The thirty or so young n, shouting excitedly, made the whole barbecue shop seem to shake. Besides these groups, there were a few tables of scattered patrons who witnessed the scene unfold. It was clear to everyone that the five thugs were trying to bully others, and judging by their exposed tattoos, they were definitely troublemakers.
Their earlier bravado, acting as if they ruled the world, vanished when they were outnumbered. The other patrons whispered among themselves, astonished at the drama they were witnessing.
Liu Shuo, satisfied with the display of loyalty from his brothers, approached Zhou Yuwen with a grin. “Bro, is this enough people? If not, I can call for more. In our Xu-Huai Association, if we have anything, it’s people!”
Liu Shuo’s words weren’t empty boasting, and the thirty or so n felt a surge of pride. Being part of the Xu-Huai Association gave them a strong sense of belonging and honor.
Behind Zhou Yuwen, the girls were thrilled, tightly holding each other's hands in excitent. Dressed in their JK uniforms, they couldn’t help but feel as if they were living out a scene from a movie. On this night, Zhou Yuwen could have chosen any one of them to leave with, and none would have refused—perhaps even two or three at once.
Zheng Yanyan felt a deep swell of pride. This is my man! If Zhou Yuwen was the leader, then she was his queen. She clung tightly to his arm, wanting everyone to know, Look, I’m the queen here!
Can you have them call
“sister-in-law”? I want to post about it! she thought with excitent.
Zhou Yuwen didn’t care how Liu Shuo addressed him at that mont. The bald thug, who had been the loudest earlier, now stood with his head bowed. Zhou Yuwen sat down on a stool and told Liu Shuo to drag the bald man over.
Liu Shuo, with a mischievous grin, yanked the man over as if he were a rag doll, ignoring the man’s muscular fra and tattoos. The other four thugs tried to resist, but seeing the thirty young n ready to fight, they quickly backed down.
Liu Shuo tossed the bald man in front of Zhou Yuwen, who nearly stumbled as he landed. All the defiance in him had vanished, leaving him stamring.
“How old are you?” Zhou Yuwen asked.
“Tw-twenty-nine.”
“Twenty-nine years old and you’re still wasting your life harassing young girls?” Zhou Yuwen’s tone was calm but cutting.
The bald man’s face flushed with embarrassnt. After a mont, he muttered, “Bro, it was a misunderstanding. I didn’t know who you were. Please, just treat
as nothing and let
go.”
Zhou Yuwen chuckled. “So now you’re scared? Weren’t you acting tough earlier, demanding drinks from us? Do you know who I am?”
Zheng Yanyan, sensing an opportunity, stepped forward and tried to assert herself by giving the bald man a couple of hits, only to be pulled back by Zhou Yuwen.
“We’re in a lawful society,” Zhou Yuwen said. “No need to cause more trouble for the shop owner.” He glanced at the shop owner, who, awkwardly holding his phone as if ready to call the police, forced a smile.
Zhou Yuwen stood up, the simple action making the bald man flinch. Still holding Zheng Yanyan’s wrist, he sighed inwardly, realizing she had a fondness for this kind of dramatic display.
Turning to Tao Tian, who was still staring at him, Zhou Yuwen said, “Take the girls outside.”
Tao Tian, as if waking from a trance, nodded and hurried to gather the girls. As they left, the thugs, now pale and quiet, watched with relief. Zhou Yuwen had no intention of escalating the matter further. He told Liu Shuo, “It’s getting late. I need to take them back to campus.”
He introduced Zheng Yanyan to Liu Shuo, who was quick to acknowledge her with a cheerful, “Everyone, greet her properly!”
“Sister-in-law!” ca the collective shout, echoing through the shop. The girls who hadn’t yet exited turned back, jealousy written all over their faces. Why does Zheng Yanyan get such a boyfriend? they wondered.
This was a night Zheng Yanyan would never forget. If they ever broke up, she’d likely hold onto this mory as her most cherished, begging to keep it from ending.
Zhou Yuwen stifled a laugh at Liu Shuo’s theatrics, amused by how serious he took these monts, as if they were out of a gangster movie. “Handle things here,” he instructed.
“Got it, bro!” Liu Shuo gave an exaggerated salute.
Holding Zheng Yanyan’s hand, Zhou Yuwen turned to leave, noticing she seed reluctant to go. “What? Still want to stay?”
“N-no,” she blushed, feeling a rush of heat as she replayed the evening’s events in her head.
Lu Lin, standing behind them, still held a half-empty beer bottle. Zhou Yuwen smirked. “Want to take that ho?”
Realizing what she was doing, Lu Lin quickly set the bottle down and followed them out.
Liu Shuo, grinning, waved as they left. “Take care, bro! Bring sister-in-law to dinner soti!”
“Sister-in-law, take care!” echoed through the shop, making Zheng Yanyan glow with pride, her cheeks flushing.
The other girls shot her envious looks, while Lu Lin couldn’t help feeling that Zheng Yanyan wasn’t quite on Zhou Yuwen’s level. It seed ridiculous to her how Zheng Yanyan had acted.
Once Zhou Yuwen and the girls had left, the thugs inside the shop exhaled in relief. It’s a good thing that didn’t turn worse, they thought. After all, this was a lawful society—what could really happen?
Liu Shuo, having sent Zhou Yuwen off, shifted his expression to sothing darker. He glared at the bald man, who seed ready to say sothing, only to be cut off as Liu Shuo’s slap sent him sprawling.
