Chapter 19: Hurry Up, Stop Dawdling

Chen Ciyi didn’t bother listening to his nonsense. He glanced back at the large iron gate—it was so quiet that only the sound of wind could be heard. After Li Wei left, there had been no footsteps, so it seemed Xu Yannuo really hadn’t followed to interfere with him.

Chen Ciyi turned his head back and looked at the buzz-cut guy, who was still blabbering on and clearly annoyed that Chen Ciyi had zoned out instead of paying attention to him. “I’m talking to you, where the hell are you looking? Scared out of your—”

Before he could finish, Chen Ciyi stared coldly at his face and punched him square in the nose. Instantly, under the dim light, two dark streaks of liquid streamed down.

Then, before anyone could react, he grabbed the buzz-cut guy by the collar and kicked him hard in the stomach. The guy crumpled to the ground, clutching his belly in pain, unable to stand, only groaning.

After realizing what had happened, the three men behind cursed “Fuck!” and charged forward together. Originally intending to teach this weakling who dared to resist a proper lesson—to show him exactly what he was doing and what he should be doing, and who really called the shots around here—Chen Ci swiftly delivered a kick to each of them, his movements precise and ruthless. The first two stumbled and lost their balance, crashing into the third guy behind them… (Let’s skip the detailed fight scene—it might get flagged. Just imagine it’s insanely brutal and badass, alright?)… Within minutes, all four were sprawled on the ground in the darkness, groaning in pain.

Chen Ciyi took a step forward. Seeing him approach, the buzz-cut guy immediately begged for mercy, “Stop hitting me! Please, no more…” A faint smile curled at the corner of Chen Ciyi’s lips as he crouched on a step in front of them, patting the buzz-cut guy’s head. “So weak, yet still acting tough…”

Before he could finish uttering the last word, he stopped abruptly. The sound of footsteps approaching from the entrance of the neighborhood caught his attention. Though faint and still some distance away, upon closer listening, they seemed oddly familiar.

Chen Ci turned his head to look…

Xu Yannuo had originally planned to head straight to the internet café after school to play games with friends. She hadn’t paid any attention to Chen Ci’s earlier remarks and had completely forgotten about them halfway through the next class. However, upon reaching the entrance of her usual underground internet café, she discovered—much to her surprise—that the place, which had been open just last night, had been shut down at some point during the day. Two glaring white strips of paper with red official seals were diagonally pasted across the door!

But she had already made plans with her teammates and couldn’t stand them up today. Afterward, she took a detour to another underground internet café in the residential area. However, halfway there, she spotted Li Wei and Chen Ciyi in a parallel side alley across the street.

Only then did she remember what Chen Ciyi had mentioned during evening self-study. He wasn’t lying—Li Wei had actually asked him out. Moreover, if they kept going further into this area, most of the streetlights would be malfunctioning by nightfall, leaving the place dimly lit. It was common for vocational high school students to drag nearby high schoolers, middle schoolers, or even elementary students there to rob or extort them. Some vocational students also used the area as a spot to settle fights.

Looking at Chen Ciyi—fragile as a reed, always seeking her protection—and considering Li Wei’s tendency to act tough only among friends, there was no way those two were out here to pick a fight with anyone.

So they’re heading this way… definitely nothing good.

Xu Yannuo thought for a moment, then remembered how Chen Ciyi had used her eraser to hit Li Wei…

Hah, serves him right for falling into Li Wei’s trap!

Xu Yannuo continued walking toward the shady internet cafe, but as she walked, she suddenly grew a bit worried. Actually, Chen Ciyi was just a little annoying—using her eraser to provoke Li Wei was just his way of testing her. Besides, he had seen her true self and knew Li Wei couldn’t possibly hurt him… But he was so weak—what if Li Wei ran off later and left him there alone…

Xu Yannuo couldn’t help but picture Chen Ciyi lying on the ground, his face covered in blood after being beaten… She stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath, then turned around and headed to a nearby pharmacy to buy a black face mask. As soon as she stepped out of the store, she tore open the packaging and put it on. She then twisted her ponytail a few times, bundling it into a neat bun before changing direction to search the area where she’d seen Li Wei and Chen Ciyi heading earlier.

Following that direction, Xu Yannuo searched through one residential area and narrow alley after another, but the surroundings remained eerily quiet and deserted. The dim lighting and sparse streetlamps revealed no signs of fighting or shouting.

Xu Yannuo continued searching ahead. If she really couldn’t find it, then Chen Ci would just have to be unlucky. But she had to find it.

The streetlights ahead were almost all out. After passing through two residential areas, Xu Yannuo arrived at a large iron gate and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

There was a sound.

The sound of a fight…

Xu Yannuo followed the faint sound and approached the half-open iron gate before her. But after she stepped inside, the sounds of fighting clearly ceased, leaving only the faint, pained groans of someone injured. Then, even those sounds faded away.

Chen Ciyi?

In the shadows by the large iron gate, Chen Ciyi spotted a petite figure. Though the light was too dim for him to make out the face, he had seen Xu Yannuo in the dark before—it was her!

Chen Ciyi immediately turned back to look at the buzz-cut man lying on the ground in front of him. Just as he was about to reach out to help him up, the man kept apologizing, “I know I was wrong, please don’t…”

Chen Ci immediately shushed them, then wiped a handful of the buzz-cut guy’s blood on his own clothes—gritting his teeth against the disgust—before smearing dirt from the ground onto his face. Then, locking eyes with the buzz-cut guy, he whispered urgently, “Hurry up, stand and step on me!”

After speaking, Chen Ciyi immediately lay down on the ground.

The buzzcut guy and the perm crew were completely dumbfounded—what the hell was this earth-shattering plot twist?

Chen Ci saw Xu Yannuo already groping his way step by step toward them in the dark, while Xi Jianchui and the others were still dawdling, lying motionless beside him. Chen Ci grew impatient and glared at the nearest head at eye level. “Fuck, get up now, or do you wanna get beaten up again?”

The buzz-cut guys, recalling Chen Ciyi’s terrifying demeanor just moments ago, immediately gritted their teeth against the pain and staggered to their feet. Once steady, they gathered around Chen Ciyi. After a brief hesitation, the buzz-cut leader timidly asked again, “R-really… really step on it?”

Chen Ciyi immediately whispered urgently, “Damn it, hurry up, stop dawdling.”

After that, the buzz-cut guy and the perm-lift duo raised their feet—one stepping on Chen Ciyi’s back, the other on his calf—while the two vocational school students pretended to hold him down. They didn’t dare use any real force, not only because their bodies ached but also because they had to balance on one foot like storks, feigning the act of stepping on him. They had no idea what kind of bizarre preference this big shot had, but none of the four dared make a sound or even think of asking.