Red-hair’s leg was kicked hard, causing him to buckle in pain and nearly fall to his knees. Yet his head was firmly pressed down by that person, making it impossible to slide down even if he wanted to. He could only endure the pain.
Red-hair shouted in agony: “Fuck! What are you guys standing around for?!”
“…Damn it!”
“Hit him!”
The two people with red brought exchanged glances before charging forward together.
Lin Zhexia was almost paralyzed by the chaotic scene before her.
Although she had fought when she was young, the fight in front of her was completely different from those childish scuffles. The scene was chaotic; she knew she couldn’t stop the fight at this point. The only thing she could do was not to get in Chi Yao’s way.
Lin Zhexia held Chen Lin’s hand, pulling her backward.
Chen Lin: “Should we call the police…”
Lin Zhexia had initially thought of calling the police, too, but Chi Yao was fighting several of them alone and somehow had the upper hand.
The young man’s movements were sharp, without a single wasted motion. He took off his backpack and tossed it aside, one arm firmly locking Red-hair’s neck, immobilizing him—someone tried to attack from behind, but couldn’t find an opening, and instead was hit hard by Chi Yao’s bent elbow striking backward.
This blow landed squarely on the person’s chest, forcing him to stumble back several steps.
As another person lunged forward, Chi Yao had already released his hold on Red-hair’s neck. He pushed Red-hair forward with the back of his hand, causing him to collide directly with the oncoming attacker, the two crashing into each other.
Watching this scene, Chen Lin momentarily forgot about calling the police: “This situation looks…”
Lin Zhexia said, “It doesn’t look like they’re beating him up; it looks like he’s beating them up.”
“…”
“So about calling the police, maybe let’s wait and see.”
After all, calling the police would escalate the situation and might affect Chi Yao.
The fight ended faster than they had imagined. Within a few minutes, only Chi Yao remained standing.
“Let’s go,” Chi Yao said after finishing the fight. “I’ll take you to the bus stop.”
Lin Zhexia responded with a dazed “Oh.”
However, no one expected Red-hair to attempt one last act of defiance. Just as Lin Zhexia took a couple of steps following Chi Yao, he suddenly sprang up from the ground.
Lin Zhexia was completely unprepared.
In that instant, she felt Chi Yao’s hand reach out, gently cradling the back of her head, pulling her against his chest.
Her nose brushed against his collar. The young man’s clothes carried a faint scent of laundry detergent, along with the clean smell of sunlight.
This move by Chi Yao quickly created distance between Red-hair and Lin Zhexia. Not only did Red-hair miss his target, but he also received another kick.
Lin Zhexia, pressed against Chi Yao’s chest, could hear the slight vibration of his ribcage as he spoke.
The young man’s voice was excessively cold: “…You enjoy getting beaten up that much?”
Red-hair didn’t dare to approach again.
The bus stop was just ahead, and a bus was pulling in.
Chi Yao followed Lin Zhexia onto the bus, accompanying her to take Chen Lin home.
The three remained silent throughout the journey.
When they reached the entrance of the residential complex, Chen Lin finally recovered from the earlier scene: “Thank you. If it weren’t for you two, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Lin Zhexia: “It’s fine, but you should talk to the teacher about this tomorrow. See if there’s a way to find out who those people were, to avoid future trouble.”
Chen Lin nodded: “I’ll head in now. You two be careful on your way back.”
By this time, it was getting dark.
After seeing Chen Lin off, only Lin Zhexia and Chi Yao remained, walking side by side back home.
Lin Zhexia tried to liven the atmosphere: “The way you fought just now was very heroic.”
Chi Yao didn’t respond.
Lin Zhexia continued: “Taking on three at once is like chopping cabbage. They couldn’t even fight back.”
Chi Yao remained silent.
Lin Zhexia: “And you’re so smart, you understood my message despite all my typos. Big boss of No. 2 High, why aren’t you saying anything?”
This time, Chi Yao simply walked past her, moving ahead.
“…”
Lin Zhexia finally realized Chi Yao was angry.
“I’ve already praised you for being handsome,” Lin Zhexia quickened her pace to catch up, tentatively saying, “Should I praise you some more?”
Chi Yao stopped, turning to look at her.
The streetlight cast shadows on him from behind, shrouding his entire figure in shadow.
Chi Yao rarely swore, but half a curse escaped: “You fu… Do you know how dangerous it was?”
Lin Zhexia didn’t know what to say.