Compared with the noise and warmth inside the hotpot restaurant, the street outside felt cold and deserted. Ke Bu wrapped his coat more tightly around himself.
“Big Brother, that’s them.” A familiar voice sounded nearby. A crowd of similarly dressed men stood not far away, staring at Ke Bu’s group with obvious hostility. At the very front was a heavily built man in his forties, with a prominent knife scar across his pitted face, a gold chain hanging around his neck, and tattoos covering his arms that looked menacing even beneath the dim night sky. They were clearly local gangsters, and there were quite a lot of them. What worried Ke Bu most were the things in their hands—long watermelon knives and iron bars. A terrible feeling settled over everyone. Ke Bu had spent nearly his entire life inside school and rarely dealt with the world outside it, and his first thought was: So those crime reports on the news are actually real. If certain people don’t like you, they really will come at you with a knife. This was another society entirely, another diseased part of the world.
The scene felt unreal to Ke Bu. Even when he had fought before, it had only ever been messing around with other students; he had never imagined the consequences this time could become so serious. There were far more people on the other side. If they had been barehanded, perhaps it would still have been manageable, but the weapons they carried could genuinely maim someone. Their own group had a few people who were good at fighting, but they also had several weak links, which dragged their chances down dramatically. Even Zhi Li could not protect everybody at once. Despite his panic, Ke Bu’s mind kept calculating.
Scarface spoke in a hoarse voice. “You’re the ones who bullied my brother? Sheng Jie Academy, huh? Fuck, I hate your school. Every one of you acts so damn superior. As far as I’m concerned, the girls from your school are for fucking and the boys are for beating. Before this, we stayed out of each other’s way, but now you dare mess with one of mine? Looks like you brats don’t want to live!” Scarface had a presence completely different from the others. He had spent years on the streets; what kind of situation had he not seen? Besides, his opponents tonight were only a group of students.
The men behind him burst into laughter, and someone in the crowd shouted, “Leave those two girls behind and let the brothers have some fun!”
Su You Yan laughed coldly. “You want to have fun with me? I’d like to see which one of you is capable.”
Ying Xiu Jie had already become restless, Zhang Luo hugged his laptop protectively, and Gong Zhu remained silent. Chu Hao Yu thought for a moment. “The women and I should retreat first.”
Ke Bu kicked him. “This really isn’t the time for jokes.”
Ke Bu turned toward Zhi Li and realized that at some point, Zhi Li had moved some distance away and was standing alone in the darkness. Ke Bu could not tell what he was doing, but he knew Zhi Li was not someone who acted recklessly; whatever he intended to do, he would have taken everyone else into account.
“Imperial Father, that’s him.” Third Prince pointed straight at Zhi Li.
Could they please—please—not reveal these ridiculous nicknames at such a tense moment?
“Fuck, what are you laughing at? You! What’s your name?” Imperial Father glared viciously at Zhi Li.
Zhi Li stared directly back at him and, after a long pause, slowly said, “I’m not interested in you.”
Ke Bu grabbed his hair. “He isn’t trying to court you!! What kind of comprehension is that?!”
“How do you know he isn’t?”
“I…” Ke Bu was actually rendered speechless. Zhi Li was beautiful. Extremely beautiful. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well… I suppose it isn’t impossible.”
A vein throbbed violently across Imperial Father’s forehead. “You dare make fun of me? Looks like you really don’t want to live.” Behind him, the others became enraged on behalf of their humiliated boss, scraping their knives and clubs against the pavement with an ugly, threatening sound.
Am I seriously going to die here? Ke Bu thought miserably. Then he remembered that at least he would die together with Zhi Li, and his misery eased a little. Then he remembered that Zhi Li’s chances of surviving were considerably higher than his own, and immediately became miserable again.
“Father, stop wasting your time talking to them! Cripple them! I’ve hated those Sheng Jie Academy bastards for ages. This is exactly our chance to vent!” Their voices were frightening, and Zhou Xin He’s face went white as she grabbed Su You Yan’s hand.
Zhi Li tilted his head. “So you’ve already accepted the consequences.”
