Ripple was dragged along by Li Li, half-coerced and half-persuaded. At this moment, his hands were shoved deep into his pockets, his eyes fixed on the ceiling light, the scenery outside, or a bug crawling on the floor. He refused to look at Chen Hao.
“What kind of attitude is that?”
“It is done. Do whatever you want with me.”
“You little rascal!” Chen Hao, furious, stood up from the sofa with a thump. He pointed a finger at Ripple’s nose, ready to teach him a lesson, but Li Li stepped in with a forced smile to hold him back.
“Hao-ge, calm down, please calm down. The heat on that post has already died down, and the organizers are not blaming us. In two days, everyone will have forgotten about it. Really, it is just a minor issue.”
“A minor issue? His reputation among the public was already in tatters, and now it is even worse. Look, just look!” Chen Hao shoved his phone forward. “Look at these comments! You are practically being diagnosed with ADHD by netizens!”
Ripple scoffed. “They are all cyber-doctors. They feel great about themselves just by typing insults behind a keyboard.”
“Easy for you to say! If you are so capable, stop using your burner account to fight back!”
“Fine.”
Ripple’s prompt agreement left Chen Hao stunned, his prepared lecture stuck in his throat.
“So quick to agree? What are you plotting?”
Chen Hao knew very well that Ripple was big and strong, but his heart was smaller than a needle’s eye. Whenever haters attacked him, he would retaliate from a burner account. When people discovered his true identity, he would just switch to another account and keep going. He criticized others for being keyboard warriors, but was he not one himself?
Ripple looked over with disdain, forcing a smile onto his face. “Surprised, Chen Hao? Am I not very gentle? Make sure you market this well and spread my gentle image far and wide!”
Because the smile was forced, his beautiful face wore an expression that did not belong, looking exceptionally eerie.
Chen Hao: “…”
“Are you sick in the head?”
Ripple’s smile faltered, and he glared at him. “I suggest you do not provoke me. My mood has been terrible these past two days!”
Seeing him drop the act and return to his threatening self, Chen Hao was boiling with rage. He took ten deep breaths, prioritizing the bigger picture before he let it go.
“I will let you off for now. Behave yourself. Before the recording of Defining the Future begins, do not cause any more trouble for me!”
The man in front of him cast a sideways glance. “Why is this crappy show still running?”
Chen Hao, who had finally calmed down, nearly spat blood. “You are the one who was chosen by this very show!”
The ingrate was eating the food provided by the show while badmouthing the kitchen.
After Chen Hao left, Ripple beckoned Li Li over with a mischievous grin. “Do we have no schedule the night after tomorrow?”
Li Li’s eyes widened: Oh my god! He just got scolded and is already daring to act out again!
Ripple rubbed his temples with an expression of helplessness. “You do not understand. The news about me visiting him spread like wildfire. He must have heard about it. You know his personality. Since he knows I visited him, he must be waiting for me eagerly these past two days.”
Looking at his boss’s radiant face, Li Li was completely stunned. He did not know what that boy was like, but he knew one thing: Boss, I just hope you do not have a meltdown when you get there and cannot find him!
Xiang Xu had a salary of 3,120 yuan. He hid 2,000 yuan at home and went out with the rest. After browsing through a few shops in the city, he reached the place where he was supposed to meet Old Xu.
Old Xu was wearing a white practice uniform, holding his unsharpened Eight Trigrams sword. As the music played, he performed a kick, the sword held horizontally before his eyes, only to find Xiang Xu standing to the side watching him with a grin.
“You rascal, you did not even say a word when you arrived. You scared me.”
Old Xu sheathed the sword and took a drink of water. Xiang Xu held a brown, long rod horizontally in front of him. Although he knew what it was at a glance, Old Xu joked: “What is this? Want to hit me?”
“It is different from the sword you practice with. Want to try it?”
Old Xu took the Tai Chi rod, weighed it in his hand, and pressed it against the ground to test its flexibility. His face lit up with joy. “You know about this? The weight and flexibility are excellent. Is this for me?”
Xiang Xu smiled. “I got paid, and I wanted you to have it.”
“You rascal, what a rude way to give a gift. It did not cost much, did it?”
“Not much. The owner did not know the value, so I picked it up and bargained.” Xiang Xu sounded quite proud; he was always cautious with his spending.
“Fine, I will accept it. I will not stand on ceremony with you.” Old Xu was a straightforward man, and Xiang Xu’s gift hit the mark perfectly. After retirement, he had no hobbies other than Tai Chi and teaching the younger generation. He had not expected the young man he had picked up by the roadside to actually understand Tai Chi as well. Old Xu felt a sense of kindred spirit.
