Chapter Fifty-Six

“Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to take advantage of me? If you keep this up, I won’t be your friend anymore.” Lin Zimo pouted at Yu Xingyue, her voice childishly petulant. Yu Xingyue mimicked Lin Zimo’s childish tone and replied, “Oh dear! I don’t want people accusing me of bullying children.”

Lin Zimo pinched Yu Xingyue’s arm, making him yelp, “Ow!” Lin Zimo retorted, “You’re still joking around with me? I’m being serious! Who taught you to be this bad, huh?”

“No one. I think I’m pretty normal, so why would I need to imitate anyone? Maybe this is just my unique charm,” Yu Xingyue replied, feigning innocence. Lin Zimo stomped her foot in frustration, caught off guard by such an answer. She was tempted to pinch Yu Xingyue’s lips to shut him up, but he always said a lady should act with grace and not resort to violence.

“If you say another word, I might just strangle you. But since you’re paying for this meal, I’ll let you off this time.” Lin Zimo turned away from Yu Xingyue and began eating with gusto. Once her anger subsided, even the food seemed tastier.

Yu Xingyue also stopped joking and started to eat in earnest. He was so hungry that even five skewers in a row didn’t satisfy him. Watching Yu Xingyue eat, Lin Zimo thought he had no right to criticize her; his own table manners were hardly gentlemanly. But that was understandable—this was just a casual meal, not a formal occasion.

Halfway through, Lin Zimo asked Yu Xingyue a question out of curiosity. “I heard from Chen Siyu that you brought a girl to her shop to buy clothes the other day. Is that true?”

“It is,” Yu Xingyue replied, taking a sip of water. “My mom gave me that task, so I had to see it through. It’s tough to make her happy, but it’s been fine lately—she’s actually easy to get along with.”

“Easy to get along with? Siyu told me that girl might be your future sister?” Lin Zimo pressed.

Yu Xingyue nodded. “I’m not sure yet. It all depends on whether my mom and Uncle Sun’s relationship develops. If it works out, she wouldn’t just be my sister—I’d have to start calling Uncle Sun ‘Dad’.”

“Um…” Lin Zimo hesitated, then fell silent.

“Just say what you want to say. Don’t start and then stop halfway,” Yu Xingyue said impatiently.

“Do you like that girl?” Lin Zimo asked.

“You mean Sun Ying, that little troublemaker? You’re awfully strange, asking such weird questions. What, are you hoping I’ll end up with her?” Yu Xingyue fired back, leaving Lin Zimo flustered.

She shook her head quickly. “No, I just mean—do you have feelings for her?”

“I have brotherly feelings for her, sure, but I’d never cross that line. Why are you so nervous? Do you have feelings for me?” Yu Xingyue teased.

“Pfft! Who has feelings for you? I’m just concerned about you, that’s all.” Though she denied it, her face was bright red.

As they were chatting, Yu Xingyue suddenly felt his pocket lighten. Turning around, he saw a man’s hand reaching into his pocket. Reacting instantly, Yu Xingyue pinned the man to the ground.

With a hint of anger, Yu Xingyue scolded, “Really? Stealing in front of all these people—aren’t you ashamed? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?”

The would-be thief tried to resist, but Yu Xingyue gave him no chance. No matter how he struggled, Yu Xingyue easily restrained him. But Yu Xingyue had underestimated the situation. He thought it was just a lone pickpocket, but soon a burly, greasy man arrived, flanked by eighty or ninety men, surrounding Yu Xingyue and Lin Zimo.

The overweight, oily man sneered, “You’ve got some moves, kid, but you picked the wrong people to mess with.”

“So these are your little thieves? No wonder they’re so useless, just like you—fat and stupid,” Yu Xingyue taunted. The greasy man almost snapped, while Lin Zimo grew wary, sensing a fight was about to break out.

“Let my little brother go out of respect for me. Just treat him like a dog and let him off,” the greasy man said.

Yu Xingyue smirked. “You think I’d let a wolf return to the mountains? I don’t think so. He can spend a few days at the police station—Zimo, call the police.”

As Lin Zimo reached for her phone, she was stopped and her phone snatched away. The fat man threatened, “Are you going to let him go or not?”

“Why should I let a thief go? What, do you want to join him at the station?” Yu Xingyue laughed with scorn.

