Chapter 15

The monkey-faced youth shouted at Liu Jinglong, “Brother Long, let’s fight them to the end!” Then he charged at Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong remained motionless. When the monkey-faced youth was within a meter, a kick flew from the side, hitting the “monkey-faced” man right in the face. The impact of the kick, combined with the force of the original blow, was unimaginably powerful. The monkey-faced man cried out in pain and fell to the ground. It was Gao Qiang who delivered the kick; without saying a word, he kept kicking the fallen man.

The continuous screams of the monkey-faced man struck like hammers against Liu Jinglong and every one of his men’s hearts, causing cold sweat to flow down their foreheads. Looking at the fallen monkey-faced man, Liu Jinglong said, “I only heard that Brother Dong was ruthless, but today I see it’s true!”

Xie Wendong replied, “I’ve never been lenient with my enemies!” Liu Jinglong shouted, “Since you guys came to No. 1 Middle School, I don’t think I’ve ever provoked you. Why are you doing this to me?”

Xie Wendong sneered, “In a forest, only one tiger is allowed. If another appears, it becomes an eyesore and a thorn in the side. If I don’t strike you first, you’ll strike me eventually! That’s why the Black Dragon brothers must disappear! Now you’re my greatest enemies!”

Liu Jinglong was also a tough guy. Realizing he couldn’t avoid this fight today, he decided to go all in and shouted, “If you’re really someone, have a one-on-one fight with me. If I lose, I’ll let you do whatever you want. If you lose, let us go. How about that?”

Xie Wendong laughed, “Haha!! You have no right to make demands now. You’re just a trapped beast.” With that, he waved his hand, and everyone understood what the leader wanted—they rushed forward. Liu Jinglong and his men were buried under the crowd.

Gao Qiang brought over a chair for Xie Wendong to sit on, standing beside him to watch the chaos while also protecting Xie Wendong in case things got too dangerous. Xie Wendong sat on the chair, crossing his legs, tapping his fingers on the armrest, with a smirk on his lips. Dozens of people were fighting among themselves, with the sounds of breaking and screams blending together. Humanity had completely vanished here; people were swinging their weapons like mad, attacking their own kind. At that moment, the small restaurant was no different from hell. Blood stained the ground red. The chaos in the restaurant lasted less than ten minutes before everything fell silent. Liu Jinglong and his brothers lay on the ground, covered in blood, their fate unknown.

“Carry them out and clean up the place,” Xie Wendong said. He stood up, and the brothers outside unlocked the door. Xie Wendong and his group stepped outside. Breathing in the fresh air, Xie Wendong let out a long sigh. He Haoran rushed after them, grabbed Xie Wendong, and asked loudly, “Where’s my sister?”

Xie Wendong pushed away the hand holding his clothes and said in confusion, “Your sister isn’t here with me. How would I know where she is?”
Huo Haoran’s eyes turned red upon hearing this, and he shouted, “Xie Wendong, do you have any integrity? You’re not a man!”
Xie Wendong chuckled, ignored Huo Haoran, and turned to leave. Huo Haoran tried to chase after him but was stopped by others and couldn’t move, so he could only shout insults. From afar, Xie Wendong’s voice came through: “I respect you as a real man. I hope you’ll come to see me tomorrow and fight alongside me.”
“Xie Wendong, how dare you wear a human face! What have you done to my sister?” Huo Haoran struggled violently again, but several people held him tightly. Li Shuang walked over, patted his shoulder, and said, “Brother Dong already sent your sister home.” With that, the group released him and ran in the direction of Xie Wendong.
Huo Haoran was stunned for a moment before rushing home. When he pushed open his sister’s door, he saw her sitting on the floor, holding a large doll, with many other stuffed animals scattered on the bed. Seeing her brother return, she rushed at him and said loudly, “Brother, your friend is so kind! They bought me so many pretty stuffed animals! They even took me skating!” Since Huo Haoran’s family relied on his father’s meager earnings to support their schooling, it was already a huge burden. Although he knew his sister loved stuffed animals, they really couldn’t afford them!
Seeing his sister’s joyful face, Huo Haoran sighed deeply and thought to himself, “Xie Wendong, what kind of person are you really?”
Just a week after school started at No. 1 Middle School, the Heilong Brothers’ Gang suffered unknown attacks, leaving its leader Liu Jinglong and his key members seriously injured and hospitalized. Without a leader, the gang disbanded. The day after its dissolution, the organization led by Boss Gao also announced its breakup. At this time, the Wendong Club emerged suddenly, quickly gathering scattered members, growing to hundreds in number, and intimidating schools everywhere. Students spread rumors about the Wendong Club, and Xie Wendong’s fame spread far and wide.
Meanwhile, the underworld in City J saw new turmoil. A mysterious organization called the Tiger Gang rose suddenly, backed by substantial financial resources, and engaged in constant conflicts with the three major underground gangs. It was said that the Tiger Gang had Russian criminal forces as its backing and set up branches across Northeast China to engage in smuggling. Later, the leader of one of the three major gangs, the Axe Gang, was killed after being stabbed 37 times in a confrontation with three young men while on a visit to his hometown. The Axe Gang fell into chaos, and its territory was fiercely contested by other gangs. Urban warfare erupted again in City J.

