Chapter 39: Sister Is Pissed, and the Consequences Are Serious

  However, that wasn’t even the most frustrating part—what really drove Qiao Xier to the brink of collapse was just beginning. Zhang Yang took her on a long, winding bus ride to a shady area at the edge of Meining City, a mixed urban-rural zone called Qianshui Street.

  That place could be summed up in three words: dirty, messy, and crappy!

  On both sides of the street were skating rinks, billiard halls, bars, and a few so-called massage and sauna shops that advertised foot therapy, acupressure, and oil massages—but who knew what they actually did inside.

  Most of the people hanging around there were loafers or bored rich kids with nothing better to do.

  It could be said that was the darkest corner of Meining City.

  During the day it was somewhat better, but at night, the place turned into a haven for gangsters. Fights and stabbings were common. Ordinary citizens wouldn’t dare come near after dark.

  And right now, Zhang Yang had brought Qiao Xier there. Though it was daytime, several billiard halls and skating rinks that operated around the clock had already started opening for business.

  As they passed by, they could see groups of punks with red or yellow hair, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, wearing tight tank tops in autumn, showing off tattoos as they swaggered around.

  Zhang Yang and Qiao Xier had barely stepped into Qianshui Street for a minute when chaos erupted. Every thug’s gaze was instantly locked onto Qiao Xier’s long, snow-white legs twisting beneath her mini skirt.

  Their eyes were glued to her like flies on a wall. A delicate beauty like her showing up in a place like this—it was like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den, or a shy monk entering a brothel.

  In an instant, countless whistles and blown kisses filled the air, all directed at Qiao Xier. Since birth, she’d never been subjected to such humiliation, let alone catcalled by street punks.

  Even though she wore safety shorts, she still reached back to press down her skirt, glaring at the whistling hooligans with fierce eyes.

  What she didn’t realize was that, to those men, her glare wasn’t threatening at all—it was downright seductive.

  "Yo, this chick’s got some fire. Come here, let big brother give you a hug!"

  "Heh heh, let me see what color she’s wearing underneath."

  Seeing Zhang Yang’s refined and gentle appearance, two of the thugs figured he had no fighting power and moved in from both sides.

  One of them even reached out his greasy hand, trying to lift Qiao Xier’s skirt.

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  Qiao Xier screamed and instinctively reached down to hold her skirt in place.

  That shy reaction only turned the two thugs on even more. The first one, missing his grab, lunged again, trying to grab Qiao Xier and lift her skirt for a thrill.

  But before his hand even touched her, he suddenly felt his wrist caught in a firm grip. Looking down, he saw it was that pretty boy.

  "Hey, buddy, what do you think you’re doing touching my wife?" Zhang Yang said weakly, his eyes dodging slightly as if to plead, big bro, please have mercy—it’s my wife.

  "Haha, your wife?" The thug, instead of getting angry, laughed. Pointing at Qiao Xier, he sneered, "Nice, your wife’s a real looker. How about letting the brothers cop a feel, huh?"

  "Pah! Pervert, get lost!" Qiao Xier snapped before Zhang Yang could say anything, glaring at him too—wife, my ass!

  "Heh! You think you can mouth off to me? Believe it or not, I’ll not only touch you, I’ll rape you right here." The thug grinned darkly, then turned to the others at the billiard table and shouted, "Bros, what do you think? This chick’s hot, right?"

  Hearing that, several nearby thugs cracked their knuckles and slowly surrounded them, blocking off every escape route.

  Even with her usual boldness, Qiao Xier was starting to panic. Zhang Yang looked tall and handsome, sure—but could he really take on a gang of thugs?

  She glanced at Zhang Yang, seeing he looked just as nervous, fidgeting as if he’d gladly ditch her here to save himself. Qiao Xier was certain that with a little threat, he’d do exactly that.

  Damn it, if he hadn’t dragged me here talking about “inspiration,” we wouldn’t be in this mess!

  Just as she was cursing him silently, the thug whose wrist Zhang Yang held tried to yank his arm free to grab Qiao Xier again—but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge.

  "That’s my wife. Only I get to touch her. Why would I let you?" Zhang Yang said lazily with a grin.

  The thug froze, tugged harder, but still couldn’t free himself. Panic flickered across his face. Something about this guy felt off. He turned his head and shouted, "Yo, we got trouble here!"

  Before he could finish, he kicked out at Zhang Yang—but Zhang Yang moved like a phantom, twisting his arm back and hooking his leg, sending the thug crashing face-first into the ground, his elbow bent into a grotesque shape as he screamed in pain.

  Zhang Yang gave a light twist, then a flick—"crack"—and the thug’s arm popped out of its socket.

  【Hero saves beauty, punishes evil. Reward: 1 system point. Current total: 44 points. Title: Promising Youth.】

  Zhang Yang grinned. The plan worked perfectly!

  "Fuck!" The rest of the punks snapped out of it. Some grabbed pool cues, others chairs, and a few charged barehanded—five or six of them rushing Zhang Yang at once.

  "How dare you cause trouble in our turf! You’re dead!"

  As Qiao Xier screamed, at least five thugs rushed at Zhang Yang. Just as she shut her eyes in fear, Zhang Yang moved. He dodged the swing of a cue stick, pivoted, and slammed his elbow into the attacker’s ribs, making him double over in agony.

  The one with the chair fared even worse. The metal-legged stool barely grazed Zhang Yang’s back as he sidestepped, grabbed the man’s elbow, and flipped him onto the ground—his body tangled awkwardly with the chair.

  The remaining three, all empty-handed, froze in terror. Before Zhang Yang could move, they turned tail and ran for their lives.

  Watching them run made Zhang Yang’s heart ache. But with Qiao Xier beside him, he couldn’t give chase and could only watch three easy points slip away.

  "Hey! That’s not fair! You see your buddies getting beat up, and you don’t even help? Come on, teamwork! Get back here!"

  "Are you insane? They were trying to beat you up!" Qiao Xier yelled, losing her mind at how he was upset his attackers escaped.

  The thugs still on the ground shook their heads speechlessly. This guy was clearly playing dumb to lure them in. Taking advantage of Zhang Yang’s distraction, they scrambled away as fast as they could.

  When all the thugs were gone, Zhang Yang looked disappointed. Only three points so far—he needed at least four more to reach fifty.

  "Let’s go, now." Seeing Zhang Yang still glancing around as if hunting new targets, Qiao Xier nearly lost it. If she’d known this place was such a mess, she never would’ve come. Inspiration, my ass—he just came to pick fights.

  "Just a little longer," Zhang Yang muttered, staring after the retreating thugs with regret.

  Though three got away, he still earned three points. No way he was walking away from that.

  It also proved one thing—his idea worked. Using Qiao Xier to bait perverts, then stepping in to beat them up. One point per thug, and with this place crawling with scum, it was basically a point-farming paradise.

  Qiao Xier, of course, had no clue what was going through his head. She just grabbed him, determined to leave.

  "Hey, Senior, I think I’ve got inspiration!" Zhang Yang dropped the ultimate line.

  Sure enough, once he said that, Qiao Xier completely forgot about the perverts and thugs.

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, no time to waste. I have to jot it down right now." Zhang Yang rushed to a nearby convenience stand, bought a pen and notebook, and started scribbling seriously.

  At first, Qiao Xier didn’t doubt him, but then she noticed his distracted expression. When she peeked over his shoulder, she nearly exploded—he was doodling.

  But before she could lose it, a large group of men with machetes suddenly appeared from the corner, charging straight at them.

  One of the thugs Zhang Yang had dislocated earlier was shouting from afar, "Brother Xiong! They’re right there!"