"Setting up a fight? I’m not afraid of you guys either."
Chu Hao said fiercely, "What are you looking for Ya Xiao for?"
The imposing thug replied, "Our Boss wants to see her."
Ya Xiao shook her head. "I don’t want to see him."
The thug grimaced. "Sister-in-law... if you don’t go, it’ll be hard for us brothers to explain to the Boss."
Chu Hao froze, looking at Ya Xiao with utter confusion. She’s married?
Ya Xiao shook her head again. "Tell your Boss I won’t go, and I don’t want to see him. If he bothers me again, he’ll never see me."
The thugs left dejectedly, wondering what on earth had just happened. They came to pick up their sister-in-law but ended up getting thrashed. That kid was brutal, beating them until they could barely stand.
Inside the house, Chu Hao stared at Ya Xiao.
"Spill it, Sister Ya! What’s going on?" Chu Hao demanded.
Ya Xiao sighed. "I tried to find you yesterday, but you were busy, so I went alone."
"Those injuries on your face... if those thugs didn’t do it, then who hit you?"
"My brother hit me," Ya Xiao said sadly.
Chu Hao had almost forgotten that Ya Xiao had a brother, Xiao Yi, who was five years older than him. Ya Xiao had always been terrified of Xiao Yi; he had been extremely violent and had a habit of hitting her ever since they were young.
That was why Ya Xiao had kept her distance from Xiao Yi from a very young age.
Xiao Yi had somehow found out that Ya Xiao was in Anli City and had come looking for her. Yesterday, Ya Xiao had gone to meet him.
However, they had barely exchanged a few words before Xiao Yi struck her again.
Ya Xiao was heartbroken. She hadn’t been able to sleep when she returned home, guessing that Xiao Yi might discover her address. So, later that night, she had fled to Chu Hao’s house to hide.
Chu Hao seethed. "Where is he? I’ll beat the crap out of him!"
Ya Xiao shook her head. "Forget it."
Chu Hao asked curiously, "Sister Ya, those thugs just called you sister-in-law. Are you actually married?"
Ya Xiao shook her head. "I’m not married. Their Boss likes me, and I dated him for a while. But I realized it was pointless, so we broke up. I didn’t expect him to come looking for me again. I guess he just can’t let go."
Chu Hao felt a pang of embarrassment; he really had beaten up the wrong people.
Ya Xiao suddenly sighed. "Ah-Hao, I think I have to leave."
Ya Xiao forced a smile. "Leave this city."
"Because of your brother?" Chu Hao asked.
Ya Xiao nodded slightly. "My brother is bad news. I’m guessing he came to find me because he’s out of money for gambling. He hits me at the slightest provocation. I’m scared."
"If he dares to show his face, I’ll beat him to death!" Chu Hao fumed.
Ya Xiao shook her head. "That’s not a real solution. I just need to get far away from him, somewhere he can’t find me."
Chu Hao sighed, knowing Ya Xiao didn’t want him to get into trouble on her account.
Just then, the same thugs returned. "Sister-in-law, our Boss is here!"
Ya Xiao was taken aback.
Then, they heard a RUMBLE RUMBLE from downstairs. A group of motorcyclists appeared. Most of them were thugs, and many began heading upstairs.
Chu Hao was puzzled. Who is this Boss?
On the second floor, the thugs quickly formed two neat lines, creating a path. A figure in a black trench coat walked up. She removed her helmet, revealing a strikingly beautiful, melon-seed shaped face.
Then, their eyes met.
Ya Xiao sighed. "Why must you do this?"
The woman said simply, "I like you."
The two of them stood there, gazing into each other’s eyes as the morning breeze caressed their cheeks. It was a moment that seemed to carry the weight of an entire history between them...
Chu Hao glanced at Ya Xiao, then at the gang Boss.
He gasped. A... a woman?
His thoughts were a whirlwind. Ya Xiao’s old flame is actually a woman? So that means Ya Xiao is...? Damn it! I don’t even know how to react! No wonder she didn’t respond at all, no matter how hard I tried to flirt with her. At first, I thought she was definitely a seasoned player. Turns out, that wasn’t it. This ’seasoned player’ really knows how to make a turn!
Seeing the bruises on Ya Xiao’s face, Zi Gui’s expression turned furious. "Who did this?"
"I... I accidentally bumped into something," Ya Xiao said, unwilling to reveal the truth.
Zi Gui visibly relaxed, then her gaze shifted to Chu Hao, a flicker of interest in her eyes. "So, it was you? The one who single-handedly beat five of my men?"
Ya Xiao quickly interjected, "He’s my younger brother."
Zi Gui nodded. "Your brother is my brother. Tonight, I’ll get him a few girls to make sure he has a good time."
What the hell! Chu Hao thought. Boss, you’re so generous! How can you be so awesome? Now *that’s* how you show off! All my previous attempts were just amateur hour compared to this!
Without another word, Zi Gui grabbed Ya Xiao’s hand and started to leave, giving Ya Xiao no chance to react. The crowd of thugs followed them downstairs. What an imposing scene!
The fierce young thug from before, still nursing his jaw, grimaced at Chu Hao. "Buddy, you really don’t pull your punches, huh? Come on! Tonight, you have to have a few drinks with us brothers."
Chu Hao replied awkwardly, "It’s all good. We wouldn’t have gotten to know each other if we hadn’t fought, right?"
The young man rolled his eyes and walked ahead, still cradling his jaw.
They sped through the streets, making quite a spectacle, and finally arrived at a rather luxurious bar.
Zi Gui pulled Ya Xiao upstairs. Chu Hao clearly saw the impatient desire in both their eyes as they exchanged glances.
What... what are they going to do? Chu Hao was utterly baffled. Today has been a real eye-opener.
The fierce young thug chuckled knowingly. "What else? They’re going to unlock some new positions, of course."
Chu Hao was dumbstruck. He gave a thumbs-up. Awesome!
"Come on, come on! Drink up! If I don’t get you wasted tonight, my name isn’t Wang Dali!" the fierce-looking young man declared.
Chu Hao grinned. "Bring it on! Who’s afraid of who?"
They drank continuously, losing track of how much. Perhaps due to his enhanced physique, Chu Hao could drink an incredible amount and sobered up remarkably quickly.
Seeing Chu Hao still drinking, Wang Dali, whose eyes were already bleary, said in amazement, "Brother, you can really hold your liquor."
Chu Hao downed another bottle, feeling nothing. "Not to brag," he said, "but no one here can outdrink me."
This provoked the other thugs. An older one among them challenged, "Don’t get cocky! We’ll drink with you. The first one to pass out has to call the winner ’Big Brother!’"
Chu Hao scoffed. "Hah! With all due respect, everyone here is a lightweight."
"DING. Host has successfully shown off, gaining 30 Pretentiousness Points."
The thugs couldn’t stand the provocation and immediately flew into a rage. Several of the heavier drinkers sat down, ready for a serious drinking competition.
And so they drank, more and more, with many others cheering them on amidst the loud music of the bar.
They continued drinking almost until nightfall. The bar gradually filled with more people. Being near a university, many students came to hang out.
The girls, in particular, were dressed to impress, with long, fair legs on display and low-cut tops, exuding youth and vitality.
"Sister Mo, look! That guy can really drink," one girl said to her companion.
Tang Mo had brown hair that flowed down to her waist and clear, water-like eyes. She wore a white camisole dress adorned with small red polka dots, covered by a white outer coat that faintly revealed her golden-ratio figure.