Ren Jun was gone, leaving just Xue Rui and Qiu Mengze to wander the streets.
"My uncle left me a few hundred bucks. See anything else you want to eat?"
Xue Rui figured since they had a rare chance to be out, he should at least treat his good buddy to a better meal.
"We're already out, so look over there." Qiu Mengze's eyebrows shot up, his expression full of excitement.
Following Qiu Mengze's gaze, Xue Rui saw an internet cafe called "New World."
It was after ten at night, and the entrance to the internet cafe was bustling. A crowd of teenagers with hair dyed every color of the rainbow were squatting by the door, smoking and making calls.
"Is that all you can think of?" Xue Rui cursed with a laugh.
He didn't veto the idea, though. It wasn't that he wanted to go, but Qiu Mengze had been completely listless at school for the past few days, like he was going through withdrawal.
If they came all the way to the internet cafe's doorstep and he *still* didn't let him go in, Mengze would probably hold a grudge for life.
"I'll call Yi Bing in a bit. If a teacher does a dorm check, he'll say we went to the bathroom," Qiu Mengze said, clearly experienced in these matters.
"Heh heh... I came out without any money, Brother Rui. Mind buying a few drinks?" Qiu Mengze said with a grin.
"So it's 'Xue Rui' when you don't need anything, but 'Brother Rui' when you do? Fine. As long as you don't smoke next to me, I'll even order you some barbecue."
The two walked toward the entrance of the New Century Internet Cafe, arms slung over each other's shoulders.
As they passed a small alley, Xue Rui glanced to the side. A few punks with brightly colored hair were harassing a high school girl in a school uniform.
The girl was wearing the uniform of First Middle School, and tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Just gettin' out of school, little lady?"
"Don't touch me! I live right around here!" the girl shouted.
Xue Rui paused. 'She's pretty sharp,' he thought. 'Saying that usually works, but at this hour, there's nobody on the streets. The threat is a lot less effective.'
"So what if you live nearby? We ain't done nothin'."
A red-haired youth shot her an arrogant look and reached out to touch her fair cheek.
"Come on, let's go in and see if there are any open computers," Qiu Mengze urged, pulling at Xue Rui's arm.
He had seen it too, of course, but he usually just pretended not to notice this sort of thing.
He was afraid Xue Rui would suddenly get a heroic impulse and start a fight. Then he'd be stuck, not knowing whether to run or stay.
"Mengze, you know why you can't get a girlfriend? This is a perfect chance for a hero to save the damsel in distress!"
Xue Rui let out a sly laugh and started dragging Qiu Mengze toward the alley.
"Xue Rui, those guys are street toughs!" Qiu Mengze cried out anxiously.
He was terrified of people like that. They ran in packs, cigarettes dangling from their lips, acting all high and mighty. It reminded him of fight scenes from TV shows.
Xue Rui had to hold back a laugh. 'Street toughs? More like street trash.'
Only a sheltered student like Qiu Mengze, who'd spent his whole life at school, would be scared of a few petty thugs.
Qiu Mengze dug his heels in, desperately trying to pull Xue Rui toward the internet cafe, but Xue Rui had him in a headlock and was dragging him into the alley instead.
In the end, Xue Rui's superior strength won him the contest.
The two of them drew closer and closer to the dark alley.
"Brother Rui! I'm begging you, I really don't want to be some hero! Can't we just call the cops? Or call your uncle, that works too." Qiu Mengze was truly terrified now.
Half an hour ago, he would have gladly stood up for the girl. With a legendary figure like Brother Jun backing them up, he wouldn't have been afraid of these guys in the slightest.
But now, with Xue Rui pushing him to be the hero, his knees were knocking.
"Call the cops?"
'If calling the cops actually did anything,' Xue Rui thought, 'would these guys be acting so brazenly?'
These punks didn't have the guts to *actually* break the law, but they sure had a talent for being disgusting.
Even if the cops did show up, they'd just laugh it off with excuses like "we got the wrong person" or "we were just trying to make a friend."
In reality, they hadn't done anything truly illegal. They'd just touched her cheek and made a few lewd comments. The police couldn't officially charge them with anything; the most they'd get is a lecture.
Arrest them for disorderly conduct? Don't be ridiculous. The police are busy enough as it is. They deal with too many of these incidents, and it's a complete waste of their time.
They were like flies buzzing around your head. You swat at them and they scatter, but the moment you stand still, they're back, flitting in your face and driving you crazy.
"You just need to be more assertive," Xue Rui suggested. "Just say the girl is your sister."
Ignoring Qiu Mengze's pleading, he gave him a shove forward and yelled, "What the fuck do you think you're doing? Let go of my buddy's sister!"
He didn't know the girl, but 'it's always best to have a justifiable reason when you're sticking your neck out for someone.'
As long as you were firm and claimed she was family, the punks would realize you weren't going to back down. They'd get bored and leave on their own.
Xue Rui's roar startled the punks. They turned to see two students in high school uniforms.
They could tell with a single glance that the one in front, Qiu Mengze, was a timid, by-the-book student.
So one of them asked scornfully, "And how are you gonna prove she's your sister?"
"Hey, little lady, you know this kid?"
Seeing that someone had come to help, the girl looked at Qiu Mengze with pleading eyes.
But Qiu Mengze's performance was thoroughly disappointing.
"Th-that's my sister. You guys should go, I'm taking her home."
Qiu Mengze kept his head down, his body trembling so much he could barely get the words out.
"Says you? By that logic, I could say she's *my* sister!" A punk with yellow-dyed hair and a sleazy attitude stepped forward and gave Qiu Mengze a shove.
"I..." Qiu Mengze's eyes darted around, avoiding contact.
Xue Rui sighed in resignation. He stepped forward and smiled at the girl. "Guoguo, let's go home."
The girl was visibly stunned to hear the name "Guoguo."
But she was quick on the uptake. She knew this boy was trying to help her. Her tears, which she had been holding back, finally broke free. "Brother~" she cried, her voice trembling.
"You're her brother?" one of the youths demanded, shoving Xue Rui.
Xue Rui snatched a beer bottle from a nearby trash can.
CRACK! The glass bottle shattered against the wall.
He held the jagged neck of the broken bottle and advanced with slow, deliberate steps, his gaze dark and menacing.
Xue Rui was powerfully built, and with the intimidating "weapon" in his hand, he looked even more imposing. For every step he took forward, Huang Mao subconsciously took one back.
Huang Mao swallowed hard. He stared at Xue Rui for a long moment. The other boy's gaze was terrifyingly resolute, without a hint of hesitation.
He suddenly realized that this kid had never intended to just trade words. He had only given him a single push, and the kid was already acting like he was ready to kill.
He'd been around the block for years; he knew that the quiet ones were often the most vicious when a fight broke out.
This guy was dead set on taking the girl, and he didn't want to tangle with someone like that.
He tried to de-escalate the situation. "Bro, we were just kidding around. Go on, take your sister home."
"You'd better have been," Xue Rui sneered, taking the girl's hand and turning to leave.
The girl didn't resist. She could see from his Hedong Second Middle School uniform that he was just a high school student like her.
"Phew..."
Watching them walk away, Huang Mao finally let out a sigh of relief. Xue Rui was far more ruthless than him. That calm, dark gaze had put him under immense psychological pressure.
"Who was that kid? He just looked like a high schooler," the red-haired youth said. He had also sensed something was off with the atmosphere, which was why he hadn't rashly jumped in to help his buddy.
"I don't know. But if we see that girl again, we'd better not mess with her."
Huang Mao shook his head. He had no desire to go looking for that kind of trouble again.