Chapter 14

One sentence scared He Haoran—this man’s tone was so arrogant. With a cold sneer, he said, “Brother Dong’s bold words are admirable, but I’m afraid I can’t help with this matter; there’s nothing I can do!”
Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “You can help. As long as you bring Liu Jinglong and the key members of the Black Dragon Brotherhood here, that will be a huge help to me!”
He Haoran’s expression changed, and he snapped, “Is this why Brother Dong invited me here?!”
Xie Wendong replied, “You’re smart. You shouldn’t need me to explain it clearly!”
He Haoran stood up, glaring and shouting, “Forcing me to betray Brother Long and the brothers in the Brotherhood? That’s absolutely impossible! Even if you kill me, I won’t do it. Brother Dong underestimates me greatly!”
Xie Wendong smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Sit down, sit down. Don’t get so agitated. I believe you can do it!”
He Haoran plopped down on the chair, glanced at Xie Wendong, closed his eyes, and stopped talking. Seeing his reaction, Li Shuang got angry and shouted, “Act like a big idiot! I…” But upon seeing Xie Wendong’s gaze, Li Shuang didn’t dare say anything more.
Xie Wendong said softly, “I know your mother passed away early, and it was your father who raised you. You have a sister in the eighth grade, right? She’s very cute. You don’t want anything to happen to her, do you??” As he spoke, he took out a small jade pendant from his pocket, holding it by a red string and shaking it continuously.
Hearing Xie Wendong mention his sister, He Haoran opened his eyes. When he saw the jade pendant in Xie Wendong’s hand, he quickly stood up and stepped forward. But after just two steps, Li Shuang and the others pinned him to the ground, preventing him from moving, as he shouted, “Xie Wendong, I swear to God, what have you done to my sister?”
Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “She’s safe now. My brothers are protecting her well! But it’s only temporary. Her safety depends on your actions!”
He Haoran shouted, “Xie Wendong, what kind of hero are you? If you’ve got guts, come at me! Don’t touch my sister!”
Xie Wendong stood up, walked over to He Haoran, and crouched down beside him, looking at the man pinned to the ground. He said, “There’s one mistake I need to correct for you. I’m not a hero. Remember this clearly—I’m a scoundrel! Your sister is in my hands, and anything could happen. Do you want to save your sister or your friends? I’ll give you time to think it over!”
He Haoran forced out two words through his teeth: “Monster!”
Xie Wendong wasn’t angry. He waved at Li Shuang and said, “Let him go! One night is enough time for him to think.”

Li Shuang and the others released He Haoran, who stood up and stared at Xie Wendong, saying, “Where is my sister? I want to see her!”
Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “That’s not possible. You can go now. By the way, it’s best if you don’t call the police. If you do, your sister will disappear without a trace. And you won’t be able to produce any evidence that it was me who did it! You have only one night to think it over. Give me an answer by tomorrow noon, or I can’t guarantee your sister’s safety. Remember, go now!”
He Haoran wanted to say more, but Li Shuang and the others pulled him away. On his way home, tears streamed down He Haoran’s face. He knew that his sister, who was four years younger than him, had suffered a lot since losing their mother. He couldn’t let her get hurt under any circumstances—absolutely not…
After He Haoran left, Xie Wendong sighed in relief and smiled at everyone, saying, “Let’s go see our little guest!” Everyone laughed. As they left the restaurant, Gao Qiang found the owner and gave him 500 yuan, telling him to come back the next night. The owner smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly.
Xie Wendong and the others went to Xinxin Billiards Hall next to No. 2 Middle School. Several people were standing outside. When they saw it was Xie Wendong, they all bowed and said, “Hello, Brother Dong!”
Xie Wendong nodded and asked, “Is the girl okay?”
One of the guys with a sad expression said, “She’s fine—full of energy, still active until now. Brother Dong, look at my face—this is her masterpiece!”
Xie Wendong took a closer look and saw four bloodstains on the guy’s face. He laughed, patted his shoulder, and walked into the billiards hall. Li Shuang pulled his head and laughed, saying, “You’re really unlucky!” The other guy looked aggrieved.
When Xie Wendong entered, Sanyan was sitting on the ground, smoking boredly. Seeing Xie Wendong, he stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and asked anxiously, “Brother Dong, how did it go? Did her brother agree?”
Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “That guy is very loyal. I gave him one night to think it over. If nothing goes wrong, there should be no problem!”
Sanyan asked, “What if he’s determined not to agree? What should we do with the girl?”
Xie Wendong laughed and said, “He won’t refuse. I’ve checked on him these past three days—he really loves his sister! If he really refuses, haha… then the girl can be your wife! I think she’s pretty okay too!”
Sanyan blushed at Xie Wendong’s joke and lowered his head, saying, “Brother Dong, stop teasing me!”

