Just as Zhou Yuwei walked into the hutong, everyone turned to look at her.
One of them, a slightly chubby young man, practically lit up the moment he saw her.
She was, after all, the prettiest girl in the entire hutong.
“Wu Di! If you’ve got any guts, fight us one-on-one! Bringing this many people just to gang up on us—what kind of hero does that make you?” Liu Changyun shouted, hands on his hips, at the group surrounding them.
Cao Bingkun and Xu Zitao also stepped in front of Zhou Yuwei.
“What are you staring at? With a face like yours—as if a donkey kicked it—you’ve got the nerve to dream about a swan? Toads really do have big ambitions.”
Wu Di was furious.
If he didn’t beat this brat to death today, he wasn’t Wu Di.
“Who the hell wants a fair fight? I’m here to bully you with numbers. What are you gonna do about it? Get ’em!”
A crowd charged at them, fists swinging.
The two groups immediately clashed.
Punches flew. Kicks landed.
Before long, Liu Changyun and the other two were on the verge of being overwhelmed.
“Zhou Yuwei! Run! This has nothing to do with you!” Xu Zitao yelled.
At first, Zhou Yuwei really had intended to leave.
But after a moment’s thought, she changed her mind.
They all lived in the same residential courtyard compound.
Wouldn’t it be a little heartless to abandon them now?
She turned around, strode straight into the brawl, and joined the fight.
One punch.
One kick.
Her movements were quick, agile, and astonishingly clean.
Every strike was crisp and efficient.
It was almost beautiful.
Apparently, when a beautiful person fought, even their fighting looked better than everyone else’s.
Especially when compared to Liu Changyun and Wu Di.
Good grief…
The two of them looked like a pair of rabid dogs, biting each other’s arms and thighs.
It was honestly painful to watch.
Before long, Zhou Yuwei had knocked every last one of them to the ground with nothing but her bare hands.
Everyone stared blankly.
They couldn’t quite process what had just happened.
“Is… is that really Zhou Yuwei?”
“I… don’t know.”
Cao Bingkun honestly shook his head.
Step by step, Zhou Yuwei walked toward Wu Di and Liu Changyun.
Wu Di was so frightened he immediately let go with his teeth.
What frail beauty?
She was clearly a terrifying warrior woman.
The other three stood there with their mouths hanging open.
Liu Changyun in particular had no idea when he’d stopped biting Wu Di’s inner thigh.
His jaw was hanging so wide open that an egg could probably fit inside.
Just then—
“What are you all doing?”
A booming voice suddenly rang out from the other end of the alley.
The instant they heard that familiar voice, everyone froze.
“Changyun…” Cao Bingkun patted Liu Changyun on the shoulder.
“I think that’s your dad.”
“I know.”
“So… what do we do?”
“Run! What else?”
If his father caught him, he’d definitely be treated to another beating with a bamboo switch tonight.
The group had only taken a few steps before they realized something.
Zhou Yuwei…
…was still standing there, completely bewildered.
They immediately doubled back.
Liu Changyun grabbed one arm, Xu Zitao grabbed the other—
—and together they hoisted Zhou Yuwei onto their shoulders and ran.
Fortunately, she wasn’t heavy, so carrying her wasn’t much of a burden.
“You little brats! Stop right there!”
Liu Aihua strode over.
“You little rabbits run faster than actual rabbits! Just wait until you get home. I’ll deal with every one of you!”
Lowering his head to look at the group sprawled across the ground, he frowned.
“You bunch are really useless. There were so many of you, and you still couldn’t beat the three of them?”
Wu Di and his friends looked like they wanted to cry.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t beat three boys.
They couldn’t even beat one girl.
“Oww…”
The moment that thought crossed their minds, their aching backs and sore backsides seemed to hurt even more.
…
Liu Changyun and the others carried Zhou Yuwei for who knew how long before finally stopping.
“He shouldn’t be able to catch us now, right?”
“I think we’re safe.”
Zhou Yuwei spoke up.
“Can you put me down now?”
The four of them were covered in dust and looked thoroughly disheveled.
They collapsed onto the ground, panting.
“I’m exhausted,” Liu Changyun said with a grin. “But man, that fight felt good.”
“The hell it did,” Xu Zitao said bluntly. “If Zhou Yuwei hadn’t shown up, the three of us would’ve been beaten into something only our mothers could recognize.”
