Chi Yu couldn’t deny his fear of Chi Tong, but that fear also constantly reminded him of all the unfairness.
Chi Tong was a madman, a mentally ill person, a potential murderer, yet not only had he not been neglected by their grandfather, he had instead received years of exceptional care and attention.
Meanwhile, Chi Yu was the one who tried everything he could to prove himself, and was still ignored, like a clown.
They were both born into the Chi family, both grandsons, so why was the gap between them so enormous? Everything he and his father had struggled and strained to reach was placed right in front of Chi Tong, yet Chi Tong acted as if he didn’t even want it. Who was he trying to act superior to?
The answer to the question Chi Tong had just asked was something both of them already understood.
Chi Yu naturally wanted to drag him down into corruption.
“Don’t you want to have some fun?” Chi Yu said. “If you don’t, why did you even come? Who are you pretending to be?”
They had already carried their argument out of the private room. A sharp-eyed staff member had initially wanted to step in, but upon seeing it was Chi Yu, he hesitated and stopped where he was.
“I’m leaving,” Chi Tong said, unwilling to waste words. He turned to go.
The others with Chi Yu didn’t dare stop him directly, they all looked to Chi Yu, waiting for his reaction. The more this happened, the more Chi Yu felt his dignity being trampled underfoot.
“I’m doing this for your own good,” Chi Yu said, bristling with hostility, trying to strike back with sharp words. “I thought you’d be really sad after your mother died. I just wanted you to be happy.”
The moment those words left his throat, every syllable brought him a twisted sense of satisfaction. Every word capable of hurting Chi Tong made him feel better.
This wasn’t the swimming pool from back then, and he was no longer that child. Chi Yu also wanted to prove that Chi Tong could no longer do anything to him.
Even if Chi Tong lost control again, doing it in such a public place and exposing his madness would still be worth it.
At those words, Chi Tong’s steps did stop.
His reaction was so fast there was no time for Chi Yu to respond.
Before Chi Yu could even finish his calculation, Chi Tong had already turned around, his gaze completely changed.
Chi Yu instinctively tried to run, but it was too late. Chi Tong struck like lightning, his strength terrifying. He grabbed Chi Yu by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall. The heavy impact against the rigid surface sounded like bones cracking.
But Chi Yu had no time to feel the pain in his back, the suffocating pressure and terror instantly flushed his face red.
Chi Tong leaned in. His cold voice sounded like a devil’s curse. Every word was pleasant to hear, yet every word made Chi Yu tremble:
“Want to make me happy? Then go die. If you die, I might be happy.”
Chi Yu’s lips parted, trying to breathe and call for help, but no sound came out. Chi Tong drew back his fist and struck him, the blow exploding against his face, and blood immediately blossomed at the corner of Chi Yu’s mouth.
The surrounding people had already rushed forward when things suddenly changed, trying to pull Chi Tong away. But in the chaos and urgency, wary of both Chi Tong and Chi Yu, they struggled to fully separate them and could only restrain the punches Chi Tong threw.
Two or three people could barely hold onto his arms.
At this point, the crowd finally began to panic. Most of the people who had come with Chi Yu were just hangers-on who mingled around him for drinks and fun. They didn’t know much about Chi Tong, but they all knew he was the legitimate heir raised by Old Master Chi himself. No one wanted to offend him, and just looking at Chi Tong’s crazed expression was enough to make anyone hesitate.
No one had expected things to escalate like this.
Right then, Lin Xing’s sudden voice was almost jarring, but it just happened to cut through the chaotic scene.
Everyone could hear the slight strain in Lin Xing’s tone, yet he still finished his attempt to mediate. The crisp words landed, and even Chi Tong seemed to pause for a brief moment, as if interrupted by that purely righteous intervention.
Chi Yu was already half-conscious, but his survival instinct made him register the slight loosening of Chi Tong’s grip. He struggled even harder, though it was still meaningless against Chi Tong’s hold.
The club staff ultimately worried that the situation would truly spiral out of control on their premises. A few experienced employees seized the moment to grab Chi Tong’s shoulders, using it to break his forceful grip. They finally pulled Chi Yu free, and Chi Tong’s hand was shoved aside.
