A Shameless Thug

They had an elective that day, and class did not end until eight that evening.

So the three dejected guys immediately decided not to return to their dorm, the scene of their heartbreak, and headed straight to an internet café for an all-night session.

Li Yichen could only shake his head with a wry smile. He packed up his things and headed toward the parcel pickup station.

Sister Wang had always treated him well. Although she was transferring the business, he still wanted to see whether there was anything he could help with.

"Not having a bike really is a pain." Li Yichen felt a little frustrated and began missing his battered old bicycle again. A trip that used to take just over ten minutes had actually taken him half an hour today.

"Get out! You're not welcome here! Get the hell out!" Before he arrived, he heard Sister Wang's furious voice coming from the shop, even from a considerable distance. A bald man then backed out of the store.

Sister Wang followed him out, bracing one hand against the doorframe and clutching a pair of scissors used for opening boxes in the other.

"Boss Wang, you can't scare me." The bald man glanced at the scissors in Sister Wang's hand, a sneer curling his lips. "That lousy shop of yours is only worth that much. You'd better know what's good for you. Don't make me do this the hard way."

"Liu, other people might be afraid of you, but I'm not." Sister Wang struggled to contain her anger. "This shop clears over five thousand a month. If I weren't in a hurry to go home, why would I ask for only thirty thousand to transfer it?"

Then she pointed the scissors at him and roared, "You offer me ten thousand right off the bat? Why don't you just rob me?"

The scissors nearly stabbed the bald man in the face. Startled, he retreated another two steps before saying darkly, "You bitch. Trying to be nice to you isn't good enough, huh?"

Then he gave a nasty chuckle. "Go ask around. Anything I, Madman Liu, set my sights on, I get. You'd better be a good girl and agree."

He glanced at the shelves packed with parcels. "Otherwise, if something went missing from this shop, you'd have to pay quite a bit in compensation, wouldn't you?"

Sister Wang's expression changed as she immediately realized what he intended. "You bastard! Touch anything in my shop and I'll fight you to the death!" she shouted, brandishing the scissors as though ready to stake her life on it.

The bald man was a notorious shameless thug around here, nicknamed Madman Liu. How could he possibly be afraid of a woman?

He reached out, seized Sister Wang's wrist, and wrenched the scissors from her hand before throwing them far away.

"You bastard! I'll take you down with me!" Sister Wang lived up to the reputation of northeastern women—she was fierce indeed. Even without a weapon, she showed no fear and reached out to claw at the bald man's face.

"Ah!" Caught off guard, the bald man took the full brunt of her swipe. Five bloody scratches immediately appeared on his face.

"You bitch! I'll cripple you!" Thoroughly enraged, the bald man kicked Sister Wang to the ground, then swung his fists down at her.

The bald man was livid. He had assumed there was only a woman here, and with his reputation as Madman Liu, getting his way would be a piece of cake. He had never expected to suffer such a humiliating setback.

Thinking about what he must look like now, his eyes turned red with rage. "I'll beat you to death, you bitch!" His blows grew even harder.

Seeing Sister Wang getting hurt, Li Yichen felt his blood surge. He snatched a brick off the ground and charged over. "Bastard! Get away from Sister Wang!"

"Fuck!" The bald man jolted at Li Yichen's shout and immediately dodged aside without another word.

It was an instinctive reaction, born of years of fighting experience. When the situation was unclear, the best move was to stay well out of reach, then look for a chance to strike back.

"Sister Wang, are you all right?" Li Yichen ran to her side and crouched to help her up, his eyes never leaving the bald man.

"I'm fine." Sister Wang rose with his help and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you," Li Yichen said, pulling her behind him.

By then, the bald man was looking Li Yichen up and down through narrowed eyes.

Seeing nothing more than a pretty boy who looked like a student, he curled his lip.

He knew these college students. They spent most of their time studying and had practically no experience fighting.

So he said disdainfully, "Where did this little punk come from? You haven't even grown your pubes yet, and you dare stick your nose into my business? Get lost, or I'll beat you up too."

"I don't care who you are. Sister Wang's business is my business. Come at me if you've got the guts." Li Yichen stood in front of Sister Wang and raised the brick in his hand.

"Come on. Hit me right here." The bald man's expression grew even more contemptuous. He thrust his head in front of Li Yichen and pointed at his bald scalp. "Smash it right here if you've got the balls. Touch me, kid, and I'll kill you. Believe me?"

"No." Li Yichen tightened his grip on the brick, swung it up, and smashed it down on the bald head right in front of him.

"Aaah..." A scream like a pig being slaughtered burst from the bald man's mouth. Then blood spurted from his forehead.

"You little shit. You've got guts." The bald man pointed at Li Yichen and snarled, "If you don't kill me today, I'll fucking kill you."

"You asked for it." Li Yichen bared his teeth, glanced coldly at the brick in his hand, and smashed it down on the bald man again.

"Aaah..." Another scream escaped the bald man's mouth. He had never imagined this guy would actually dare hit him again. He was nothing like those college students whose legs went weak at the first sight of blood.

"What are you screaming for? Shut up." With that, he brought the brick down again.

"Aaah..."

"Stop! You'll kill him if you keep hitting him!" Seeing the bald man's head drenched in blood, Sister Wang hurriedly grabbed Li Yichen to stop him.

Holding the bloodstained brick, Li Yichen stared coldly at the bald man. "Had enough? If not, we can keep going."

"Yes! I've had enough!" The bald man nodded frantically, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Li Yichen. He had no doubt that if he failed to nod, that brick would come down on his head again.

By now, the bald man's entire head was stained red with blood, a frightening sight. For some reason, Li Yichen felt no fear at all. Instead, he felt a faint thrill of pleasure.

"Get lost!" Li Yichen barked.

"I..." The bald man knew he had lost this time. He had wanted to toss out a few parting threats, but the sight of that bloodstained brick made him swallow his words.

Watching the bald man flee in panic, Sister Wang showed no joy. Instead, she said worriedly, "You shouldn't have gotten involved. After the beating you gave him today, he'll never let this go. I can always go back to my hometown, but what about you?"

"I'm not afraid of him," Li Yichen said honestly.

In the past, he certainly would have been afraid. But now? He had connections in the underworld. Even Black and White Impermanence treated him like a brother. Wouldn't it be a joke if he were still afraid of some thug?

Yet the worry in Sister Wang's eyes did not seem to lessen.

So he changed the subject. "Sister Wang, if he comes back to make trouble, I'm afraid your shop..."

"Ah." Sister Wang sighed. "At worst, I'll close it down. No matter what, I'm not letting that bastard Liu get it for a song."