Chapter 177: PK

Jiang City was a third-tier, obscure little city. At ten o'clock at night, most of the storefronts on the street were already shuttered. The pitch-black night sky lacked even a single star, leaving only a few aging, disrepair-plagued streetlights to cast an orange-yellow glow across the pavement.

Two figures were cast into exceptionally long, distorted shadows stretching up against a nearby wall, looking rather eerie from any angle.

"Stop right there!" an intensely arrogant voice rang out from behind.

"I'm fucking telling you bastards to stop!"

Two men slowly turned around. One wore a floral short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and sported dyed yellow hair.

The other was dressed in a pristine white leisure outfit with short black hair. He had a refined, scholarly look and was strikingly handsome.

The red-haired man rested a wooden stick across his shoulder while one of his lackeys stepped forward to light a cigarette for him.

Dongfang Cheng touched his yellow hair, bumped the arm of the man in white beside him, and chuckled softly.

"Brother Gu, between him and me, who do you think is more fashionable?"

A trace of playful amusement flashed across Gu Ting's eyes. He looked at the red-haired man opposite them, his thin lips parting slightly. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other."

Dongfang Cheng: ......

And here I was waiting for a compliment!

The red-haired man watched the two whispering figures, his expression darkening. Were they treating him like he didn't exist?

"Damn it! If you know what's good for you, leave your money behind!" The red-haired man spat his cigarette onto the ground, wearing a fierce and menacing expression.

These two out-of-towners looked loaded; they were prime fat sheep.

"Hahaha..." Dongfang Cheng burst out laughing. A robbery?

A fire of resentment burned in the red-haired man's heart. Were they looking down on him?

Then he would beat them until they cried for their daddies!

"Fuck it! Boys, beat them till even their own parents won't recognize them!"

Dongfang Cheng pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Brother Gu, shall we take them together?"

A sneer lingered on Gu Ting's lips as he prepared to make a move, when a clear, melodious voice rang out from behind.

"So noisy."

Dongfang Cheng's eyes lit up. Just judging by the voice, it was undoubtedly a beauty!

Under the streetlight, a young man and woman walked slowly forward. The girl possessed exquisite facial features; her palm-sized face was delicate and refined. Clad in a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts, her legs were remarkably long and shapely. She walked with a natural grace, her long hair drifting backward behind her shoulders. With a cold and aloof expression in her brows and eyes, she resembled a fairy who had descended into the mortal realm.

The youth following behind her was a head shorter, with delicate features and a hint of suppressed wildness between his brows.

"Oh ho! This chick is top-tier!" The red-haired man and his cronies stared, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

Gu Ting frowned. These people were utterly filthy.

"Little sister, this...?" Before Dongfang Cheng could finish his sentence, the girl had already rushed forward.

"My sister isn't saving you. You guys are simply being too noisy." The young boy appeared beside Dongfang Cheng at some point.

He glanced at Dongfang Cheng and couldn't help rolling his eyes. All flashy and gaudy, a total peacock.

Gu Ting's gaze landed on the girl. Her movements were crisp and clean, without a hint of hesitation or drag. Every punch landed squarely on her opponents' vulnerable spots, and within moments, the hoodlums were sprawled haphazardly across the ground.

"Get lost." The girl loosened her wrists, her gaze fierce.

The red-haired man didn't dare to linger for even a second, scrambling away in a panicked retreat.

"Zhong Yi, let's go." She glanced toward the spot where the young boy was standing, her gaze meeting Gu Ting's.

This man had been staring at her from the very beginning. She found it somewhat displeasing.

A wide smile bloomed across Zhong Yi's face as he trotted over hurriedly.

"Little fairy, thank you!" Dongfang Cheng hurried after them.

Shen Qing glanced at him. His yellow hair was aggressively conspicuous, and his peach-blossom eyes were long and narrow, currently narrowed into a squint that made him look every bit like a playboy.

"No need to thank me."

"Can I add your WeChat?" Dongfang Cheng blocked their path, his smile warm and courteous.

"No."

"Then I'll walk you back." Dongfang Cheng refused to give up.

Zhong Yi cast a sideways glance at him, looking as though he were examining a complete fool.

With a sister whose combat prowess was this insanely awesome, did she need anyone to walk her home?

"Let's go together. It might help protect... us." Gu Ting stepped forward, standing close to Shen Qing. Lowering his gaze slightly, he noticed the long shadows cast by the girl's eyelashes against the bridge of her nose.

Dongfang Cheng was rather astonished, staring at Gu Ting with sheer disbelief in his eyes.

