Chapter Twenty-Five: Flying Bricks

Outside the main gate of Wuzhou Middle School lies a side path—neither particularly long nor notably short. One must traverse this path to reach the main road.

At this moment, Yu Yan and Yao Jingying were cornered on the slope of this path by six or seven men. The tide of students leaving school flowed past them, indifferent. Under the gaze of several tall, burly men, Yu Yan wore an expression of grim resolve. Some male students attempted to pass by, but were cowed into stillness by the menacing glares of the thugs.

"That's Liu Nong from the 26th Middle School! They say he took care of Wang Ye last time!" some of the "well-informed" onlookers whispered.

"Really?!"

Wang Ye was a "celebrity" at Wuzhou High, the local schoolyard bully.

"Coming to our turf to corner girls? They clearly don't take us seriously!" Although they grumbled, no one actually stepped forward to intervene. Aside from Liu Nong, who still looked somewhat like a student, the others—men in their twenties and thirties—looked like trouble.

Liu Nong chuckled, "Yu Yan, what do you want? I've put aside my pride for your sake..."

"Should we feel honored, then?" Yao Jingying retorted indignantly.

Liu Nong shamelessly replied, "You could put it that way!"

"Pah, who cares! Get out of the way!" Despite her sharp tongue, Yu Yan dared not force her way through. The men around Liu Nong were scanning them with greedy, lecherous eyes.

"Yu Yan, just come have a meal with us!"

Yu Yan desperately wanted to tell them to go to hell, but she feared provoking these men from the streets. Lin Cheng had just walked down the slope. When Yao Jingying saw him, she almost cried out, but Yu Yan gripped her wrist. Yao Jingying suddenly realized: Lin Cheng was not anyone special to Yu Yan; besides, Lin Cheng was only one person, and there were seven hulking men in front of them...

Yu Yan felt deeply embarrassed to be seen surrounded by these men by Lin Cheng. Wishing to escape quickly, she said, "Can we do this another time?"

Seeing Yu Yan’s resolve waver, Liu Nong grew even more restless: "How about this: an older brother of mine is hosting a dinner today. Come with me, and we can talk about the rest later."

Yu Yan’s anger flared: "My dad wants me home early. Get out of the way!"

"Your dad? Perfect!" a bald man said with a sinister grin. He reached out to grab Yu Yan’s hand. "I’m looking for him anyway! Take me to him, and I promise..."

"Hey, hey, brother, give us a break." Finally, someone stepped up. The boy was Pang Yuanguang, a classmate who had been pursuing Yu Yan.

The bald man looked at the boy: "Do you think you're pretty tough?"

"Let's talk this out..." Pang Yuanguang said, summoning his courage. Regardless of the situation, having street thugs corner a female classmate elevated the issue to a matter of class honor, and students from Class 14 began to gather. Pang Yuanguang’s father was a town mayor, which gave him some semblance of confidence.

The bald man ignored the "kids" entirely and pulled out his phone, saying to Yu Yan, "Call your dad! Tell him to come have a drink, or you can come have one with me instead!"

By now, the previously smirking Liu Nong had gone quiet. He was merely a guide; these men were professional debt collectors. Today was just intimidation, but tomorrow... that was something beyond Liu Nong's control.

"My dad is the Mayor of Muxi Town. Show some respect, please?"

"You want respect? Fine. Then pay off her family's debt. If your mayor-father is so powerful, prove it with some real muscle!"

The crowd’s expressions were complex. While Pang Yuanguang hesitated, a "thud" echoed as he was kicked in the stomach, causing him to double over instantly. The bald man crouched down and asked, "Still want to act tough?"

In the distance, several girls covered their mouths, too terrified to make a sound. Yu Yan’s eyes blazed with fury. "Don't touch him! I'll go with you!"

The bald man reached out to grab her, saying, "That's more like it..."

Before he could finish, his hand was suddenly gripped by someone else. He turned to find a young man with a calm expression grinning at him: "She said she doesn't want to go, so let go. This kind of behavior is enough to get the police involved."

The thugs, who had been laughing, suddenly tensed up; even the ones squatting on the steps stood up. Yao Jingying nervously cried out, "Lin—" but stopped herself, fearing that calling Lin Cheng’s name would only bring him more trouble.

Seeing Lin Cheng suddenly arrive, Yu Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Before she could speak, Lin Cheng pushed her aside. The bald man looked at the reckless youth in surprise and sneered. While Lin Cheng held his hand, he pointed at him with his free hand and looked at Yu Yan: "Who is this? Another boyfriend?"

"Hehe... hahaha," Liu Nong and his companions laughed wickedly.

"My name is Lin Cheng. Is bullying female students the only thing you guys are capable of?"

Everyone, including Pang Yuanguang, looked at Lin Cheng in shock. As Pang Yuanguang tried to stand, Liu Nong kicked him back down. Pang Yuanguang curled up on the ground, protecting his head, daring not to make a sound. Yu Yan tried to help him, but Yao Jingying pulled her back tightly; this wasn't a Hollywood movie, and any outburst of bravery would come with a price.

Just as everyone expected something to happen, Lin Cheng turned and walked away!

"See that? He's running! Another coward!" the bald man laughed to the others.

"Hey—wait—!" someone shouted. Yu Yan was stunned by the sight. Zhao Guangtao tried to pull Lin Cheng back, but Lin Cheng shook him off with a forceful tug. Nearby students parted, letting Lin Cheng walk back in.

The bald man watched Lin Cheng with interest, poking his finger against the boy's face, saying word by word: "Oh, so you're a tough guy after all!"

"Lin Cheng—"

Zhao Guangtao watched in horror as Lin Cheng bent down, picked up a half-brick from the ground, and slammed it down onto the bald man’s head! The brick struck with full force. The bald man’s vision went black, and he stumbled back three steps. The brick instantly elevated the athletic Lin Cheng to a higher level of combat.

As the bald man looked on in disbelief, the brick swung again! With a scent of earth, it smashed squarely into his face. The bald man felt his brain rattle as he collapsed backward. The scene was so shocking that the thugs stood frozen in place!

Lin Cheng gripped the nearly flying brick and pulled Pang Yuanguang up. "Get up!" He wasn't a reckless fool; he wouldn't strike the back of the man's head, as that could easily turn fatal. Though the brick was effective, he knew he would soon be overpowered once the thugs recovered.

Pang Yuanguang breathed heavily, ultimately unable to move. When the thugs finally snapped out of their stupor, they swarmed Lin Cheng with fists and kicks. Born again in this age of hot-blooded youth, Lin Cheng felt the pain of every blow.

This was the damn, burning fire of youth!

"Go to hell!"

The scream startled Yu Yan. Zhao Guangtao grabbed a rock from the roadside and charged in, throwing it at anyone in his way. The thugs, relying on their numbers, roared as they kicked the two boys relentlessly.

"Stop fighting! Stop it!" Someone’s plea was drowned out by the chaos. Just as the brawl reached its peak, sirens wailed in the distance. Yet, Lin Cheng kept swinging his arms.

At that moment, a few people walked in from the dim street. Their demeanor was in stark contrast to the violence at the scene. The girl in the center had skin several shades fairer than those around her, her sparkling eyes deeply captivating. They did not join the fight, merely watching Lin Cheng’s struggle.