On Sunday, the sky was clear and sunny. The commercial district of City J was packed with people. Having saved up their energy from the week, they finally got to go out and enjoy themselves, with smiles on everyone’s face.

Xie Wendong had planned to sleep in at home, but the phone rang just after 7 o’clock. His father came into his room and pulled the sleeping boy up, saying, “Wendong, wake up quickly! It’s your phone!”

Wendong came out of his room, still groggy, muttering, “The person calling better have a good reason, or I’ll beat them half to death!” He picked up the phone and said loudly, “Hello? Whoever you are, better have a good reason!”

A sweet voice came from the other end of the line, “Hehe! Who made our Brother Dong so angry that he’s so furious?”

Hearing this voice, Wendong’s irritation vanished instantly. He said embarrassedly, “Ah! It’s Sister Yu. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you! Hehe, what do you need from me?” “It’s Sunday today. It’s so boring at home. Come shopping with me!” “I see! Alright, what time?” “The sooner, the better. You just woke up, right? How about 8 o’clock?” “Okay! Where should I meet you?” “Hmm… let’s meet at the entrance of Qiulin Building. What do you say?” “OK, no problem!” “Then it’s settled. Don’t be late! I’m not patient!” “Got it, miss. I’ll be on time!” “Alright, that’s it. Bye, see you later!” “Bye!”

Wendong rushed to the bathroom and finished washing his face and brushing his teeth in under five minutes. He returned to his room, put on his school uniform, and said to his father, “Dad, a friend wants to go shopping with me. I’m leaving now!” His father replied, “Come back early!” “I know!”

Wendong took the bus to Qiulin Building. Checking his watch, he was relieved—it was only five minutes to 8 o’clock. Standing at the entrance of the building, he looked around, but there were so many people; all he could see were heads of all sizes. He thought, “With so many people here, how am I going to spot Gao Huiyu?”

Just as he was worried, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Turning around, he saw Gao Huiyu with a smile on her face. She was wearing a pinkish-white dress that made her look even slimmer and more mature. Wendong was delighted and asked curiously, “Sister Yu, how did you find me?”

Gao Huiyu laughed and said, “Don’t you know you stand out?”

Wendong scratched his head and said, “Sister Yu, don’t joke. How do I stand out?”

Gao Huiyu laughed and said, “Silly guy, you’re the only one wearing a school uniform on the street on Sunday! You don’t even realize it!”
Xie Wendong looked around and indeed, he was the only one in a school uniform, giving him a stand-out appearance. “Haha! I always wore this when I went out before. I never thought it would lead to such a joke!”
Gao Huiyu pulled him along and said, “Come on, let’s go. I’ll buy you some clothes to wear. It’s too embarrassing for you to stand here next to me like this!” With that, she took Xie Wendong into the Qiulin Building.
Xie Wendong shook his head helplessly and said as they walked, “I still think wearing a school uniform is both comfortable and gives me energy.” “Forget it, stop being so old-fashioned. Wearing the same set of clothes all day—you’re not bored, but I am!”
Gao Huiyu and Xie Wendong spent a long time choosing, eventually picking out a set of casual clothes from ROBINHOOD. After putting them on, Xie Wendong looked much more lively. Gao Huiyu was very satisfied with the set and kept nodding in approval. Xie Wendong himself didn’t feel much of a difference, but since Gao Huiyu liked it, he went to the counter to pay. By the time Gao Huiyu looked over, Xie Wendong had already paid and returned. Seeing her unhappy expression, Xie Wendong asked curiously, “Sis Yu, what’s wrong?”
Gao Huiyu snapped, “Didn’t we agree I’d buy them for you? Why did you go and pay by yourself?”
Xie Wendong laughed and said, “It doesn’t matter who pays. Since it was you who picked out the clothes, consider it as if you bought them for me!”
Gao Huiyu pouted and said, “How can it be the same? Go return the clothes, and I’ll buy them again!”
Xie Wendong was overwhelmed and pleaded, “Sis Yu, how about you treat me to dinner later? I’m much more interested in food than clothes, haha!”
After thinking for a moment, Gao Huiyu said, “Alright, I’ll treat you to a big meal later!” Xie Wendong quickly agreed. Then the two started shopping. They shopped from after 8 o’clock until 12 o’clock, which gave Xie Wendong a deeper understanding of shopping. Gao Huiyu, who usually seemed average in strength, had surprisingly good stamina while shopping in the mall. Even Xie Wendong, who often ran to school, was amazed and felt inferior. They just looked at things, tried them on, said they were fine, and then left. Finally, Xie Wendong saw a row of chairs in the mall and sat down on them, refusing to move no matter what. Annoyed, Gao Huiyu kept calling him useless. Xie Wendong simply closed his eyes, showing an indifferent attitude as if he wouldn’t move no matter what. In the end, Gao Huiyu, still not satisfied, had no choice but to compromise and go eat with Xie Wendong.

