Gu Xiangyi held onto Xu Xiangbei’s arm and gently rested her head on his shoulder: "Thank you. If you hadn’t helped me, I really wouldn’t have known what to do."

Xu Xiangbei grinned mischievously: "You’re my future wife. If I don’t help you, then who will I help? There’s the park ahead. Let’s go rowing."

On both sides of the park, vendors were selling all kinds of snacks, shouting loudly. What they sold was ordinary, but their calls, rich with dialect, were as melodious as opera, attracting the attention of tourists.

Xu Xiangbei bought two skewers of candied hawthorns, handing one to Gu Xiangyi, and they ate until their mouths were covered with syrup.

After eating the candied hawthorns, Gu Xiangyi felt much better and her smile returned.

She used a wet wipe to clean the syrup from Xu Xiangbei’s lips.

"Look at you, eating a skewer of candied hawthorns and turning into a little kitten."

Earlier, Gu Xiangyi’s eyeliner had run due to tears, leaving black marks everywhere on her face. Xu Xiangbei laughed, "You look more like a little kitten than I do."

The two arrived at the boat rental by the lakeside. The boats were tended by an uncle with a black money pouch tied around his waist. There were quite a few people renting boats, and he occasionally stuffed the money from customers into his pouch.

Xu Xiangbei smiled as he asked, "Uncle, how do we rent a boat?"

The uncle pointed to the sign next to him: "One hundred yuan per hour, one hundred yuan per hour."

Xu Xiangbei took a hundred yuan from his wallet and handed it over. The uncle, now more courteous, helped Xu Xiangbei and Gu Xiangyi onto a small boat.

The bottom of the small boat was equipped with pulleys. It required the combined effort of two people to step on them, allowing the pulleys to propel the boat forward through the lake.

There was a rudder at the stern to control direction. Soon, the two mastered the technique of driving the pulley boat. Xu Xiangbei and Gu Xiangyi exerted themselves on the pulleys, and the boat gently rowed forward, gradually heading towards the center of the lake.

Under the sunlight, the lake waters glistened, and distant mountains were like smoky paintings, bringing a sense of serenity that dispels all troubles.

Gu Xiangyi softly laid her head against Xu Xiangbei’s chest, feeling his warm and solid chest, providing her with a great sense of security.

Gu Xiangyi’s voice was gentle as water, filled with immense allure: "Can you stay with me tonight?"

"Sorry, I have other matters to take care of and can’t stay with you."

Gu Xiangyi showed a disappointed expression but quickly regained her smile: "A man has ambitions far and wide. Don’t be shackled by romantic ties. I wish you, the new CEO, smooth sailing and may your wishes come true."

"I wish the same for you."

Their hour of boating quickly ended, and the two returned to the shore.

When they returned to the shore, they found many people waiting for them.

Leading them was a strong man, standing next to a bleached-haired guy previously injured by Xu Xiangbei. Behind the man were over ten youths holding steel pipes, fiercely guarding the shore.

The uncle tending the boats sensed trouble and discreetly moved far away.

The bleached-haired guy pointed at Xu Xiangbei and said pitifully to the big man beside him, "Big brother, he’s the one who hit me."

The big man raised his shinny steel pipe, blocking Xu Xiangbei at the lake’s edge.

"Kid, you not only broke the bracelet and dared not compensate, but you also hit people. So bold! Do you even know who I am?"

Gu Xiangyi, frightened by the crowd, hid behind Xu Xiangbei.

Xu Xiangbei gently held her hand, signaling not to be afraid.

Xu Xiangbei sneered: "Shameless! Clearly using a fake jade, intentionally breaking it to extort money, and now boldly coming to cause trouble. Do you have no shame?"

To his surprise, surrounded by over ten people, Xu Xiangbei dared to reason with him, causing the big man to roll his eyes.

"Kid, I’m giving you a chance to mend your ways. Just compensate a little, and it’ll be forgotten. But seem like you don’t appreciate it, huh. Today, I must teach you a lesson."

With that, the big man harshly swung the steel pipe at Xu Xiangbei’s shoulder.

Seeing the big man raise the steel pipe, the bleached-haired guy gave a cold, vengeful smile, as if saying, "You hit me, now you’re doomed."

But the steel pipe in the big man’s hand didn’t hit Xu Xiangbei. Instead, as if performing a trick, it landed in the hands of Xu Xiangbei.

The companions behind the big man let out surprised cries, unable to understand how the steel pipe ended up in Xu Xiangbei’s hand.

The big man, equally puzzled, looked at his hand and then at the steel pipe in Xu Xiangbei’s hand.

Xu Xiangbei sneered, tossing the steel pipe into the lake. It made a bubble and sunk with a thud.

The bleached-haired guy quickly handed over another steel pipe, and the big man lifted it again and swung it at Xu Xiangbei’s arm.

But the result was the same as before. The big man felt his grip lighten, and the pipe again ended up in Xu Xiangbei’s hand.

The companions behind the big man again shouted in surprise.

"This kid is weird."

"He’s like a magician."

"This kid’s a monster."

The big man looked puzzled, gritting his teeth in frustration. Since the steel pipe kept mysteriously ending up in the opponent’s hand, he decided to fight barehanded and threw a punch at Xu Xiangbei.

Xu Xiangbei slightly raised his hand and in the blink of an eye, grasped the big man’s wrist, smiling coldly, tightening his fingers gently.

The big man felt his wrist pinched like by a large iron clamp, delivering intense pain.

Then, a tremendous force transmitted through him, and he was thrown by Xu Xiangbei, making an arc in the air, landing like a dead pig into the lake behind Xu Xiangbei.

The bleached-haired guy, seeing his boss thrown into the water, felt a chill down his spine, screaming in fright: "That kid threw big brother into the water. Let’s attack him together, brothers!"

The youths wielding steel pipes rushed toward Xu Xiangbei in a swarm.

They raised their gleaming steel pipes, but no one managed to hit Xu Xiangbei. Instead, the youths leapt into the lake like frogs, one by one.

Not because they wanted to jump, but because they were grabbed by the wrist and thrown into the lake by Xu Xiangbei.

Seeing all his companions tossed into the lake, the root cause, the bleached-haired guy, stealthily tried to escape the park. After only a couple of steps, swoosh, a gleaming steel pipe smashed into his ankle heavily, followed by the clear sound of bones cracking.

The bleached-haired guy fell to the ground, clutching his leg, letting out heart-wrenching screams.

Xu Xiangbei and Gu Xiangyi walked past him. Xu Xiangbei crouched and said softly: "Kid, remember. Don’t do bad things again, or I’ll break your other leg."

Returning to the hotel, Xu Xiangbei and Gu Xiangyi bid farewell, somewhat reluctant. Temporary separation promised an even brighter reunion.

Xu Xiangbei drove his silver Porsche, zipping through the traffic like lightning, leaving Yanjing and returning to the hospital in the small town.