Zhu Yaya desperately urged the taxi driver and finally arrived at Wutong Street in the western district of the capital city with just three minutes to spare before 5:50.
As soon as she got out of the car, she ran in the direction where Xu Chun usually went. With a large backpack on her shoulders and a round, heavy watermelon clutched in both hands, she struggled considerably.
She searched for Xu Chun with a look of despair on her face.
After jogging for a bit, Zhu Yaya heard a girl's voice near a small alley at a corner of Wutong Street. It was resolute and full of cadence, unmistakably the voice of Xu Chun, who was always pursuing justice.
Tears streamed down Zhu Yaya's face; she had finally found her!
"Yo! You're Murong Beichen's woman? What? Want to save your sweetheart? No way! I don't care, I'll hit a woman too!" A thug's voice rang out, apparently the leader of this gang.
Zhu Yaya then heard Murong Beichen's shout: "Let her go, damn it! This has nothing to do with her! If you've got guts, come at me!"
This was followed by the sounds of punches and scuffles, and Xu Chun's voice, filled with grief and indignation, cried out, "Stop fighting, all of you!"
It was time for the plot to unfold!
Zhu Yaya sent a message to her father, Zhu Jianjun, who was a police officer in the western district, using her phone. She was just thinking about how to act like an indifferent passerby when she suddenly remembered—she hadn't brought a fruit knife. How was she supposed to cut the watermelon? How could she successfully enjoy the show?
Zhu Yaya was frantic. It was clearly too late to go buy a fruit knife now. What should she do?
Give up on this mission? But she had already come this far! She was so close!
Zhu Yaya racked her brains. Her arms were getting sore, and she instinctively tried to shift her grip, but her hand slipped.
With a crack, the watermelon fell to the ground and split into two halves.
Zhu Yaya: !!! The watermelon split open!
She was only grateful that it hadn't landed on the fleshy side. Squatting there, she lowered her head, rubbed her chin, and figured out how to "eat the melon" (enjoy the show). But then she heard an alert male voice—
"Who's there?"
Zhu Yaya jolted, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She slowly looked up and saw a lean young man with straw-yellow dyed hair and arms covered in tattoos emerge from the small alley.
Zhu Yaya swallowed hard and timidly spoke up: "Big brother, I'm just a passerby, wanting to eat some watermelon. I don't have any other ideas."
She added, "I didn't hear anything just now."
Without another word, the lean young man forced Zhu Yaya, who was pitifully clutching half a watermelon, into the small alley.
As soon as Zhu Yaya entered, she saw Murong Beichen. He was huddled in a corner, shielding the female lead in his arms, his face bruised and swollen, looking utterly disheveled.
The plot! Instinctively, she raised that half-piece of watermelon and took a bite.
Murong Beichen gritted his teeth against the pain: "It's you!"
Zhu Yaya despaired; she was done for!
Sure enough, one of the thugs jeered, "Yo, so there's another accomplice! Let's beat her up too!"
But he was stopped by another thug. This one seemed to be their leader. He narrowed his eyes maliciously, looking Zhu Yaya up and down.
Because of rushing around to buy the watermelon, Zhu Yaya was flushed and warm, her red cheeks making her skin appear even fairer and more delicate.
"She looks even better than the last one," he said with a lecherous expression. "Little sister, let's be friends! Come out and have some fun with big brother, and I won't hit you."
Zhu Yaya thought, Then you'd better just hit me!
But she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she engaged with him, trying to distract him, while one hand felt inside her backpack. Every time she went out, Zhu Jianjun would prepare pepper spray and put it in her bag.
Just as her fingers touched the bottle of pepper spray, Xu Chun suddenly interjected, "Classmate, you should run. If you can't get away, just agree with him! He really might beat someone to death."
Agree with him, my foot! Zhu Yaya thought, her face expressionless.
But why hasn't Zhu Jianjun arrived yet? Zhu Yaya felt a bit anxious inside.
Just as she was about to pull out the pepper spray, she heard a thug call out, "Yan Heng."
Yan Heng!
Overjoyed, Zhu Yaya ignored the gang leader and shouted, "Brother Yan, I'm here! They're bullying me!"
Then, she saw Yan Heng. The youth wore a faded blue shirt and tight jeans that outlined his long, powerful legs.
Zhu Yaya heard a thug whisper, "This seems to be Yan Heng's turf. Word on the street is this guy is not to be messed with."
Yan Heng saw Zhu Yaya, pitifully holding the watermelon, and his face instantly darkened, his eyes dangerous. He rolled up his sleeves and, without a word, charged forward and started fighting.
He seemed to have had specialized training. His fighting movements were powerful, fierce, and precise, possessing an indescribable coolness.
Zhu Yaya heard her own heartbeat.
She was still worried. This was a whole gang, over a dozen people. Could Yan Heng handle it? Thinking this, she wanted to join the fray, but she knew her own limits. Not daring to rush in recklessly for fear of causing trouble for Yan Heng, she instead hurled the watermelon in her hand at a thug on the very edge. After he was provoked, she pulled out the pepper spray and sprayed it into his eyes. He cried out in pain, his combat ability instantly dropping to zero as he covered his eyes on the ground.
Feeling pleased with herself, Zhu Yaya turned and saw Xu Chun helping Murong Beichen stand up from the corner. Xu Chun was looking at her with a complicated expression.
Zhu Yaya had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment, she heard Xu Chun's righteous and solemn voice ring out—"How can you be so vicious?"
Zhu Yaya: ... What the hell?
As soon as Xu Chun finished speaking, Yan Heng stopped fighting. The gang of thugs was all lying on the ground.
Zhu Yaya ignored Xu Chun, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Yan Heng with admiration.
He leisurely straightened his clothes, not even out of breath, his face calm, unlike someone who had just fought multiple opponents alone. His eyes looked at the thugs on the ground as if they were already dead.
Zhu Yaya moved closer, tilting her little face up, full of admiration. "Brother Yan, you're amazing! That was so cool just now!"
Yan Heng looked her over and, finding that apart from some dust and watermelon juice on her clothes, she wasn't injured. She also didn't seem frightened; instead, she was looking at him excitedly. He let out a slight sigh of relief.
He reached out a hand, gently patted Zhu Yaya's head, and tidied some of her messy stray hairs, tucking a few behind her ear. His movements were gentle, his gaze focused.
Zhu Yaya felt her face burn, especially when Yan Heng's fingers lightly brushed past her ear, making the area feel ticklish. She lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
"B-Brother Yan," Zhu Yaya stammered, her face red.
"Hmm?" he responded in a low voice, then sighed and asked seriously, "Didn't I tell you to wait for me at the school gate? Why didn't you wait?"
"When did you tell me that?"
Zhu Yaya was surprised. Recalling earlier, she realized Yan Heng had indeed told her to wait for him after school that afternoon. She had agreed at the time, but worried about the watermelons selling out, she had promptly forgotten.
She muttered sheepishly, "I... I forgot."
