Chapter 16 He Xintu He was like an uninvited guest.
The other party was clearly there to support him.
Liang Yizhi immediately understood and accused him: "He's trying to harass us!"
"Pah!"
Zhang Qi opened his mouth and was about to swing his arm, as if he couldn't speak without making a move: "They provoked me first! You two shameless bastards!"
Curly seemed annoyed by his voice and impatiently covered his ears. He restrained Zhang Qi and dialed a number: "Stop arguing. We'll find out the truth when the police arrive."
Curly picked up his phone.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Zhang Qi finally found an opportunity. He pulled his hand away, shook off the other man, grabbed Curly's collar, and threw him against the wall.
Curly Hair was clearly not prepared for this sudden move.
He slammed his back against the wall, winced in pain, and his brow furrowed involuntarily, his expression one of agony.
Liang Yizhi was terrified.
But that wasn't enough to vent his anger. Zhang Qi wanted to throw two more punches, but luckily, Jiang Huai rushed out from behind and kicked him to the ground.
Jiang Huai roared in fury: "Are you being a scoundrel? Have you no shame?"
Lulu followed them out and was startled by Jiang Huai. She ran to Zhang Qi's side to check on the situation.
She cried out to them, "Why are you hitting me?!"
"I hit him!" Jiang Huai threw off his coat, hands on his hips. "I wanted to hit him at the dinner table, but I couldn't hold back. What? After verbally harassing him, you want to force yourself on him?"
"What's it to you!" Zhang Qi sprang to his feet and started wrestling with Jiang Huai.
They caused quite a commotion, and the hot pot restaurant staff finally rushed over to break up the fight. Many gossipy customers couldn't help but come forward to watch, and the scene became chaotic for a while.
...
They were taken to the police station.
After explaining the basic situation to the police, Liang Yizhi and Curly were first asked to wait aside, while the others were still being questioned.
Liang Yizhi finally had a chance to thank him.
She sat down next to him: "I'm so sorry to have troubled you!"
"No trouble at all." Curly-haired man smiled and shrugged. "It's only natural to lend a hand in that situation. If it weren't me, anyone else would have come to help."
Regardless, Liang Yizhi was genuinely grateful to him for helping her, because when faced with such a situation, one's first thought is to avoid getting involved. She was very thankful for what he did.
"Thank you so much," Liang Yizhi said. "I haven't asked your name yet. How should I address you?"
Curly leaned back in his chair and answered her lazily:
"My name is He Xintu."
He then asked, "And you?"
"Liang Yizhi".
He Xintu nodded, his lips moving slightly, as if he were silently repeating her name over and over again.
Perhaps it was because of that first glance in the corridor that He Xintu felt a connection with this girl. So when he saw them in trouble, he intervened without much thought.
He Xintu looked at her: "So, when you were in the hallway earlier, you were eavesdropping by leaning against the door?"
Liang Yizhi looked embarrassed: "That's because when I went to the restroom, I happened to hear them talking inside. I felt something was wrong, so I went up to listen."
"Are they talking about your friends?"
"Yes. They're saying things like they're going to take her down."
Leung Yik-chi added, "I'm really sorry to involve you. We didn't expect him to suddenly take action. This matter could have been resolved amicably."
He Xintu smiled and reassured her, "I don't think so. Some people are just a waste of time to reason with. They'll only stop harming others after they've suffered a loss."
Liang Yizhi nodded.
Now that the light was good and she was close, she realized that he actually had single eyelids, a high nose bridge, and his curly hair covered the upper part of his earlobes. He had earrings in his cochlea and ear cartilage, which shimmered faintly.
She asked with concern, "I saw you bumped into the wall just now. Are you hurt anywhere? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?"
He Xintu replied, "It's nothing serious, nothing to worry about."
He tilted his head and stretched it from side to side: "Besides, I didn't really help much. I'm actually not very good at fighting, can you tell?"
Liang Yizhi was taken aback.
Looking back, he didn't really do much during the whole process. After Zhang Qi threw him, it was basically Jiang Huai and Zhang Qi who were entangled.
He Xintu admitted, "I haven't been in many fights, but I know how to put on a show."
