Seeing the oversized earring acting so brazenly, Chen Bin instantly felt a surge of anger.
Just as he was about to step forward, a burly man stood up first.
He looked around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a sturdy build.
He grabbed the wrist of the oversized earring and said in a deep, resonant voice.
"Let go of the girl and apologize to her!"
The oversized earring immediately began to struggle with all his might, but he couldn’t shake the burly man a bit.
So he directly let go of the girl and swung his fist at the burly man’s face.
"Damn it, I’ll kill you!"
Facing the attack, the burly man looked completely indifferent.
He easily kicked him to the ground.
The oversized earring’s accomplice saw this, and hurriedly launched a sneak attack from behind.
However, the burly man was prepared, slightly sidestepping to dodge the attack, then turning and throwing a punch.
The young yellow-haired accomplice screamed, clutching his bloodied nose in pain.
Seeing how formidable the burly man was, Chen Bin silently nodded in admiration.
A true man, stepping forward to help when faced with injustice!
Meanwhile, the driver pulled the bus over to the side of the road.
Before long, a police car quickly arrived.
Upon seeing this, the oversized earring scrambled to his feet and shouted, pointing at the burly man.
"Officer, he beat us indiscriminately! Hurry up and arrest him!"
The yellow-haired accomplice echoed, "Yeah! My brother and I were just standing there chatting, and he came over and attacked us out of nowhere."
The police, eyeing the duo’s attire and demeanor, obviously harbored skepticism toward their claims.
They turned to the burly man and asked sharply.
"What exactly happened here?"
The burly man calmly replied, "These two were harassing a young lady. When I intervened to stop them, they attacked me. This was self-defense."
"Who can testify for you?"
The burly man instinctively turned to the high school girl.
"She’s the victim; she can vouch for me."
The girl was about to speak, but the oversized earring shot her a menacing glare.
"You’re wearing that school uniform — you must be a Tianhai Second Middle School student. Kids shouldn’t lie, you know."
Hearing these words, the girl instantly wilted.
Her eyes darted between the burly man and the oversized earring, unable to utter a single word.
Seeing the tension heighten, Chen Bin stood up decisively and spoke.
"There’s surveillance footage on this bus. Just take a look and you’ll know."
The police turned to Chen Bin and asked skeptically, "You saw what happened?"
He then recounted everything that had just transpired in detail.
Once the police understood the situation, they took down Chen Bin’s and the burly man’s basic information before escorting the troublemakers away.
But as the oversized earring climbed into the police car, he shot Chen Bin a fierce glare.
"Kid, this isn’t over! Just you wait!"
As the bus resumed its journey, everyone around gave Chen Bin and the burly man peculiar looks.
The girl, apparently overcome with guilt, approached the burly man and murmured softly.
"Big brother, I’m really sorry about earlier..."
The burly man waved it off and sighed lightly.
"Just focus on your studies. It’s over now."
During the ride, Chen Bin and the burly man chatted briefly.
It turned out his name was Cheng Zhuang.
No denying it — his name suited his burly appearance perfectly.
Not long after, the bus arrived at a stop where Cheng Zhuang bid farewell and got off.
Watching this warmhearted man leave, Chen Bin nodded slightly, his regard for him elevated considerably.
Reaching the County Committee and County Government, Chen Bin first returned to his dorm to store his clothes before heading to his office.
Since he had just started working, his assignments were relatively light.
After finishing his tasks, he sat at his desk, lost in thought.
Every time he thought of Zhao Xinmei sobbing uncontrollably, he couldn’t help but feel a deep urge to slap himself hard.
"Godmother treats me so well. How could I have lost my mind and done that to her?"
At that moment, Xu Ruoxuan entered from outside.
Approaching Chen Bin, she asked softly, "Junior, are you busy this noon?"
"Then come by my room after lunch."
After saying so, Xu Ruoxuan turned and left.
This left Chen Bin full of doubts.
Why would she insist on discussing something in her room?
After lunch, he returned to his dorm immediately.
As he arrived at the third-floor stair landing, he ran into Wang Jun.
As soon as Wang Jun spotted Chen Bin, his expression darkened.
He looked around nervously before quietly snapping, "Didn’t I already tell you? Talk to me at home if there’s anything! Why are you showing up here?"
Chen Bin was about to explain but got cut off by Wang Jun’s harsh tone.
"Go back downstairs immediately!"
Overcome with guilt, Chen Bin wasn’t even mad.
All he could do was nod and hurry back down to the second floor.
As he brushed past Wang Jun, the man gave a disdainful snort, his face full of scorn.
Chen Bin couldn’t quite figure it out himself; Wang Jun had merely transferred him to Qingshi County.
Was there a need to behave so cautiously?
What a cowardly County Committee Deputy Secretary!
Once Wang Jun was completely gone, Chen Bin returned to the third floor and knocked on Xu Ruoxuan’s door.
Xu Ruoxuan, probably fresh from a shower, opened the door wearing a white slip dress.
Her elegant figure was showcased beautifully.
While she didn’t possess the same curves as Zhao Xinmei or Dong Lili, she held her own with a sweet smile — the quintessential "girl next door."
Ushered inside by Xu Ruoxuan, Chen Bin lowered his head anxiously as he entered.
All the while, he kept reminding himself to stay focused and not let his thoughts stray.
After all, this was a leader’s quarters. Any inappropriate behavior would spell disaster.
Chen Bin had heard before that the third floor housed the leaders’ dorms.
He had originally thought they’d be similar to his own dorm. But upon stepping inside, he realized this was a suite.
Not only were there two bedrooms, but it was equipped with all kinds of appliances.
The discrepancy of just one floor was like night and day.
Ah, the perks of being a leader!
"Director Xu, what can I do for you?"
In response to Chen Bin’s question, Xu Ruoxuan gestured for him to sit down while she darted into one of the bedrooms.
Not long after, a sharp cry came from within.
Startled, Chen Bin rushed in to check.
He found Xu Ruoxuan clutching her lower back and leaning against the door handle, her face contorted in pain.
"Director Xu, what happened?"
"I was walking too fast and twisted my back again."
"What should we do? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Standing by the door, Chen Bin dared not enter.
He feared his actions might come across as overly intrusive and offend Xu Ruoxuan.
"No need. Just help me sit down on the bed to rest a bit, I’ll be fine."
Since the request came from her, Chen Bin immediately walked into the room and gently helped Xu Ruoxuan lie on the bed.
Though her skin wasn’t as soft as Zhao Xinmei’s, it was firm and well-toned — hinting that she likely exercised regularly.
Once Xu Ruoxuan had regained some composure, she sighed and spoke helplessly.
"Ever since that car accident, I’ve been left with recurring back pain. Now, any little misstep and I end up twisting it."
"Why haven’t you pursued proper treatment at the hospital?"
"I did go. But they insisted on surgery, and I didn’t want work to be delayed. So I opted for conservative treatment instead."
Pointing to the bedside table, Xu Ruoxuan continued.
"There’s some medicated patches inside the drawer. Can you help me grab one?"
Responding promptly, Chen Bin opened the drawer.
Just as he retrieved the patch, Xu Ruoxuan’s voice called out again.
"I’m in a bit of a predicament right now. Could you help me apply it?"
Her request left Chen Bin completely frozen.
How could he possibly lift Xu Ruoxuan’s dress?