Seeing that he knew to be filial with his first paycheck, he felt Xiang Xu was a good kid. He learned fast, had a steady temperament, and was obedient. Old Xu grew increasingly satisfied, especially as he enjoyed the Tai Chi rod in his hand.
“Having accepted your apprenticeship gift, I am now half your master. Fine, starting today, I will teach you some techniques usually reserved for internal disciples.”
Xiang Xu spoke to Old Xu casually, and Old Xu acted like an elder. Their conversation became increasingly formal, peppered with terms like “Master” and “internal disciple.” The speaker did not blush, and the listener did not find it strange.
Xiang Xu accepted Old Xu’s kindness. Although he had given the gift simply out of gratitude without wanting to curry favor or steal techniques, both of them understood the sincerity in their hearts.
When Xiang Ji returned home, she saw her younger brother leaning against the door frame waiting for her. This had not happened for a month. She remembered the last time he waited for her, he thanked her, and she hid in her room crying for half an hour. The time before that, he said he was starting a new life, and she hid in her room for another half hour.
Not adept at showing her emotions in front of her brother, Xiang Ji’s heart hammered, but she forced herself to keep a straight face as she placed her bag on the table.
“Sister.”
The way he said “sister” made her heart tremble. She tried to stop her hands from shaking and looked up at him. Xiang Xu was looking at her with dark eyes, a smile on his face that was both shy and uneasy. He walked over to her and, while she was still stunned, shoved an envelope into her hand.
“I earned this from work. You use it.”
Having said that, Xiang Xu shyly retreated into his room, leaving Xiang Ji standing there clutching the envelope. There were 2,000 yuan in it. She felt the thickness and weight of the envelope, and her vision blurred.
During her livestream that evening, a netizen, [Where the Sun Rises], asked the streamer [Clear Skies After Rain]: “Beautiful lady, why are your eyes so red today?”
Recognizing the familiar ID, Xiang Ji rubbed the corners of her eyes and smiled: “Everything changed for the better too quickly; I was not prepared.”
Xiang Xu kept 800 yuan for himself. He had calculated that if he ate noodles every day for a month, it would only cost 600 yuan, leaving the rest as savings for emergencies. As for buying a phone, he would wait until he had a stroke of luck; he did not feel inconvenienced without one.
However, the very next day, he was blocked at the bookstore door by a sports car.
Zhao Yan raised his sunglasses and smiled coolly: “I heard your phone is broken. Tomorrow is a good day, so, buddy, here is a new one.”
Before Xiang Xu could even react, a bag containing a box was thrown into his arms. Before he could say a word, Zhao Yan slammed on the gas and zoomed away.
At that moment, Xiang Xu felt Zhao Yan was the incarnation of a guardian angel, knowing exactly what he lacked and leaving immediately after doing a good deed.
Did Xiang Xu think he was just lucky this time? No, he was certain he was just very popular! He had told the others that his phone was broken, so Zhao Yan must have heard. But why did he say “tomorrow is a good day”? Regardless, he would remember Zhao Yan’s favor and return it later.
After his shift, he scurried home to grab his old phone before heading to the park to meet Old Xu.
“Where on earth are you from, you antique? You are even less adept at using a phone than me.” Old Xu helped him transfer the SIM card to the new phone.
“Look, you can see your phone number here, you make calls here, and I have already saved my number. Try calling it.”
What was supposed to be a one-on-one voice lesson turned into a lesson on basic electronics. By the time the sun set, Xiang Xu remarked: “Old Xu, you are so stylish!”
Old Xu laughed heartily. “Where did you learn that new slang? It is hilarious.”
Xiang Xu beamed, feeling intoxicated by the joy of having his horizons expanded.
After a happy dinner, he walked home. As he reached the entrance of his complex, he saw a few large, tough-looking men squatting in the parking shed.
Who angered this group of thugs?
As he stood there thinking, a massive man with a large gold chain around his neck raised a fleshy face. His fierce, white-eyed gaze locked with Xiang Xu’s.
Xiang Xu felt a premonition of danger. The men stood up, picked up iron bars, and began to approach him aggressively.
“A glance should not be enough to provoke you, brothers.” Xiang Xu said, retreating with a forced smile.
“Quit acting stupid!” the leader spat.
With just that one sentence, Xiang Xu knew they were waiting for him.
Damn it! How did I provoke them?!
Xiang Xu’s brain raced as he backed away, trying to appease them: “Let us talk this out, please. Let us not resort to violence, brothers.”
“Sure.” The leader gave a savage grin. “Hand over your money, and we will not resort to violence.”
They are after my money!
Xiang Xu’s eyes went wide. What? People are actually mugging someone who only has a few hundred yuan on them?!
