Chapter 30
The chaos on the riverbank was like a boulder thrown into calm water, creating ripples. Diners and food stall owners who rushed over after hearing the commotion rushed forward and finally managed to forcibly separate the two men who were wrestling.
Xie Junhao remained enraged, his chest heaving like an enraged lion, glaring at Bai Sinian and trying to break free from the crowd's restraints to pounce. Several old classmates held him tightly, pleading, "Brother Hao! That's enough! Stop fighting!"
As for Bai Sinian, after being pulled away, he seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings. He paid no heed to his rapidly swelling cheekbones, nor did he feel the stinging pain from the blood seeping from the rough ground scraping his arm. His gaze was fixed on Lin Xiaotang like a branding iron.
His eyes churned with something far too complex—the excitement of regaining what was lost, the unfathomable pain, the intense guilt, and an almost obsessive fear of losing it again. All his senses and consciousness seemed to be focused solely on the person before him, all the noise and distractions of the outside world automatically blocked out.
Lin Xiaotang felt flustered and cold under his almost scorching gaze. His reckless and frantic appearance, his struggle with Xie Junhao, and now this heavy, suffocating look that left her feeling lost... all made her want to escape immediately!
She turned around abruptly, no longer looking at Bai Sinian, and grabbed Xie Junhao's arm, who was still panting and glaring angrily. Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly: "Junhao! Let's go!"
"Why are you leaving! This bastard..." Xie Junhao was clearly unwilling to let Bai Sinian go so easily.
"I told you to leave!" Lin Xiaotang suddenly raised her voice to interrupt him, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. She looked up at Xie Junhao, her face filled with terror, helplessness, and a desperate plea. "Are you leaving or not?! If you don't leave, I'll leave right now! I want you to take me away from here immediately! Now!"
She burst into tears, her voice broken and trembling with sobs. This sight instantly terrified Xie Junhao. He feared nothing and no one, except Lin Xiaotang's tears.
His anger was quickly replaced by panic and heartache. He hurriedly grabbed her arm and said repeatedly, "Okay, okay! Don't cry! I won't hit you anymore. I'll take you away! We'll leave now! Right now!"
He glared at Bai Sinian, then stopped arguing and, protecting Lin Xiaotang, quickly walked towards the motorcycle parked to the side.
As Bai Sinian watched Lin Xiaotang resolutely turn away, pulling another man along, her shoulders trembling with tears, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating him. He instinctively took a step forward, wanting to chase after her: "Xiaotang..."
But the students and the boss around him instinctively stopped him.
In that brief moment of delay, Xie Junhao had already started the motorcycle with practiced ease. Lin Xiaotang didn't even look behind her as she straddled it, gripping Xie Junhao's clothes tightly with both hands.
"Hold on tight!" Xie Junhao roared, twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle roared off like an arrow, quickly disappearing into the dimly lit alleyways of the ancient town.
Only Bai Sinian remained, standing stiffly in place, his face and body bearing the marks of his disheveled injuries, gazing in the direction they had disappeared, as if abandoned by the entire world. The evening breeze carried the dampness of the river and the faint sounds of distant clamor, but it could not dispel the immense despair and coldness that permeated him.
What had just happened was like a brief but violent storm that swept through, leaving only a mess and the hollow sound of his heartbeat.
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