Chapter Sixteen
"You're Lu Nan?" a boy with dyed yellow hair asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Lu Nan nodded hesitantly, somewhat confused. But he sensed danger. Several people next to him shoved and pushed him into the alley.
"What are you trying to do?" Lu Nan glared at them warily.
"What are you doing?" the boy said with a flippant laugh. "What can I do? I just don't like you, so I'm teaching you a lesson!"
"I don't know you!" Lu Nan struggled desperately as she was pinned against the wall.
"It's enough that we know you!" the boy waved his hand and said, "Damn it, get him! You dare to acknowledge someone my boss has his eye on as your sister? You've got guts!"
"Who's your boss?" Lu Nan protested after being punched.
The boy spat out his cigarette butt, stomped on it, and sneered, "You're not worthy to know! Damn it! Beat him up!"
After a flurry of blows, Lu Nan collapsed to the ground in pain. "You...you...just wait..." he said weakly, leaning against the wall.
"Tch! So you're just asking Cheng Xiangbei to help you get revenge? I've been hoping to run into him!" the boy said disdainfully, and a voice immediately echoed from the side.
"The tiger... will help me... get revenge..." Lu Nan raised his hand and forcefully wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His angry eyes glared at the violent teenagers.
"A tiger? Pshaw! If it comes, I'll pull its teeth out first!" The young man took a few steps and stomped on Lu Nan's face. He said contemptuously, "Look at your pathetic self, only Cheng Xiangbei treats you like a treasure! A man who relies on others for everything, what a piece of trash!"
With a forceful kick, Lu Nan's face was pressed against the wall, squeezing it flat.
"Without Cheng Xiangbei, you're nothing!"
After saying that, he kicked Lu Nan again before calling his brothers to leave. When they reached the alley entrance, they saw a boy leaning against the wall and immediately changed their tune, fawningly saying, "Boss, we beat that kid up, but we didn't get him to go north."
The boy nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Go have fun at Lido. Put it on my tab."
"Yes, thank you, boss."
The men who had committed the dirty trick had all gone far away. The boy put his hands in his pockets, looked up at the sky, and waited until the groans in the alley subsided before he started walking in the opposite direction.
He walked leisurely, brushing past Cheng Xiangbei, who was rushing out looking for someone. Cheng Xiangbei was in a great hurry; Lu Nan had been gone from his house for almost half an hour, and Lu's mother had called to say that Lu Nan hadn't arrived home yet. The Cheng and Lu families weren't far apart, only a ten-minute walk; no matter what, Lu Nan should have been home long ago.
He hung up the phone and went out to look for it, not noticing anything unusual along the way. As he turned the corner, he almost bumped into someone. He swayed and quickly dodged, calling out "Nan Nan, Nan Nan" all the while, completely unaware of the strange light in the boy's eyes when he heard his call.
He followed the path Lu Nan took home, but there was no sign of her. Had Nan Nan gone somewhere along the way? Borrowed a book? Bought something to eat? But there were only two shops along the way, and he hadn't seen Lu Nan there either. Cheng continued walking north until he reached the entrance of an alley without streetlights.
"Nan Nan!" he called out with his back to the alley.
"Old... tiger..." A faint voice came from the alley.
"Nan Nan!" Cheng Xiangbei, with his sharp ears, hurriedly ran inside. The light was dim, and he could barely see Lu Nan's figure. He stopped and groped his way to the end of the alley.
“Tiger…” Lu Nan huddled at the end of the alley and whispered.
Cheng Xiangbei touched Lu Nan's arms and legs and asked cautiously, "Nan Nan, what's wrong?"
"Help me out of here first." Lu Nan wasn't hit very hard, but he had never been beaten before and wasn't physically fit. After being punched and kicked, his pride was shattered.
Without a word, Cheng Xiangbei scooped him up and carried him outside. When they reached the streetlight, they saw that Lu Nan was pale, his face covered in sand, with faint traces of blood seeping out. "Who did this?!" Cheng Xiangbei exclaimed in shock and anger.
