The thugs gathered around a stone table in the park, cigarettes dangling from their mouths as they drank, played cards, and had the time of their lives.
Ye Xin Xia's wheelchair lay overturned on the ground. One thug had his foot on a wheel, while another slapped down two cards with his right hand. "A pair of twos! I'm down to one card!"
"Rocket!"
"Fuck, you're a farmer too! Why the hell are you bombing me? Old man's already down to one card!"
"Hehe, Boss, wasn't I just trying to make Rat lose a little more... A three."
"...Pass."
"Boss, it's a three?"
"I'm not fucking blind or deaf! Can't you see or hear? I said pass!!!"
The other thugs: "..."
Just as they were struggling to hold back their laughter, an angry female voice rang out from afar.
"Hey, Xu Bing, give the wheelchair back right now! Otherwise, when Xin Xia's brother gets here, you'll regret it."
Lin Yun Er directly brought up Ye Xin Xia's brother, trying to scare the thugs.
Unfortunately, Xu Bing and the others were not afraid at all.
"Hahaha, that brother of hers is weak as a kitten. If he comes over, he'll just become my human punching bag."
Xu Bing laughed loudly, tossed the '3' in his hand aside, and led several thugs toward the two girls.
"It's so late. Why haven't you gone home yet?"
"Don't tell me you don't have a home? How about coming with your big brother? I guarantee you'll eat well and drink well... Aah!"
Before he could finish, Xu Bing suddenly screamed. His entire body flew through the air and crashed straight into the massive banyan tree at the center of the park.
Bang!
The impact was so powerful that the entire banyan tree shook. Dead leaves drifted down and scattered through the air.
"Hiss—"
Several thugs sucked in cold breaths, hardly able to believe what they had seen.
After such a blow, even if Xu Bing was not dead, he would be severely injured. If things went badly, he might even end up permanently disabled.
Whose subordinate was this, to strike so viciously?
"Since you like wheelchairs so much, you can experience one properly from now on."
A clear, bright voice sounded out. Everyone turned toward it and saw a handsome, heroic-looking youth.
The thugs were confused. Lin Yun Er was confused.
Ye Xin Xia's eyes lit up as she cried out in delight, "Brother Qin Yuan!"
At those words, the corners of the thugs' mouths twitched fiercely as they stared dumbfoundedly at the unconscious Xu Bing.
Damn it, where was the weak and feeble brother they had been promised?
You called a youth who could kick a burly man twenty meters away weak and feeble? Then what did that make them?
A thug in ripped jeans forced himself to step forward and stammered, "B-Brother, we..."
"Take him and get lost."
Qin Yuan said casually.
"Thank you, Brother! Thank you, Brother!"
"We'll get lost right away, right away!"
"Thank you, Big Brother!"
The thugs breathed sighs of relief and dragged Xu Bing away with them. Judging by their haste, they were probably heading to the hospital.
After all, Xu Bing's miserable state, foaming at the mouth, really did make it look as though he was about to meet his end.
Qin Yuan had already shown mercy. Otherwise, Xu Bing would have been a corpse by now.
Of course, whether Xu Bing, who would have trouble moving around in the future, could survive depended on how many people he had offended before—and how ruthless they were.
[ Ding, arrived in Bocheng. Would you like to check in? ]
"Check in."
With a slight stir of his thoughts, Qin Yuan silently said the words.
[ Ding, check-in initiated. Estimated time: one hour... ]
"Xin Xia."
Qin Yuan smiled faintly, then looked at Lin Yun Er. "Hello, I'm Xin Xia's friend, Qin Yuan."
"H-Hello." Lin Yun Er's gaze shifted away, and she looked somewhat shy.
She had not gotten a good look earlier. Only after Qin Yuan came closer did she realize that he was a handsome boy with an extraordinary temperament.
Still, although Lin Yun Er was shy, she was not so exaggeratedly infatuated as to be a lovesick fool.
She simply had a favorable impression of him. Looks might not be the most important thing, but they could always leave a good first impression on others.
"Then I'll leave Xin Xia to you."
"Xin Xia, I'm leaving first. See you tomorrow."
"Mm, see you tomorrow."
The two women waved goodbye.
Only after Lin Yun Er had gone far away did Ye Xin Xia withdraw her gaze. Turning back, she smiled and said, "Brother Qin Yuan, you haven't come to Bocheng in a long time."
Qin Yuan used to come to Bocheng once a month, but this time, three whole months had passed, so Ye Xin Xia was rather curious.
"I had quite a lot to deal with some time ago. I only finished up in the past few days."
Qin Yuan patted Ye Xin Xia's head and smiled lightly. "Let's go. I'll take you home first."
"Mm."
Ye Xin Xia smiled sweetly, then rose from the swing and sat in her wheelchair.
Although the two had not seen each other for three months, there was no awkwardness between them at all. After all, phones were not just for decoration—video calls existed.
Qin Yuan pushed the wheelchair toward the exit.
Speaking of which, it was quite a coincidence.
The single apartment Qin Yuer had found for Qin Yuan was near Inscribed Girls Middle School, in a place called Ruiguang Residential Area.
If he remembered correctly, Ye Xin Xia seemed to live there with her aunt, Mo Qing.
"Brother Qin Yuan, Ning Xue has come back too. She visited me yesterday and brought me lots of things."
Ye Xin Xia said.
She and Mu Ning Xue had a very good relationship. They had been close friends since childhood, and even after Mu Ning Xue went far away to the Imperial Capital, the two had remained in contact.
Qin Yuan had also gotten to know Ye Xin Xia thanks to Mu Ning Xue bringing them together.
"Mm, I know."
Qin Yuan nodded and chuckled. "Ning Xue mentioned it to me some time ago. We were discussing finding a time for the three of us to get together again once I came back to Bocheng."
Whenever Qin Yuan came to Bocheng in the past, he would have meals with the two women. On a few occasions, Mo Fan and the others would join them as well.
However, compared to the two women, Mu Ning Xue and Ye Xin Xia, Qin Yuan's relationship with Mo Fan and the others could only be considered that of ordinary friends. It had not reached the level of comrades who would lay down their lives for each other.
"Alright."
Ye Xin Xia nodded her little head with a smile.
Ever since she was little, she had liked playing with Qin Yuan and Mu Ning Xue rather than Mo Fan.
It was not that there was anything wrong with Mo Fan. Rather, as a child, Mo Fan had been the king of the kids, with an extremely wide circle of friends—and they were all boys.
Ye Xin Xia had trouble walking. Even if Mo Fan and Zhang Xiao Hou did not find her troublesome, the others were different. More or less, they looked down on her with a trace of disdain.
For those two reasons, aside from Mo Fan as her brother, Ye Xin Xia had only Mu Ning Xue as a close friend.
Only after Qin Yuan appeared did Ye Xin Xia gain another confidant. As for whether that friendship would change in nature, that was hard to say.
Qin Yuan pushed the wheelchair and took Ye Xin Xia out of the park.
"Xin Xia! Xin Xia! Xin..."
Suddenly, urgent shouts came from an alley between two buildings ahead.
The two looked over and saw a figure running out of the alley—a lean boy with a somewhat roguishly handsome air.
"Brother."
Ye Xin Xia called out.
Qin Yuan also nodded to him in greeting. "Mo Fan."
"Oh, it's Qin Yuan." Mo Fan froze for a moment, then reacted and asked, "Xin Xia, are you alright?"
"Where are those thug bastards? Take me to them. If I don't beat them until they're crawling around looking for their teeth this time, I'll write the name Mo Fan backward."
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