talk to me like that? I can do anything I want!"
"Hah! What gave you that illusion? Who made you the king? You don't own this supermarket."
He sneered. "Actually, I do. This is my Uncle's supermarket. I am his nephew, so of course, I can do as I please."
She grimaced. "Sorry, but it still doesn't mean that YOU own this supermarket. It's your uncle's, not YOURS. Stop riding on others' coattails. That's sickening using your status like that which is not even yours."
His gaze darkened. His face reddened even more.
Lu Bojing cried and begged Lihua. "D-Don't argue anymore, please...I will apologize and end this."
The man punched his face and snarled. "Of course, you will apologize, you piece of shit! But it's not enough anymore!"
"Bojing!" Lihua was horrified. She bent and checked his cheek. His lip was slightly slit, and his cheek turned red. He was shaking and crying.
Everybody thought it was over. The man would beat the hell out of Lu Bojing until he was satisfied. He was thin and frail. By the time his Uncle would come to sort things out, he would already be in the hospital.
Lihua glared at him. "How dare you hit him!? Are you crazy?"
Lu Bojing trembled and breathed hard. His cheek stung in pain. "P-please let it go...he is dangerous…"
Lihua anxiously checked him. "You…"
"Don't forget that you are pregnant."
She froze. "I-I know," her eyes rimmed in tears, "But I cannot just tolerate somebody talking to you like this…You were not at fault."
Lu Bojing stared at her. His eyes teared up more.
The burly spat in anger. "You bitch, stand up! Let me decorate your face too!"
They froze. The other customers gasped.
"Oh God, he is insane!"
"Will he really hit a woman?"
"Somebody call the police…"
"But what will we do until then?"
Nobody wanted to confront him.
Lu Bojing paled. "No...Y-you cannot hit her…"
"Shut up! Do you want me to punch you again!?"
He trembled.
"Stand up, you bitch! I will show you what it means to insult me! I will slap you until you realize your mistake and rub your nose on the floor to apologize!"
Lihua's heart drummed in fear. Naturally, she understood others' reactions too.
What should I do? Lu Bojing is injured. He cannot fight...
Wei…
She clenched the phone in her hand. Her fingers shook as she typed a message and hit the Send button. Her hand was hidden between Lu Bojing and her thighs, so the burly didn't see anything.
But he was getting impatient. "Will you do as I say, or should I pull your hair!?"
Lu Bojing hastily shook his head. "H-hit me all you want. B-But don't touch her…"
He sneered. "I will decide that not you bitch."
Then he looked at her, "I guess you are not listening."
Lihua trembled.
Lu Bojing burst into tears. "Please...it will not be good for you if you hit her... It's not nice. Y-you will suffer…"
"Give your moral lessons to someone else. Don't bother me with that shit!"
The burly lost his patience and raised his hand towards Lihua to pull her. She paled, and so did Lu Bojing.
The other customers feebly tried to stop him, but one glare from him shut them up.
Lu Bojing saw the man's hand reaching Lihua faster and faster. But to him, it felt like everything was going in slow motion.
Mingshen's words came to his mind.
'Your job is to let her and the child inside her stay ALIVE, whatever the danger might be.'
Then he recalled what Wei had said.
'Always protect her. At all times and at all costs.'
The man's hand was just about to grab her when Lu Bojing suddenly held his wrist. His eyes were shining with tears as he looked up at him. "Don't touch her…"
The burly man got even angrier. "Don't touch me, you creep!" He waved his hand, but surprisingly, he couldn't shake Lu Bojing's hand somehow.
"I-I am telling you n-not to hurt her... Please listen to me...It won't be...good for you…"
"Huh? You dare threaten me?"
Lihua anxiously said, "Bojing, let him go! He will hit you again!" She whispered near him, "I have called someone to help us. I know he will be coming soon."
Lu Bojing sniffled and shook his head. "We cannot stay put until he c-comes... This man won't wait for that l-long…"
Lihua knew it was the truth. Even so, she wished Wei to come as soon as possible.
The burly man gritted his teeth. "Let me go! Don't you dare-"
Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock as Lu Bojing shivered and got up. His eyes and cheeks were wet, and tears still poured out in full force. "Stop this, please…"
He wasn't shocked because Lu Bojing stood up to him.
But because at the moment Lu Bojing was holding his wrist, the man felt an excruciating pressure on it as if it was being crushed. He lowered his head, and his eyes popped out of his sockets in disbelief.
Lu Bojing's frail and thin and almost feminine hand had so strongly and firmly gripped his hand that he felt his wrist bone cracking.
Lu Bojing covered everyone's view with his back and faced him.. He sniffled and sobbed as he stammered. "Don't h-hurt her, okay?"