Lu Nan smiled wryly and said, "I don't know, put me down first." Although there weren't many people around, this was still a main street, and what would it look like for a boy to be hugging another boy?
Cheng Xiangbei carefully put Lu Nan down, tenderly touched his face, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Lu Nan shook her head, feeling deeply wronged. She wanted to hug Cheng Xiangbei and have a good cry, but as soon as she reached out, she remembered what the blond-haired boy had said: a man who relies on other men for everything—what kind of person is he! Yes, what kind of person is he! Lu Nan's outstretched hand fell limply to her side. Her head slumped down as well.
Cheng Xiangbei took Lu Nan directly to the hospital.
Although Lu Nan's injuries don't seem serious, it would be troublesome if there were internal injuries.
During the examination, as soon as Lu Nan took off her shirt, Cheng Xiangbei's eyes blazed with fury. Her fair skin was covered in bruises, and Cheng Xiangbei was so angry he wanted to chop the culprit into mincemeat! When had Nan Nan, whom he had cherished since childhood, ever suffered like this! Ignoring the doctor's examination, he gently touched the wound on Lu Nan's abdomen, causing her to flinch in pain. Cheng Xiangbei gritted his teeth, his heart aching, and said, "Nan Nan, I will make those people pay a thousandfold!"
School started, but Lu Nan didn't go. She stayed home to recover from her injury.
Cheng Xiangbei did go, but he didn't do anything. He just used his connections to find the bastard who beat up Lu Nan that day.
The matter was easy to investigate. Huang Mao and his gang made no secret of teaching Lu Nan a lesson; in fact, they publicized it extensively, as if afraid others wouldn't know about their "heroism." The group consisted of students from the nearby No. 2 Middle School. Cheng Xiangbei listened to Zhou Pu's explanation, his fingers cracking as he clenched his fists. Zhou Pu looked at him worriedly and said, "Boss, shall I go with you?"
"No need. I will avenge Nan Nan myself."
Zhou Pu and Lin Xiaotian exchanged a glance and secretly made up their minds. They absolutely couldn't let their boss go alone on this matter, not because they were afraid he would suffer a loss, but because they were afraid he would lose control and go too far.
The opportunity came quickly. Just as Cheng Xiangbei finished dinner, someone came to report that Huang Mao and his friends were eating at a small restaurant nearby.
Without saying a word, Cheng Xiangbei climbed over the wall and left. Seeing this, Zhou Pu quickly pulled Lin Xiaotian along and chased after him.
Inside the restaurant, a group of middle school students were enjoying their meal, drinking baijiu and beer, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts. The restaurant wasn't crowded. Cheng Xiangbei entered, glanced at the two tables of diners, and then kicked open the door to a private room.
Upon seeing that it was Cheng Xiangbei, the blond-haired man slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and arrogantly said, "What's wrong, kid? You've come here looking for death?"
Cheng Xiangbei snorted coldly, grabbed a chair, and smashed it over. The blond-haired man couldn't dodge in time, and a bloody line ran down his face. "Fuck your mother! You dare hit me! Brothers, let's go!"
One against six, a full-blown brawl unfolded in the confined space. Cheng Xiangbei had practiced martial arts since childhood and grew up fighting; he truly wanted to skin and tear apart the group of thugs who had bullied Lu Nan! He held no mercy, each move aimed to kill. In no time, five of the six were knocked down.
The remaining blond-haired boy trembled and backed away. "You...you don't come any closer..."
"You're the one who stepped on Lu Nan's face, aren't you?" Cheng Xiangbei was furious; there was still a footprint on Lu Nan's face when he picked her up. He kicked her. The blond-haired man screamed and squatted on the ground. "N-no, it wasn't me..."
"Damn it, you dare to do it but not admit it!" Cheng Xiangbei stomped on his face, sneering, "What? Is this how you stomp?" He pressed down hard, distorting the blond-haired man's face. "Ugh...ugh..."
