Chapter 19: Are You Here to Run Away with Me?
“Thinking of starting something?”
Shen Xing stopped in front of the group.
“Heh, you’re not stupid after all.”
One of them sneered, clenching his fist with a crisp sound.
“Did Zhao Pengyu send you?”
“How do you know—”
“Are you dumb? Stop talking nonsense! We just don’t like you, okay?”
Shen Xing sighed. He was really tired of this childish game.
“Ugh, you guys are the boring ones. Don’t just stand there, then. Let’s begin.”
The group froze for a moment, hesitation flickering across their faces.
“Why is this guy so fearless? Could he already be a martial artist? We can’t beat a martial artist…”
“Trying to bluff, right? With that lousy aptitude, how could he become one so fast?”
“Exactly! He just wants to scare us off to avoid getting beaten up.”
“Charge!”
After a few whispered exchanges, they reached an agreement.
Exchanging glances, they charged at Shen Xing together.
“Ah! My eyes!”
“Eyes! Eyes!”
“I’m going blind!”
Suddenly, a dazzling white light burst forth.
The group instantly lost sight, their eyes stinging with sharp pain.
Bang! Bang!
What followed were heavy, forceful punches.
None of them, including Shen Xing, had yet reached the level of true martial artists.
In complete darkness, they had almost no chance to retaliate.
Like headless flies, they wildly flailed their fists, inadvertently hitting their own teammates.
A minute later, Shen Xing, panting, lowered his fists.
Before him on the ground lay five battered men, sprawled in disarray.
They twitched in pain and trembled in fear.
Turning to Shen Xing, their faces were filled with dread.
Shen Xing shook his head. Cleaning up these worthless scraps brought him no thrill at all.
Perhaps after yesterday’s ordeal, Shen Xing no longer had the patience to deal with such childish provocations.
He said listlessly, “Take off your clothes.”
“Huh?”
“W-why?”
Shen Xing’s expression turned cold.
“Enough nonsense. Strip!”
The five, flushed with shame and grievance, could only obey.
Soon, five naked men stood before him.
“Ever seen a centipede? Head to tail, line up like one.”
They glanced at each other, their faces flushed as if bleeding.
But Shen Xing’s fists really hurt, and none wanted to go through it again, so they complied once more.
Snap!
Shen Xing pulled out his phone and took a few photos, then waved them off.
“Get lost. Do you know what I’m holding?”
The men hurriedly dressed, no one daring to speak.
“Whenever you want to socially disgrace yourselves or escape this planet, just come find me.”
Shen Xing pocketed his phone and turned to leave.
…
On his way back, he happened to see Tang Xue’er stepping out.
Behind her, Zhao Pengyu hurried after.
Both spotted Shen Xing simultaneously.
Confusion flickered in Zhao Pengyu’s eyes.
The timing was precise, but Shen Xing’s demeanor was not what he had expected.
“Waiting too long, my dear?”
Tang Xue’er sweetly hooked her arm through Shen Xing’s.
“No, let’s go.”
Shen Xing cast a long, penetrating glance at Zhao Pengyu but said nothing.
Zhao Pengyu, caught off guard, stepped back. After the two left, he immediately rushed to the prearranged spot in the south.
On the way, he encountered the five men supporting each other, their faces swollen and bruised.
Zhao Pengyu’s mouth twitched in anger.
“Trash! Wasting so much money on you! I might as well have bought some dogs to bite you—they’d be more useful!”
The five grumbled angrily but swallowed the words they had intended to tell him.
“How did he beat you all like this? Did he have backup?”
Zhao Pengyu remembered to ask after his outburst.
The five tacitly ignored him.
…
In a room on the second floor.
Shen Xing lay on the bed after a shower, lost in thought.
When Tang Xue’er came out of the bathroom and saw him still like that, she couldn’t help but ask with concern:
“What’s wrong? Feeling down? Or unwell?”
Shen Xing forced a smile.
“Nothing. Just a bit unsettled inside. Don’t know why.”
Tang Xue’er wiped her face, then kissed him gently on the cheek, rubbing against him to comfort.
“Alright, don’t overthink it. Maybe you’re just tired. Rest well today. Put everything aside and get a good sleep!”
Shen Xing hummed in response and closed his eyes.
After a while, Tang Xue’er finished tidying up and turned off the lights.
As darkness enveloped the room, Shen Xing surprisingly felt much more at ease.
After some time, he reopened his eyes.
Unable to fall asleep, he began planning his future.
Dreaming of buying a big house, a nice car.
A steady stream of income, purchasing properties, making investments.
And when tired, being able to stop anytime, doing nothing at all.
Lost in these reveries, Shen Xing had no idea that this ordinary, happy future would forever slip from his grasp after this very night.
Outside, under the pitch-black night sky.
A figure sped toward the Tang residence on a motorcycle.
Approaching, the figure stopped the bike, took off a backpack from the handlebars, and swiftly climbed over the courtyard wall.
…
Click.
In the silent room.
Drowsy Shen Xing suddenly jolted awake.
He sharply turned toward the door, having just heard the faint sound of a lock turning.
Sure enough, the subtle noise continued.
The lock slowly twisted, and soon a crack appeared in the door.
Shen Xing’s eyes widened, unable to guess who it might be.
But such stealth meant trouble.
He gently slipped off the bed, quietly crept to the door, and clenched his fists.
“No matter who it is, knock them out first!”
The next moment, a shadow appeared.
Without hesitation, Shen Xing threw a heavy punch.
Smack!
His opponent was quick, dodging to the side.
Seizing the momentum, the figure pressed Shen Xing against the wall.
Shen Xing’s face drained of color. The speed and strength were beyond his ability to resist.
“Shh!”
In panic, his assailant suddenly gestured for silence before pulling down their mask.
“Is that you?”
Shen Xing was stunned. He never expected it to be Yang Qing.
In the faint moonlight, he saw her clad in black, wearing a cartoon mask.
Her graceful figure outlined by a tight combat suit was breathtaking, reminding Shen Xing of Catwoman in Marvel films.
“Don’t speak. Come with me.”
Yang Qing whispered urgently.
Shen Xing nodded, bringing nothing with him, and followed her out of the room.
Once outside, Shen Xing wanted to ask how she knew his room.
But seeing several servants knocked out outside, the answer was clear.
Strangely, despite everything, Shen Xing did not feel that Yang Qing was there to harm him.
Where she intended to take him, he did not know.
Only after they left the Tang residence and he was seated on the motorcycle’s back did he finally ask:
“Are you here to help me run away?”
Yang Qing revved the engine, shouting into the night:
“No, something far more romantic than running away!”