Wang Lisheng, Director Li, and the others might not have understood what the foreigners were saying, but they could tell they were bullying the female translator.

Xie Changning, however, heard every word. They were cursing at the female translator.

Using vulgarities.

She looked up at the female translator. "Miss, if you’re having any trouble, you can tell us."

’Even if they were foreigners, that gave them no right to come to China and bully people!’

"I... It’s not me who’s in trouble, it’s you," the female translator said to Xie Changning. "They... they noticed your figure and want you to come over and have a cup of coffee with them..."

The female translator’s voice grew quieter as she spoke, eventually trailing off into a barely audible whisper.

But her words were still heard by those nearby.

Wang Lisheng was a true man of the Northeast. Upon hearing this, he couldn’t stay seated and was about to slam his hand on the table and jump to his feet.

’Shameless bastards! Harassing a Chinese woman on China’s own soil... Are they tired of living?!’

"Brother Wang, calm down."

Xie Changning raised a hand to soothe Wang Lisheng.

She rose and walked toward the foreigners.

Foreigners in China were often arrogant and condescending, something the Chinese had long grown used to. However, seeing Xie Changning just walk over like that filled them with a sense of stifled indignation.

The female translator spoke nervously. "Ma’am, you... don’t come over! They’re not good people. They’ll harass you!"

’She had no choice. This was the task her superiors had given her.’

’Otherwise, she would have splashed water in their faces and stormed off long ago!’

Xie Changning gave the female translator a reassuring smile, then turned back to the foreigners. To the translator, she said, "Ask them for me—who is it that wants me to have a drink with him?"

The female translator’s face turned pale. She didn’t want to ask.

But for some reason, seeing Xie Changning’s calm expression, she felt a new strength flow into her, and she relayed the question to the foreigners.

Hearing that Xie Changning was coming over for a drink, a man with curly blond hair stood up.

His attitude was arrogant, and his gaze was lewd as he sized up Xie Changning.

Xie Changning smiled faintly, showing no trace of anger. She simply gestured for him to sit down.

He thought she was afraid of him, wanting him to sit down before they had their drink. He let out a snort, whistled at Xie Changning, and sat back down in his chair.

The instant he was seated, Xie Changning moved with incredible speed, snatching the cup of coffee from the table and splashing its contents right in his face.

"How’s that coffee taste?"

The entire restaurant fell silent at Xie Changning’s move. Wang Lisheng, meanwhile, was clenching his fists in silent celebration.

’That’s our Sister Changning for you! This is how you handle them!’

"You..." The man started to grab a teacup to smash over her head, but Xie Changning was faster. She shattered a bowl and pressed a sharp fragment to the neck of the middle-aged man in their group.

Everyone around them gasped.

They all thought Xie Changning was being too reckless. This was a deadly serious matter; how could she just do something like that?

’Wasn’t she afraid of the authorities coming after her?’

Xie Changning had her own grievances about inviting foreign judges for the competition. She felt that her own country’s experts were perfectly capable; there was no need to invite foreigners.

’Who the hell did they think they were!’

"Move again, and I’ll kill him," Xie Changning threatened in perfectly fluent English.

She could see that everyone else in the group deferred to this middle-aged man.

’Cut off the head of the snake.’

Sure enough, after Xie Changning’s threat, the other foreigners fell in line. They were terrified she would actually harm the middle-aged man.

Xie Changning looked at the middle-aged man. "China invited you as honored guests, as judges for this competition. Is this how you repay that hospitality? If word of what you’ve done here gets back to your country, will you be proud of that?"

Xie Changning wasn’t usually a good judge of character, but she could read this middle-aged man clearly: he was all about appearances.

She’d met his type before.

People like him had a clear tell: they were rotten to the core but obsessed with packaging themselves to look prim and proper.

They hate having their public image shattered.

That was why Xie Changning had asked him that question.

She was threatening him. If they kept causing trouble, she would make today’s events public and turn him into a pariah even in his own country!

The middle-aged man’s expression darkened, and the whole group glared daggers at Xie Changning.

"My students were in the wrong," the middle-aged man said, his tone much calmer. "Ma’am, please, put down the weapon. You won’t be able to explain this to your superiors, will you?"

He was trying to reason with her.

Xie Changning didn’t move. She lifted her chin slightly and barked at his students, "Apologize!"

"Well..." The middle-aged man hesitated.

Xie Changning pressed harder with the shard. The man winced in pain and was forced to order his students, "Quickly, apologize to this lady!"

"Apologize to the translator!"

Xie Changning couldn’t care less about an apology for herself. She wanted them to apologize to the translator.

She had seen it all—the female translator had been subjected to constant bullying and shoving while trailing after them.

’They had no right to treat someone like that!’

"Sorry!" Afraid of causing an incident in China and forcing their professor to take the fall, the students had no choice but to get up and apologize to the female translator.

The female translator’s expression was stiff. She didn’t want to accept their apology, because it didn’t come from the heart.

It was coerced.

Xie Changning snapped, "Bow! And make it louder! What, you haven’t eaten today?!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

At Xie Changning’s command, the men had to apologize again. Only when their apologies were sufficiently earnest did she release her hold on the middle-aged man.

Just as they looked like they might try something, Xie Changning snapped a bowl in two with her bare hands.

The men froze mid-motion.

It was as if someone had hit a pause button.

"What’s wrong? Thinking of making a move?"

"...We’re full. We’d like to be on our way now."

The foreigners scrambled to their feet, practically shoving one another in their haste to get outside, terrified that if they were a second too late, it would be their necks Xie Changning snapped next.

Xie Changning watched them go, then turned to the female translator.

"If they give you any more trouble, come find me at the Beijing Guesthouse. That’s where I’m staying."

"Okay!"

The female translator looked at Xie Changning, her eyes shining. She thanked her again before turning to leave.

As soon as she left, Wang Lisheng hurried over to Xie Changning. He mimicked her earlier action. "Sister Changning, that move just now... how did you learn to do that, the bowl-breaking thing?"

It looked so damn cool!

You scared those foreign bastards stiff in one go!

He wanted to learn it so he could go home and teach his daughter. That way, if she ever ran into foreigners like that, she could scare them the same way!

Hmph! Otherwise, they’ll always think the Chinese are easy to push around!

"Mm... it takes a certain knack." Today, Xie Changning had only succeeded because she’d been running on a surge of anger.

Her usual success rate was actually quite low.

At least she hadn’t dropped the ball when it counted.