Chapter 188: What Happened Back Then

The bar was already sparsely populated, and this farce drew everyone's attention.

The staff kept a close eye on Pei Yuli's movements, fearing that he might collapse.

Pei Yuli's face was swollen high, and he felt a wave of dizziness.

The scenery before him kept blurring, but Pei Yuli still stumbled toward the door.

No, he had to find Huanhuan; he needed to know the current situation.

He needs to explain things clearly to Huanhuan!

It wasn't that he wanted to take advantage of her on purpose; it was Jiang Tingbai who tricked them all.

The two-step walk seemed to have exhausted all of Pei Yuli's strength. He leaned on the table, feeling as if he would collapse at any moment.

But at that moment, a hand supported his shoulder.

"Sir, what's wrong?" The voice was clear and pleasant, and the speaker was probably about the same age as Huanhuan.

Pei Yuli thought subconsciously.

"Where are you going? Let me help you."

No one stopped him, and the man's hand smoothly landed on Pei Yuli's shoulder.

Although she said she was supporting him, the hand gripping Pei Yuli's shoulder was actually exerting force, making it impossible for him to break free.

Pei Yuli felt uncomfortable, but he was weak all over. He struggled weakly for a moment, but when he couldn't, he let go.

The man half-supported, half-carried her to the door.

"Sir, you don't look quite safe. How about I take you to the hospital?" the man said kindly.

"No need..." Pei Yuli sensed something was wrong and wanted to refuse, but the man acted as if he hadn't heard him.

With her hands gripping his waist, she forcefully dragged and carried Pei Yuli away.

After wandering around, I came to a dark alley. The alley was secluded, damp, and very narrow, with lush foliage overhead, so I couldn't see much light.

If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, probably no one would have imagined that such a place existed right under the emperor's nose, in the heart of the imperial city.

When Pei Yuli saw this alley, his thoughts were immediately overwhelmed by fear.

I don't know where the strength came from.

He broke free from the person and ran away to another place.

"Let me go!!"

"I don't want to go in with you!!"

The man was very strong, and Pei Yuli broke free from him in a moment of carelessness.

At this moment, he easily caught up with Pei Yuli with two large strides.

He grabbed the man and threw him into the alley, his movements much rougher than before: "Don't you dare refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

It was still as clear and gentle as before, but now it sounded like the voice of a devil.

Pei Yuli was thrown in. The alley was so narrow that it was only two meters wide. The leaves blocked the light overhead, and the only source of light was the exit they had just come from.

Ignoring his physical pain, Pei Yuli immediately got up and wanted to go out.

But just as I reached the exit, before I could even feel happy, someone pushed my shoulder backward.

Two or three burly men walked in.

After Pei Yuli clearly saw the situation, his eyes filled with fear. He shook his head repeatedly and backed away with his hands behind his back.

But it was no use at all. After exchanging a few glances with the burly men, one of them rushed towards Pei Yuli.

The alley is hidden in the bustling street, next to an open space of a shopping mall, where an event is being held, and DJ music is playing continuously from the speakers.

It's a volume that can be heard by everyone in the neighborhood.

The shouts and screams were drowned out, and it's unclear how long they lasted before they stopped.

Pei Yuli lay sprawled on the ground, breathing weakly.

His cheeks were even more swollen than before, his eyes were unable to open, and blood was seeping from the corners of his mouth. He was a very tall man, but now he was curled up and lying face down.

Those fair and slender hands hung on the ground in an extremely twisted manner, as if their wrists had been forcibly broken.

"Are you sure his hand can't recover?" A female voice rang out, cold and arrogant, causing Pei Yuli's eyelashes to tremble slightly.

"Don't worry, if this still gets better, I'll twist my head off and let you kick it like a football."

"Okay, I understand. The final payment will be transferred to you within three days."

The words stopped abruptly, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

Pei Yuli desperately wanted to look up and see who was in front of him, but his neck felt like it was broken, and he had no strength at all.

Pei Yuli felt a deep sense of sorrow and absurdity.

Why? Why him again? He clearly didn't do anything.

Are you alright?

The girl's clear, melodious voice pierced through ancient memories and struck Pei Yuli's heart heavily.

Pei Yuli's lips curled into an unconscious smile, even though the smile aggravated the wound on his face, causing him to wince in pain.

He strained with all his might to lift his head, opening his swollen eyelids, trying to see who it was.

A slender figure appeared at the alley entrance, a white plush pendant hanging from her jeans, and a familiar scent wafted in.

Pei Yuli's heart skipped a beat, and he tried even harder to open his eyes.

The moment Pei Yuli saw the person's face clearly, his breath hitched, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped by a giant hand, causing him indescribable discomfort.

The figures from six years ago overlapped again, and memories surged like a tide.

He remembered... he remembered everything...

The person who came back then was Xu Yihuan! Not Wu Qingqing…

The thought had barely crossed Pei Yuli's mind when, unable to bear the headache any longer, he fainted.

Xu Yihuan stood in the alley, her eyes lowered, looking at Pei Yuli with pity.

He took two steps forward and squatted down.

Seeing his miserable state, Xu Yihuan suddenly recalled that scene from many years ago.

It was a rainy day when she was waiting for Pei Yuli to pick her up from school at the entrance of the junior high school. She overheard a conversation between some of her classmates.

"My older brother said he'll kill him sooner or later."

"I told him to bring money to spend, but he refused and even dared to tell the teacher. Humph, how naive."

"Can we go take a look? This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this!"

"Of course! Let's go! Right now!"

Xu Yihuan held up her umbrella and looked down at her toes. Rainwater slid down the umbrella, a common occurrence at their school.

There are petty thugs everywhere. Back then, everyone was proud of who knew more people and who knew older students.

"What's that person's name? Do I know him?"

"I don't know, I think his name is Pei... Pei something-li?"

"Apologize? Hahaha, what a great name!"

The thug's words came again, and Xu Yihuan suddenly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the children.

Her heart was pounding, and she was very nervous. After hesitating for a while, Xu Yihuan still slowed her pace and followed behind those people.

They turned into an alley, and as they walked, they lost track of the person.

Xu Yihuan felt a little nervous and didn't know where to go, so she just wandered around aimlessly.

Suddenly, as she passed an intersection, a string of vulgarities reached her ears. Xu Yihuan instinctively looked inside and was instantly horrified.

Two or three people were beating her brother in the alley. There were no visible injuries on his face, but she could tell that he was in absolute pain.

Xu Yihuan was young at the time and only thought that she couldn't let her brother continue like this.

So she forced herself to remain calm and went inside, telling them that those kids were looking for them and that she was just there to deliver a message.

She knew that although those kids were young, they had pretty good backgrounds, especially the one who recognized her as the eldest brother, who seemed to be the illegitimate son of some boss.

Sure enough, they stopped, and, having been taken hostage, left as well.

The alley was winding and twisting, and after following those people for a while, they still couldn't find anyone.

She pleaded a couple of times, and the older students let her go.

When she circled back, Pei Yuli was already lying on the ground, his face flushed, his lips pale, and his whole body burning hot.

I never imagined that such a scene would reappear six years later.

Xu Yihuan gave Pei Yuli a cold look, then turned and left.

Life and death are preordained; let whoever wants to do something thankless and exhausting take care of it.