“You dare ss with my brother’s girl? You think I won’t teach you a lesson?” Liu Shuo’s sudden burst of violence shocked even his own n, who stood frozen. The tension, which had dissipated under Zhou Yuwen’s composed handling, now thickened.
Everyone rembered Liu Shuo’s temper. He’d been a bully in high school, only reford by Zhou Yuwen. Zhou Yuwen saw promise in him, which was why he brought Liu Shuo into business, ignoring the trouble he used to cause.
Unknown to Zhou Yuwen, Liu Shuo’s loyalty ran deep. Zhou Yuwen had given him a new sense of purpose by founding the Xu-Huai Association, offering him opportunities and even trusting him with significant money. To Liu Shuo, Zhou Yuwen was more than a friend—he was a brother.
The barbecue incident was soon forgotten, but Liu Shuo made sure the thugs understood: disrespecting Zhou Yuwen had severe consequences.
anwhile, under the moonlit sky, Zhou Yuwen walked the girls back to campus. The pathways were quiet, the air filled with the excited chatter of the girls recounting the evening’s events.
Was this what university life was really like? they wondered, feeling a newfound respect for Zhou Yuwen. Even those bold enough to toast him earlier now found themselves shy in his presence, stealing glances and whispering amongst themselves.
Zheng Yanyan basked in the attention, smiling as the girls called her “sister Yanyan” with newfound reverence.
Only Lu Lin remained skeptical, thinking Zheng Yanyan was more trouble than she was worth, soone who Zhou Yuwen rely tolerated.
Zhou Yuwen, walking beside Tao Tian, asked, “Are you okay?”
“Hmm?” Tao Tian seed distracted.
“Did that guy scare you?”
“Oh,” Tao Tian said, shaking her head. “No, I’m fine.”
“You seem out of sorts,” Zhou Yuwen noted, offering his usual calm smile that exuded warmth.
Tao Tian hesitated, looking at him thoughtfully. “I just can’t imagine...”
“Imagine what?”
“You, with those kinds of people.”
Zhou Yuwen chuckled. “They’re just so fellow students doing part-ti work.”
“Normal classmates wouldn’t stick their necks out like that,” Tao Tian said, unconvinced.
“Call it a touch of youthful drama.”
“Really?”
“No reason to lie,” he shrugged.
Tao Tian smiled faintly, “You’re becoming harder to read.”
“You don’t need to understand .”
Before she could respond, Zheng Yanyan approached, tugging on Zhou Yuwen’s arm. “What are you talking about, dear?”
“Nothing much,” he said.
The girls, now feeling more at ease, circled back to chat with Zhou Yuwen, their admiration barely hidden. Zhou Yuwen told them to keep the night’s events to themselves, and they nodded, eager to please.
Who knows if they actually did?
After escorting the girls, including Tao Tian, back to their dorms, Zhou Yuwen made sure they were settled. “You did the right thing, stepping up for them,” he told Tao Tian earnestly.
Tao Tian gave a small smile before heading inside.
Finally, Zhou Yuwen turned to take Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin back. Zheng Yanyan, despite initially agreeing to return to her dorm, now hesitated, wanting to stay with Zhou Yuwen.
“I need a change of clothes,” she tried.
“Do I have to wait?”
“Just a mont?”
“No, I’m tired. I’m heading ho.”
Reluctantly, Zheng Yanyan agreed, waving him goodbye with a flushed face.
As Zhou Yuwen walked away, he felt grateful for the peace of his own space, calling Liu Shuo to check in.
“Handled, bro. Don’t worry. I know my limits.”
“Tone it down, Shuo. Your temper will get you in trouble.”
Liu Shuo laughed. “Not with you around, bro.”
Zhou Yuwen took a hot shower and settled into bed, glancing at social dia flooded with photos from the night, including a collage from Zheng Yanyan featuring their selfies. She ssaged him frequently, using playful images captioned with, “Sticking to hubby.”
Zheng Yanyan’s heart overflowed with love for Zhou Yuwen, convinced she couldn’t live without him. She gushed about him in her dorm while Su Qing and Shen Yu stayed disinterested, and Lu Lin listened with mild annoyance.
“She just lucked out,” Lu Lin thought, dismissing Zheng Yanyan’s claim of Zhou Yuwen being an “official’s son.” Still, tonight’s events nagged at her.
Zheng Yanyan, changing into a red camisole, lounged in her dorm, dreaming aloud, “Should I act more refined, now that I’m the girlfriend of a boss?”
Lu Lin replied dryly, “You acted more like a brat.”
“Really?”
“Kidding,” Lu Lin added, but Zheng Yanyan pestered Zhou Yuwen, anxious about whether she embarrassed him.
“It’s fine,” he texted back. Yet, she felt insecure, even clingier than before.
In another part of campus, Tao Tian was also unable to sleep, replaying the night in her mind. That scene—the thugs, Zhou Yuwen, the declaration of “sister-in-law”—kept her awake. In her room, she typed to him, “I can’t sleep. Tonight felt surreal.”
He reminded her, “Scum like that are common. Stay alert.”
“How do I make sure you’re there next ti?”
“That’s not always possible,” he said plainly.
Tao Tian lay on her bed, rereading his texts with a small smile. “I envy Zheng Yanyan,” she typed. “She did nothing and found soone like you.”
“Not really,” he replied.
“Do you like slender girls?” she ventured.
“They each have their appeal.”
“But most of the girls around you are slender.”
“Not true. I like your type too,” he replied.
“What’s my type?”
“Curvaceous.”
Tao Tian chuckled.She realized that she had truly fallen for Zhou Yuwen!
Even if there was only the slightest chance, Tao Tian didn’t want to let it slip away.
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