Chapter 56 - The hero saves the…
This chapter is brought to you by Jay~ Thank you!
In the morning of the second day, You Liangxing got up early as per usual. However, perhaps due to being overly concerned, his stable as Mount Tai of a biological clock was affected and he woke up half an hour earlier.
In the end, You Liangxing and Ah Sheng had agreed to meet at six o’ clock in the evening, and the time slowly stewed towards the late noon. When it was three, You Liangxing got ready and left the house. There was no need to mention it but he had been rather absent-minded throughout the day and he constantly fell into a trance as he was doing things.
Although the coffee shop that they had agreed upon was a fair distance away from his house, it was without a doubt that You Liangxing had left too early, considering how he had reached the place an hour early. After searching the streets for a bit, he managed to find the coffee house which was decorated in a minimalistic Northern European style.
The café was located on the side of the street and its long glass windows were facing the alleyway outside. There were not many vehicles passing by and the surroundings were quiet, and it was a good place to relax and chat.
You Liangxing could not help but think: why did he suggest meeting here? Was it because Ah Sheng had been here before? Or was it more accurate to say that the coffee shop was a stone’s throw away from Ah Sheng, and Ah Sheng’s hotel was close by?
You Liangxing was about to enter the coffee shop when he paused as he was pushing the door open.
Although it was a little embarrassing, it was indeed a fact that he had arrived too early...
You Liangxing’s thoughts took a turn, and he promptly decided to wander the streets instead. The stores that lined the street was not few, and he chanced upon a candy shop as he was walking, causing him to come to a stop.
Perhaps because the human traffic in this street was sparse, the shop clerks was especially hospitable towards You Liangxing. The two ladies stood by You Liangxing’s side and asked in an intimate manner: “Hello, may I ask if you’re interested in certain sweets?”
You Liangxing knew little regarding sweets as a person who rarely ate them. He hesitated for a little before he replied, “I don’t know, I’m picking it for a gift.”
When the soft voice that was akin to a girl’s landed, the two shop clerks showed stunned expressions, and they did not reply as they continued to stare at him for a long time. Afraid that they had heard wrongly, they scrutinised him once more to confirm that it was indeed the same person. After coming back to their senses from their muddled state, the pair pasted smiles on their face as they said: “Ah, if it’s meant to be a gift, please come this way.”
As they spoke, the clerk’s eyes would occasionally fall on You Liangxing’s face. Not only did they find You Liangxing to be exceptionally attractive, their mien was filled with an indescribable excitement.
“The packages here are beautiful in appearance, they taste good and girls usually like them. If you look over there, there are samples too, you can try them if you like.”
When the word ‘girls’ was mentioned, You Liangxing paused. He wanted to explain but it was not worth the trouble so he shut his mouth instead. He scanned the candy on the counter carefully: they came in a myriad of bright colours and it was elaborate and pretty; indeed, it was suitable for young girls.
However, You Liangxing inexplicably felt that it complemented Ah Sheng’s character.
Small Sweet Heart, wasn’t it similar to this?
You Liangxing picked a sweet that had a pink wrapping and placed it in his mouth. Upon entry, it had a crisp taste and biting into it yielded a strong strawberry flavour. Intuitively, You Liangxing thought that Ah Sheng would like it.
“Do you want this?”
You Liangxing nodded, and the two clerks were beaming as they said: “We’ll wrap it up for you.”
The clerks in the candy store were very efficient, and quickly, they were done wrapping. After You Liangxing had finished paying, he walked out and the clerks expressed regret at the same time, wondering why he hadn’t spoken another sentence.
Just then, You Liangxing suddenly looked over his shoulder, “Thank you.”
The clerks bowed hastily, “It’s fine, you’re welcome!”
Even though they said that, the hands that they were hiding behind their backs were wrung together tightly, desperately repressing their excitement.
As You Liangxing pushed the door open to exit the store, he heard a faint scream coming from behind him. The sound came too abruptly and it made him scratch his head and look back in puzzlement. However, his question went unanswered and he could only raise an eyebrow before he made his way back to the coffee shop at a leisurely pace. The time they were scheduled to meet was extremely close.
Ten minutes left.
You Liangxing entered the store and found a seat. After he was done ordering, he tucked the sweet behind him and tapped on his WeChat, entering the chat he had with Ah Sheng. He typed: — I’m here.
One second later, the other party sent a message.
[Ah Sheng]: — Ah Sheng will arrive by your side in five minutes.
You Liangxing quirked a brow and did not manage to respond before Ah Sheng stated: — Liang Liang, how do we recognise each other?
You Liangxing paused lightly. Yes, they might have agreed to meet but they have never exchanged information regarding each other’s characteristics, and that included what they would be wearing today.
You Liangxing replied: — You speak.
[Ah Sheng]: — I’m holding a tin of Small Sweet Hearts, you’ll be able to see me in a glance~
A male holding a tin of pink sweets was indeed very conspicuous. Although You Liangxing was cognizant of the fact that the other party had yet to arrive, he could not help but gaze in the direction of the door.
With the angle he had, he would see Ah Sheng with one glance the moment he came in.
[Ah Sheng]: — What about you?
You Liangxing replied: — I’ll beckon.
[Ah Sheng]: — Hmm?
You Liangxing explained: — When I see you, I will wave.
If he were to wave, he would recognise You Liangxing instantaneously, but on the same side of the coin, if You Liangxing did not wave, Kang Shengzhe would not discover who he was.
[Ah Sheng] sent him a smoking expression: — Does this depend on how good-looking I am?
