"Take care of yourself. I'll call the police as soon as I get out." Jiang Yan whispered a reminder to him before calling her father to get in the car.

  "Jiarong, be careful out there."

  To Lin Yu's surprise, even his father-in-law—who usually barely glanced at him—couldn't help but express concern before leaving.

  "Hand it over."

  After Jiang Yan and her father drove off, Scarface eagerly surrounded Lin Yu with his men, reaching out to snatch the calligraphy scroll from his hands.

  Lin Yu's lips curled into a playful smirk. In a flash, he grabbed Scarface's wrist, twisted it sharply, and with a crisp *crack*, the bones shattered. Before Scarface could even cry out in pain, Lin Yu kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying five meters away. He hit the ground hard, tumbling twice before coming to a stop.

  "Sorry, used a bit too much force," Lin Yu said with an apologetic tone. He had tried to hold back, but his strength was still overwhelming.

  Scarface groaned in agony, spat out a mouthful of blood, and rasped, "Kill this bastard!"

  The thugs, momentarily stunned by Lin Yu's move, snapped back to reality at their leader's command and charged at him with knives and clubs.

  But when they reached him—Lin Yu was gone.

  "Over here."

  Lin Yu tapped one of the thugs on the shoulder. As the man turned, Lin Yu slapped him on the head, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.

  Terrified by Lin Yu's frightening skills, the remaining thugs let out panicked shouts to mask their fear and rushed at him again.

  Lin Yu had no patience for this. With a single chop to the neck for each, it took less than ten seconds before all the thugs were sprawled on the ground.

  "W-who the hell are you?"

  Scarface's jaw dropped as he clutched his chest, staring at Lin Yu in shock. In the time it took him to lift his head, all his men had been taken down.

  "Bruce Lee?"

  No—even Bruce Lee in his prime couldn't have done it this fast!

  Scarface's heart pounded with terror.

  "Who I am doesn’t matter. Just remember—I'm someone you can't afford to mess with." Lin Yu walked up to Scarface, his voice cold and authoritative.

  "Tell that shop owner to forget about coming after this calligraphy again. And next time you see my wife, show some respect. If I catch you eyeing her again, I’ll gouge those eyes out. Understood?" Lin Yu’s tone was icy, dripping with menace.

  "U-understood."

  Sweat beaded on Scarface’s forehead. Lin Yu’s voice alone sent chills down his spine.

  Watching Lin Yu walk away, Scarface gritted his teeth, his face twisting into a venomous expression. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

  ---

  Lin Yu returned home with the calligraphy in hand. Seeing him unharmed and the scroll intact, Jiang Jingren and Jiang Yan were stunned.

  "How did you get away?" they asked urgently.

  "The police showed up right after you left and scared them off," Lin Yu lied smoothly.

  Jiang Yan exhaled in relief. "Good thing I called them. They got there just in time."

  Lin Yu handed the scroll to Jiang Jingren, who was overjoyed. He even poured Lin Yu a cup of tea, beaming. "My good son-in-law, you’ve worked hard. Sit, have some tea."

  Jiang Jingren now looked at Lin Yu with newfound fondness. Today, this son-in-law had not only brought him immense face but also helped him acquire a priceless treasure. Even Tang Zongyun, a heavyweight in the antique world, had sought his favor. In his fifty-plus years of life, he had never been this happy.

  Jiang Yan couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her father. Just hours ago, he had been desperate to divorce her from Lin Yu, and now he was calling him "good son-in-law"?

  "Jiang Yan, stay with Dad. I have something to take care of."

  Lin Yu still couldn’t bring himself to call her "wife," so he addressed her by name instead.

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  Without delay, he headed out, making his way to Wei Gongxun’s house for their scheduled appointment.

  But just as he neared the neighborhood entrance, two police cars pulled up behind him. Four or five officers stepped out and blocked his path.

  "He Jiarong? You’re suspected of assault. Come with us," a square-faced middle-aged man said coldly, flashing his badge.

  As Square Face spoke, the other officers watched Lin Yu warily, hands resting on their holsters as if ready to draw their guns at the slightest provocation.

  Lin Yu sighed inwardly. Clearly, Scarface had reported him. What kind of gangster calls the cops after getting beaten up? Pathetic.

  Since they had attacked him first, Lin Yu wasn’t worried. He got into the car, planning to explain the situation at the station.

  What he didn’t know was that Square Face was actually Scarface and the shop owner’s older brother. After getting beaten, Scarface had called him to arrest Lin Yu, hoping to extort the calligraphy from him.

  ---

  At the precinct, Lin Yu’s phone was confiscated, and he was locked into a small interrogation room, secured to a chair.

  Soon, Square Face and a young officer entered and sat across from him.

  "You’re He Jiarong. This afternoon on Shimen Road, you injured eleven people, correct?"

  "Yes, but they tried to rob me first—"

  "Answer the question: Yes or no?!"

  Square Face cut him off sharply.

  "Yes." Lin Yu nodded.

  "Of those eleven, five suffered minor injuries, four serious injuries, and two remain unconscious—possibly life-threatening."

