Chen Shao had just come into money from a recent demolition deal, and for a long time, he flaunted his wealth, using it to bully others.
After being flattered for so long, it was easy for him to forget who he really was.
To settle scores with Lin Shen and the others, Chen Shao called in a bunch of people with a single phone call to make it look like he had backup. But most of them were just low-level thugs who spent their days eating and drinking off the backs of rich people—hardly even small-time bullies.
When Lin Shen kicked out, it stunned everyone in the area. Chen Shao froze for several seconds, repeatedly shouting, but no one dared to move.
Seeing this, Chen Shao, furious, yelled at the top of his lungs, “You’re all scared of a high schooler? Get him! I’ll pay a thousand for each one who gets hurt, just beat him up!”
At the mention of money, everyone snapped to attention, grabbed whatever they could, and charged at Lin Shen.
No matter how tough Lin Shen was, he was still a student, and his strength was limited.
Against so many adults coming at him, within 20 seconds, he started struggling.
Lin Wangye and the others tried to rush in to help, but they were blocked by another group of people Chen Shao had stationed. Fu Xuexue didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Realizing it was her fault, she screamed for help, but before she could even finish the second cry, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled, making soft, helpless sobs.
Just when it seemed Lin Shen was about to take a beating, the dark street suddenly lit up like daylight.
A line of private cars came roaring into the intersection, quickly surrounding the area. Several large men got out of each car, clearly trained fighters, and in the blink of an eye, they had restrained everyone Chen Shao brought with him.
“Oh my god… Thank you, Buddha and Guanyin!”
The leader of the group, a middle-aged man in a suit, got out of a car, and upon seeing Lu Chengxuan standing unharmed among the crowd, immediately clasped his hands in prayer, almost kneeling on the spot.
“Are you okay? Mrs. Cheng called me, and I came as fast as I could, not even a minute late!” Jess, Lu Chengxuan’s personal assistant, hurried over to ask.
Lu Chengxuan shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“Got it!” Lin Wangye suddenly snapped his fingers, realizing something, and whispered in Shi Yuan’s ear, “I just remembered! Lu Chengxuan’s mom waits for him to come home every day!”
Afterward, he rushed over to Lin Shen. “Are you okay, are you okay?”
At that moment, Lin Shen was still trying to calm his racing pulse. His blood was boiling, and he rushed over to Chen Shao and Fu Yongping, who were pressed to the ground, delivering a series of punches and kicks.
“From now on, stay the hell out of my way, or every time I see you, I’ll beat you again!”
Once he was done, Lin Shen still wasn’t satisfied. He bent down and grabbed the baseball bat from the ground.
Seeing this, Jess quickly stepped forward to stop him.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t kill him, this will be a problem to handle.”
“Let him be.” Lu Chengxuan said calmly, “He knows his limits.”
Jess, with his hands crossed in front of him, gave a graceful bow. “Understood.”
“Chen Shao! Chen Shao, say something!”
“What’s going on…”
“Who are these people, some gangsters?”
The sight of the group in front of them shattered the spirits of Chen Shao’s underlings, and they lay half on the ground, calling out to Chen Shao for help.
Fu Yongping was trembling all over, his face pale with fear, and Chen Shao was completely frozen, staring wide-eyed at Lin Shen as he walked towards him.
Lin Shen didn’t hold back, delivering punch after punch, skillfully avoiding vital points while hitting all the pressure points, making the two cry out in pain. After a while, he casually tossed the bat on the ground and kicked them over.
“Nice!” Lin Wangye clapped excitedly.
When it seemed like everything was wrapping up, Jess raised his hand with a signal. “Take them all away to the police station.”
Hearing the mention of the police station, the small-time thugs who had been fearing for their lives immediately felt a wave of relief, only to panic again as they realized what that meant.
Fu Yongping nearly fainted when he heard he was going to the station.
“Big Brother, Big Boss! I didn’t touch anyone, I swear!”
Jess remained calm, replying, “Doesn’t matter if you laid a hand on anyone or not. If you were involved, it’s still a crime—intentional harm, provoking trouble, brawling, and more.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Yongping threw himself to the ground, calling out to Chen Shao in panic.
Chen Shao’s mind raced as he searched for a loophole. “There’s no surveillance here. What proof do you have of the brawl? If you dare, take me to the police station! I want to file for an injury report and hire a lawyer to sue you for intentional harm!”
Jess nodded, looking around the street calmly.
“With so many cars around, surely one of their dash cams is running 24/7.”
Fu Yongping, desperate, grabbed onto his last straw and looked up at his sister. “Fu Xuexue, aren’t you going to say something?”
Still shaken, Fu Xuexue snapped out of it, glanced at him, and walked up to Jess. “Sir, if you need an eyewitness, I’ll cooperate.”
“You’re the party involved, so you can’t be an eyewitness. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”
Jess politely lowered his head to Fu Xuexue, then raised his gaze expressionlessly as he addressed the group.
“Take them all away, contact the lawyer.”
As soon as the words were out, Chen Shao, Fu Yongping, and the others were dragged into the cars, their cries echoing as they were taken away.
Jess walked up to Lu Chengxuan and gave a slight nod. “You and your classmates will need to come along to give statements.”
Lu Chengxuan turned to Lin Shen and the others. “Let’s go.”