Irritated, the greasy man lost patience and barked, “Boys, take this kid down a peg or two. Let’s see if he’s still so cocky.”

His men surged forward, dragging Yu Xingyue out to give him a beating. But no matter how hard they hit, Yu Xingyue barely seemed to notice, yawning as if bored.

Lin Zimo watched in astonishment. How could Yu Xingyue take such a beating? No normal person could stand up to that. Why wasn’t he hurt?

Now it was Yu Xingyue’s turn to fight back. The blows he’d received had merely warmed up his muscles—now, it was his time to shine.

“That felt great. Now I’ll show you what a real fight looks like.” Without another word, Yu Xingyue landed a swift kick to one thug’s head, knocking him out cold.

Seeing this, the rest of the thugs rushed at him, trying to overwhelm him with numbers. But they forgot about Lin Zimo, whose skills were not to be underestimated.

“A fight? Count me in. It’s been ages since I’ve done this,” Lin Zimo grinned, her smile striking fear into their hearts.

The greasy man leered, “You’re a pretty girl. Why not come keep me company instead?”

Lin Zimo shot him a murderous glare. “I’ll deal with your men first. Then I’ll come for you. Let’s see if you’re still so smug after that.”

Standing back-to-back, Yu Xingyue asked, “You alright, Zimo?”

“No problem. Five each?”

“Of course. Let’s see who finishes first,” Yu Xingyue replied with a grin.

“Let’s do it!” Lin Zimo was the first to move, Yu Xingyue right behind her. Each of them took on five opponents. Lin Zimo wanted to throw them all over her shoulder to teach them a lesson, but lacking the strength from not training for a while, she instead relied on her martial arts skills to deliver blows to their abdomens.

She quickly dispatched her five adversaries. Though they only suffered hits to the stomach, none of them could stand. She turned to check on Yu Xingyue.

What she saw stunned her—Yu Xingyue’s moves were swift and precise, as if he’d received professional training. Even more shocking was that he used a technique she recognized: the Scattered Strike!

Lin Zimo’s mind reeled. “The Scattered Strike! How does he know that move? Is he really just the lazy Yu Xingyue I thought he was?”

Yu Xingyue’s Scattered Strike left the thugs reeling. None of them lasted more than three seconds before collapsing, unable to rise.

Wiping the dust from his pants, Yu Xingyue grumbled, “Damn, these pants are brand new and now they’re filthy.”

Looking around, he realized the greasy man had vanished without a trace.

“You sure run fast. Next time I see you, you won’t get off so easy.” With that, Yu Xingyue walked over to Lin Zimo and helped her up, asking with concern, “Are you alright?”

Supported by Yu Xingyue, Lin Zimo finally relaxed, her legs turning to jelly. “Thank goodness they’re all down, or I’d be the one on the ground right now.”

Yu Xingyue gently rubbed her stomach. “Do you want to go home or get checked at the hospital first?”

Lin Zimo shook her head. “I can’t stand the smell of hospitals. Just take me home.”

Without hesitation, Yu Xingyue swept her up in a princess carry. Lin Zimo’s cheeks flushed scarlet—this was the second time Yu Xingyue had held her like this, and she couldn’t describe the feeling in her heart. Before leaving, Yu Xingyue didn’t forget to settle the bill. Afterwards, he carried Lin Zimo away, drawing envious looks from the couples nearby. What a perfect pair they seemed, though none knew they were not a couple at all.

When they reached the motorcycle, Lin Zimo was surprised. “I didn’t expect you to be a biker too.”

“Is that a problem?” Yu Xingyue asked, puzzled.

“Senior Lin Ling also rides a bike—I saw her once.”

“When I accelerate, you’d better hold on tight. I don’t want you flying off,” Yu Xingyue said with concern.

“I’m not made of paper, you know. I’m not that light.”

“I’ll put you down first. Let me get on, then you hop on behind me. Make sure you wear your helmet,” Yu Xingyue reminded her.

“Got it.”

Yu Xingyue set her down, mounted the bike, handed her a helmet, then put on his own. Lin Zimo donned her helmet and climbed on, wrapping her arms tightly around Yu Xingyue’s waist as instructed—she still remembered how Senior Lin Ling’s driving had terrified her.