Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

A young man with a buzz cut, wearing a green overcoat and a scar on his face, was kicking wildly on the ice like a madman.

The man was skating too fast and couldn't stop, so he fell forward and landed face-first at Zhang Dabiao's feet.

It bumped right in front of Zhang Dabiao, who had just clenched his fist, wondering whether to retaliate, but now, looking at it this way...

How about I give you a 5-cent New Year's red envelope?

When the thugs who were mourning Mao saw this, they quickly lowered their heads and called for help.

"Third Brother, why are you giving such a grand greeting?"

"Here are three beautiful and slender girls, ready to be presented to you."

Scarface Third Brother was a little embarrassed, wondering if it was appropriate for him to get up now.

But upon hearing his men say that, he immediately sprang up from the ice as if he had exploded, and with a loud thud, whipped the man so hard that he spun halfway around and crashed onto the ice.

"I'm showing respect to your ancestors!"

Scarface Third Brother trembled all over, not daring to look up at Zhang Dabiao, and slapped himself hard twice more across the face.

The crisp sound of a slap echoed at the edge of the ice rink.

"Brother Biao! Brother Biao, you're incredibly magnanimous!"

"These little bastards are blind and don't recognize you, the true god!"

"I'm going to skin them alive when I get back!"

Diao Mao covered his swollen face, dumbfounded.

He had been in this area for two years and had never seen Third Brother so humble, even fearful.

Scarface Third Brother gritted his teeth and kicked Diao Mao in the waist.

"You're all blind!"

"This is our philanthropist Zhang Dabiao from Nanluoguxiang!"

"That's a sidecar motorcycle belonging to a ministry. Are you blind? Who on earth could ride one of those?!"

"Master Ma, who lent money at exorbitant interest rates; Ye Liangshen, who trafficked women; Master Dong on Qianmen Street... In 6061, because of Master Biao, nine people were executed, five were sentenced to life imprisonment, and a whole string of others were taken away after being sentenced!!"

"The security guards at the steel mill took on thirteen men single-handedly, and the guards at the art academy gate took on eighteen men single-handedly; they were all beaten to a pulp!"

"You bunch of punks trying to cause trouble for Master Biao? Are you tired of living?!"

When Scarface Third Brother said this, the people around started talking. They had all heard that there was a powerful figure in Nanluoguxiang, but they had never seen him. Moreover, Zhang Dabiao didn't have much of a relationship with the street hustlers, so not many people knew him.

But when Scarface Third Brother mentioned it today, the surrounding crowd became excited—

"Oh my, I've heard that Master Biao also donated 100,000 remittance certificates. So many families in our alley have benefited from Zhang Dabiao's kindness!"

"And also, my family and my neighbor's family all became workers because of Grandpa Biao's invention, which led to the factory expanding and hiring more people!"

"You dare bare your teeth at Master Biao? Don't you want to live?!"

Upon hearing this, Diao Mao and the others turned deathly pale, their legs trembling so badly they could barely stand.

They'd spent years hanging out in the alleyways, and they were already tired of hearing the legend of Zhang Dabiao.

This is a powerful figure whom neither the legitimate nor the underworld dares to mess with! He's skilled in both literature and martial arts, rich and powerful. If it really came down to him, there would be plenty of people willing to risk their lives for him, Zhang Dabiao, in no time!

This is someone these street thugs can't afford to mess with.

Several thugs knelt down on the ice with a thud, raising their arms and slapping themselves repeatedly.

"Brother Biao, we were wrong!"

"We were blind!"

"You're so magnanimous, just ignore us like we're nothing!"

Zhang Dabiao looked at them expressionlessly.

[Holy crap, these guys gave up so fast, I didn't even have a chance to show off!]

So he waved his hand impatiently, showing no interest in even speaking. At this point, slapping the other person twice would have seemed far too petty.

Scarface Third Brother nodded quickly, scrambling and dragging a few of his men away. If they didn't run away, even if Boss Biao didn't make a move, the surrounding crowd would eat them alive!

------------

And on the other side of the ice rink.

Several young men and women dressed in military overcoats and high-end ice skates were gathered together.

This group of people had a completely different demeanor from those alleyway thugs; they exuded an innate sense of superiority.

They are children of high-ranking officials.

One of them was named Tian Yiming. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at Gao Feng not far away with a smirk.

He couldn't stand Gao Feng's aloof attitude.

They all came from the same compound, and everyone was preparing to go to the army for training, but Gao Feng and Zhao Weiguo went to study art.

In Tian Yiming's eyes, these two were traitors and deserters from the compound!

Tian Yiming overheard people chatting nearby and learned that Gao Feng had a grudge against a female student named Mu Wanqing at school.

Moreover, Mu Wanqing had even defeated Gao Feng.

Following the directions of others, Tian Yiming saw the commotion over there and understood Zhang Dabiao's background.

Take a closer look at Mu Wanqing—and I must say, that alluring charm is truly top-tier; no wonder even Zhao Weiguo and the others in the courtyard have taken a liking to her. But Gao Feng lost to her? Lost to that "Going to Distant Places" thing?

It seems that Gao Feng is only good enough for this much; he's not up to any great task.

He chuckled and spat out the toothpick from his mouth.

"Gao Feng is getting worse and worse; he can't even handle a few shady characters in the alleys."

"Today I'm going to stand up for this country bumpkin and give him face on behalf of the brothers in the compound."

The young men from the nearby compound immediately started making a fuss.

Tian Yiming pushed off with his feet, leading a few people in a clean arc across the ice, heading straight for Zhang Dabiao.

He deliberately brushed past Mu Wanqing, keeping close to her.

The ice blade slashed hard across the ice, sending a shower of ice shards flying towards Mu Wanqing.

Zhang Dabiao reacted quickly, pulling Mu Wanqing into his arms and using his broad back to shield her from the ice shards.

Ice shards pelted against Zhang Dabiao's worn-out military overcoat, making a soft rustling sound. He wasn't particularly concerned with his own attire; what was the point of a rough, unrefined man dressing so flashy? Besides, he wouldn't dare bring out his "good" cotton-padded coats, down jackets, and windbreakers. The ones he gave to Mu Wanqing, Qin Jingru, He Yushui, and the others were the most unfashionable down jackets in his wardrobe.

After sliding for more than ten meters, Tian Yiming made a sudden stop and came to a steady stop.

He whistled flippantly, his chin held high.

"Oh, sorry, the ice is a bit slippery."

"But this girl is really pretty, it's a shame she's with that guy in the tattered coat."

"Hey little girl, what's your name? Want to skate around with me for a bit?"

Zhang Dabiao turned around, his face turning completely grim.

Zhang Dabiao could laugh at those thugs from the alley who were flirting with women, since they were only verbally provoking him and quickly backed down.

But Tian Yiming's deliberate act of harming someone has crossed his bottom line.

If ice shards get into your eyes, the consequences could be disastrous!

Zhang Dabiao was about to make his move when Scarface Third Brother and his gang of street thugs, who were not far away, were still nearby.

"Hey, someone actually dares to mess with Master Biao?"

"Brothers, follow me!"