Li Yang returned home burdened with worries. After a quick shower, he lay on the bed and turned on the Konka TV. Looking at the old companion that had been with him for years, he never expected it to become an antique now, phased out while all the appliances on the market were various plasma and LCD ultra-thin TVs.
When Li Yang was at the store, he would sometimes sneak away from his post to the Color TV Department to enjoy the high-definition blockbusters playing there. The effect was indeed quite stunning.
He had not expected society and the economy to develop so quickly. Then Li Yang checked the time and figured Yue Xiaodan had probably gotten off work too, so he planned to send her a message and tease her a little.
Who knew his phone would ring? As expected of a young couple, it was as if they had a telepathic connection.
Li Yang hurriedly answered. After another round of mushy flirting, the two reluctantly said goodnight and ended the call.
Hateful husband. On the other end, Yue Xiaodan's face was flushed with a charming blush as she silently cursed Li Yang. She kicked off her high heels at random, though her lips were curled in a happy smile. Then she went into the bathroom to shower.
Li Yang continued watching TV for a while. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone rang again.
Without even looking at the screen, Li Yang grabbed it and answered in a daze.
"What is it, honey? Missing me again?"
"Li Yang, hurry and save me! A hooligan is harassing me!"
Jiang Manman's pitiful cry for help came through the phone. It did not sound like an act. Li Yang immediately opened his eyes and quickly asked, "Where are you?"
"I'm at Luopu Park under Lingbo Bridge." Jiang Manman had regained some composure and seriously gave Li Yang her location.
"I'll be there right away. Don't run around. Wait for me." After saying that plainly, Li Yang quickly grabbed his phone, threw on a pair of loose shorts and a T-shirt, and headed out.
He first rode his bicycle to the village entrance, then immediately ran over to a taxi that had pulled over by the roadside, opened the door, and got in.
"Driver, under Lingbo Bridge," Li Yang said casually.
"Kid, it's so close. Do you really need a taxi?" the driver asked curiously.
"Hurry up, sir. It's an emergency—I need to save someone!"
"Got it!" The driver heard that and raced against time, quickly arriving beneath Lingbo Bridge on Binhe North Road.
"Keep the change." Li Yang casually tossed ten yuan onto the Center Console. Without wasting another word, he got out and ran toward the riverbank, calling out for Jiang Manman.
After searching for a long time, he finally heard a faint response.
"I'm over here, Li Yang!" Jiang Manman emerged from beneath the shade of the landscaping trees, her hair disheveled, wearing only a little camisole and holding her phone.
Li Yang looked over and saw that she was not wearing anything on her feet. The moment Jiang Manman saw him, she immediately went from tears to laughter.
"You finally came! I was terrified just now!" Jiang Manman jumped into Li Yang's arms and tearfully recounted what had happened...
"It's all right, it's all right. Don't be afraid. I'm here, aren't I?" Seeing Jiang Manman's tear-streaked face, Li Yang's heart ached. He held her up with both hands, his heart stirring.
After they had separated, Jiang Manman had started feeling the effects of the alcohol. She did not want to stay obediently at home alone, so, bored out of her mind, she had put on a camisole nightgown and slippers before coming to the river for a walk.
Who knew that when she reached a stretch of riverbank, a drunk suddenly came rushing out from somewhere? Seeing Jiang Manman dressed so sexily and alluringly, he immediately had indecent thoughts and lunged at her like an eagle snatching a chick.
Fortunately, the drunk was not very agile. He chased Jiang Manman all the way, trying to drag her into the grass beside them.
Jiang Manman had panicked and run blindly in every direction. She did not even know when her slippers had flown off. In the end, she escaped disaster by hiding in a patch of bushes. Then she thought of Li Yang and called him.
After listening to Jiang Manman's account, Li Yang began comforting her gently.
"You're so annoying." There was a trace of delight in her heart. She was still quite charming after all, if she could attract Li Yang.
"You still say you don't like me." With Li Yang by her side, Jiang Manman immediately felt much more at ease. Without the slightest embarrassment, she began joking with him...
"Get down. Otherwise, I might lose control and turn into a beast." Li Yang put on a stern expression to scare her.
"Hmph, it's hard to say who would take care of whom. I'm just afraid you don't have the guts. Besides, I wouldn't be losing out. I'm even two years older than you." Jiang Manman wrapped her arms around Li Yang, putting on a fearless, brazen attitude.
"Oh? You're that tough? Then why didn't you knock that hooligan flat just now?" Li Yang teased with a smile.