To actually initiate a conversation with a girl? Had the iron tree finally blossomed?

Shen Qing shifted her gaze. The man beside her wore a very ordinary white athletic tracksuit, with the newest model of DL sneakers on his feet. His skin was very fair, and his features were handsome without looking effeminate.

"Suit yourself." Shen Qing raised her eyes and reached out to tug at the corner of Zhong Yi's shirt. Before anyone could react, she had already taken a step forward.

"Are you from Jiang City?" Dongfang Cheng asked.

"Mhm." Zhong Yi nodded.

"Brother Gu and I are here on a trip. Do you have any recommendations?"

"None."

Dongfang Cheng: ......

He let out a dry, awkward laugh. "Hahaha, this little fellow sure is aloof."

Gu Ting walked on Shen Qing's left side. Walking just a fraction closer, he could catch the faint, subtle fragrance lingering around the girl.

"Something the matter?" Shen Qing glanced at her sleeve, which was nearly brushing against Gu Ting, her brow furrowing slightly in mild aversion.

Gu Ting took note of the girl's subtle expression, his gaze pausing for a fraction of a second.

"How about adding me on WeChat? We're newcomers here and bound to run into some inconveniences." Gu Ting added the last half-sentence after a brief one-second pause.

Dongfang Cheng gasped aloud. Was this really Gu Ting, the guy he knew who was well-versed in every form of wining, dining, and gambling?

Zhong Yi curled his lip in disdain. What a pathetic excuse for wanting her WeChat!

Shen Qing shot him a sidelong glance and ignored him.

Perhaps the man's gaze was simply too intense, because Shen Qing grew increasingly impatient with being stared at the entire way.

She reached into the pocket of her denim shorts and pulled out an extremely thick mobile phone. Its brand was unrecognizable, but her hand was remarkably attractive—knuckle-defined and long-fingered.

"I'll scan you, just stop following me." As soon as Shen Qing finished speaking, Gu Ting extended his QR code with a smiling expression in his eyes.

Shen Qing curled her lip slightly. That was fast.

"Add me too!" Dongfang Cheng also pulled out his phone and opened WeChat.

"Sister, let's go." Zhong Yi took the phone back for Shen Qing and pulled her along, walking ahead.

Dongfang Cheng: ......

That little brat did that completely on purpose!

Gu Ting tapped accept on the friend request. The other person's avatar was a yellow Chinese rural dog baring its teeth at the camera.

"Brother Gu, give me the little fairy's WeChat ID too, won't you?" Dongfang Cheng sidled up to him with a cheeky grin.

"I earned this through my own capability. Why should I give it to you?"

"You've changed, doggo. Sob, sob, sob..."

"Get lost!"

*

The August sun was scorching enough to make one feel dizzy.

"Sister, the bus is here."

Zhong Yi watched the bus pull to a halt, fished out some loose change, paid for two tickets, and boarded to find seats by the window.

As soon as they sat down, Shen Qing opened a game on her phone while Zhong Yi pulled a palm-sized book from his backpack. Shen Qing glanced at it briefly without saying a word.

Shen Qing and Zhong Yi had spent half the morning on buses before finally reaching the Jiang City High-Speed Railway Station. Zhong Yi retrieved the two tickets using their ID cards, they grabbed a hurried lunch, and they finally arrived in Fancheng by six o'clock that evening.

Upon exiting the station platform, Shen Qing immediately spotted the sign being held up by the Yu family's representative.

"Miss?" The middle-aged man looked at Shen Qing's stunning face with a hint of uncertainty; she didn't look much like the master of the house.

"Mhm." Shen Qing nodded.

Confirming her identity, the housekeeper, He Zhong, let out a sigh of relief.

"Hello, Miss. I am the housekeeper sent by the master to pick you up. The master has a business dinner this evening and couldn't get away."

"It's fine. Let's go." Whether Yu Fei came or not was of no concern to Shen Qing.

"And your luggage?" He Zhong looked at Shen Qing, who wasn't carrying so much as a handbag, only noticing then that a young boy was following behind her.

"No luggage. This is my neighbor, Zhong Yi." Shen Qing briefly introduced Zhong Yi's identity.

He Zhong was momentarily stunned. A neighbor had tagged along to Fancheng as well?

Still, he maintained a warm, amiable smile. "Miss, please follow me."

He Zhong led the two of them to a black sedan. He opened the back door for Shen Qing, and judging that Zhong Yi was a young man no longer a child, he instructed him to sit in the front passenger seat.