Chapter 13: The Counterattack of the Tall, Rich, and Handsome

  “Forget it, forget it, it’s just a camera, let’s just say a dog took it away.” Gao Qi was quite magnanimous. After hearing Zhang Yang’s explanation, she just felt a bit sorry about the things that were in that camera—if those photos were posted online, Bai Liangfeng would be finished. A picture of his bare ass would definitely make the rounds.

  “Come on, big sister will take you for a CT scan.” Gao Qi looked at the bump on the back of Zhang Yang’s head and clicked her tongue. “Damn, it looks like a steamed bun. That Bai Liangfeng kid hits hard. But seriously, that guy’s barely over one-seventy—how the hell did you let him snatch your camera and beat you up on top of that?”

  “Don’t mention it. When bad luck hits, even drinking water makes you choke.” Zhang Yang had a dark look on his face. If Xu Danlu hadn’t been holding him down, even two Bai Liangfengs wouldn’t have been enough for him to beat up.

  Zhang Yang had no plans to go for a CT scan. He knew exactly how he was doing, and besides, the system hadn’t warned him of any life-threatening danger. Besides, what if the scan showed that monster inside his head—wouldn’t they think it was a brain tumor and cut it out?

  Hearing Zhang Yang say he wouldn’t go for a CT, Gao Qi grew uneasy and insisted on dragging him to the hospital. Helpless, Zhang Yang pleaded, “Big sister, please spare me, I know my own body.”

  Gao Qi couldn’t win against him and finally said, “Alright then, but if you feel anything off, you must tell me. From today on, you’re considered half an employee of Qingyuan Hotel. I’ll have someone prepare a temporary contract for you. Your pay starts tonight—but I’ll give you two days off.”

  Getting paid before even starting work? Zhang Yang’s eyes narrowed immediately. Not bad at all. Still, he pretended to protest, “This… this doesn’t seem right.”

  “Right, my ass! Move it.” Gao Qi’s big boobs bounced as she waved her hand, looking ready to smack him.

  “Heh heh!” Zhang Yang was only saying that to be polite. The moment she said so, he got ready to go.

  “Wait!” Before he reached the door, Gao Qi suddenly thought of something and called him back. “You’re going back like that?”

  Zhang Yang chuckled and turned around. “Oh right, it’s so dark outside, maybe I should just stay here.”

  “Get lost!” Gao Qi cursed, then her face turned serious as she looked at Zhang Yang. “I almost forgot, since you don’t have those photos of that scumbag Bai Liangfeng anymore, he’ll definitely retaliate against you without restraint.”

  Zhang Yang shrugged and replied with a smile, “Doesn’t matter. He’s hated me for a while now. One more reason doesn’t change a thing.”

  “It’s my fault for not thinking this through.” Gao Qi looked a bit guilty. “The Bai family’s influence is huge, and Bai Pharmaceuticals is even a partner of the College of Chemical Engineering. I’m afraid they might use the school’s resources to get back at you.”

  “Now that you’ve said that, I’m starting to worry too. What should I do? I’m already in my senior year… just one more year and I can graduate.” Zhang Yang put on a pitiful face. “If they kick me out, I’ll just follow you from now on.”

  Gao Qi had been genuinely worried, but when she saw Zhang Yang’s expression, she realized she’d been played. She huffed and turned away. “Alright, alright, I was being serious, and you’re acting like it’s none of your business. Fine, I won’t care anymore.”

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  “Heh heh, I know you’re just worried about me, Senior. But don’t worry, I know exactly how Bai Liangfeng operates. If he wants revenge, he’ll do it violently…”

  “Violently?” Gao Qi’s face tensed up again. “No way, really? …But you might be right, or he wouldn’t have brought those street thugs to smash your stall.”

  “Yeah, they say anger makes people stupid. I didn’t even think about the camera getting snatched at the time…” Zhang Yang looked gloomy, then glanced at Gao Qi again and sighed, “Anyway, what’s done is done. Talking about it won’t help. I’m heading out.”

  Seeing Zhang Yang about to leave, Gao Qi looked uneasy. “You’re just leaving like that? I feel kinda guilty. How about… is there something I can do for you?”

  “Do something for me…” Zhang Yang grinned. “You said that yourself?”

  Gao Qi didn’t think much of it and nodded. “Mm, as long as it’s within my power.”

  “Heh! Then no need to strain yourself.” Zhang Yang squinted at the generous curves on her chest, looking embarrassed as he pointed to her cleavage. “How about… you let me touch here for a bit…”

  “Pervert! Get out!”

  “Uh… didn’t you say anything within your power?”