  "Impossible. I controlled my strength. At worst, they’d be out for a while. No way it’s life-threatening." Lin Yu frowned.

  "You think you know better than the hospital? Want me to show you the medical reports?!" Square Face barked, his tone aggressive.

  Studying Square Face’s eager expression, Lin Yu suddenly sensed something was off.

  "Listen, kid. They’re pressing charges. If convicted, you’re looking at ten to twenty years." Square Face leaned in, piling on the pressure. Then, softening his tone, he added, "But they’re willing to drop it if you hand over that calligraphy."

  "Then let them sue me." Lin Yu smirked, unbothered. Now he understood—Square Face and Scarface were in cahoots.

  Square Face shot the young officer a look, signaling him to teach Lin Yu a lesson.

  In his years on the force, Square Face had dealt with countless tough guys. Many started out just as defiant as Lin Yu, but after half an hour under his "care," they all cracked.

  The young officer approached Lin Yu, twirling a stun baton that crackled with blue electricity. "Some things are too much for you to handle. Keeping them will only bring you trouble."

  He was Square Face’s lackey, already briefed on the plan. If they could extort the calligraphy, he’d get a cut too.

  Lin Yu ignored him.

  "Stubborn fool!"

  The young officer, provoked, cranked the stun baton to its highest setting and jabbed it toward Lin Yu.

  What he didn’t notice was Lin Yu’s foot lashing out at his ankle.

  A sharp pain shot through the officer’s leg, throwing him off balance. As he fell, his elbow hit the ground, and the stun baton in his hand rammed into his own neck.

  His body convulsed violently, and without so much as a whimper, he passed out.

  "Damn. That thing’s no joke."

  Lin Yu was impressed—it was his first time seeing a stun baton in action.

  "You assaulted an officer!" Square Face slammed the table, furious. "I could shoot you right now and get away with it!"

  He pointed at Lin Yu, his other hand gripping his holstered gun.

  "And I’m telling you—if you don’t let me go now, Wei Gongxun will have your badge before the hour’s up." Lin Yu met his glare fearlessly.

  At the mention of Wei Gongxun, Square Face’s expression faltered.

  "You know Director Wei?" he asked warily, scrutinizing Lin Yu for any hint of deception.

  "Yeah. We’re close." Lin Yu smiled.

  "Bullshit! A country bumpkin like you knows our director? Impossible!"

  Square Face had done his homework before arresting Lin Yu. Aside from being decent in a fight, Lin Yu was a nobody—a penniless, background-less loser living off his wife. His in-laws were low-ranking civil servants with no real power.

  "Believe what you want. He’ll be here in five minutes."

  Lin Yu glanced at the unconscious officer’s watch. It had been twenty minutes past his appointment time with Wei Gongxun.

  Lin Yu figured Wei Gongxun would call when he didn’t show. With his phone confiscated and powered off, Wei Gongxun—sharp as any detective—would realize something was wrong and check surveillance.

  Twenty minutes was more than enough for the police to track him down.

  "You think I’m an idiot?"

  Square Face scoffed, grabbing a rubber baton to deal with Lin Yu himself.

  But just as he raised it, the door burst open with a *bang*.

  Eight fully armed SWAT officers stormed in—guns drawn, gear strapped, the works.

  Before Square Face could react, two officers tackled him to the ground.

  "Brother He, are you alright?"

  Wei Gongxun hurried in, apologetic. "Sorry I’m late."

  "It’s fine." Lin Yu remained calm, though inwardly shocked.

  He’d expected Wei Gongxun to come, but not with a SWAT team. Besides the ones inside, at least a dozen more waited outside—like they were raiding a terrorist hideout.

  This was one of Wei Gongxun’s own precincts. Was this level of force really necessary against his own men?

  For Wei Gongxun, it absolutely was.

  Lin Yu was his wife’s savior, his father-in-law’s honored guest. He couldn’t afford to let anything happen to him.

  He couldn’t take any chances—the surveillance showed four or five men taking Lin Yu away.

  Whoever was behind this had to be a big shot.

  *This idiot! This brainless moron!*

  Square Face wanted to cry. He cursed himself inwardly.

  "Abusing authority, using illegal interrogation methods—cuff him!" Wei Gongxun ordered sharply.

  Still dazed, Square Face was dragged away in handcuffs before he could process what was happening.

  ---

  Back at Baoyuan Pavilion Antiques, the shop owner lounged in his chair, sipping tea from a red clay teapot, patiently awaiting good news from his brother.

  He’d been shocked by Scarface’s failure earlier, but he trusted his eldest brother’s competence. In all these years, his brother had never failed. This time would be no different.

  In his mind, he could already see the *Ming-Qie Tie*—possibly a genuine masterpiece—falling into his hands. Visions of money raining down filled his head, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Then the phone rang.

  He grabbed it eagerly. "Third Brother, did it work?"

  "Work? Do you have any idea who you’ve pissed off?!" Scarface’s voice trembled with suppressed panic.

  "What happened?" The shop owner sat bolt upright.

  "The boss personally led a team to rescue him. Big Brother’s been arrested! And just now—they issued an A-level warrant for me! Brother, I’m finished!"

  Scarface finally broke down, bursting into tears.