Lin Shen grimaced, rolling his wrist as he muttered, “I’m so handsome, but how did I end up getting dragged into this mess? Unbelievable.”
“You are handsome!” Lin Wangye, acting like a loyal follower, rushed to flatter him, “You were awesome just now! Brother Lu is also handsome! You guys are all so cool! We really made it out of this, a close call!”
Lin Shen snorted, then hopped into the car.
The spacious seven-seat business van had plenty of room for everyone. Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan sat side by side in the front, with Fu Xuexue sitting directly behind Lin Shen.
Lin Wangye, deliberately avoiding the seat behind Lu Chengxuan, took the last row.
Shi Yuan, the last to board, naturally sat next to him.
Jess took the front passenger seat, turning around to remind everyone to fasten their seatbelts. The driver stepped on the gas, and the van slowly pulled away.
Sitting by the window, Lin Wangye stole a glance at Shi Yuan. His expression changed suddenly, and he hesitantly whispered, “That was really scary, my heart almost jumped out of my chest.”
Shi Yuan glanced at him, noticing the tight grip Lin Wangye had on his fists, which were nervously resting on his lap. He gently placed his hand over Lin Wangye’s, softly saying, “It’s okay now, don’t be afraid.”
“Mm, mm.”
Lin Wangye nodded vigorously, his wrist twisting in a fluid motion as he naturally spread his fingers to entwine them with Shi Yuan’s. He then turned his gaze to the window.
The warmth in his palm gradually increased, spreading through his pulse.
Shi Yuan watched the back of the person sitting beside him, his fingers applying a gentle pressure. When he felt the return squeeze, a silent smile curved at the corner of his lips.
The more Lin Shen thought about it, the angrier he got. He turned to Lu Chengxuan and vented, “Even without you, I could have taken them all down!”
“Mm.” Lu Chengxuan nodded in agreement, “I’m not doubting you, they came on their own.”
Lin Shen eyed him suspiciously. “Is this ‘heartfelt’?”
Lu Chengxuan nodded, his expression sincere. He rolled up his sleeve to show him the watch on his wrist. “It has a tracker. If I show up somewhere else or fail to return home on time, my mom will immediately message me. If I don’t respond, she’ll send someone to find me.”
Lin Shen and Shi Yuan locked eyes for a long moment without speaking. After what felt like an eternity, Lin Shen finally looked away and sighed, “It’s great, if I were to die out there for ten days or half a month, I bet my dad wouldn’t even notice.”
It was a casual joke, something not worth taking seriously.
But Lin Wangye, upon hearing it, felt his pupils twitch, a sharp pain stabbing at his heart as though he’d been pricked by a needle.
In his previous life, his father’s work kept him busy, and nine times out of ten, it was the assistant answering the phone. Over time, Lin Wangye called less and less.
When Chairman Lin suddenly passed away, the family was so worried about the stock market turmoil that they kept everything under wraps. Even as his son, he only found out the news along with the public, just one day before the funeral.
Lin Wangye still didn’t know whether all of this was intentional or unintentional.
But if he had paid more attention, if he had called more frequently, he wouldn’t have heard about his father’s death so late.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Lin Wangye’s nose began to sting, and his breath became shallow and labored.
When Shi Yuan heard the sound of his breathing, mixed with a slight nasal congestion, he immediately sensed something was wrong. He reached over, gently turning Lin Wangye’s face away from the window. As expected, their eyes met, and he saw the redness and tears welling up in Lin Wangye’s eyes.
Unaware of the full context, Shi Yuan instinctively thought Lin Wangye was scared after the fight.
Being surrounded by so many adults carrying sticks…
Looking back, the scene was certainly terrifying.
The young boy’s eyes were teary, his eyelashes damp with mist, and the corners of his mouth slightly turned down. His expression was pitiful, like a soaked puppy.
Shi Yuan’s heart ached at the sight. Without thinking, he gently pulled Lin Wangye into his arms, lightly stroking the back of his head. “It’s okay, it’s over now.”
At first, Lin Wangye could still force himself to hold back his tears.
But this embrace, like a bridge across time, made up for the emotional support and comfort he hadn’t received in his past life.
Lin Wangye pressed his forehead against Shi Yuan’s neck, and silent tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the hand Shi Yuan had placed over his, fingers still intertwined.
The night had deepened. In this angle, the people in the front seats wouldn’t have noticed.
However, the usually talkative Lin Shen had been quiet for so long that it struck him as odd. He turned his head to take a look, and through the dim light from the streetlamp outside, he saw Lin Wangye’s head buried in Shi Yuan’s chest, looking like a little wife. He froze in place, stunned.
“What’s going on? You two playing some kind of love scene?”
The teasing tone immediately jolted Lin Wangye out of his sorrow, and with a soft laugh, he wiped away his tears. “Pfft, just now, if no one came to save us, what would’ve happened? It was so scary.”
“You’re so good at games, but in real life, you’re this useless?” Lin Shen shook his head in exasperation, sighing, “Bring ten more, and I’d still take them all down.”
Lu Chengxuan looked away, letting out a helpless sigh.
In his life, he had never envied anyone.
Xu Suian was the first.
*
Lin Wangye: Doubted the green tea, understood the green tea… and finally became the green tea.
Lin Shen: The most annoyed by green tea.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