"I heard it was Guan Yijia who caused trouble for Lu Nan?" Cheng Xiangbei stomped his foot lightly, causing the blond-haired man's face to break. "Damn it, the creditor is right here, why aren't they coming to collect the debt? Huh?"
The blond-haired man couldn't move his head, so he could only shake his hands frantically. "Ugh...no..."
"I heard you have a boss? Who's the big shot?" The blond-haired guy couldn't bring himself to speak, so Cheng Xiangbei turned to look at the group of people lying on the other side. "Tell me! Who is it?"
"No..." Several people shook their heads.
"How could that be the woman your boss has his eye on?" Cheng Xiangbei didn't believe it and was about to stomp harder. Zhou Pu, who was blocking the doorway, hurriedly shouted, "Boss, take it easy, or his head will be rotten!"
Cheng Xiangbei finally raised his foot and kicked the blond-haired man who was lying on the ground. "Go tell your boss that I, Cheng Xiangbei, am always ready to teach you a lesson!"
Cheng Xiangbei didn't receive a greeting from the other party's boss.
The high school entrance exam is about to begin, and everyone is starting to fill out their college application forms.
Lu Nan hadn't returned yet, so Cheng Xiangbei would climb over the wall to check on him every few days. Lu Nan's injuries were mostly healed, leaving two faint scars on his face, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. The wound on his stomach was also almost completely healed, leaving only a few faint bluish marks. Cheng Xiangbei carefully touched it and asked with concern, "Nan Nan, does it still hurt?"
Lu Nan shook her head and asked, "Why are you here again?"
Cheng Xiangbei sat on his small bed, flipping through the books Lu Nan had spread out on it. Lu Nan had been studying at home while recovering from his injury, and Cheng Xiangbei wanted to ask for leave to be with Lu Nan, but firstly, the school wouldn't allow it, and secondly, he still had to settle scores with Huang Mao. So, he could only stay at school alone, feeling quite resentful.
"Nannan, it's time to fill out your college applications." Cheng Xiangbei tossed down his books and said seriously, "Do you want me to help you fill them out?"
"Huh? Volunteer application..." Lu Nan lowered her head, pondered for a while, and said, "I had my dad apply for it."
"Is this our school?" Cheng Xiangbei asked eagerly. "I'll copy it exactly as you said!"
"Yes, yes..." Lu Nan said in a low voice. "That was handed in a while ago."
"I've already submitted it! Tell me how you filled it out, and I'll fill it out and submit it later."
"Just write it like that!" Lu Nan said impatiently.
"Okay, as long as it's our school, it's fine!" Cheng Xiangbei said with a smile. "Then I'll head back first! You should also go back to school early, I heard that our homeroom teacher is going to reveal some high school entrance exam secrets."
"Mm." Lu Nan nodded, looking at his bright smile, hesitant to speak.
"I'm leaving." Cheng Xiangbei waved goodbye.
"tiger……"
"Hmm?" Cheng Xiang turned his head.
"No, it's nothing." Lu Nan forced a smile and watched him leave. Only after Cheng Xiangbei's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs did he hurriedly run to the balcony, waiting for Cheng Xiangbei's figure to reappear.
[What kind of man is he, relying on others for everything!]
[Without Cheng Xiangbei, you're nothing!]
The words Huang Mao had spoken that night echoed in Lu Nan's mind once more. Lu Nan watched Cheng Xiangbei's figure appear downstairs; his back was broad and steady, and he seemed almost excited, as if he had encountered something good. Tears welled up in Lu Nan's eyes. He wiped them hard, trying to see the disappearing figure clearly. His previously firm resolve began to waver.
But—Lu Nan clenched her fist and gritted her teeth to suppress her wavering thoughts.
I don't want to be someone who is nothing without you.
Cheng Xiangbei, I'm sorry.
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