Jiang Manman's body gave off a heart-soothing fragrance...
"Come down, babe. We can't stay like this until dawn, can we? Don't you have work tomorrow?" Li Yang hurriedly urged her.
"Then carry me back. I don't know where my shoes went." Jiang Manman domineeringly kissed Li Yang on the cheek and began acting cute.
"Stop acting like a hooligan. Be careful or I'll report you for harassment." Li Yang scolded her with a serious face.
"Tch, who's afraid of whom? I'll kiss you if I want."
"Hey, hey, hey! Why don't you have any martial virtue..."
Jiang Manman was enjoying the feeling too. She passionately kissed Li Yang and refused to let go.
In the end, the two kissed fiercely by the Luo River, surrounded by the gentle breeze and quiet scenery, completely oblivious to everyone else.
No one knew how long it had been before Li Yang pulled away from her red lips...
"Let's go, Li Yang. Carry me back." Jiang Manman returned to normal and murmured weakly by Li Yang's ear.
"Then get down first." Li Yang patted her as a reminder.
They had maintained that position just now. They really were young and full of energy!
In the end, Li Yang carried Jiang Manman along the river channel built beside the river, slowly walking west. They were probably south of Zhang Zhuang Village in Jianxi District now, not far from 511.
Jiang Manman lay quietly on Li Yang's solid back, looking obedient. No one knew what she was thinking!
The two walked silently when Li Yang suddenly spotted a pair of pink women's slippers scattered ahead. Judging by the size, they seemed to belong to Jiang Manman.
"Li Yang, those are my shoes!" Jiang Manman jumped down at once, walked over barefoot, and skillfully put them on.
"Hehe, good thing they weren't lost. I just bought them, and I love this style the most!" Jiang Manman happily danced around.
"Li Yang, I want to wash my feet by the river. I don't know what I stepped on earlier, but they feel so uncomfortable." As she spoke, she even held out the sole of her foot for Li Yang to see.
"Women are such a hassle." Li Yang pouted unwillingly but still took Jiang Manman's hand and led her toward the river.
"Hmph, if you have the guts, go say that to Xiaodan's face. And if you have the guts, don't ever marry a wife—just stay a bachelor forever!"
"Then don't come crying for a woman later!" Jiang Manman's sharp tongue left Li Yang unable to retort, so he could only take her to the riverbank.
"I really want to throw you in there. That would make you behave." Li Yang held Jiang Manman's little hand as she carefully washed her feet by the river, casually teasing her.
"Li Yang, could you bear to? If you marry me someday, my mom says I'll definitely be easy to conceive with and bear children." Jiang Manman happily turned around and began selling Li Yang a dream.
"With you, what are you even going to give birth to?" Li Yang looked her over with a serious expression.
"What do you know? This is the best kind of figure for a woman—a pear-shaped body, okay?" As she spoke, Jiang Manman gracefully struck a beautiful pose in front of Li Yang.
"Apple or banana, who cares? Hurry up already. It's late, sis." Li Yang teased her with a grin.
"Hmph, no sense of romance." Jiang Manman rolled her eyes. Still worried, she stepped her slippers into the water to wash them too. The weather at the end of June was perfect for swimming.
"Li Yang, I'll take you swimming another day, okay?" As they walked along the path back, Jiang Manman asked while shuffling in her slippers.
"I can't swim," Li Yang replied perfunctorily.
"Hahaha! You big idiot, you're a landlubber? It's fine. Big sis will teach you properly someday. I guarantee you'll learn in one day. If you run into danger in the future, you'll be able to save yourself too!"
Hearing Jiang Manman put it that way, Li Yang felt she actually made a lot of sense.
"All right. When we're free someday, we'll go."
"Hehe, then you'll see. I wasn't called the fearless river girl for nothing!" Jiang Manman bragged boldly.
Li Yang glanced at her alluring figure and casually criticized, "If you run around dressed like this and no hooligans bother you, then heaven has failed you."
"What did I do wrong?"
Jiang Manman lowered her head to look at the culprit and pouted aggrievedly.
Seeing how pitiful she looked, Li Yang's sympathy rose again. He gentlemanly took off his T-shirt and personally slipped it over Jiang Manman's nightgown.
"That's better. Let's go." Li Yang stood there bare-chested and looked Jiang Manman over, feeling quite satisfied. Then he walked ahead.
"Li Yang, you're so good to me. If I could marry you someday, I'd die happy."
