"You have always been arrogant and self-important; as long as that nature remains unchanged, he will never find peace. The neglect of his studies is truly a great misfortune—for it is through this very hardship on earth that he can refine himself and overcome his laziness!" The Buddha said, his voice resonant like a great bell. "I understand. Then let us proceed!" The Bodhisattva Guanyin instantly grasped the situation, forming a nine-character incantation and began her ritual. The tall one didn't waste a word, reached out, and with a sweeping motion, sent the freshly filled juice cups tumbling to the ground. She growled, "If you keep talking, I'll smash this stall in three seconds!" Mei Hanfu felt tears welling up, her body stiff with tension. "You street toughs charge protection fees—today, I'm not paying a cent!" A clear, bright female voice rang out, startling everyone. Mei Hanfu saw it was her daughter, Gao Ruolan, and was both surprised and delighted, yet also worried. "Hey! There you are, little one!" The tall one smirked. "Brother, go ahead—my brother will take care of the crowd!" The shorter one said warmly. "A wolf in sheep's clothing!" Gao Ruolan blushed with both embarrassment and anger, then launched herself into action with a standard taekwondo stance, delivering a powerful aerial kick. "Ow!" The tall one's chest was squarely kicked, sending him shuddering with pain. The shorter one watched in stunned silence. Gao Ruolan then stood tall, striking a cool, confident pose, which delighted Mei Hanfu and the woman from the neighboring stall. People gathered around. Just as they felt proud, a middle-aged man with a broad build and a face marked by scars led a group of about fifteen thugs over. "Master Xin! Master Xin!" The tall man, clutching his chest in pain, called out for help. "Absolutely a liability! Can't even handle a young girl!" Master Xin grew furious, shouting. Turning to Gao Ruolan, he glared sharply and said, "Today you dare block our revenue stream—do you intend to die?" "Hmph! In broad daylight, you dare secretly collect protection fees—what justice remains? What national law?" Gao Ruolan stood upright with dignified composure. "Seize them!" Master Xin waved his arms to the men at his side. Immediately, the fifteen thugs each brandished weapons, forming an iron wall that tightly enclosed Gao Ruolan. Though Gao Ruolan was a skilled taekwondo practitioner, she could hardly match the combined pressure of fifteen strong attackers. She dodged and weaved desperately, managing only to defend—she had no strength to counterattack. Master Cheng roared, "There!" With the sound of the word, the blade reached its mark. A flash of silver light swept across Gao Rulan's vision—by the time she reacted, it was too late. In despair, she closed her eyes. "Ah!" A piercing cry startled everyone. When they turned, it wasn't Gao Rulan, but Master Cheng himself. Stunned, the dozen thugs watched as Master Cheng's blade was struck by something unseen and launched three zhang beyond them. They then saw the arm holding the blade—bloodied and stained across the sleeve. Gao Liang also glanced at Gao Ruolan. Her eyes were as clear and transparent as lake water, carrying a gentle warmth, which immediately reminded him of his ideal image of Gao Cuilan. Without hesitation, he said, "Cuilan! Gao Cuilan!" This surprised Gao Ruolan greatly—this was the second time he had called her by that name. She grew slightly annoyed and said, "I am Gao Ruolan. Please show some respect!" "Ah!" Gao Liang regained his composure and offered a polite smile of apology. While Gao Liang was momentarily stunned, the shorter and taller figures, along with the dozen or so thugs, quietly slipped away. The Star Master, running off, said, "Today I don't fear you anymore. Our Master Bo has returned—he's truly the one who matters! We'll see how it goes!" As he spoke, he hurried through the path, tripped over a stone, and nearly fell, prompting a burst of laughter from the crowd. Gao Liang, watching them depart, prepared to leave as well, but was stopped by Miao Hanyu. Miao Hanyu expressed her heartfelt gratitude, saying, "Thank you so much today—you saved "Mother, thank you so much to these two for bringing the news today!" Gao Liang pointed to the flower-shirted boy and the one with yellow hair. Together, they raised their thumbs in praise, saying, "Our elder is truly swift—arrived just in time! Otherwise, Miss Gui Lan's life would have been in danger." Hearing this, Gao Ruolan looked at Gao Liang with heartfelt gratitude. "Ruolan, come over and properly thank this life-saving hero!" Mei Hanfu gestured to Gao Ruolan, who nodded and said, "Mom, actually, he's one of my classmates!" "Oh! That's wonderful!" Mei Hanfu studied Gao Liang again with growing excitement, saying, "This one—?" "Mom, his name is Gao Liang!" Gao Ruolan said, a little shy. "Ouyang? Gao Liang?" Mei Hanfu was astonished, once again taking a thorough look at Gao Liang—from head to toe and then back from toe to head—then exclaimed, "Wow! Mom really recognizes him! That very young man who won the campus talent competition in Hanhai City back then—he's exactly him! Wow! Mom truly has great good "Mother, actually that day, it was all due to Ms. Guo Rulan's outstanding performance—she deserves a huge share of the championship credit!" Gao Liang praised Guo Rulan right back. Immediately, Guo Rulan presented Gao Liang with a bundle of autumn spinach. Gao Liang then remembered Guo Cui Lan. A street vendor holding a promotional flyer approached, sighed, and said, "There's a shop in the center of the street for lease—what a blessing it would be if we could secure it!" She then placed the flyer before everyone. Guo Rulan glanced at it and exclaimed, "Mom! The rent is so high! It's 10,000 per month, and they require a six-month down payment!" Miao Hanfu wiped her eyes, saying, "This is my small-scale business—how could we possibly afford that?" Gao Liang looked at her thoughtfully and, with polite courtesy, said, "Mother, I should be going now!" After saying that, he got into the sleek car beside him, briefly arranged his floral shirt and yellow-hair notebook, and drove off. The woman at the stall watched the handsome, bright-haired man leave, raised her thumb in approval, and said, "That one seems like a TV celebrity, doesn't he? Wait—how come I feel like your daughter has also been on TV? Oh! I just can't remember now! Maybe I was tired from watching TV that day and confused, and mistook the person!" She spoke to herself, making both Miao Hanchu and Gao Ruolan quietly smile, their faces glowing with happiness. Gao Ruolan's home served a rich and abundant dinner. Father Gao Caisheng came in from outside, looking weary. As soon as he stepped inside and smelled the aroma of the food, he was both surprised and delighted, exclaiming, "Hanfu! It's so fragrant! So fragrant!" He immediately rushed into the kitchen, where he gasped at the freshly cooked dishes, saying, "Wow! Fish maw today! My mouth is watering!" And then, without hesitation, reached out to grab a plate. "Go on! Go on! Go on! Don't act like last time—when you secretly snacked—there's your share!" Hanfu gestured with her hands. Soon, the dishes were arranged on the table, all rich and plentiful. Gao Caisheng poured himself a large glass of wine, raised it, and, gazing at the delicious meals, remarked, "It's been a month since I last had fish maw—my taste buds have grown so dull!" He then reached for a piece and devoured it with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Gao Ruolan was eating her rice slowly, savoring each bite, and smiled gently at the sight of her father nearly choking. Miao Canfu shook her head in front of Gao Ruolan, saying, "Even my father can't compare to his own child!"