“I, I do not have money.” he said, clutching his pocket tightly.
“If you do not have money, stop wasting my time! Get him!”
The iron bars flashed as the men rushed forward. Xiang Xu turned and ran.
“Stop right there!”
Only an idiot would stop!
Xiang Xu cursed, calculating his route. He remembered a police station at the end of the bookstore street, less than two miles away.
I just need to make it to the street corner!
Xiang Xu gritted his teeth and sprinted with all his might. The thugs behind him grew breathless, cursing: “You little brat! You really can run!”
As Xiang Xu sprinted, he suddenly heard a thud. A blow to the back of his head left him blacking out, falling to the ground, and curling up in pain while clutching his head.
The iron bar rolled away.
“Run! Why do you not run? Are you not good at running?”
Xiang Xu clutched his head in agony for a moment. He was dragged into an alleyway, pain raining down on him like hail. His body was tossed around before he realized he was being beaten by a group of men. He tried to leap up and fight back, but his wrists were pinned down. Someone grabbed his collar and slapped him twice.
Xiang Xu was enraged. Seeing an opening, he kicked the thug in the crotch. The man curled up, clutching himself. The other thugs swarmed, pinning his limbs down, and beat him into a state where he could not even tell where he was.
Vaguely, he heard things like “debts must be repaid” and “beat this brat to death.” Everything else was a blur of buzzing in his head; he was in too much pain to think.
A black business car glided past the thugs, turned a corner, and came to a screeching halt.
Li Li felt a tightening in his chest when he heard Mu Lianyi call for the driver to stop. He hurriedly advised: “Boss, stay out of this. Are you not looking for someone? Let us just leave.”
“Call the police.” Mu Lianyi had already put on his mask and stepped out of the car.
Mu Lianyi had always considered himself a helpful citizen, and he hated bullies. Besides, not only was he handsome and noble, but he did not fear a fight; he was trained!
He smoothed his hair, swung the door, and walked with a long stride that felt like a runway show.
“Is it a bit excessive for a group of you to beat one person?”
He shouted, hands in his pockets, at the backs of the thugs.
The leader straightened up and scanned him. “You know this brat?”
“No.”
“If you do not know him, quit being a busybody!”
“Who said you cannot interfere if you do not know someone?”
That was true.
The punches hitting Xiang Xu stopped. He rubbed the back of his head and forced himself to look up. A human wall blocked most of his vision; the alley cast a shadow over the man. He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a deep blue shirt and black trousers, his hands in his pockets, standing in the summer night breeze with a cold, solemn aura.
Although he was tall, compared to these hulking thugs, he looked slender. And since he was outnumbered, Xiang Xu could not help but worry about his rescuer. But on second thought, he dared to stand there with such ease; he must have some confidence.
Well-proportioned, long arms and legs, firm muscles—he might be a great fighter!
Xiang Xu’s eyes lit up: These thugs beat me up for no reason and used their numbers; someone needs to teach them a lesson!
The thugs did not bother wasting words with Mu Lianyi. Over a dozen of them charged forward swinging their iron bars. Xiang Xu watched with starry eyes, not blinking, afraid to miss the scene of the thugs getting crushed.
But the man ducked to one side, dodging the leader’s swing. Xiang Xu almost cheered, but the man then froze inexplicably, and the next punch landed right in his stomach, causing him to stagger back.
Xiang Xu was stunned. Mu Lianyi was also stunned.
The thugs swarmed them. Mu Lianyi blocked a few blows, tried to grab an iron bar but failed, and within five minutes, he was finally overwhelmed, kicked toward the wall, and beaten while clutching his head.
Xiang Xu closed his eyes. Part of it was because the thugs who were free had turned their attention back to him, but mostly it was because the transition from the man’s dignified and handsome stance to him curling up on the ground being beaten happened too quickly to watch.
Why step in if you cannot fight!
—But knowing he could not fight yet daring to stand up for justice; Xiang Xu felt a sense of admiration.
Poor guy, he got himself into this.
Xiang Xu’s heart was a mix of emotions; both of them were beaten black and blue. The police siren echoed in the distance, and the thugs ran off.
Xiang Xu propped himself up and struggled to move next to the person curling up in a ball. “Are you alright?”
An embarrassed and angry Mu Lianyi roared: “Which eye did you see that I am not alright!!!”
Looking up, he met a pair of dark, watery eyes. Mu Lianyi froze, his eyeballs nearly popping out of his sockets. Xiang Xu rubbed his eyes; he had been slapped a few times, his face was burning with pain, and even his eyes were hurting.
Mu Lianyi’s energy deflated. “I… did not mean to shout at you…”
Xiang Xu answered with a smile: “I know.”