His attire and appearance, coupled with his unique demeanor, made him seem like an artist who wouldn't easily get into a fight and had little practical experience.
He Xintu rotated his wrist, as if to show her: "And I'm quite strong."
He reached out his hand to Liang Yizhi.
"Um?"
He Xintu asked, "Want to try arm wrestling?"
His forearm hung in mid-air, his five fingers loosely joined, stopping in front of her.
Looking at those slender forearms, Liang Yizhi recalled that he had made the same move in the corridor just now, stopping the impending danger for them.
As if guided by some unseen force, she raised her hand and grasped it.
The ten fingers touched together, but the palms were not completely pressed together.
He Xintu gently squeezed her hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Liang Yizhi noticed that his lips were very rosy, making his teeth appear even neater and whiter.
He said, "You girls really do have such soft hands."
Liang Yizhi felt a moment of embarrassment, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She gently lifted her fingertips, not wanting the thick calluses on them to rub against him.
He Xintu: "Come on. I'll count to three, two, one, and then we'll begin."
"Okay." Liang Yizhi nodded. After he gave the three commands, he began to exert himself.
She swore she wasn't being pretentious; after all, she often drew a bow, and her strength was definitely not insignificant.
But He Xintu, who was opposite her, didn't even try to knock her down; he just looked at her with a smile.
The two forces repelled each other, converging at her wrist and palm. He Xintu's hands remained motionless, quietly waiting for her to turn the tide.
Liang Yizhi pursed her lips, straining even her cheeks.
He Xintu noticed that her lips were slightly indented from the effort she had put in.
His smile deepened, and he deliberately let go of his energy.
He Xintu lowered his forearm, and Liang Yizhi pressed down on it.
That's how she beat him.
Liang Yizhi stared blankly at He Xintu, her palms rubbing together until they touched.
...
This is what Gu Yinyan saw when he came in.
A man sat with his back to him, next to Liang Yizhi.
Their hands were clasped together, and Liang Yizhi's eyes seemed to be captivated, fixed on the man's face.
Gu Yinyan received a phone call in the middle of the night. Three of his good friends were suspected of causing trouble and had gone to the police station. The call instantly woke Gu Yinyan from his sleep.
He rushed over here in a panic, but things didn't seem to be as complicated as he had imagined.
At least one person seems to still be in the mood for flirting.
Is it fair to say he picks his timing?
He's like an uninvited guest, always arriving a minute late and inappropriately ruining other people's good things.
Gu Yinyan stood outside the door without changing his expression.
Soon, Liang Yizhi also saw him.
She abruptly shook off He Xintu's hand, stood up, and said to the silent figure at the door, "You've come?"
Gu Yinyan stared at her intently, his eyes unfathomable.
What happened?
She felt like she'd been caught cheating...
After all, the reason for arm wrestling with a strange man in a police station seems a bit complicated to explain.
Hearing the voice, He Xintu turned his head and glanced at the person who had come.
Gu Yinyan approached before speaking softly to Liang Yizhi, "In a good mood?"
"ah?"
His words seemed to be a joke, but Liang Yizhi couldn't detect a trace of humor in his gloomy face. Her mind was foggy, and she clenched her fists, rubbing them together gently.
She thought she should first introduce He Xintu to Gu Yinyan and tell him that he had just helped them at the hot pot restaurant.
Liang Yizhi raised her hand and said, "And this is—"
"Where is He Man?" Gu Yinyan interrupted her.
"...The police are still questioning people over there."
Gu Yinyan scanned him up and down: "Are you injured?"
"No, we didn't lay a hand on him, but Jiang Huai took several punches. And just now..."
As dawn approached, the temperature plummeted, and the police station was deserted and the air was rather chilly.
Seeing that Liang Yizhi was dressed lightly, before she could finish speaking, Gu Yinyan took off his black coat and draped it over her shoulders.
The movements were hardly gentle.
Gu Yinyan seemed uninterested in her behavior or the strange man beside her. After tossing the clothes to her, he walked away without saying a word.
Liang Yizhi swallowed the words she hadn't said and quickly followed.
They walked up behind He Man and her group, and the police asked, "Are they your friends?"