After dinner, Gao Huiyu suggested going to a disco. Xie Wendong didn’t want to go at first, but seeing Gao Huiyu’s enthusiasm, he had no choice but to agree. The two went to a disco in the city center, where the lights were dim and the loud music was deafening. Xie Wendong found the drumbeats incredibly intense, almost making his blood boil. He thought to himself, No wonder fights happen so often—listening to this music is like taking stimulants.

Gao Huiyu led Xie Wendong to a corner and asked loudly, “Wendong, what would you like to drink?” Due to the loud music, Xie Wendong also shouted, “I’ll just have a Coke!” Gao Huiyu nodded, went to the bar, and got two cups of Coke. After sitting for a while, she pulled Xie Wendong to dance. When they reached the center of the dance floor, Xie Wendong felt dizzy from the flashing lights after dancing with Gao Huiyu for a while. He said something to her and returned to their seat. While drinking Coke, he watched Gao Huiyu dancing on the floor. Now, she gave off a different vibe—less innocence, more wildness. Her tight dress emphasized her slender figure, making her look alluring. Her long hair fluttered in the air, surrounding her like black silk. With the intense movement, her face turned red, and her beautiful figure became the brightest sight in the room.

As Xie Wendong was absorbed in the scene, a few young men approached Gao Huiyu, surrounding her and laughing loudly, talking about something unknown. Xie Wendong was too far away to hear clearly, but seeing Gao Huiyu’s angry expression, he understood what was going on. Sighing, he walked over to her.

Gao Huiyu, trapped by the young men, tried to call for Xie Wendong but turned to see him approaching. She smiled sweetly at him and said to the young men, “I’m not in the mood to play with you. My boyfriend has come; get lost!” The young men were stunned by her sudden smile and her instant beauty, not paying attention to what she said next. Xie Wendong came up behind them and coughed loudly, but they didn’t react. He had to tap one of them on the shoulder before the man snapped out of it, turning around and asking, “What the hell are you doing?” Xie Wendong pointed at Gao Huiyu and said, “She’s my friend!” His words finally caught their attention. They sized him up, and one of them said, “Kid, we just wanted to hang out with your pretty friend. If you’re smart, get out of the way! Otherwise, don’t blame us if we get rough!” Xie Wendong sneered, “If you disappear right now, I can ignore what you just said as nonsense. I won’t bother you.”

“Go to hell! You haven’t even grown your hair out yet!” “Kid, are you trying to act tough with us?” “Stop talking and beat him!” Xie Wendong’s words angered them all. Seeing that he was young, somewhat thin, and alone, they didn’t take him seriously at all and moved to attack him. At the thought of showing off their strength in front of a beautiful woman, their blood boiled with excitement. Seeing their intentions, Xie Wendong knew a fight was inevitable. Glancing at Gao Huiyu, who was sticking out her tongue at him, he thought to himself, “True, beauty brings disaster!” Since a fight was inevitable, he couldn’t hesitate. Before the others could get ready, he kicked the young man on his left. The man didn’t expect the seemingly weak boy to attack first and, caught off guard, was kicked in the abdomen by Xie Wendong, letting out a groan before stepping back. Seeing that Xie Wendong had struck first, the others rushed at him. The onlookers, used to fights in this area, stood by as experienced spectators. Gao Huiyu stood not far from Xie Wendong, watching him with concern. Xie Wendong bent to dodge a punch, then grabbed the opponent around the waist, raised his head sharply, and slammed his forehead into the opponent’s jaw. The man swayed and fell to the ground, unable to get up. Although he had knocked one opponent down, he was kicked hard in the back, causing Xie Wendong to wince in pain. Another person kicked at him, but Xie Wendong, not wanting to engage further, dodged and grabbed their foot, pulling them backward. The man lost his balance and fell, and Xie Wendong stepped forward and kicked him hard in the face. The man fainted before even having time to scream, his nosebone deeply embedded in his face.