Right at that moment, Tang Yu’s head popped over the top of the alley wall. He spoke in a bright, almost casual tone, “Hold on a second. Can you guys stop fighting?”
Everyone snapped their heads upward in unison.
Tang Yu swung his legs over the wall, sitting comfortably on the edge. “So you guys are jumping him? Why him? Weren’t you looking for me for revenge?”
“Yeah! Why am I fighting him?” The buzzcut was momentarily skyrocketed with confusion.
He stood frozen in confusion for two seconds before snapping, “I only grabbed him to force you to show up!”
“Using him to get to me?” Tang Yu let out a dry laugh. “Didn’t you bother to check the rumors? The two of us are in the middle of a massive fight. I should honestly thank you guys for teaching him a lesson for me!”
“Besides, hitting someone with bare fists like that isn’t going to finish the job,” Tang Yu added. He whipped out a metal mop handle from behind his back, spinning it through the air with a sharp whistle before tossing it downward. “Here! Using a weapon is much faster.”
The thugs exchanged bewildered glances, realizing the situation was spiraling into something bizarre.
In that brief window of distraction, Tang Yu frantically signaled Bai Yuenian with his eyes.
Run, you idiot!
The buzzcut had clearly come prepared this time, bringing a crowd of five extra guys.
It was a two-against-eight situation, and one of their two was a bookworm who, despite his height, looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over.
The other side might even be carrying weapons!
Tang Yu could handle himself in a brawl, but having to protect Bai Yuenian changed the stakes entirely.
What a massive pain.
But no matter how hard Tang Yu blinked his eyes to the point of nearly getting a muscle twitch Bai Yuenian stood rooted to the spot, completely failing to take the hint!
The tattooed lackey was the first to see through the act. “Boss, don’t buy his crap! He’s just trying to get Bai Yuenian out of here first.”
Well, damn it!
Tang Yu dropped straight down from the wall, gripping Bai Yuenian’s arm. “Why is your face so red? Did he hit you?”
The buzzcut: “…” I haven’t even touched him yet.
The buzzcut glared at Bai Yuenian. The top student kept his head lowered, remaining dead silent. He intentionally let his feet stumble slightly, swaying toward Tang Yu’s side, which prompted Tang Yu to instinctively catch him by the arm.
Are you kidding me? And you still claim you aren’t together?! Seeing them basically flaunting their dynamic right in front of his face, the buzzcut’s temper exploded. “Get them!”
The thugs surged forward. The mop handle Tang Yu had tossed down was made of heavy metal and could take a beating.
The alley dissolved into absolute chaos. Tang Yu pulled Bai Yuenian along, dodging and striking back, the metal rod cutting through the air with a menacing hiss.
The girl from earlier had called the police, so Tang Yu just needed to hold out until they arrived. He could survive this, but he wasn’t sure if Bai Yuenian could keep up.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Tang Yu glanced back. To his surprise, Bai Yuenian had a perfectly calm expression as he swung his heavy school backpack in a brutal arc, catching an incoming thug squarely in the face and sending him back with a bloody nose.
Seemingly embarrassed to be caught fighting so ungracefully, Bai Yuenian looked slightly flustered as he explained softly, “My backpack contains an unabridged English dictionary. And a stainless steel thermos.”
Tang Yu: “…”
So this was how a top student handled a street fight. His choice of weaponry was incredibly on-brand…
What a dork. Not nearly as smooth as a seasoned school tyrant like me!
Seeing that Bai Yuenian wasn’t entirely useless, Tang Yu focused entirely on the thugs directly in front of him. Working together, the two of them didn’t give up an inch of ground.
Five minutes later, the wail of police sirens echoed down the street. The sound sent the thugs into an absolute panic, and they scattered in every direction, desperate to escape.
Tang Yu allowed himself to relax for a fraction of a second. But in the next heartbeat, a sudden, searing warmth pressed against his back as a heavy force shoved him forward a step.
The seventeen-year-old boy’s body temperature was burning hot. Bai Yuenian was gripping the buzzcut’s wrist with terrifying strength, freezing the blade in the thug’s hand a mere five centimeters away from Tang Yu’s back.
Tang Yu whipped around, his eyes locking onto the freshly stained tip of the knife.
Bai Yuenian’s right forearm had been slashed.
Half an hour later, at the police station.
The buzzcut, now securely in handcuffs, was gesturing wildly to the officer. “He went like this! …And then like that!”
“Look, I don’t even know how he did it. My knife just sort of flew that way. It was completely unnatural, like black magic!”
“Do you honestly expect me to believe a word of that?” The police officer looked up from his notepad, his expression entirely deadpan. “Is there an active security camera in that alley?”
The buzzcut shook his head. “No.”
The officer pressed on, “Any independent witnesses?”
The buzzcut pleaded, “The guys who were with me can back me up! They all saw it.”