In the moment Mu Lianyi began to curse, Xiang Xu recognized him as the person who had helped him at the bookstore a month ago. Although this man’s speech was extremely grating, because he had helped him twice, he decided to endure the harsh words. Furthermore, the man had fed him his first meal, and seeing him again a month later, even if he was being scolded, made Xiang Xu feel a bit happy.
Mu Lianyi’s face darkened: “What are you laughing at? Being beaten like this and still laughing? Are you a masochist?”
Xiang Xu’s smile froze, and he tucked his exposed teeth away, but the other man did not stop the output:
“Why is it you again? Why are you always being bullied every time I see you? Are you predicting my arrival and deliberately making yourself miserable to win my sympathy?”
That was truly unreasonable. Xiang Xu frowned: “How could I predict any of this?” If he could predict it, he would have taken a different route tonight instead of being beaten into a turtle!
“Who knows!”
“And what good would winning your sympathy do?”
Mu Lianyi was unhappy: “Who knows! Why are you being so serious? Can I not just express my feelings?!”
The man’s capriciousness left Xiang Xu speechless, but remembering he had been helped, Xiang Xu decided not to hold a grudge. Rubbing his throbbing back of his head, Xiang Xu tried to change the subject for the first time: “Thankfully, the police arrived, otherwise we would have been in trouble.”
Mu Lianyi’s anger had not faded, and he felt Xiang Xu was exposing his weakness: “Do not say ‘we’! You were the one in trouble! I could have fought back soon! I just was not prepared, understand?!”
The man had clearly misinterpreted his meaning, but seeing the cold glint in his eyes, Xiang Xu knew that explaining would be futile. In reality, he had just been expressing his relief at their luck. Glancing at his hand clutching his stomach—the man was clearly not a fighter but cared deeply about his face—Xiang Xu decided it was best not to further challenge his pride.
Xiang Xu tried to change the subject again. He remembered that the man had previously thought he had mental issues. While looking back, his behavior a month ago was indeed a bit silly, but the misunderstanding had to be cleared up.
“Actually, I am not dim-witted. It was just that some special circumstances occurred, so… I apologize.”
The man arched an eyebrow. “You are living in such a miserable state in a society governed by law, and you still say you are not dim-witted?”
Both attempts to change the subject had gone poorly. Xiang Xu was speechless. He suspected he had been beaten stupid; otherwise, why was his ability to express himself rapidly regressing to a pre-natal level, where everything he said made people angry?
The air fell silent. S City on a summer night was incredibly stifling. They were drenched in sweat, mosquitoes buzzed in their ears, and the dull pain in their joints and muscles was unbearable. With nothing to say, their physical misery became even more pronounced.
Xiang Xu felt the man beside him growing increasingly agitated, rubbing his back against the wall like a dog with an itch. Xiang Xu finally could not help but turn his head. Their eyes met, and he saw a flicker of regret in the man’s eyes—which turned into a glare as soon as he saw Xiang Xu looking back.
Xiang Xu found it bizarre. The mask on the man’s face shifted, and he said something that left Xiang Xu even more confused.
“Why did you stop going to that noodle shop?”
Xiang Xu was startled, then realized what he was talking about. Seeing the man’s expression darken as if he regretted asking, Xiang Xu found his enthusiasm piqued.
“You went to eat there too? Let me tell you, that place is not worth it anymore. I found a noodle shop where you can get free refills. It is 10 yuan a bowl, but if you eat two bowls, you save 4 yuan; if you eat three, you save 11 yuan; if you eat four… anyway, the more you eat, the more you save! I can recommend it to you!”
He finished triumphantly, only to see the man freeze like a stone statue, as if he had suffered a major blow.
Xiang Xu understood. When he first found out that place was cheaper, he felt the same heartache as if he had lost millions! He patted the man’s shoulder: “It is fine, you live and learn. Next time I will take you with me; I guarantee you will not suffer a loss.”
But seeing Mu Lianyi’s face turn bright red, he finally could not help but roar: “Are you listening to a word I am saying?”
“Boss! Boss! Are you okay?! Oh, did I not tell you not to be impulsive?! Is it not better to wait for the police?!”
Xiang Xu looked up to see a man in a suit and black-rimmed glasses rushing toward them, his sallow face etched with panic. He rushed over with lightning speed, grabbing the man and checking him over. Every time he saw a wound, his expression grew even more miserable.
The man slapped his hand away. “I am perfectly fine. My skills are beyond doubt.”
Li Li looked down, speechless, at the man clutching his stomach. He frowned for a moment before suggesting: “Boss, let us go to the hospital. Just in case, consider it a physical checkup. If Brother Hao finds out about this, we are finished!”