Chapter 62 Provocation

Based on Xu Yannuo’s years of experience being bullied and later retaliating with fights, the looks these people were giving were definitely not the casual glances of strangers. It was obvious they had a grudge, were holding back anger, and looking to pick a fight.

However, those individuals were all wearing the uniforms of No. 2 High School. Most of her past conflicts had been with vocational high school students, along with a few from her junior high. But those junior high classmates had worse grades than her and couldn’t possibly have gotten into No. 2 High School. So if they weren’t targeting her, then it must be…

Xu Yannuo withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Ciyi, who was sitting lazily and leisurely across from him.

Not her, then is it him?

It shouldn’t be. He’s so weak—what reason would anyone have to hold a grudge against him? Besides, seeing how relaxed and completely at ease he is sitting there without a hint of panic, it doesn’t seem like he could be involved in anything.

Maybe all the top students at No. 2 High School look at people like that, or perhaps I just saw wrong. Xu Yannuo stopped staring at the people at the front tables. She went to the fridge by the door to get two drinks, and when she returned and sat down, picking up the bottle opener hanging on the table to open the drinks, the three people from the opposite table finally had their fill of staring and walked over. Xu Yannuo frowned and stood up, but maybe because she was too short or something, the three of them seemed not to notice her at all, heading straight for Chen Ciyi. What are they doing? Planning to rob him in public? They really know how to pick on the weak.

Xu Yannuo walked over, “What are you guys up to?”

The boys across noticed Xu Yannuo, then turned their gaze to Chen Ciyi, sneering mockingly, “Well, well, Chen Ciyi, you’ve grown some backbone after transferring schools, now relying on a girl to back you up.”

Damn, it really is because of him!

So it’s something he stirred up before transferring? Then what exactly did he do? And with him being so weak, what kind of trouble could he possibly have caused?

Xu Yannuo glanced at them, then looked at Chen Ciyi. This guy remained unfazed, still maintaining his lazy and carefree demeanor from before, his long legs stretched out as he looked at his phone. It wasn’t because he was too scared to lift his head—rather, he showed no awareness of being threatened, as if the three people across from him, glaring and ready to throw punches, were nothing but air.

The guy at the front of the opposing group had arrogantly picked a fight, but the other side didn’t even respond, like a punch hitting thin air. Especially since there were quite a few students from No. 2 High School eating nearby at this hour, and his loud commotion had drawn their attention. Yet, the other side still ignored him, making him instantly lose face and flare up in anger. He reached out to grab Chen Ciyi by the collar.

But before his hand could reach its target, Xu Yannuo intercepted it, gripping his wrist firmly.

Seeing that things had escalated to physical contact, Chen Ciyi finally reacted. He set down his phone, the corner of his lips curling up as he tilted his head to glance over. First, he noticed Xu Yannuo’s hand gripping the other guy’s wrist protectively, then his smile deepened. “Yeah, unlike you—no one’s got your back.”

The boy across from him seemed to have been hit right in the gut. What started as a mere provocation now had him so enraged that his face flushed bright red. He stammered for a long moment but couldn’t get a single word out.

Chen Ciyi saw the situation and calmly added another remark, escalating the sudden conflict even further. “Oh, right, I forgot. You don’t have a waist—you stabbed it away yourself with a knife.”

Xu Yannuo, gripping the other’s wrist, could clearly sense the trembling caused by fury. As the two men behind them were about to step forward to gang up on Chen Ci, he thought it best to settle things once and for all and resolve their long-standing grudges.

Although it was unclear what had happened between them before, Chen Ciyi’s remarks just now clearly struck right at the other person’s sore spots. Judging by the way they came up to provoke trouble, it was highly likely that Chen Ciyi had done some morally unacceptable deed back then that had angered them to this extent.

But no matter what past grievances they had, she believed in Chen Ciyi. Having known him for so long, even though he had a sharp tongue and loved to pick fights, he was definitely not the type to bully others unreasonably. Moreover, the last time she was beaten up at school, those guys with the black eyeliner had said such harsh things, yet he had stood by her side without hesitation, asking no questions and demanding no explanations. So now, it was her turn to protect him just as unconditionally.

Facing the three aggressive individuals in front of him, Xu Yannuo accurately caught the fist aimed at Chen Ci. Leveraging his height advantage, he slightly bent down and delivered a sharp elbow strike to the attacker’s stomach with such force that the man, caught completely off guard, immediately flushed in pain, his eyes bulging. Staggering unsteadily, he fell backward onto his two companions, who were also preparing to attack. The trio collapsed onto the table behind them, eliciting screams from the girls seated there, followed by the cacophony of plates and bowls shattering as they hit the floor. The first assailant, still pressing down on his two comrades, ended up sprawled on the ground.

Xu Yannuo looked at them and said, “If you want to fight, go outside. This place is too small, and you’ll have to pay for anything you break.”

The three of them looked at Xu Yannuo, who was waiting for them to stand up so they could all go out to find an open space together. However, the three of them glanced at Chen Ciyi again before scrambling away in a panic.

They actually ran away?

WHY?

Xu Yannuo stared at the fleeing backs of the three, feeling utterly confused. They had only been hit by her once—surely that wasn’t enough to scare them off, especially since they were three guys. And what was the meaning of that last look they gave Chen Ciyi? Why did they look at him before running away?

Xu Yannuo apologized to the table of girls who had been bumped into earlier, then went to fetch clean dishes from the sterilizing cabinet for them before returning to his seat. No sooner had he sat down than the waiter approached their table, leaving him no time to process the entire incident.

The waitress said, “Just now, 3 bowls, 2 plates, and 2 cups were broken, totaling 55 yuan.”

Xu Yannuo was stunned and was about to take out his wallet to pay when Chen Ciyi stopped him, “At the nearby night market, these same high-quality bowls and plates would cost only 15. Are you charging me 55?”

The waitress turned around and shouted, “Boss, someone here won’t pay the money!”

Then, a burly man who looked particularly untrustworthy emerged from the inner room, half a tattoo visible on his sleeve, and a meat cleaver in his hand. “Who the hell is causing trouble in my territory again today? It’s always something!”

But as soon as she saw Chen Ciyi, her face immediately brightened with a warm, motherly smile, as if greeting her own son. “Oh, you’re back for dinner? Why didn’t you give us a heads-up?” Without waiting for his response, she turned to the young waitress and instructed, “No need to attend to them—this meal’s on the house. And hurry up with their dishes.”

After speaking, he glanced at the knife in his hand and then at Chen Ciyi. “You guys chat first. Order whatever you want to eat. I’ll finish cutting the remaining meat.”