Thief

Xiang Wan quickly pulled the agitated Chu Ying back to her seat and apologized to the surrounding patrons.

"Don't get too agitated now, I don't want to make a scene. It'll be bad if the Huo family finds out in advance," she explained calmly to Chu Ying.

"Don't worry, leave this matter to me. I'll investigate their recent situation. I've been doing this for so many years." Chu Ying nonchalantly replied, crossing her legs.

"Alright, I'm counting on you then." They exchanged their contact details and addresses before Xiang Wan left the office.

She didn't expect to gain a loyal ally on this trip, and the matter was also resolved perfectly.

After bidding farewell to Chu Ying, she returned to the port, pondering where to find more help. After all, there was a big matter to be done and she could not manage it alone.

Lost in thought, Xiang Wan strolled, gradually walking into a bustling intersection.

Suddenly, a shadow darted past her and grabbed her shoulder strap, snatching her bag away.

"Thief! Catch the thief!"

"He went that way! Stop him!"

The force of the bag being snatched caused her to stagger forward. She then heard the crowd around her shouting about the thief.

Realizing he had been discovered, the thief's body tensed for a moment before he swiftly took a shortcut and dashed into a nearby alley.

When she saw that the bag that she had spent all her savings on was stolen, she wasted no time and immediately gave chase.

As she entered the alley, she spotted a tall man exuding an air of scholarly elegance. He stood on one side of the alley, holding her bag in his left hand and clutching the thief's collar with his right.

He looked at her without blinking. "Is this your bag?"

She looked at the bag in the man's hand and looked at him gratefully. "Yes, it's mine. Thank you!"

"You're… you're welcome." Ling Yun looked at the girl before him, her beauty making him blush uncontrollably. However, he still gripped the thief's collar tightly.

The captured thief, realizing he couldn't escape had stopped struggling, seemed to lose all strength, and began pleading desperately.

"Please, I beg you not to send me to the police station. I didn't mean to do it, I'm really in desperate need of money!"

"Even if you're in need, that doesn't justify committing crimes. Besides, thieves don't usually admit they're thieves!" Xiang Wan retorted irritably.

"I know I did wrong. I was desperate and resorted to this method. Please let me go. I won't steal again next time," the man said in despair.

"Then tell us what difficulties you're facing. Maybe if you explain, I could help you," Xiang Wan felt that in this historical context, he might genuinely be in dire circumstances to resort to robbery.

Ling Yun looked disapprovingly at Xiang Wan, thinking she was an inexperienced young girl who shouldn't easily trust others.

"I need money, a lot of money. I need to pay for my sister's medical treatment. I work eight jobs a day, and it's still not enough for her medical fees!" The man suddenly sat down on the ground and broke down crying.

"I can give you money, but you need to do something for me." Xiang Wan's eyes flickered as she considered her plan.

Recalling the man's skill when he had snatched her bag earlier, she came up with an idea.

"You'll give me money? I'll do anything for you, miss, I swear! Anything!" The man pleaded with Xiang Wan as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"Help me find some reliable men who are capable of fighting, and find them quickly. I need them today. I'll pay each of them five yuan." Xiang Wan set a high price.

Liu Gang, the thief, heard that he could earn five yuan, and widened his eyes in disbelief. Five yuan, he could barely earn five cents after working all day, this was a tenfold increase!

Ling Yun, who had been standing behind the thief, suddenly chimed in, addressing Xiang Wan, "Are you looking for a fighter? I know the owner of a martial arts gym. Would you be interested?"

The promise of 5 yuan as payment piqued Ling Yun's interest.

Xiang Wan's eyes lit up, "Yes! That's exactly what I need."

The owner of the martial arts gym that Ling Yun mentioned was his brother. They had co-founded the gym together. However, Ling Yun didn't enjoy spending all his time at the gym, and his appearance wasn't that of a rugged martial artist, so he let his brother take the role of the gym's head instructor.

"Alright then, including the two of you and your brother, find ten more people for me, and meet me at the location mentioned in the note." She handed them the prepared note.

She originally had intended to write down her home address, but since finding assistance went so smoothly, she changed it to the address of the newspaper office.

After confirming the details with them, Xiang Wan hurried back to the newspaper office to find Chu Ying.