The cigarette in my hand was finished, but I felt a lack of motivation to leave. I was tired of the long 1300-kilometer journey, only to be alone; I didn't want to face Coach Ma and Tie Nan with nothing to show for it… After putting in so much effort, I should have gained something. But apart from being lectured on how to be a person by Ye Zhi from a purely business-oriented perspective, I truly gained nothing.
Then I remembered that there was always a man she longed for in her heart, and my despondency seemed to deepen! So, I reached into the cigarette case, pulled out another cigarette, and lit it…
I know this is not good, but I really can't bear the torment in my heart, so I can only use this most familiar way to relieve the depression that this small county town brings me.
I'd only taken two puffs when a seven-seater minivan pulled up beside me...
The driver's side window opened, and a bald young man with a cigarette in his hand smiled at me and said, "Hey buddy, the cigarette lighter in the car is broken, can I borrow a light?"
I looked around and realized that I was the only one on the whole street holding a cigarette, so I didn't think much of it. I took the lighter out of the cigarette pack and walked over to him.
As he took the lighter from my hand, he also grabbed my wrist tightly. Before I could react, the back doors were opened, and four people filed out from both sides. The one closest to me, holding a steel pipe, smashed it down on the back of my head without a second thought.
I reacted quickly, breaking free from that person while ducking to avoid the blow. But I couldn't dodge the kick that another person was coming at me with, and a piercing pain shot through my lower abdomen, my throat filled with the taste of stomach acid.
The next moment, two people jumped out from the other side of the car and surrounded me, throwing punches and kicks at me. Although I know how to fight, I really couldn't handle so many people.
In the chaos, I tripped over something and fell to the ground. I knew I was in for a beating, so I curled up and covered my head, feeling both shocked and angry, while also enduring waves of excruciating pain.
After being kicked in the head again, I even felt a suffocating sensation as if I were about to faint. Just then, I finally heard someone say, "Hey guys, just teach him a lesson, don't really cripple him..." After saying that, it seemed like they were saying to me, "Kid... I'm hitting you to teach you a lesson. This isn't your business anymore, so don't fucking try to be a hero... This is just a little lesson for you. If you mess things up again next time, I'll fucking kill you!"
...
After a long pause, I finally sat up from the ground, then moved my joints and found that I could still move them.
These guys didn't kill me, but they were ruthless enough. I could feel many bruises on my body. They weren't serious injuries, but they would definitely hurt me for a while. My lip was also cut, which was the most painful thing for me. Because I was disfigured, I couldn't hide the beating from anyone. Besides being concerned about my reputation, I didn't want others to worry about me.
Over the years, I've shouldered everything I could on my own.
At this point, people finally gathered around and asked me if I wanted to call the police...
I shook my head. I wasn't seriously injured, and those people had come prepared, so they didn't even have license plates on their car. Even if the police came, they wouldn't really set a case to solve over something as trivial as a fight. Besides, this was out of town. Going to the police station would only waste my time and wouldn't get any results.
Then someone else asked me, "Young man, do you have any friends? Call them quickly and ask them to come pick you up and take you to the hospital... I think those people were pretty ruthless!"
I thought of Ye Zhi, who had just left, but I had no urge to contact her; I knew that the people who hit me were the ones who had just staged the accident, so I didn't want her to feel guilty towards me.
I finally spoke up, saying, "It's alright, sir, my own car is parked right next to me... You can all go now." After saying that, I stretched my arms and legs a bit.
Seeing that I was alright, everyone dispersed after a short while. Only then did I take out a crumpled cigarette from my pocket and light it. As the tobacco flavor mixed with the bloody taste stimulated my palate, an indescribable feeling of bitterness gradually welled up in my heart.
I don't know why I traveled all this way here.
我不想挨揍，不想一事无成，也后悔知道她爱着别人……可这一切都发生了！而比孤独和无助更可怕的是随之而来的耻辱感……
I thought painfully: if Lu Jia could see my current situation, she would be so glad that she had left me so wisely... I became more and more miserable, and in this pain, I thought of even more unbearable scenes and words.
As my cigarette was about to burn out, the theme song from that Korean drama started playing again in the coffee shop… Suddenly, my heart felt like it was shattering to the familiar melody, and I realized that I longed to be comforted! But in the blink of an eye, she had already walked away, so she wouldn't have noticed that I was still standing there.
...
Despite the pain, I drove onto the highway and stopped at that viewpoint for the second time in my life. Last time, Yang Sisi was with me, and although Ye Zhi was still a complete stranger, she was at least there. But now I was all alone.
I lit a cigarette, leaned on the railing, and gazed at the mountains and rivers of this small county town. I realized that I was a really stubborn person. I had unfortunately suffered both physical and mental trauma here, but I still had a lingering longing for this county town.
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