Xie Wendong said, “Let’s go, take me to see that girl!” Sanyan nodded and went inside with Xie Wendong and the others. As soon as they pushed open the door, a large pillow flew at them. Sanyan was startled and quickly grabbed it. There stood a little girl around fourteen or fifteen years old with big eyes, hands on her hips, shouting loudly, “You bastard who looks like Erlang Shen, let me go now! Otherwise, when my brother finds out, he’ll beat you to death!”
After hearing this, Sanyan’s eyes widened in shock as he shouted, “Get off my bed! Oh no! My bed! How dare you step on it in your shoes!? You…” He strode over, ignoring the girl’s surprised expression, picked her up by the waist, and threw her to the ground, heartbroken as he watched his bed get trampled mercilessly.
The girl got up, patted her bottom, ran behind Sanyan, and kicked him hard. “You shameless bastard, how dare you hit me! I’ll kick you to death, I’ll kick you to death…” After kicking him once and seeing no reaction, she kicked him several more times, becoming more and more confident with each kick.
Suddenly, Sanyan turned around, his veins bulging on his forehead. “I’m going to kill you, you little demon!” Seeing Sanyan’s murderous gaze, Li Shuang quickly stepped forward and hugged him. “Enough, enough! Why get so angry over a little girl?!” Hearing Li Shuang’s words, Sanyan calmed down and sat on the bed, panting heavily.
Xie Wendong smiled, thinking that this girl was truly extraordinary—few could make Sanyan so angry. With that thought, he laughed heartily. “What a great show! It’s a shame it’s over so quickly.”
The girl looked at the laughing boy, who seemed only a couple of years older than her and not scary at all. Gaining courage, she asked loudly, “Why are you laughing? Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose your teeth from laughing so much?”
Xie Wendong smiled at the girl and said, “Mm! Not bad. Much better than your brother! But girls should be more gentle. Otherwise, who will dare to be your boyfriend?”
The girl asked in surprise, “Do you know my brother?” Xie Wendong nodded. “I do! Your brother told me to treat you well. We’ll take you wherever you want to go!” Gao Qiang quickly interjected, “Brother Dong, that’s not possible…”
Xie Wendong interrupted him, saying, “It’s fine.” Then he turned to the girl and asked, “So, where do you want to go?”
The girl’s eyes sparkled as she said, “I want to go roller skating!”

Xie Wendong was taken aback; he didn’t know how to do this sport. With a laugh, he said, “Brother Zhang, I think among us, you’re the best at roller skating. Go with the girl! I have something to do, so I’m leaving first!” After saying that, he waved goodbye to everyone and went home, leaving Sanyan stunned, along with Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, who were grinning mischievously aside.

“Is it that funny? Fatso, why do you seem to be laughing the most?! “No way, Brother Sanyan! Gao Qiang is laughing too—why didn’t you say anything? Ahhh—stop grabbing my ears!” Li Shuang’s screams came from the inner room, along with the girl’s innocent giggles.

The next day, Xie Wendong left home early, stopping by Sanyan’s place first before heading to school. As soon as he arrived at school, He Haoran called him to the woods. Xie Wendong was prepared and asked, “Brother, have you made up your mind?”

He Haoran frowned and resolved himself, saying, “Yes, Brother Dong. At 6 p.m., I’ll take Long… Brother Long and the others to a restaurant. I hope Brother Dong will keep his word and release my sister!”

Xie Wendong replied, “Don’t worry about that. As long as you can really do it, I’ll release her without hesitation!”

He Haoran sighed in relief and asked, “Is my sister… is she okay now?”