“You’re about to die and you’re still talking tough!” Third Prince raised his knife and charged. Zhi Li kicked him directly between the legs, and Third Prince folded in half. The look in Zhi Li’s eyes made everyone shiver. “Stop wasting my time. Either all of you come together, or get lost.”
“Can you stop provoking them?! Have you forgotten the rest of us might die too?” Ke Bu protested. He was not worried about Zhi Li himself. In all the years he had known Zhi Li, Ke Bu had never once seen him use everything he had, yet what he had seen was already terrifying. Chu Hao Yu, Ying Xiu Jie, and Su You Yan pulled the weaker ones toward the center. Ke Bu swallowed and quietly tried to inch inward too, only for Su You Yan to coldly grab him and pull him back out. “You don’t get to hide.”
“I’ll grant your wish right now! Fuck! Call your parents and tell them to come collect your bodies!” Imperial Father roared.
Zhi Li glanced toward the darkness behind him. “You should call your own.”
The instant he finished speaking, the roar of a speeding sports car tore through the night. The car raced toward them, swung sideways, and braked sharply beside the crowd, its tires screaming against the road like something shrieking out of hell. Ke Bu clapped both hands over his ears. Who the hell drove that fast at night? Wait. That car looked familiar. Very familiar. Ke Bu suddenly felt that his heart might not survive this.
The passenger door opened, and the first thing to emerge was a pair of long legs in sexy red stilettos. Her face moved out of shadow and into the soft streetlight as she leaned against the open door, loose hair whipping recklessly in the wind. She drew deeply from a cigarette, her breathtaking face both seductive and cold. “Who called for me just now?”
Another girl moved with the agility of a ghost, slipping out through the sunroof and settling on top of the car. Her hair was braided, one little canine tooth showing as she smiled, and she gave Zhi Li an adorable salute. “Brother Zhi Li, Dora reporting for duty.”
Another blow to Ke Bu’s sanity.
A window rolled down, and Zhi Xiao Ke and Zhi Xiao Xun shoved at each other until two chubby little faces squeezed through the opening together. “Dad, we came too!”
What was this supposed to be? One demon after another from the Zhi family appearing beneath the moonlight? Was this simply the hour when the creatures of darkness came out to drink blood? Ke Bu endured shock after shock until all he could do was stare stupidly. The gangsters opposite them looked equally lost, confronted by this unusually beautiful family, each person surrounded by such a dark, menacing aura that they seemed almost terrifyingly suited to the night.
Eventually, Imperial Father spoke first. “W-Who are you?”
“Weren’t you asking me to come collect corpses?” Lan Yin said. “Have you prepared yours?”
Wait. Lan Yin was sitting in the passenger seat. Then the driver—
The driver’s window lowered. Zhi Zuo Si rested one arm against it and propped his face lazily against his hand, surveying the men opposite him with very little interest. The shifting streetlight exposed and hid his features by turns, creating a sudden chill that crawled straight up the spine.
“You’re late,” Zhi Li said.
“We stopped to buy cigarettes. Xiao Xun and Xiao Ke refused to leave the convenience store.”
When had Zhi Li contacted Lan Yin? Ke Bu had absolutely no idea. But… but wasn’t this level of reinforcement a little excessive just to protect him and the others?!
Dora pulled a small knife from inside her coat and tossed it toward Zhou Xin He. “Here. This is your chance to show off.”
Zhou Xin He caught it in a panic. Ke Bu finally recovered. “Please don’t joke around. Xin He should probably hide in the car.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the knife began spinning rapidly through Zhou Xin He’s fingers as though it had grown onto her hand, without the slightest hesitation or wobble. Zhou Xin He looked impressed. “This feels really good.”
“Try it,” Dora said proudly.
Zhou Xin He flicked her hand upward, and Ke Bu felt several strands of hair drift from his head. He stared at her in horror, but Zhou Xin He remained perfectly calm. “It’s no harder than cooking.”
Ke Bu had always known Zhou Xin He turned into a different person while cooking. He had never realized the transformation could become this extreme.
