Serena turned pale with fright and stood up hurriedly. Leo pulled her behind him and smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Leo kicked three times, sending three young men flying into a booth, where they landed heavily and rolled to the ground, clutching their chests and groaning in pain.
“Damn it, you’re asking for it!”
Another three young men grabbed bottles and stools and rushed at Leo again.
Leo swiftly kicked three more times, sending the three young men flying as well. They landed heavily on the ground, screaming in agony.
“Impressive, you’ve got some skills.”
Xavier Bloomer’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He shrugged his shoulders, pushed off with his foot, and aimed a sidekick at Leo’s neck.
Leo caught his ankle with his left hand and punched the sole of his foot with his right fist.
Xavier Bloomer felt a sharp pain shoot through him, his face turning beet red. He pulled his foot back and tried to stand, but his leg gave way, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
“You’re too weak,” Leo said with a smile.
Xavier Bloomer, sweating profusely, tried to prop himself up but couldn’t stand. His right leg trembled uncontrollably from Leo’s heavy blow.
“Someone help! Mr. Bloomer is being attacked! Help!” Several young men, realizing they were no match for Leo, shouted for assistance.
Hearing the commotion, the waitstaff and security from the third floor rushed over.
“Mr. Bloomer, we need to run!” Joshua urged anxiously. “If the Bloomer family catches us, we’re done for!”
Having just arrived in the capital, Leo didn’t want to escalate the situation. He grabbed Serena’s hand and ran towards the staircase.
“Ah!” Serena exclaimed as her high heel broke from being pulled along by Leo.
Leo scooped her up in his arms and quickly headed for the stairs, then dashed down them at high speed.
Serena clung tightly to his neck, feeling his body heat and strong heartbeat. Her face flushed red, and her heart raced.
“Mr. Bloomer, why are you carrying Serena? It’s not her fault,” Joshua said with a mix of amusement and exasperation when he saw Leo holding Serena as they ran down.
A flock of crows seemed to fly over Leo’s head as he quickly set Serena down and apologized, “Sorry about that, Serena.”
He then grabbed Joshua and ran towards an alley across the street.
“Hey, Mr. Bloomer, your phone number…”
Before Serena could finish speaking, Leo had already disappeared from sight. She could only sigh in disappointment.
Ordland Estate.
Late at night, Josiah Meredith liked to brew a cup of tea and read in his study.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said. Harvey Chapmanson entered from outside.
“Sir, there’s something I need to report.”
“What is it?” Josiah Meredith looked up.
“Leo has arrived in the capital.”
“I knew that already,” Josiah Meredith nodded.
“Tonight, he went to the Zundian Club and ran into Xavier Bloomer. They got into a fight,” Harvey Chapmanson continued.
“Really?” Josiah Meredith’s expression changed slightly. “Interesting, just as I hoped!”
“What do you plan to do next?” Harvey Chapmanson asked.
Josiah Meredith squinted his eyes and said slowly, “Isn’t it the old lady of the Bloomer family’s birthday in a few days? We’ll give them a big gift then!”
“And about Miss Meredith’s marriage that you promised Leo…”
“The Meredith family never goes back on its word. Since Leo is here, Miss Meredith’s marriage will naturally be postponed,” Josiah Meredith said unhurriedly.
“And what about the Wrightao family…”
“Don’t worry; the Wrightao family will agree. It’s time for a change in the capital,” Josiah Meredith’s tone grew somber.
“By the way, have Baldwin Meredith bring Leo home tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll remind the young master,” Harvey Chapmanson nodded quickly.
…
“Mr. Bloomer, you’re amazing!” Joshua said as he drove several streets away, still shaken.
He admired Leo’s courage in fighting Xavier Bloomer.
But Leo didn’t think much of it.
“Mr. Bloomer, I’m worried they’ll find out who we are and retaliate. Our company might not survive in the capital,” Joshua said with concern.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Joshua dropped Leo off at his hotel and reminded him to be careful before leaving.
The next morning, Leo woke up early and took a walk around the hotel. He soon found himself in an alley filled with small shops selling snacks and folk artifacts.
After grabbing a quick breakfast, he crossed the alley and found himself on a wide street with a bridge ahead. The water flowed gently beneath it.
Both sides of the street were lined with stalls selling jade stones, paintings, and other items.
Leo had an interest in antiques and began browsing with curiosity.
Unfortunately, he found nothing of good quality as he neared the end of the street.
Just as he was about to turn back, he noticed a man arriving on a tricycle with a sign that read: “Clearance Sale: $200, 000 for everything! Hurry!”
Such gimmicks were common, but what caught Leo’s attention was a faint green glow emanating from a pile of paintings and artifacts in the man’s tricycle cart.
Though buried under various items, the green glow was quite strong.
Only Leo could “see” this glow.
Intrigued, Leo walked over quickly.
The tricycle man began setting up his stall and placing small items on display one by one.
“Branson, you’ve been selling for over half a month now. Think you’ll sell anything today?” a jade vendor nearby teased him.
“I will. I’ve brought out my best stuff today. If I don’t sell anything now, my wife might really leave me,” Branson replied bitterly as he arranged his items.
Branson was desperate to sell because he hadn’t been home in years and wasn’t making any money. His wife had asked for a divorce.
He planned to sell everything and go home to live a stable life. To hell with dreams of getting rich through antiques!
Leo approached Branson’s stall but first browsed at the jade vendor’s stall nearby.
“Sir, take a look at these top-quality items,” the jade vendor eagerly greeted Leo.
By now, Branson had displayed all his items: rings, snuff bottles, and some Ming and Qing dynasty paintings.
Most were replicas. Leo understood why Branson hadn’t sold anything in half a month-he was selling fakes.