Chapter Thirty-Five: Liu Xuan

Chapter Thirty-Five: Liu Xuan

The firewood boy knelt on the ground, too frightened to utter a sound. When he heard Zhuo Nan ask him, he immediately spoke up, “Big brother, my friend’s name is Wang Yu…”

“Damn it, Wang Yu again.” Zhuo Nan cursed under his breath, unconsciously applying more pressure with his hand.

The blond-haired boy let out a cry and promptly fainted from the pain. Seeing that the kid had passed out, Zhuo Nan loosened his grip on the blond’s broken finger and said to the firewood boy, “What are you staring at? Hurry up and get your boss to the hospital. Damn it, I’ll cover the medical expenses…”

The three of them didn’t dare ask for the money. Hearing Zhuo Nan’s words, they quickly helped their leader up and rushed out of the cold drink shop.

Zhuo Nan clapped his hands with an expression of ease and pleasure, but the young girl behind him was not as calm. With a conflicted look, she said, “Classmate, you’ve gotten yourself into trouble. These guys are quite influential near Sixth High School and have extensive connections. If they fight, they can call on dozens of people. I suggest you leave quickly. If they bring reinforcements, you won’t be able to escape.”

Hearing this, Zhuo Nan was somewhat grateful and smiled. “It’s fine. That blond’s finger is broken. Even if they reattach it at the hospital, it will take two or three hours. Looks like they won’t be bothering me today. As for tomorrow, they won’t have the chance—I’m not a student at Sixth High.”

The girl relaxed upon hearing this, but then added, “But your girlfriend is still at Sixth High, right? They might still cause trouble for her. These punks are like stubborn stickers.”

What she said made sense; after all, Fu Xinxin was still studying there. Zhuo Nan suddenly remembered something—he was transferring to Sixth High too. He could properly deal with the blond and his gang then. With this thought, he said, “Thanks for your concern, but I’ll handle it.” He pulled out a hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to the girl. “This is for the pearl milk tea, and also for those four scumbags. I paid for them.”

The girl smiled and waved her hand. “No need. You helped me today, so consider it my treat.”

Zhuo Nan said, “That’s too kind. Besides, those four didn’t even pay. How much did you have to cover? Keep it.”

The girl chuckled, “It’s nothing, just a little money. Seeing you beat them up was satisfying. Treating you once is no big deal.”

Since she insisted, Zhuo Nan couldn’t be fussy. He put away the bill and glanced at the time. “Alright, thank you. It’s getting late; I’ll go pick up my girlfriend. Goodbye.”

Outside the cold drink shop was the gate of Sixth High School. By now, students were slowly streaming out. Zhuo Nan stood at the gate, looking inside for Fu Xinxin’s figure. Soon, he saw her holding the hand of a girl as they walked toward the gate. Watching their affectionate gestures, Zhuo Nan thought, “The little girl has already made good friends at Sixth High.”

Fu Xinxin’s outfit remained simple: a pink T-shirt that highlighted her ample chest, which perfectly lifted the Garfield printed on it. Zhuo Nan thought, “After six months of touching, Xinxin’s development is quite remarkable.” A sly smile crept onto his lips. Since the semester started and they were at different schools, seeing her required an appointment, and without a fixed meeting place, Zhuo Nan hadn’t enjoyed the sight of Xinxin’s “little treasures” for a long time. Thinking this, he began to plot—if necessary, he’d buy a place just for their mischievous rendezvous... Heh heh.

Fu Xinxin wore light-colored jeans—not designer, but paired well with the T-shirt. On her feet were a pair of unknown brand sneakers. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, swinging side to side as she walked, drawing many boys’ gazes.

The girl beside Xinxin was delicate and lively, with shoulder-length hair and fair skin, her features exquisite like a doll’s. Her clothes showed she wasn’t from a wealthy family either. Like Xinxin, she wore a T-shirt, but hers was clearly oversized and ill-fitting. The shirt bore the name of a company—an advertising shirt. Yet Zhuo Nan noticed two small bulges beneath it and thought, “Wow... is this girl trying to be too avant-garde?” She wore ordinary black pants and rough cloth shoes, revealing her poor family background. Suddenly, a wicked thought popped into his mind: “Is she not wearing underwear?”

Fu Xinxin didn’t notice Zhuo Nan at the gate; with so many students leaving, their view was blocked. Suddenly, a voice called her name. She turned toward the sound—who else but Zhuo Nan.

Fu Xinxin’s face brightened, but at the gate, she restrained her excitement well, acting nonchalant as she pulled her friend toward Zhuo Nan.

