The setting sun slowly dipped below the horizon, and night spread across the land. One by one, the lights flickered on in Xijin Ferry, eventually blending into a sea of soft, golden glow.
"Fang Yi, did you used to fight a lot?"
Han Ning seemed to have completely relaxed now, chatting and laughing with Fang Yi as they strolled along.
Fang Yi shook his head with a helpless smile. "Not really. I'm not some violent thug, you know. I only fought when I had to stand up for Qiu-ge and Shen Hao—just to stop others from bullying them."
Shen Hao was a bit slow and always too kind for his own good. Qiu-ge, on the other hand, was lively and bold—but she was a girl, after all.
The two of them had been picked on plenty as kids. Every time something happened, they'd run to Fang Yi in tears, and he'd go sort it out. Vengeance, toddler-style.
"Zhao Wanqiu's a girl though—why do you call her Qiu-ge?" Han Ning asked, her curiosity piqued again.
"It started as a joke when we were kids. Just stuck with it over the years, and I got too lazy to change." Fang Yi shrugged.
...
Truth be told, Fang Yi and Han Ning didn't really know each other that well before this. Their impressions of each other were based on shallow surface-level reputations.
If anything, these past two days weren't so much dates as they were long, friendly conversations—two people slowly peeling back the layers, trying to get a better sense of the person behind the mask.
Fang Yi could tell—Han Ning didn't like him yet. At most, she had a good impression of him.
And he felt the same way.
Back in his previous life, what had drawn him to Han Ning? Her looks and her body—plain and simple.
But now, after spending more time with her, Fang Yi was starting to realize—this girl was fun. She wasn't at all like the prim and proper student everyone thought she was.
As the crowd thinned and fewer people strolled through Xijin Ferry, Fang Yi suddenly asked, "What time is it now?"
To be honest, life without a phone was a bit of a pain.
Thankfully, Han Ning was wearing a watch. She lifted her wrist and gave it a quick glance, looking a little surprised. "Wow, time flew by—it's already eight o'clock!"
Fang Yi was surprised too. He'd planned to call it an early night. And they hadn't even talked that much—how had it gotten so late?
He suggested, "Let's head back."
"Mm-hmm!"
Han Ning nodded sweetly and followed him toward the exit.
As they neared the gate, Han Ning instinctively moved behind Fang Yi, clutching the back of his shirt tightly with both hands. Every few steps, she peeked out like a cautious little rabbit, scanning the road ahead.
Seeing her act all nervous and twitchy, Fang Yi couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
"Didn't you say he might come back for revenge?" Han Ning whispered.
Fang Yi chuckled. "I said maybe. Besides, Zhang Chao's not that dumb. Even if he wanted to jump us, he wouldn't do it here."
It was already past eight, sure—but plenty of people were still out for evening walks. The entrance of Xijin Ferry and the riverside road were far from empty.
If Zhang Chao wanted to pick a fight, he wouldn't do it where there were this many eyes watching.
"Oh…"
Han Ning let go of his shirt, breathing a little easier.
"Come on. I'll take you home," Fang Yi said.
They headed toward the bike shed. Fang Yi crouched down and reattached the chain to his bike.
Han Ning blinked her big eyes and suddenly said, "Fang Yi, I've never been in a fight before."
Huh?
Fang Yi burst out laughing. "Why? You sound like you want to try?"
He was starting to see it now—Han Ning, the so-called model student of No. 1 High School, wasn't as squeaky-clean as she looked. She even had a bit of a rebellious streak.
You could tell just by the fact that she agreed to date him and then initiated the outing.
She longed for freedom—wanted a life like Zhao Wanqiu's.
The problem was, her nerves weren't the best. She got anxious easily. Plus, her parents and teachers had always kept her on a tight leash, so she'd forced herself into the mold of the perfect daughter and student.
But now that she'd graduated high school, she was starting to break free—just a little.
"I… I just want to know what it feels like to fight someone," Han Ning muttered.
The way she said it—meek as a mouse, but the words themselves were wild.
Girl, you're something else!
"Sure. Next time there's a chance, I'll let you try it." As he spoke, Fang Yi finished fixing the bike chain.
"Let's go!"
The two of them got on the bike and headed toward Han Ning's apartment complex.
She didn't live far from Xijin Ferry—just a ten-minute ride. But the way there cut through the old city district, meaning they had to pass through several aging alleyways.
Compared to the vibrant new part of town, the old district was dark and desolate, full of crumbling buildings and shuttered shops awaiting demolition.
Under the dim streetlamps, a few corner stores and grain shops flickered with weak lights. The streets were nearly empty.
"You used to go home alone after night classes?" Fang Yi asked, glancing at the increasingly deserted road.
"Not always," Han Ning replied. "There were usually other classmates going the same way. And sometimes my dad came to pick me up."
Screech!
Suddenly, both of them slammed on the brakes and stopped dead in their tracks.
Because standing in the road ahead, blocking the path, were six thugs—some crouching, some standing. And leading the pack was none other than Zhang Chao himself.
He had a cigarette dangling from his lips, and in his hand was a steel pipe, tapping rhythmically against the stone pavement.
He spat out the cigarette, grinned viciously, and began walking forward with the steel pipe in hand. The other five followed suit, weapons in hand, fanning out behind him.
Fang Yi glanced sideways at Han Ning. "Didn't you say you wanted to know what a fight feels like? Well, here's your chance."
"I… what should I do?" Han Ning looked overwhelmed. Fear, anxiety, nervousness—mixed with just a tiny flicker of excitement.
"Just stay back and keep yourself safe," Fang Yi said calmly.
With that, he stepped off the bike—but didn't let go of the handlebars.
"Okay…"
Han Ning nodded and obediently wheeled her bike back a few paces.
Zhang Chao swaggered forward, a lazy smirk on his face. But before he could say anything, the punk who'd been with him back at Xijin Ferry sneered, "You little sh*t, you had a big mouth back there, didn't y—"
WHOOSH!
Before he could even finish the sentence, a gust of wind tore through the air.
Fang Yi's arms tensed as he swung the entire bicycle like a giant club, bringing it crashing down toward the group without a moment's hesitation.
Strike first, strike hard. Wait too long, and you're the one eating pavement.
If you don't even understand that, what are you doing trying to be a gangster?