“Right.” The officer nodded slowly, as if offering approval, before adding coldly, “But since they’re your accomplices, do you really think their testimony holds any weight?”
The buzzcut was growing desperate. “I swear I didn’t mean to cut him! Why does no one believe me?!”
“We operate on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” the officer replied calmly. “I believed you yesterday, which is why we let you go after ten hours.”
The buzzcut asked hopefully, “And today?”
“Today, we have caught you red-handed. Isn’t that your knife?”
Losing his cool entirely, the buzzcut slammed his cuffed hands onto the table, making a loud metallic clatter. “You’re all getting fooled by that tall, innocent-looking kid!”
The officer closed his notepad with a definitive snap. “Based on your detailed confession, your administrative detention has been extended to twenty days.”
The buzzcut gasped. “What?! Why did the time go up?!”
The officer stood up. “Intentionally inciting a crowd to assault minors, combined with repeat offenses within a twenty-four-hour window. You got bailed out today and couldn’t even manage a single afternoon without breaking the law. What’s the matter? Is the food in our holding cells really that good?”
Before leaving the interrogation room, the officer paused at the door. “Oh, by the way. Your attitude during this confession was exceptionally poor. That table already had a hairline fracture, and we needed someone to pay for a replacement. Congrats, it’s going on your tab.”
“…”
Looking down at the crack in the table that was visibly wider now, the buzzcut completely deflated.
Tang Yu and Bai Yuenian had their statements taken at the hospital. The wound on Bai Yuenian’s right forearm required a few stitches and a clean bandage, but thankfully, it wasn’t deep enough to require a tetanus shot.
Once the paperwork was wrapped up, the police kindly drove them back, dropping them off at the entrance of the villa district.
Tang Yu’s mind was a chaotic mess as they walked. Today’s events had been a massive shock; he had never dealt with actual weapons or bloodshed in his life.
More importantly, the realization that Bai Yuenian had literally taken a blade for him and on his right arm, no less weighed heavily on his conscience.
To make matters worse, he had just put on a terrible performance in the police car.
While they were driving, Tang Yu had pulled out his phone to check the time, completely forgetting that his mobile game was still active.
The screen happened to display the post-match lobby, where the female marksman was still sending him sweet, enthusiastic messages.
Big brother, does ‘no rush’ mean we’re playing another round? Big brother, are we still queuing together? Big brother, I sent you a friend request. Big brother…
Sensing Bai Yuenian’s eyes on his screen, Tang Yu had forced a cold expression. “What are you looking at? Never seen a guy carry a girl in a game before?”
Saying that had given Tang Yu a sudden spark of inspiration. If he explicitly established himself as a straight guy who loved talking to girls, maybe Bai Yuenian would finally take the hint and give up on his feelings!
So, right in front of Bai Yuenian, Tang Yu intentionally accepted the friend request and muttered aloud, “Man, I really love girls who call me ‘big brother’ in that sweet voice.”
In reality, he hated it. Listening to girls use that overly put-on, high-pitched tone usually gave him goosebumps.
But Bai Yuenian had simply asked a question that left him entirely bewildered: “Don’t you… already have a girlfriend?”
Tang Yu blinked. “What girlfriend?”
Bai Yuenian reminded him gently, “The milk tea girl.”
It took a second for the pieces to click in Tang Yu’s head. “Dating me? Why are you wishing that kind of bad luck on her? She transferred schools and moved back to her hometown ages ago.”
“Oh.” Out of Tang Yu’s line of sight, Bai Yuenian turned his face toward the passenger window, pressing his lips together to hide a small, victorious smile.
Tang Yu had absolutely no idea what was going on in the other boy’s head. He belonged to that classic breed of person whose conscience tortures them the moment they try to do something underhanded. Right now, he was trapped in a fierce internal debate.
It felt like two tiny versions of himself were warring in his brain.
One said: “Aren’t you terrified he’s going to do something drastic if you push him away?” The other countered: “But I have to let him know sooner or later that I can never return his feelings.” The first snapped: “He literally bled for you today, and you’re still treating him like this?” The second whined: “Well, it’s not like I can marry him out of gratitude!”
Ahhhh… His brain was about to short-circuit!
Tang Yu trailed silently behind Bai Yuenian, his quiet exterior masking an absolute storm of internal panic.
Before he could spiral any further, however, Bai Yuenian suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling him behind a massive, thick tree trunk along the sidewalk, pinning him against it in a classic wall-slam posture.
Tang Yu instinctively raised his hands to push him away.
Bai Yuenian spoke quickly, his tone tight and slightly breathless. “It’s Auntie Liang. She’s coming out to throw away the trash.”
He looked at Tang Yu, his eyes earnest. “I’m sorry, let’s just hide for a second. If your mom sees me like this, my parents will find out I got hurt. I really don’t want them to worry.”
Finally, Bai Yuenian looked down at him, his gaze deep and searching as he floated a cautious, tentative request. “Tang Yu… can I stay over at your place tonight?”