Xie Wendong smiled and said, “She’s fine. Don’t worry about that. I’m not someone who breaks promises!” With that, he walked away from the woods. “I hope you’re someone who keeps his word too. Don’t disappoint me!” He Haoran stood there in the woods, his heart in turmoil. To protect his sister, he had to betray a friend. For someone who valued loyalty, the pain must have been unbearable.

At noon, Gao Huiyu came to invite Xie Wendong out for lunch, and he gladly agreed. This made Li Shuang feel displeased. Muttering to himself, he said, “Why hasn’t anyone invited me to eat too?” His deskmate heard this and winked at Li Shuang, saying, “Deskmate, let me treat you to lunch!” Li Shuang turned around, his face turning green. Losing his appetite, he quickly said, “Thank you, thank you. I’m not hungry at all! Ugh~~~” “Oh no, why are you vomiting? Let me rub your chest!” “……”

That evening, in a small restaurant near No. 1 Middle School, Xie Wendong, Li Shuang, and the others were in the back room, waiting for He Haoran to bring them the people. As 6 p.m. approached, Li Shuang grew impatient and asked, “Brother Dong, that kid He Haoran can’t be playing tricks on us, can he?”

Xie Wendong shook his head. “No. I’m sure he’ll come. His eyes won’t lie to me!” Just then, one of his subordinates rushed in, saying, “Brother Dong, He Haoran has brought a few people!”

Xie Wendong’s eyes lit up, and he shouted, “You all know what to do, right?!” “Yes, Brother Dong!”

“Okay, after today’s battle, the Black Dragon Brotherhood will never be found at No.1 Middle School again!” “Roar~~~”
Outside the restaurant, He Haoran brought Liu Jinglong and others there and said, “It’s this place. The food is really good! I’ll treat everyone today!”
Liu Jinglong laughed and said, “What’s the matter? Did you get rich? When have you ever paid for meals before? Come on, let’s see if the food is as good as Haoran says!” The group entered the restaurant one after another, with He Haoran walking last, his face eerily pale. But Liu Jinglong didn’t notice at all; he never imagined his brother would push him into a trap.
Once inside, they chose a large table and sat down. Someone shouted loudly, “Boss, we have guests! Come out quickly!”
Xie Wendong came out from the back room, smiling and asking, “What would you all like? I don’t have any wine or dishes, but I do have some sticks and knives. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste.” Those words were like a thunderclap, leaving the restaurant dead silent.
A boy with a monkey-like face stood up, glanced at Xie Wendong, and spat, “Damn it, who the hell are you to talk nonsense here? If you want to die, I’ll make it happen for you!”
Xie Wendong’s smile grew even wider and sweeter. Without saying a word, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, no less than thirty people rushed out from the back room, with another dozen coming in from outside. The door was closed and locked from the outside, and even the windows were barred shut. The entire restaurant became like a prison, with no way out from inside.
Liu Jinglong quickly realized what was happening. He stared at He Haoran in disbelief and said, “Haoran, you… you actually betrayed me?” “Brother Long, I’m sorry!” the latter whispered, so softly that not even he could hear himself.
Seeing He Haoran’s state, the others also understood. The boy with the monkey face kicked He Haoran in the stomach. “Damn you! Brother Long was so good to us, and you betrayed him. Are you even human? You beast!”
He Haoran knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. “Brother Long, I’m sorry! Once I save my sister, whatever you want to do to me—hit me or kill me—just do it!”
Liu Jinglong ignored He Haoran and said to Xie Wendong, “I’ve suffered a defeat today. Let me know—who are you?”
Xie Wendong chuckled. “You’re not as smart as your brother! At No.1 Middle School, I’m not under Gao Laolei’s control. Who else could I be?”
“Xie Wendong!”
“That’s right, it’s me. Today, I just wanted to discuss with Brother Long how to dissolve the Black Dragon Brotherhood.”
Liu Jinglong’s expression changed. “Brother Dong, I’ll stay and accept your punishment, but I hope you’ll release the other brothers!”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “That won’t work. I’ve put in so much effort just to help all of you top students succeed at No. 1 Middle School. Hehe, Brother Long is sensible too; I won’t say much more!”