Surprisingly, Daphne didn't smash the store or throw a tantrum. Instead, she said she wanted to get a tattoo.
I was happy. Getting a tattoo, as mentioned earlier? Patronizing my business makes me very happy!
Daphne said she wanted a tiger tattoo—but not on her skin, only on her bones. A tattoo of poverty. She declared she would definitely smash this Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts sign later, so it shouldn't blame her.
I said, Aren't you just making things difficult for me? I thought she really wanted a tattoo, but I hadn't realized she was still looking for a fight. Ah, a woman's heart is as unfathomable as the ocean's depths!
There's an old saying: Painting a tiger's skin is easy, but capturing its bones is hard. Tattooing is even more impossible if you only ink the bones. Another saying goes: You may know a person's face, but never their heart. I felt this woman wasn't just picking a fight—she was also cursing me.
Sure enough, cold people with cold faces do things with a ruthless edge!
"Then don't blame me if I can't fulfill your request. Inviting the license plate to smash!" Daphne slammed the table fiercely, then stood up and barked orders at her men outside.
Daphne's gang of henchmen immediately sprang into action. They meant business—when they said they'd tear down the signboard, they did.
I'd only been here for less than a month. If they smashed my signboard, it would be a total disgrace. I hurried forward to stop them.
I'd practiced some boxing and kicking kung fu, all taught by my grandfather. He'd said, Erebus—profiteers are no good. If your physical fitness is strong, even if you can't fight, you can at least run!
I rushed forward and managed to take down two of them, but they had numbers on their side. Soon, they pinned me down. After all, it's hard to fight four hands with just two fists—and they had eight, all burly and strong. Clearly, they were trained fighters; otherwise, the Dai family wouldn't have hired them as bodyguards. Taking down two against eight was already an achievement.
"Ignore him. Keep tearing it down." Daphne's grudge hadn't been settled. It seemed she wouldn't rest until my signboard was destroyed.
At that moment, four men were holding me down while the other four went for my sign. No matter how much I shouted or struggled, it was useless—Daphne was determined to wreck my signboard.
Just then, Stein suddenly emerged, holding a broom covered in shit.
At that moment, Stein was like a god descending from the heavens. He swung the shit-stained broomstick four times, and Daphne's men didn't dare to fight back.
"What are you afraid of? He's just a midget! The four of you can't handle him?" Daphne grew impatient and snapped at her men.
Right at that moment, Stein swept the broom backward—and suddenly, all the shit on it splattered onto Daphne.
"Oh, sorry, my mistake!" Stein apologized awkwardly.
"Ah...!"
Daphne let out a scream, her whole body crumpled and shaking as she glared hard at Stein and me. "You guys wait and see! Get out of here, quick—it stinks!"
Daphne left in a hurry with her group of henchmen, who were still pinching their noses as they walked away, proving that it did indeed stink.
"Stein, you're the one who's awesome!" I gave Stein a thumbs-up. If it weren't for him, my sign would have been destroyed. This Daphne is really unreasonable, relying on her numbers to come here and pick a fight.
Stein told me not to blame her too much—the Dai family has a lot of influence, and word had spread about me refusing the marriage.
An icy beauty like her, rejected by a tattooed guy from a rundown tattoo parlor—what would people think? To propose marriage and get rejected in return means Daphne must have some deep, rotten flaw.
With this rumor spreading, some said Daphne was pregnant and just looking for me to take the blame, while others claimed she only wanted to marry me as a cover because she was actually a powerful man's third wife. There were even rumors that Daphne was cursed to bring misfortune to her husbands and only married me to use me as a scapegoat. In short, every ugly gossip imaginable was circulating. But others said I had backbone, that I'd rather die than submit, which was why I refused Daphne.
Nowadays, many people had gone to the Dai family for blind dates, but they were all lowlifes and nobodies. Usually, Daphne's standards were high—who'd dare to mess with her? But now that she'd been rejected by a tattooed guy, all sorts of people were trying their luck, maybe just to get a look at her. Can you blame Daphne for being furious?
I was the culprit. Who else would she take her anger out on if not me? This was considered mild—if she really wanted to be ruthless, given the Dai family's power, they could make sure I never survive in Vervecity. And if they were even crueler, they could just burn my tattoo shop to the ground.
I hadn't expected this to cause Daphne so much trouble or damage her reputation. Did that mean I'd done the wrong thing?
But I wasn't at fault. She was the one who agreed to marry whoever could break the Seven Fiends Formation—but I didn't. I had every right to refuse!
Whatever, it's a no, and there's nothing more to say. The Dai family has the influence to suppress these rumors soon enough. I'd better worry about myself!
What could I do if Daphne came after me again? She had so many people—Stein and I were no match for her. This time, she failed to demolish the signboard and ended up humiliated. Next time, she might tear down the signboard and us along with it.
What should we do?
I began scratching my head. Offending the eldest granddaughter of the Dai family was serious trouble.
Just then, Stein said he had a solution. Actually, my grandfather had dealt with plenty of troublemakers like this in the past. Back in those days, law and order weren't as good as they are now, and the police weren't reliable. So, my grandfather hired a dedicated fighter—meaning the tattoo parlor back then didn't just have Stein.
There was also a guy called Antonio. This guy had followed his grandfather since childhood to practice martial arts and learned all kinds of kung fu. Later, his grandfather died, and he went astray, getting into fights that landed him in jail several times. After getting out, his criminal record made it hard for him to find work—until he met my grandfather, who helped him turn his life around.
You like to fight? He's been to jail a few times? Isn't that just a punk? Why would my grandpa hire someone like that? I hurriedly shook my head. Forget hiring him as a fellow—I didn't even want anything to do with him. Character matters most, and this kind of shady person wasn't someone I wanted to associate with.
"Do you know why he went to jail?" Stein asked mysteriously.
I shook my head. Didn't you say it was for fighting? Why are you asking me?
Stein explained that normal fights don't usually lead to jail time—just maybe ten days in detention. But this guy? He single-handedly beat up a dozen people, sending half of them to the hospital. Several were seriously injured—some paralyzed, some crippled—and one almost didn't make it.
This guy had no restraint. Luckily, he met my grandfather, or he'd probably still be in and out of jail. He hadn't been at the shop for long before my grandfather tamed him. His temper improved a lot, and he hardly fought anymore. But after the tattoo shop closed, Stein and the others all went their separate ways.
"Come on! A guy like this—how could you waste his skills? It doesn't matter if he can take on a dozen or not. What I like is that he's a reformed troublemaker. Hurry up and go bring him back for me!"
Hmph, bullying me because I don't have enough people? Think you can overwhelm me with numbers? Not a chance!