  A moment later, at the hotel entrance, Zhang Yang—bruised and swollen—looked back at the Qingyuan Hotel sign with a regretful expression and muttered to himself, “Why won’t people believe I just wanted to do it for the future of mankind? No sense of mission!”

  ****

  The next day, Zhang Yang was literally yelled awake by Lu Su.

  “Damn, you’re something else! Didn’t know you had it in you! You even dared to hit on that ungrateful wolf’s chick?”

  Rubbing his eyes, Zhang Yang looked at Zhou Wei, confused and innocent like a rabbit. “What do you mean?”

  “What do I mean?” Zhou Wei glanced toward the dorm door, then moved his big ass over to Zhang Yang’s bed and plopped down with a thud. Staring at Zhang Yang, he grinned lewdly. “You sly bastard, playing dumb now? Xu Danlu is downstairs waiting for you. She said she needs to talk to you.”

  “Xu Danlu?” Zhang Yang rubbed his temples, thinking, What does she want? She’s not here to thank me, is she?

  “Damn, pull your pants up and stop pretending! Hurry up and get down there.” Zhou Wei practically shoved Zhang Yang out of bed.

  Still half-asleep, Zhang Yang did find Xu Danlu downstairs. She was wearing a tight black T-shirt and a denim mini-skirt—probably the most conservative outfit she owned. Even so, her curvy figure and pretty face drew lustful stares from the horny guys around Lake Building Four.

  “Finally! What took you so long?” Seeing Zhang Yang, Xu Danlu’s face looked tense. Before he could even step out of the dorm entrance, she rushed in and grabbed his arm, pulling him outside.

  The guys on the first floor who were sitting around in their boxers playing cards instinctively covered their balls. Damn, this girl’s in a hurry! Dragging a guy out of the male dorms like that?

  “Come on, hurry!” Xu Danlu didn’t care about the weird looks around her, dragging Zhang Yang straight toward the south gate.

  “What’s going on…” Being pulled by Xu Danlu’s soft hand gave Zhang Yang a strange feeling inside.

  “That… that Bai Liangfeng gathered a bunch of street punks to come after you,” Xu Danlu said breathlessly as she half-ran, half-panted.

  “Bai Liangfeng? Oh!” Hearing that, Zhang Yang actually relaxed. “If it’s on campus, I’d like to see how tough he really is.”

  Zhang Yang had expected Bai Liangfeng to retaliate, but Meining University’s campus security was generally good. Street thugs had entered to cause trouble before, but never anything too serious. So Zhang Yang figured, at worst, they’d rough him up a bit—as long as he wasn’t ambushed off-campus, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

  Xu Danlu stopped and frowned at him. “On campus? Do you even realize they’re carrying knives? Bai Liangfeng even said that if they kill you, he’ll take the blame. You…”

  “Knives?” Zhang Yang frowned and stared at her. “How do you know that?”

  Xu Danlu bit her lip, turned her head away, and said softly, “I called him this morning.”

  “You two sure have a complicated relationship.” Zhang Yang frowned even more. Judging from last night, it was clear that scumbag wanted to force himself on her—so why the hell did she call him today?

  Could it be she’s throwing herself at him again?

  “It’s not what you think! I… I called him this morning to tell him it’s over between us, and then… then he thought it was because of you. Anyway, don’t ask. He threatened over the phone to kill you. I heard him calling someone named Ah Xiong—it sounded like some big local thug. Anyway, listen to me, hurry to the South Gate police station.”

  Xu Danlu spoke incoherently, but Zhang Yang finally got it. She’d called Bai Liangfeng to break up, but he thought it was because of Zhang Yang. Add last night’s humiliation on top of that, and the bastard snapped—now he wanted Zhang Yang dead.

  As for that Ah Xiong, his full name was Chen Tianxiong, a real local thug. Zhang Yang didn’t know if he was part of an organized gang, but the guys who smashed his stall before worked for him. They were brutal, and if Li Jindong hadn’t stepped in for him back then, Zhang Yang might’ve ended up crippled.

  A wise man knows when to back down. If Bai Liangfeng was just bringing a few school thugs, Zhang Yang might’ve faced them head-on. But against real street punks? He wasn’t some martial arts master or gun-toting badass. Hiding was his only option.

  So Xu Danlu dragging him to the South Gate police station was definitely the best move. Even the toughest thugs would think twice about causing trouble there.

  From Lake Building Four to the South Gate police station, they had to pass by Peony Lake. The two walked along the left side of the lake for a short while before they saw a group of seven or eight punks blocking their path. One of them, a guy with a mohawk, was none other than the thug nicknamed Ah Gou—the one who had smashed his stall three times before.