Those who had witnessed the scene up close understood how dangerous it had been, and how abnormal Chi Tong’s state had been just moments earlier. If it had been only Chi Yu and Chi Tong alone, no one doubted Chi Yu would have been beaten to death.
However, from Lin Xing’s perspective, he had just worked up the courage to step forward, after he pointed out that ganging up on someone was unfair, Chi Tong was still being jostled by the crowd and even forced back a step.
It was too much.
A simple sense of justice drove Lin Xing forward. He moved to Chi Tong’s side and looked up at him first.
Chi Tong’s eyes were half-lowered, as if he were slightly dazed. He seemed not to know what had just happened, or perhaps he simply didn’t dare to face the people around him.
The extreme emotions in his mind hadn’t fully subsided yet, still tearing at him from all sides. The people who had just been surrounding him quickly scattered the moment Chi Yu was freed, afraid Chi Tong might lose control again and drag them into it.
But this only made Chi Tong look even more isolated, which stirred a trace of pity in Lin Xing.
Even if “Half Pool” was scared, that was only natural. If I were surrounded by that many people, I’d be scared too.
Even if it’s just a kind of “weird moral obligation,” I should still stand up for him.
In Lin Xing’s eyes, Half Pool seemed to shed another layer of distance, which actually left him less nervous and less awkward than before.
Lin Xing stuffed the remaining ice pop back into its wrapper, then raised a hand and partially blocked the space in front of Chi Tong, saying nothing, but holding his stance firmly.
His chest swelled with a kind of courage he defined as righteousness, along with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at doing what he believed was right.
I’m protecting Half Pool, Lin Xing thought.
And on the opposite side, everyone looking at him and Chi Tong, including Chi Yu, after the shock and the brief relief that followed, finally let go of some of their lingering tension.
Is he protecting us? Chi Yu and his so-called friends wondered.
Chi Yu hadn’t fully recovered yet. His throat felt as if it were burning, and his mouth was cut from his teeth clashing during the struggle. The metallic taste of blood spread through his mouth, and his cheek had already begun to swell.
In the earlier chaos, he had been focused entirely on struggling and hadn’t heard Lin Xing’s interruption at all. Now, seeing someone standing in front of Chi Tong, he was still slightly dazed.
“Go to the hospital first,” someone said quietly to Chi Yu, clearly wary of Chi Tong.
Chi Yu was in pain, but he didn’t feel much regret. He turned to the club staff and asked, “Did you call the police?”
The staff hesitated. “Do… we need to call them?”
For ordinary customers, matters like this wouldn’t escalate to the authorities. But because neither Chi Yu nor Chi Tong was an ordinary client, whether to call the police depended heavily on their wishes.
Unexpectedly, Chi Yu said, “Don’t call the police.”
If this ended up at the police station, he would have been beaten for nothing, and his grandfather wouldn’t approve either.
Still, Chi Yu clearly needed to go to the hospital. That much was beyond question. He was led away from Chi Tong’s side by his friends, and as he passed, his peripheral vision caught sight of Lin Xing.
Lin Xing had also been secretly watching Chi Yu. He’d come out simply to see the commotion, and as the person who got beaten, Chi Yu was essentially the center of it. When their eyes met, Lin Xing felt a little awkward, this guy looked pretty miserable.
Lin Xing’s face was clean and fair, with faint orange traces at the corner of his lips from the chili oil at the barbecue place, along with a faint milky residue from the ice pop. He looked like he needed a tissue to clean himself up, yet these small details only made his clean, soft face appear more youthful, almost summery.
In contrast, Chi Tong’s hand hanging at his side was still faintly trembling, the result of his effort to suppress every violent impulse within him. He was like winter itself, made entirely of cold severity and bleak edges, with no light reaching in or out.
The moment Chi Yu met Lin Xing’s bright, round eyes, only one thought surfaced in his mind: incongruity.
Someone like that standing next to Chi Tong felt strangely out of place.
Like a foolish fish swimming near the edge of an abyss, completely unaware of the danger of falling in.