“Seriously.”
The three of them turned to look at Zhou Yuwei.
Although her hair was a little messy, she still looked stunning.
“I never would’ve guessed, Zhou Yuwei… you’re actually this amazing.”
Who would’ve thought such a hidden powerhouse had been living in the same courtyard all along?
“When I was little, I trained with my grandpa back in the countryside. There were several really skilled people in his village. I learned a few moves from them so I could protect myself.”
She smiled.
“After all, your big sister here is pretty good-looking.”
Liu Changyun burst into laughter.
“Well, would you look at that? Zhou Yuwei, you’ve got absolutely no shame.”
She shot him a sideways glance.
“So… are you saying I’m not pretty?”
“You are! You are!” Liu Changyun laughed. “In this whole hutong, nobody’s as narcissistic as you.”
“And her older sister’s pretty too…”
Xu Zitao finally managed to squeeze out a comment after holding it in for ages.
Cao Bingkun burst out laughing.
“I honestly thought that scared-rabbit act of yours—running from everyone you met—was all fake.”
“It wasn’t fake. You all know what my family was like before.”
She straightened her back and took a deep breath.
“Now I can finally stand tall and live like a real person.”
The air really did smell different.
It smelled like freedom.
“Well… I seriously never would’ve guessed your grandpa’s family had people that capable.”
Liu Changyun immediately put on a flattering smile.
“So… could you teach us a few moves?”
“Sure.”
“But I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“I’ll tell you when I think of one.”
Better to negotiate the condition first.
She could always decide what she wanted later.
Liu Changyun rubbed his stomach.
“I’m hungry.”
“So am I, but we’re broke.”
They’d spent all their money buying books for Cao Bingkun.
That was exactly what had started the whole mess.
When they were buying books, Wu Di had tried to cut in line.
The three of them had taught him a lesson.
Then, after leaving the bookstore and returning to the hutong, Wu Di had already gathered a huge group to ambush them.
The three boys all looked at Zhou Yuwei.
“Don’t look at me.”
She spread her hands.
“My pockets are cleaner than my face.”
The three of them exchanged glances.
Well…
They all knew what kind of situation Zhou Yuwei’s family was in.
“So what do we do now?” Liu Changyun groaned. “If I go home now, my dad’s definitely going to beat me to death.”
Just thinking about his father’s expression made every inch of his body ache.
“Well…”
He suddenly had an idea.
“How about we go somewhere?”
“Where?”
“The bread factory.”
“Right!”
“Your uncle’s the deputy director there!”
“Let’s go! Even if we only get to eat the scraps and crusts, it’ll be worth it.”
“Come on, Zhou Yuwei. We’ll take you to have a look around the bread factory.”
Liu Changyun grabbed her arm and tried to pull her along.
Zhou Yuwei hesitated.
The bread factory?
“We’ve already fought side by side.”
“From now on, we’re brothers… good comrades… revolutionary comrades-in-arms.”
“We’ll look after you. We’ll all stick together.”
Zhou Yuwei simply looked at him.
Liu Changyun immediately corrected himself.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“We’ll follow your lead.”
Zhou Yuwei laughed.
“All right then. Let’s go.”
“As you command.”
Liu Changyun bowed exaggeratedly and gestured for her to proceed.
…
When they arrived at the bread factory, Liu Changyun greeted the elderly gatekeeper.
“Hello, Grandpa Li!”
“Oh, Changyun! So it’s you boys again.”
The old man looked past them and noticed Zhou Yuwei.
“Oh? You even brought a pretty young lady this time. Going to see Deputy Director Wang?”
“That’s right.”
“Go on in.”
“Thanks!”
Before Liu Changyun had even entered the factory grounds, he noticed something strange.
A large group of workers were sitting outside the workshop with their hands tucked into their sleeves, chatting idly.
“What’s going on? Why’s the factory so quiet today?” Liu Changyun asked Grandpa Li.
“The egg shipment from the poultry farm got into an accident on the way here.”
“The truck overturned, and every single egg was smashed.”
“So now the factory director and the deputy director are both worried sick.”
“This month’s orders are almost due.”
“No wonder.”
“Nobody got hurt, right?”
“The driver is fine.”
“But the shipment’s gone.”
“Without eggs, the bread factory can’t make bread.”
“They’re in quite a bind.”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
A voice came from inside the office.
Liu Changyun led the others into the office.