I Turned Filthy Rich Just By Sleeping With Women?!-Chapter 21: From Pervert To Hero

Zhao Yiming scratched his cheek awkwardly as he realized—everyone was watching.

Even Luo Yanyu's lackeys were clapping like kids who just witnessed the coolest fight scene in a drama. Their eyes sparkled like stars, completely in awe.

Yep. No doubt about it now. His image as the creepy neighborhood pervert just got upgraded.

Maybe to something like... neighborhood hero. Yeah, that sounded way better.

But just as he was soaking in the unexpected praise, his eyes darted to the thugs who were finally managing to get up.

Five of them helped each other to their feet, groaning and glaring like beaten dogs, while the rest pointed at him with trembling fingers.

"You messed with the wrong person, bastard!" one of them barked, his lip bleeding.

"I'll make sure you regret this!"

He growled again and glanced toward the old man and his wife with one last threat.

"We'll come back again!"

They ran off with tails between their legs, while the crowd booed at them, someone even threw a cabbage—and it landed square on one thug's head.

Zhao Yiming snorted. 'Good aim.'

As the tension finally cooled, two familiar guys weaved through the onlookers and approached him with grins plastered on their faces, calling out to him like they'd been bros for years.

"Brother Zhao! You were so cool with that dance!" Li Daijin said, clapping like a seal.

"I even forgot to breathe when you were kicking and punching them together!" Zhang Chuan added, shaking his head in disbelief.

Zhao Yiming waved them off, acting humble even though he kinda liked it.

"Nah, don't mind it. Give credit to your leader too."

He turned to look at Luo Yanyu, who stood stiffly to the side with both hands covering her face. Her ears peeked out from behind her palms—and they were red. Very red.

He chuckled and gently patted her shoulder.

"Thanks for your help, Young Lady," he said with a grin. "You know, your beauty and your fist are really unbeatable!"

"Y-you wh-wha—?!" she stammered, her voice cracking.

Luo Yanyu hit her limit.

Her face turned as red as a steamed lobster, her eyes wide in panic, and her breath hitched as her legs wobbled. She then collapsed straight into Zhao Yiming's arms.

"Wh-what happened to you?!" he panicked, catching her awkwardly.

"Hey, hey! Don't die on me!"He lightly patted her cheek, trying to wake her up.

Her lackeys gasped in horror.

"What are you doing to her?!" they both shouted in sync.

"You're not doing perverted things, are you?!" Daijin accused, glaring at him like a judge sentencing him to death.

"Do I look like someone with no shame?"

Zhao Yiming huffed, slapping the back of Daijin's head lightly.

"I've lived longer than your whole generation! Use your eyes, not your imagination! Also, shouldn't we help her instead of blaming me?!"

"Ah—right! Let's get her to our base!"

Zhang Chuan said, stepping forward—only to be halted by two elders who stepped in, bowing low with tears in their eyes.

"Thank you for helping us," the wife said with a trembling voice.

"Truly, without all of you... I don't know what would've happened!" Her tears welled up again.

"Tch, let me do the talking!" the older man grunted, stepping forward.

"We owe you our lives!" he said, bowing even deeper.

Zhao Yiming blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sincerity.

The old woman's eyes turned to Luo Yanyu, still unconscious in his arms.

"Heavens! Quick, let's take her to our shop! She needs to rest!"

The three boys looked at each other, silently agreeing. Without hesitation, they carefully lifted Luo Yanyu's fainted body and followed the couple down the street, the crowd finally dispersing behind them.

***

Luo Yanyu felt like she was sleeping on a hard surface, her body stiff and heavy. But strangely... she also felt at peace.

There was a familiar scent drifting into her nose—something earthy and masculine.

A musky warmth filled her nostrils, followed by the crisp bite of bergamot and a refreshing trace of green tea.

It was fresh... and painfully familiar.

Her eyes snapped open in an instant as she realized what aroma it was!

The first thing she saw was a sharp jawline just inches from her face. It belonged to a man—handsome, freshly shaved, and smugly unaware that she was currently sleeping on—

Zhao Yiming!

Her entire body jolted. "AAAHHH!!!"

She sat up in panic, but her forehead smacked right into Zhao Yiming's chin.

"Ow—shit!" he groaned, clutching his jaw.

She clutched her forehead too, both of them reeling in synchronized pain.

"Y-you! Don't move like that!" Zhao Yiming protested, rubbing his jaw that felt like being hit by a rock.

"But you're the one who startled me first!"

Luo Yanyu shot back, wincing as she massaged her temple. Her cheeks turned crimson in seconds.

She sat up properly, arms tense at her sides as she tried her best to frown and hide her blush.

"W-why was I sleeping on your lap?! You were trying to take advantage of me again, weren't you?!" she accused—but she didn't dare meet his eyes. Those intense blue eyes of his...

Zhao Yiming let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Young Lady, you fainted like a paper doll," his arms crossed.

"I couldn't just leave you sprawled out like a street cat."

"B-but still!" she huffed, trying to argue—but before she could go further, her stomach betrayed her.

A loud grumble echoed through the room.

She froze. Her face turned an even deeper red.

"I-It's not me, okay?! That sound came from you, Daijin!" she snapped, instantly shifting the blame.

Daijin blinked and pointed to himself. "Eh? Why me?" He scratched his bald head in confusion.

Zhao Yiming burst out laughing. "So that's why you fainted, huh? Don't worry—Madam He's bringing us food."

"Madam He?" Luo Yanyu asked, blinking in confusion.

"Yeah," Zhang Chuan chimed in between sips of warm tea. "The older woman you helped. Her name's He Lianhua. Her husband is Wu Taisheng."

"Oh... I see." Luo Yanyu relaxed a bit, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. "So they're alright..."

Zhao Yiming caught the faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Smile suits you better than that sharp tongue of yours," he muttered, sipping tea. "Don't waste good looks on bad temper."

Luo Yanyu's heart skipped.

That compliment made her secretly happy—but no way she'd let him know that.

"Hmph! Says the perverted man!" she crossed her arms defiantly.

Zhao Yiming chuckled but didn't argue. He knew better by now.

Just then, the door creaked open. Madam He and Mister Wu stepped in, carefully balancing trays of steaming food.

"We're sorry this is all we could prepare..." Madam, He said softly. "Business hasn't been good lately..."

But none of them minded.

The four of them quickly dug in, the savory warmth of the dishes filling their bellies. The tension melted away as they shared laughs between bites.

After a moment, the couple finally sat down and looked at them with a serious expression.

"The truth is..." she began, his voice low.

"Those thugs want to buy up this shopping district—dirt cheap. And they've been using violence to force us out."