Volume 4: Hidden Battles Chapter 69: Looking for Trouble

“Hehe, Third Brother, as soon as I log in tonight, I’ll bring you that ‘Star Thunder Cloud Skill.’ By the way, which amazing skill are you planning to teach me?”
Chu Tianyu pondered for a while before saying, “My sect has a peerless skill that can shock the heavens and move even the gods!” Hearing this, Bai Lei’s eyebrows nearly flew to the sky!
“The name of this skill is the Three Pure Ones Body Protection Skill!”
“Really? Then, can it allow me to walk on walls and punch so hard as to knock down a cow?” Bai Lei asked excitedly.
“Absolutely not! Its most important effect is to let you take a few more hits. After all, you just look like someone who deserves to get beaten…” With that, Chu Tianyu vanished in an instant.
“Damn it, don’t run, Third Brother! Stop right there! I’ll strangle you before you go…” Realizing he had been tricked, Bai Lei cursed in the direction Chu Tianyu had fled.
But later, after hearing Chu Tianyu’s explanation—that taking hits was more important than hitting others, and that practicing martial arts should start with enduring blows—Bai Lei didn’t argue. He seemed to have seen similar lines in many movies, so he just accepted it. Whatever, if it’s a divine skill, it’s a divine skill. From then on, the Chu family had another person who stayed around, freeloaded, and went to the garden every morning to sit in meditation.
Chu Tianyu, with his super set, found it easy to kill monsters and level up in the game, his level rising rapidly. Even Bai Lei was envious. Out of imbalance, he would often say, “Tsk tsk, you’re so lucky. I had to work hard back in the day…”
The winter break passed leisurely as the two teased each other. Of course, for Chu Tianyu, talking on the phone with Ouyang Ziyi before going to bed every night also brought him sweetness.
……
The winter break ended, and it was the first day of school. Beifu Campus became lively again—crowds flowing everywhere, the cafeteria bustling with noise, and faces full of festivity from just having celebrated the New Year—all conveying a sense of campus life and youthfulness.
The Four Heroes of Beifu gathered once more. As soon as they met, Chu Tianyu was grabbed by the tall Xu He and Bao Cai, who kept asking how he got his super equipment in the game. They were extremely jealous of his rapid level increase and insisted that Chu Tianyu should sacrifice himself by letting them fight him, so they could treat him to a big meal at noon to comfort their own fragile hearts, just like Bai Lei’s.

Bai Lei was overjoyed! Watching Chu Tianyu get taken for a ride, he pretended to be helpless, yet his sneaky eyes constantly revealed his schadenfreude! It took a while for Bai Lei to finish enjoying the scene. Then he stepped in to rescue Chu Tianyu and said, “Enough, enough! Stop troubling the third brother anymore. As far as I know, Chu Tianyu got quite a bit of New Year’s money this year. Let’s have a simple lunch and save our energy to have the third brother take us to a disco tonight to have some fun. What do you think?” With Bai Lei’s sneaky laughter, his proposal was unanimously approved by Xu and Bao Cai. Chu Tianyu, temporarily relieved, gave Bai Lei a meaningful look, realizing that this kid, having only practiced martial arts for a few days, already wanted to show off. Bai Lei was planning his next move, but seeing Chu Tianyu’s gaze, he felt a bit uneasy. He quickly turned away, pretending to chat with Bao Cai and the others, while also discussing which disco to go to and how to make Chu Tianyu have a great time. The first day of school was a wild day, and for Chu Tianyu, Bai Lei, and the others, it was an even more indulgent one. That night, the group of “delinquents” went to the so-called most chaotic yet happiest “Thunderstorm Disco.” They ordered a table and several cases of beer. Before they even started drinking, they were already caught up in the intense music in the bar, as if every cell in their bodies wanted to move to the strong rhythm. “Heh, Bao Cai really picked the right place. Not bad, not bad!” Bai Lei praised while scanning the surroundings, looking for some unsuspecting guys to practice on. “Of course! This is top-secret information I got after spending too long in the toilet because of constipation…” Before Bao Cai could finish speaking, he was kicked out by three people at once. As Bao Cai was kicked out, Bai Lei also rushed over, checking around to see if Bao Cai had knocked over anyone’s table or accidentally pulled down someone’s girlfriend’s clothes, anything that could cause trouble. Clearly, Bao Cai wasn’t very reliable—when someone like him fell to the ground, others would at most avoid him or take a quick glance. But Bai Lei wasn’t giving up and started walking around the place. He even headed towards areas with foreigners, hoping something would happen where Chinese people were bullied, so he could get a chance to act as a “angry youth” and satisfy his desire for revenge. After checking out the few areas with foreigners in the club, nothing happened as he had expected.