You Liangxing smiled slightly and made no move to reply. Ah Sheng stopped cracking jokes with him as well, perhaps out of the awareness that with each sentence he said, the appointed time would draw closer. The atmosphere was being stretched taut for no reason, and after two seconds, Ah Sheng replied: — Wait for me.
You Liangxing: — En.
After he typed his one-word reply, he placed his phone down and his gaze fixed itself on the street outside the glass window. From time to time, his eyes would stray to the door. Lifting his cup, he even took several sips of his coffee in every passing minute but the feeling of being stifled did not fade.
It was just two men meeting, why was he being so nervous?
Nervous... He sighed.
Looking out of the long glass window, You Liangxing noticed that there was a crowd gathering. Suddenly, he froze, line of sight pulled by the people in the alleyway.
Originally, there was only one person in the alley and due to the distance, it was hard to perceive their appearance, and the only impression he had was that the person was very tall. Just as You Liangxing was studying him, four to five people suddenly appeared behind the subject in question and one of them was holding a sack, going as far as to jumping to put the sack over the person’s head.
Perhaps stemming from the fact that the person was too tall, the person with the sack did not expect that their attempt would meet with an unexpected failure. His accomplices were visibly surprised as well, and they went straight to business, kicking the person down before beating him up.
You Liangxing could not resist the urge to stand up as he watched the beaten man struggle to his feet in order to run out of the alley. Before he could run a few steps, he was surrounded and kicked down again, and even despite being a distance away from You Liangxing, the noise that the commotion made was loud. Within a moment, the entire coffee shop looked over in shock.
A barista happened to walk past You Liangxing, and he pulled her to a stop, saying: “Hurry up and call the police.”
The beating occurring outside was too disruptive and loud, and the situation was dire. The barista did not have the energy to pay attention to You Liangxing’s voice. She scrunched her eyebrows and stuttered out, “I, I don’t dare, dare to report it.”
What do you mean you don’t dare to reportit, You Liangxing scowled. Seeing his expression, the barista burst into tears. It was unclear whether she was afraid or anxious as she blabbered out her explanation: “Regarding these matters, we don’t dare to interfere because the people outside are scoundrels who are allowed to run rampant since no one governs this area properly. They are used for black handed purposes and if we were to report their activities to the police, they will find trouble with our shop later. We don’t have a choice; we are only a small shop...”
You Liangxing stilled and looked out of the window again, only to see that the person surrounded did not even have the slightest strength to retaliate because he had been beaten to the ground first. And as he was at the receiving end of his assailants’ punches and kicks, he could only hug his head to protect it from harm. However, the scoundrels did not show him a shred of mercy, and You Liangxing discerned with crystal clarity that many of these punches were aimed directly for his face.
During You Liangxing’s scrutiny, the several scoundrels halted their violence and the barista next to him heaved a sigh of relief. However, these scoundrels suddenly yanked the person on the ground up, and as several people restrained him, they poured something into his mouth.
You Liangxing did not hesitate anymore, dialling for the police as he rushed out of the door at the same time.
This could no longer be considered as meddling in someone’s business; using a sack could be justified with personal enmity but pouring a substance into someone’s mouth and ganging up on the person was another issue altogether. If it were to really harm the victim’s body, it was a responsibility that no one could afford to bear.
You Liangxing quickly dashed into the alley, and the picture in front of him became clearer. The person’s jaw was being pinched, and in the midst of his struggle, a substance would be poured down his throat intermittently.
You Liangxing rushed over and kicked down one of the assailants, and while his opponents were caught unaware, he snapped out another leg.
Different from the stories told about a hero saving a beauty, there were no chances to talk during an actual fight. You Liangxing kicked away two scoundrels in a swift manner, and immediately went to support the person who had been beaten down.
Since the situation occurred too suddenly, You Liangxing did not have the time nor luxury to properly estimate the person’s weight. Despite trying to tug the person up after exerting strength, he did not manage to pull the person up.
He was very heavy.
You Liangxing shouted, “Get up!”
The raised volume made his voice sound delicate and tender, and in the time where the dim light of the night was encroaching with its murky quality, it sounded particularly abrupt. The small window of opportunity to run closed, and the remaining scoundrels pounced on You Liangxing.
Scoundrels who lurked these alleyways would never come empty-handed and You Liangxing saw a wooden club swinging in the direction of his head with no hesitation while harbouring every intention to harm.
A dull thud rang out in the air. The tall and large man who had been beaten down and channelling all his willpower to protect his head, suddenly stood up and hugged You Liangxing’s shoulder, using his back to block the incoming hit.
The sound of the wood impacting flesh made You Liangxing’s expression sway for the worse, and he seized the opportunity to punch the scoundrel who had landed the previous hit. Then, he pulled the tall man and ran outside.
The punch that You Liangxing executed was not layman; there was a method present in how he hit people and the punch was aimed for the scoundrel’s lower jaw to maximise the shock factor. Thus, the scoundrel’s body slanted and he collapsed to the ground without the ability to even groan or curse because he immediately passed out.
His ruthless move made the others pause. Even though You Liangxing took their intended target away to escape, no one from the alleyway gave chase.
They barely got away.
Pulling on the person’s arm, You Liangxing ran down the full stretch of the street, and he only opted to stop when they reached the bend of it. The sky was still relatively bright. After sprinting the entire way, You Liangxing was slightly breathless in spite of his physique, and the person behind him was worse off as he bent down to pant.
You Liangxing turned his head, asking, “Are you all right?”
Upon hearing You Liangxing’s usual, steady voice questioning him, the person who was bending over noticeably stiffened. After a short while, the person lifted his head, and stared at You Liangxing deeply.
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