"Watch your mouth," Li Yang said, slapping him before he could finish speaking.
The man, slapped, grew even angrier. "You son of a— Ouch!"
This time, Li Yang didn't just slap him; he kicked him in the face. The man yelped in pain and rolled onto the floor.
"I told you to watch your mouth, why didn't you listen?" Li Yang said with a smile, dusting off his pants. "Do you want me to slap you again?"
"No, no more!" the man said, backing away fearfully.
Lin Xiaoyu grabbed the money from the glass table and shouted, "Wait, take your dirty money too!"
With that, she threw the money at the man.
Already scared, the man was like a startled bird. Seeing something thrown at him, he flinched violently and immediately rammed his head into a nearby potted plant, getting stuck in it.
Many people around burst into laughter. "Haha, that's too funny."
"A human-shaped potted plant, I must say, it has a certain flair."
"Satisfying!" Lin Xiaoyu felt vindicated. With her clear, bright eyes, she looked at Li Yang and smiled, "Brother Li, thank you so much for helping me. Otherwise, a little lady like me would have been bullied!"
"Thank you for speaking normally. I appreciate that," Li Yang said, amused. He found it strange that such a pure-looking girl would speak in such a coy manner, often displaying her "tea art" skills.
"Hee hee."
Lin Xiaoyu giggled, linking her arm through his. "I heard men like it this way, but judging by your reaction, Brother Li, you probably don't. I won't act like this anymore then."
"Speaking normally is more pleasing than anything else," Li Yang replied with a smile.
Jin Buhuan looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Mr. Li, your friend, won't you introduce her?"
"Allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Jin Buhuan, a major jade supplier," Li Yang said with a smile. "And this is Ms. Lin Xiaoyu, also in the jade business."
"Oh, hello Mr. Jin. Sister Shui mentioned you. She said you are a discerning and sophisticated person," Lin Xiaoyu said immediately, extending her hand.
Jin Buhuan looked slightly surprised, but considering she was Li Yang's friend and knew Shui Xiang, it seemed normal. He smiled and said, "Hello, Ms. Lin. But let's skip the handshake, my hands are quite sweaty. Shall we all have a meal together?"
"Sure, I'll treat everyone," Lin Xiaoyu said, withdrawing her hand.
Jin Buhuan replied, "That won't do. I invited Mr. Li to Kunming as my guest. All expenses for dining, accommodation, and entertainment for these few days should be covered by me."
"Ms. Lin, please don't fight me on this."
"But Brother Li also helped me," Lin Xiaoyu said, blinking her eyes.
Jin Buhuan suggested, "Then prepare some special gifts for Mr. Li. That's also a way to express gratitude."
"That's right! Mr. Jin, you truly are an expert. So clever," Lin Xiaoyu nodded with a smile.
Li Yang watched the two of them and said with amusement, "You two are discussing me right in front of me, without even asking for my opinion. Is that appropriate?"
"Hee hee, Brother Li definitely won't mind," Lin Xiaoyu said, leaning her face against his shoulder with a giggle.
Feeling her soft cheek against him, how could Li Yang possibly mind?
What man could mind?
Unless he wasn't normal!
"Alright, let's go eat."
"This way, please," Jin Buhuan said with a smile.
After they were seated, Lin Xiaoyu began to recount the earlier incident. "Brother Li, Mr. Jin, it's not that I was so agitated, but that man kept insulting me, saying I was a prostitute or something. No matter how I explained, it was useless. In the end, he even tried to force me into a room. It made me so angry!"
"I understand," Jin Buhuan nodded. "She's a decent, innocent young lady. If you go up to her and call her a prostitute, and then refuse to leave after being told off, even resorting to physical aggression, anyone would get angry."
"However, Ms. Lin, I can't speak for other places, but in this area, the girls selling flowers are usually selling flowers for their own use. It's best not to buy flowers here and carry them around with you, otherwise, people will be familiar with the situation and assume you are selling yourself."
"What do you mean?" Lin Xiaoyu's face changed, gradually turning red.
She didn't need Jin Buhuan to explain further; she understood. "Are you saying that the young ladies selling flowers around here are actually involved in that business?"
"I wouldn't say all of them, but eight or nine out of ten are," Jin Buhuan nodded.
Occasionally, there were a few innocent girls who, seeing many flower sellers on the street, tried to emulate them, thinking there was business potential. They would then be misunderstood and run away crying.
But none of them had escalated to this extent.
Ultimately, it was Lin Xiaoyu's beauty. Despite her repeated explanations, the man refused to believe she was innocent. He might have even intended to turn a false accusation into a reality.
Once that happened, what else could be said about her profession?
Even a respectable woman could be dragged down.
And this was precisely one of the great hobbies of certain men.
Lin Xiaoyu was simply unlucky this time.
After hearing Jin Buhuan's words, she felt a pang of unease. "Mr. Jin, in this day and age, it shouldn't be too difficult to make a living, right? Why choose this line of work?"
"It's quick money, and they earn a lot," Jin Buhuan said, looking at her and explaining earnestly. "Some are vain, preferring wealth over poverty, wanting to make money quickly without putting in the effort, so they enter this profession."
"Some are forced into it. Not to mention those girls who are deceived or threatened. In some areas around Kunming City, the economy is not well-developed, not even comparable to inland regions, let alone the coastal open cities. Some girls, to support their brothers' education and give them a better future, engage in this profession."
"And some do it out of desperation for sick family members. Without money, hospitals won't provide treatment."
"How can this be?" Lin Xiaoyu's eyes welled up with anger upon hearing his explanation. After graduating from high school, her family couldn't afford further education, so she started from scratch. With her intelligence and quick wit, she earned over five million yuan in the jade industry.
She felt her own situation was already quite difficult, but she never imagined there were even worse circumstances.
At least her parents never asked her to support them, nor did her siblings ask her to pay for their education. They only asked her to pause her studies. As for the situations Jin Buhuan described, she didn't know how to react.
Seeing her eyes turn red, Li Yang was taken aback. He had always thought of her as a well-behaved and clever girl, but he hadn't expected this side of her.
After all, she was just a young girl.
"Ahem. Let's stop this topic and order food."
"Yes, yes, everyone order. Don't hesitate to ask for whatever you want," Jin Buhuan said, seeing that she was about to cry. He realized he shouldn't have said those things and quickly asked the waiter for menus.
However, Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes and rested her head directly on Li Yang's thigh. "Brother Li, I want to sleep for a bit."