Disappointed, they had no choice but to set their sights on those noisy, arrogant guys. From time to time, they would approach them, provoking them with cold glances or deliberately bumping into their tables, but everyone else’s attention was drawn to the lively music and dancing, and none of them paid any attention to them…
“Third brother, isn’t something wrong with Second brother tonight? He seems distracted, constantly wandering around other people’s tables,” asked the tall Xu.
“I don’t know. Probably took the wrong medicine and is causing trouble for no reason!” Chu Tianyu replied, trying hard not to laugh.
“It’s good he’s not here. At least we don’t have to compete with him for food. Things here are really expensive—just a fruit platter costs over 200, and it only has a few pieces of rotten watermelon and apple slices!” Bao Cai said.
“Yeah, let’s eat quickly. After that, we can go dancing on the stage too. Come on, Bao Cai, stop eating alone! Let’s have some liquor from the bottle!” the tall Xu said cheerfully.
The group didn’t often come to places like this, and they grew bored after dancing for a short while, especially when they saw others bringing their sisters, drinking and playing games, filled with laughter—making them feel even more bored.
“It’s pointless. The beer here tastes like horse urine. It’s not even as good as in that small restaurant. Let’s get a few bottles of Erguotou and some small dishes. That would be way better than staying in this filthy place,” the tall Xu complained.
“Yeah, these popcorns and stuff won’t fill us up. They’re also extremely expensive. It’s way more affordable to get some braised pork,” Bao Cai agreed.
By then, Bai Lei had also circled the entire place three times and returned looking listless. He took a bottle of beer and started blowing on it.
“What’s wrong with you today, Second brother?” the tall Xu and Bao Cai asked simultaneously.
“Ignore me. I’m annoyed!” Bai Lei replied irritably.
“Since everyone’s unhappy, how about we go to another place to have fun?” Chu Tianyu suggested.
The proposal was unanimously approved. They decided to pay immediately and leave.
“How much is it?” Bao Cai asked in disbelief.
“Your total bill is 2,888. I’ve already given you a discount. You’ll actually only have to pay 2,880…” the cashier said with a smile, “gently” squeezing more money out of them.
“Damn, what did we eat that’s so expensive? Show us the breakdown!” the tall Xu pretended to be an expert and demanded.

Big Xu and Bao Cai compared each item on the bill one by one and finally identified the problem: the price of the beer. It was the small B-sized bottles. According to their estimate, it wouldn’t be a problem to have over a dozen bottles per person, with Bai Lei drinking less. So they ordered three dozen bottles in total, but when they saw the price tag, each bottle cost fifty yuan. Bao Cai was the first to shout, “Damn, how is this beer priced? Weren’t the prices on the list only twelve yuan per bottle?”
“Yes, yes, maybe the order was printed wrong?” Big Xu also asked.
“I’m sorry, sir. What you ordered are all the premium versions. The regular version is twelve yuan per bottle. Look, this is what you’re drinking…” The waitress then took out a premium bottle to show them.
“That won’t do. You didn’t mention this when we ordered. This is outright fraud!” Bao Cai protested.
“That’s right, fraud against consumers!” Big Xu added.
Originally, Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei didn’t really care much about the cost; they didn’t have such an idea about money. But as they argued, Bai Lei suddenly seemed to remember something, his eyes shining and drool flowing…
Seeing Bai Lei’s expression, Chu Tianyu knew what he had in mind and was about to pay quickly and leave. Then Bai Lei shouted excitedly, “Damn, it’s fraud! Then we definitely won’t pay, and we refuse to pay at all!” He even added incitingly to Big Xu and Bao Cai, “Don’t you agree?”
“Yes!”
“Of course!”
“Sir, if you keep this up, I’ll…” The waitress hadn’t finished speaking when Bai Lei interrupted excitedly, “Do you need to call your security? You must have security here, right? If so, call them right away! If your security doesn’t come, we won’t pay!”
Not only was the waitress stunned by his question, but Big Xu and Bao Cai were also confused, not understanding when Bai Lei had ever been so brave and bold.
Seeing Bai Lei’s expectant look, the waitress finally reacted and said, “You… are you here to cause trouble?”
“Yes, stop wasting time and call your security quickly!” Bai Lei urged.
Pushed by Bai Lei, the waitress, nervous, followed his tone and shouted, “Security! Security! Oh, no—guards! Someone’s causing trouble!”
Although the waitress called the wrong people at first, she was efficient. Soon, they were surrounded by seven or eight burly men, all with thick faces and imposing appearances.