At first, Zhuo Nan blended into the crowd, not standing out much. The nearby students just thought he was handsome. But when he called out, two girls immediately approached him, sparking fury among the boys who thought, “Pretty boy…”

When they recognized who it was, the boys felt even more frustrated. The guy who called out was none other than Fu Xinxin’s boyfriend, the new first-year school beauty at Sixth High. The boys wished they could tear Zhuo Nan to pieces on the spot. Fu Xinxin, the new school beauty, had many admirers—secret and open—and the line of suitors stretched from the gate all the way to the football field.

Yet this guy called her once, and she obediently walked over, making the boys feel the world was terribly unfair.

Fu Xinxin led the girl next to her to Zhuo Nan’s side, clearly excited. “Zhuo Nan, what are you doing here? Didn’t you say we’d meet on Sunday?”

Zhuo Nan chuckled softly and said warmly, “I missed you, so I came to see you…” If the blond and the others were nearby, they’d probably complain, “Big brother, why weren’t you this gentle with me earlier?”

“Annoying…” Fu Xinxin responded, just like in middle school, always replying “annoying” when hearing Zhuo Nan’s sweet words. Then she remembered her friend and quickly introduced her. “Zhuo Nan, this is my classmate, Liu Xuan.”

Zhuo Nan smiled and reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Liu Xuan.”

Liu Xuan was very gracious, smiling as she shook his hand briefly before pulling back. Then she turned to Fu Xinxin and said, “Xinxin, no wonder you don’t have a boyfriend at school. You actually have such a handsome one. I’m so jealous…”

A rosy blush appeared on Fu Xinxin’s cheeks as she pretended to be magnanimous. “If you want him, I’ll give him to you.”

Liu Xuan quickly waved her hand and stepped back two paces. “No way… You keep him.” Then she said, “Alright, I have to go to work. Xinxin, see you tomorrow.” She waved and headed in the opposite direction.

Watching her walk away, Zhuo Nan feigned anger. “You’re quite close, huh? You’re willing to give me away to her? Looks like I haven’t disciplined you for a long time—are you itching for it?”

Fu Xinxin quickly pleaded, holding Zhuo Nan’s hand with a pitiful look. “Husband, don’t be mad. I won’t give you away to anyone else again, okay?”

Zhuo Nan rested his chin on his hand, pretending to think, then looked at her lasciviously, “I won’t be mad, but you have to make it up to me.”

Of course, Fu Xinxin knew what he meant. She coquettishly said, “Annoying.” Then added, “Husband, not today. It’s late, and I have to go home and cook.” Seeing Zhuo Nan frown, she quickly said, “How about Sunday? We can go to the cinema.”

“That’s more like it…” Zhuo Nan laughed and took Fu Xinxin’s hand as they walked toward the roadside to hail a taxi home.

After waiting two minutes without a taxi passing by, Fu Xinxin said, “Forget it, husband, let’s take the bus.”

Zhuo Nan didn’t mind; he just found taxis more convenient. Since luck wasn’t on their side this time, they decided to take the bus.

As they headed toward the bus stop, someone called out Fu Xinxin’s name from behind.

Fu Xinxin turned quickly to see another girl from her class, panting heavily as if she had run a long distance. Fu Xinxin rushed over to support her and asked with concern, “Wu Yue, what’s wrong? Why are you so anxious?”

Wu Yue’s face was filled with worry. “Fu Xinxin, something happened! Liu Xuan was stopped over there…” She pointed toward the direction Liu Xuan had walked off.

Without hesitation, Fu Xinxin let go of Wu Yue and ran toward where Liu Xuan was. Zhuo Nan was confused but followed. Wu Yue said Liu Xuan was intercepted, probably by some local punks, which explained her panic. They hurried to the scene.

When they arrived, they saw Liu Xuan surrounded by three men. One was a middle-aged man in his forties, short, dark-skinned, and extremely sleazy in appearance. His clothes didn’t look like those of a criminal, but the two men beside him wore all black, clearly signaling they were gangsters.

The middle-aged man grabbed Liu Xuan’s hand and snarled, “Where’s the money? If you don’t have it, you’ll have to work for these two big brothers here.”

“Let go of me! I won’t give you money even if I have it, you beast…” Liu Xuan’s forehead was dotted with sweat from pain, but she struggled fiercely.

Many onlookers gathered, including a few men who looked like teachers. Sadly, they just stood by coldly watching.

The man’s face darkened at Liu Xuan’s insult. He shouted, “You little brat! How dare you talk back? I’ll beat you to death…” With that, he raised his hand and slapped Liu Xuan hard across the face…