Jiang Manman followed behind him like a little girl, hopping and skipping after Li Yang.
After walking for a while, Jiang Manman looked at Li Yang in front of her, wearing only loose shorts. Her big eyes shifted, and a bad idea came to mind. A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
She quickly rushed up and yanked down Li Yang's...
"Hahaha! How old are you, and you still don't wear underwear?" Jiang Manman laughed happily as she ran ahead of Li Yang. She really was a bizarre beauty.
Li Yang reacted quickly. He certainly could not let her peek at his handsome body, so he hurriedly pulled his loose shorts back up.
Then he shouted and chased after Jiang Manman again. The two playfully roughhoused as they quickly reached beneath Lingbo Bridge.
"Help!" Suddenly, the two heard a girl crying out near one of the bridge pillars.
Li Yang immediately ignored Jiang Manman and ran forward to look. Under the dim orange lights, a burly man was assaulting a girl. Hearing her heart-wrenching cries, Li Yang could not afford to waste any time.
He looked around, picked up half a brick from the ground, gripped it in his hand, and rushed over. The man was consumed by lust and could not possibly notice the sounds behind him. His mind was a complete mess.
Since childhood, what Li Yang hated most was men forcing themselves on girls. Whenever he saw something like that, he would definitely get involved and see it through. Back when he ran around outside, he had offended plenty of people over such matters.
Without hesitation, Li Yang smashed the brick hard against the man's head. After only a few blows, everything fell quiet. The girl beneath him was freed and hurriedly broke away from his clutches. Her clothes were disheveled as she thanked Li Yang.
Good grief, she was dressed almost as provocatively as Jiang Manman. No wonder she attracted trouble so easily.
Li Yang immediately called the police, while Jiang Manman kindly took the girl's hand and comforted her carefully.
By the Luoyang district divisions, this area fell under the jurisdiction of Chuangye Road Police Station in Jianxi District. A patrol car happened to be nearby that night, and after receiving orders from the dispatch center, it quickly arrived at the scene.
Three officers took the drunk, who had already woken up—and who was the same man who had harassed Jiang Manman earlier—to the police station. Li Yang and the two women got into the vehicle as eyewitnesses and went along to cooperate with the investigation.
They would not have known if they had not investigated. This guy was actually the late-night predator recently reported by the public, connected to multiple complaints involving sexual harassment and molestation of young women.
Seeing Li Yang, who had acted bravely in the face of danger, the officers treated him warmly. The girl also confirmed that Li Yang had saved her. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
After all the trouble, the three finished giving their statements. Since it was late at night, the officers thoughtfully drove all three back to 511. Before leaving, they told Li Yang to wait for notice and come collect his reward for brave conduct when the time came.
After saying goodbye to the police, the girl, who was quite pretty, warmly chatted with Li Yang and insisted on taking him out for a late-night meal. Jiang Manman immediately grew jealous. Looking at the girl's full, fiery figure, she could tell at a glance that she was no innocent little thing. Women understood women best.
Jiang Manman could sense that the girl wanted to claim Li Yang for herself. She could not let that little vixen steal what belonged to her.
"All right, honey. Hurry and let the pretty lady go home. It's so late, and it isn't safe!"
Jiang Manman deliberately leaned into Li Yang's arms with a shy expression, as though showing off. Her big eyes kept glaring at the pretty girl.
"Oh, then I won't disturb you two. Li Yang, save my number. I'll treat you to a meal another day. I have to thank you for saving my life."
The girl waved to Li Yang with a sweet smile, swaying her sexy, slender waist as she slowly walked away.
"Come on, I'll take you home." Li Yang happily pulled the still-unsatisfied Jiang Manman and quickly returned to her home.
"Li Yang, I'm going to take a shower first. Don't run away, okay? Have some fruit and watch TV for a while."
Jiang Manman had finally caught an opportunity to be alone with Li Yang. How could she possibly let him go so easily? In her eyes, Li Yang was now a lamb waiting for slaughter.
Still worried, Jiang Manman went to lock the door from the inside so Li Yang would have no chance to escape. Then, with a foxlike smile, she hurried off to shower.
Not long afterward, Jiang Manman came out covered in glistening droplets of water and plopped down beside Li Yang.
"Li Yang, you should go wash up too." Jiang Manman wiped her hair as she urged him.
"There were so many mosquitoes by the river just now. Hurry up, be good." Jiang Manman began using her beauty to work on Li Yang.
Before you continue