The leader, wearing a gray felt hat and quite large in build, saw that it was just a few teenagers and asked disdainfully, “What’s going on? Are these kids causing trouble?”
The waitress quickly replied, “Yes, Brother Hui. It’s just them and some ruffians who came looking for a fight!”
Upon hearing this, Brother Hui frowned and scanned the group before snapping, “Oh? Which kid dares to be so bold?”
Without hesitation, Bai Lei puffed out his chest and stepped forward, saying, “Damn it, it’s me…” As he spoke, he suddenly threw a punch at Brother Hui’s face out of nowhere.
To be honest, Brother Hui had been in the underworld for years but had never encountered someone who, surrounded by these strong men, would still dare to attack suddenly. Fortunately, he was trained; despite Bai Lei’s surprise attack, he managed to dodge by tilting his head just in time, the punch grazing his cheek and causing intense pain.
This made him even angrier. He, Brother Hui, had never suffered such a loss—being hit in the face by a kid! He reacted quickly, shouting furiously, “Beat them to death! These fools have gone mad!”
As he spoke, he kicked Bai Lei. At that moment, Bai Lei was still reeling from his own successful attack. Throughout his life, he had never been at the forefront and taken the initiative like this—it was exhilarating!
Moreover, this conflict was exactly what he had long desired and worked hard for, so he decided to make the most of it, using the protective skills he had just learned. He shouted, “Hit me! Hit me… ah…”
With that last cry, Bai Lei really did “ah…” as Brother Hui’s kick landed squarely on him.
Even as he fell, Bai Lei remained conscious enough to say, “Damn it, I still haven’t had luck…” before passing out from the pain.
Chu Tianyu could have saved Bai Lei, but no amount of reasoning from him would have been as convincing as this lesson. It was better to teach him a lesson now, before he gained more strength and caused bigger trouble.
Seeing the fight start, the tall Xu also threw punches at the two men approaching him. Bao Cai, sensing danger, tripped himself and fell next to Bai Lei.
Watching those who claimed to be there to “keep order” rush at him, Chu Tianyu sighed bitterly, “What the hell is this? They’re really looking for trouble!”

Thinking this, Chu Tianyu secretly observed the situation. The tall Xu could still handle two opponents, and the two lying on the ground weren’t in any immediate danger either. Alright, today was the perfect chance to take advantage of Bai Lei stirring up trouble and have a good fight with them.

Chu Tianyu then suppressed his strength, mimicking an ordinary person’s power. He met the incoming punch head-on while stepping aside at the same time, using his other elbow to strike instantly…

…

The first group of guests to arrive at the school infirmary at the start of the new semester were the Four Heroes of Beifu. The most injured was, of course, Bai Lei. However, after examination, aside from some soft tissue damage on his stomach and a bruised foot, he didn’t have any other serious issues—just might need to use the restroom a few more times.

As for the tall Xu, under Chu Tianyu’s casual protection, he only needed a couple of bandages on his fists. Chu Tianyu, on the other hand, exerted effort to make his face show slight bruises, just to give the impression that he was also hurt…

Of course, the first group class of the new semester became a topic of discussion among them. The tall Xu bragged about how he had taken down three or four “enforcers” by himself, while Bao Cai occasionally talked about how he discovered flaws in the bill, argued his case, and then used his wits to avoid his enemies’ attacks. Bai Lei, the most frustrated one, just held his stomach and stayed silent, only occasionally saying, “Hey, does anyone else have toilet paper? I need to go again!”

The eternal topics among boys are fighting, games, and girls. Soon, their conversation shifted to their respective girlfriends—who someone had dated recently over the winter break, and who someone else had just broken up with…

Chu Tianyu was enjoying the conversation too, but suddenly Bao Cai diverted the topic to him with his rude remarks: “Pfft, what’s there to talk about with those dinosaurs of yours? Our Number Three is the real deal—he’s got the school’s most beautiful girl now, right, Number Three? Don’t tell me—I even got to shake her hand because of him! Hey, it’s a large class today—why isn’t she here? Number Three, where’s your beautiful Li?”

Chu Tianyu had already searched the crowd and was wondering why. He had called her since the New Year, but her phone had been off the whole time. In fact, he hadn’t been in touch with Li Rou since the holidays.

Seeing that Chu Tianyu didn’t answer right away, everyone thought he was holding back. After a bit of teasing, they changed the subject.

After finally waiting until after class, Chu Tianyu wanted to ask a few of Li Rou’s classmates, but suddenly realized that all his interactions with her had been one-on-one, mostly on the playground or in the library. Their conversations were always about reading experiences. At that time, Chu Tianyu hadn’t thought much of it and simply regarded Li Rou as a friend. It was only with the introduction of Ouyang Ziyi that he began to see their relationship in a different light.

To be honest, he knew very little about Li Rou—let alone her roommates or classmates. As he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a argument. Looking over, he saw Wang Shengyi and Zhou Yun.

Chu Tianyu was overjoyed. Right! Zhou Yun seemed to live with Li Rou and her friends, so she should know something. How had he not thought of her earlier?

He quickly walked over to them, ignoring Wang Shengyi’s desperate explanations about why he hadn’t kept in touch, claiming he had his reasons. He no longer looked as arrogant as before; instead, he appeared haggard and exhausted.

Chu Tianyu certainly knew Wang Shengyi’s “reasons.” To deal with someone like him and his father, just one phone call would suffice!

“Excuse me, Zhou Yun. May I ask why Li Rou didn’t come to class today?” Chu Tianyu interrupted directly.

Already angry, Zhou Yun snapped, “She’s dead!”

Chu Tianyu was shocked. He grabbed Zhou Yun’s hand and asked excitedly, “What? What did you say?”

“Ow! It hurts!” Zhou Yun cried out.

“Damn it, Chu Tianyu! What the hell are you doing? Let go… Ah…”

Before Wang Shengyi could finish speaking, Chu Tianyu roared, “Get lost!!!” and punched him, knocking him to the ground.