And so Zhou Xin He took her position, happily playing with her newly acquired favorite object; Gong Zhu took his position, wearing his naturally pitiful face; Zhang Luo took his position—safely seated in the back of the car; Chu Hao Yu took his position, flexing his fingers with a sleazy smile; Ying Xiu Jie took his position, removing his coat and wrapping white cloth around his fists; Ke Bu took his position, calculating how he could throw a couple of meaningless punches and pretend he had participated; and Su You Yan took her position, removing her glasses and shoes, her unusually pale skin standing out sharply in the darkness.
Dora jumped lightly down from the roof of the car, and with every movement, countless hidden objects beneath her clothing clinked together. Zhi Xiao Ke and Zhi Xiao Xun emerged halfway from the sunroof, each holding an enormous BB gun, their eyes narrowing slightly as shouts rose from the men opposite them. Lan Yin approached in thin, pointed heels, closer and closer, the sharp click of her shoes against the pavement ringing clearly through the darkness. The ultimate team! The demons of the Zhi family! Combined! The night itself seemed to boil. Zhi Li tugged open his collar, a wicked gleam and a trace of excitement appearing across his beautiful face as he lightly licked the corner of his mouth. “Then let’s begin.”
Whenever members of the Zhi family appeared, Ke Bu had never once dared to watch properly with his eyes open. Zhi Zuo Si remained seated inside the car from beginning to end, apparently with no intention of getting out, while screams and crashing sounds ripped through the night. One man suddenly lunged at Gong Zhu from behind, but at that instant, the car headlights flashed on. The man squeezed his eyes shut against the glare, and Chu Hao Yu immediately kicked him away. Gong Zhu gave Zhi Zuo Si a grateful look.
Ke Bu stayed near the middle and did his best to muddle through. His eyes searched the crowd for Zhi Li until he finally spotted him with his head lowered, apparently concentrating very seriously on something. Ke Bu followed his gaze.
A mobile game.
It was a fucking mobile game!!
“What are you doing?! You actually have the leisure to play a game right now?!”
Without lifting his head, Zhi Li drove his free elbow backward and smashed the man behind him directly in the nose. “My phone reminded me I haven’t played in a long time.”
“…………”
Ke Bu had no words. There were no words.
Then suddenly, Zhi Li wrapped one arm around Ke Bu and pulled him a step backward. With the other hand, he hurled the phone straight into Third Prince’s face as the man attempted to sneak up behind them. Ke Bu could clearly feel how much strength Zhi Li was using around him; his shoulder actually hurt beneath the grip. “Bastard, don’t you know how to be careful?”
“It’s because I know you’re here that I don’t need to be careful,” Ke Bu replied shamelessly. Yet inside his heart, he suddenly wanted to take back something he had once said: So mobile games matter more to you than I do. He wanted to replace it with something else instead.
So there really is nothing in your heart more important than me.
Dora charged over and planted herself on Third Prince’s chest. Ke Bu could not tell what she had strapped over the back of her hand, but biting her lower lip with one little canine tooth, she stabbed repeatedly downward. “Poke. Poke. Poke you to death!”
Ke Bu had just begun wondering whether his relationship with Dora had somehow improved. Was she actually taking revenge for him? Emotion began to well up inside him, only for Dora to continue, “Useless! Trash! What kind of pathetic sneak attack was that? Worthless! I really thought you might manage to kill Ke Bu and got excited for nothing. Poke you to death!”
Ke Bu’s emotion immediately drained away.
“Hey, Ke Bu.”
Zhi Li’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts. Ke Bu looked up and saw an expression on Zhi Li’s face that made his heart tremble far more violently than coldness or indifference ever had. He had never seen Zhi Li look like this before. He had never known that Zhi Li’s beautiful face could even make such an expression, and his heart began pounding wildly.
“What?” Ke Bu’s own face had gone slightly pale. He had no idea why Zhi Li was looking at him like that.
“There’s something it’s time I told you.”
“Can I choose not to know?” The answer came instinctively.
Zhi Li’s silence refused him.
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