He Man was in a bad mood when she turned around and saw Gu Yinyan. Still holding a grudge against him, she muttered irritably, "Why are you here? It's none of your business."
Gu Yinyan: "If it's nothing, why are you calling me? Do you want me to come and embarrass you?"
Seeing them bring in reinforcements, Lulu scoffed, "It's all because you guys are being unreasonable, otherwise would things have escalated like this? My brother just wanted to say a few words to you, and you think you're so precious that you can't be touched?"
A sharp female voice shouted, and He Man was about to stand up to confront her when Gu Yinyan stopped her.
Gu Yinyan looked extremely unwell, perhaps due to the grumpiness he had just woken up in the middle of the night, and also because of a lingering sense of unease that seemed to come from nowhere.
He turned his head, his voice cold, and said to Lulu, "I was asking my friend, not you."
Gu Yinyan exuded a chill that seemed to have come from outside. His aura was already strong, and the fact that he was dressed in all black made him even more intimidating.
Lulu was startled by the sound, her heart pounded with fear, and she scoffed, turning her head away.
Seeing that things were not going well, Liang Yizhi quickly spoke up to soften the tone: "It was really an accident. They attacked first, holding onto He Man and wouldn't let go. Jiang Huai only attacked because he saw this and rushed over."
Just then, another policeman came out and greeted Gu Yinyan. The two talked as they entered one of the back rooms.
About ten minutes later, Gu Yinyan came out. The police officer said that they had retrieved the hot pot restaurant's surveillance footage and confirmed that they had finished taking their statements, so they could leave.
Before leaving, the police officers gave them another earnest lecture, reminding them to seek help from staff to call the police immediately if they encountered such harassment, and not to act impulsively on their own.
The three men bowed repeatedly to show they understood, and then left.
Liang Yizhi looked back at her original seat.
He Xintu, who was sitting there before, has disappeared at some point.
She looked around again, but still couldn't see that eye-catching curly hair.
He Xintu left without saying goodbye, a fact that left her feeling a sense of loss.
I was originally planning to thank him properly.
"Liang Yizhi." Gu Yinyan turned around, stopped in front of her, and called out to her.
She then came to her senses: "Coming."
When Liang Yizhi walked to his side, Gu Yinyan turned his head and glanced in the direction where her gaze had lingered.
As night fell, they usually gathered together at this time, coming out of entertainment venues; this was the first time they had come out of a police station.
The air was damp and cold, and the wind was howling. The four of them got into the car in silence.
He Man kept her head down the whole way, and only spoke to the others after they got into the car:
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble today. I shouldn't have organized this gathering."
He Man felt very guilty.
She could have chosen not to invite them; if she hadn't brought their respective friends, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Liang Yizhi put her arm around He Man in the back seat and rubbed her shoulders to comfort her: "It's okay, Manman. Even if you hadn't called us today, this would have happened sooner or later. It's not necessarily a bad thing to resolve it in advance. At least it didn't cause any serious consequences."
Jiang Huai had completely forgotten the policeman's instructions: "I'll beat this beast every time I see him. I'll beat him again if he comes back!"
He Manqiang suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and said to the person in front, "Jiang Huai, why don't you go to the hospital to get it checked out..."
Gu Yinyan glanced at Jiang Huai and started the car: "This little wound will heal before dawn."
"Who said it was going to heal?" Jiang Huai pointed to his face. "Can't you see this huge bruise on my face?"
He Man said, "Jiang Huai, I'm sorry, this time it's really my fault. For the next month, I'll be at your beck and call."
"Really?" Jiang Huai, having gotten a good deal, feigned innocence, suddenly clutching her stomach and groaning, "Ouch—my stomach and head suddenly hurt too, I must have suffered internal injuries from the fall. I'll need a hefty sum for emotional distress compensation..."
"you--!"
“If you’re sick, go to the hospital,” Gu Yinyan said sarcastically. “Get out of the car now and crawl to Dr. Jiang’s place to play the victim; it’ll be more effective than the last few times you did.”
"Fine, fine...you guys are all sadists, aren't you? Rubbing salt into other people's wounds is your fetish!"
Liang Yizhi and He Man exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
The car drove off and sped along the deserted streets.
The night is beautiful, and youth is wonderful.
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