Upon leaving the mall, Ye Xiu didn't head straight to the underground parking lot to leave. Instead, he turned around and walked towards the mall's most prominent main entrance.
Although he believed that Zhang Peng, a mere hooligan, probably wouldn't have the guts to do anything truly harmful to Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu, he still wanted to see if he could do something to help them eliminate any potential threat. After all, it was a way to repay Fang Tingting for the delicious meal.
Judging by the venomous look Zhang Peng gave him when he left, it was clear that Zhang Peng wanted revenge. To get revenge, Zhang Peng would need to find out more about him and track him down.
The simplest way would be to have someone keep an eye on the mall entrance, follow Ye Xiu once he came out, and, if he had more resources, even bribe the mall security to monitor the surveillance footage to see which door Ye Xiu exited from and what car he drove.
Ye Xiu wasn't sure if Zhang Peng had the means to use surveillance to track him, so he decided to stroll around the main entrance to see if anyone was watching him.
If Zhang Peng did send someone to watch him, Ye Xiu could identify the tail and ensure that the information about him was relayed to Zhang Peng. This way, Zhang Peng would focus his attention on Ye Xiu instead of bothering Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu.
This was the only way Ye Xiu could think of to protect the two girls.
If Zhang Peng was just bluffing and didn't have the courage to seek revenge, and didn't even send anyone to watch him, then there was nothing Ye Xiu could do. But in that case, he would be somewhat relieved, as it would mean Zhang Peng was merely a blustering hooligan, not worth worrying about.
Of course, Ye Xiu hoped Zhang Peng did send someone to tail him. Only then could he truly feel at ease, knowing he had completely eliminated any potential threat to Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu.
Could it be that Zhang Peng was just making empty threats and didn't even send someone to tail him?
After nearly a full circle around the mall's main entrance, a look of disappointment flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes. He hadn't spotted a single person tailing him. He didn't think anyone could tail him without him noticing. With his exceptional observational skills and keen intuition, even professional military scouts would have a hard time escaping his notice.
Moreover, he didn't believe Zhang Peng could afford to hire highly skilled professionals to tail him. If he couldn't detect anyone tailing him, it likely meant there was indeed no one watching him.
He regretted not teaching Zhang Peng a harsher lesson earlier. A scoundrel who only knows how to bully kind and gentle girls needs a stern lesson to remember. A harsher lesson might also reduce the likelihood of Zhang Peng seeking revenge on Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu in the near future.
But regret was pointless now.
Ye Xiu shook his head and prepared to head back into the mall to get his car from the underground parking lot.
Just as he was about to return to the mall, Ye Xiu's eyes suddenly brightened. He felt someone's gaze on him.
To confirm whether the gaze was indeed from someone tailing him or just a casual glance, Ye Xiu deliberately walked towards a vendor selling balloons for children at the mall entrance and bought a balloon.
It was indeed a tail!
As he bought the balloon, Ye Xiu confirmed the person's identity. The gaze wasn't a casual glance but a deliberate watch. As he moved, the person's gaze followed his every move.
Such an amateurish tailing job...
Ye Xiu glanced at the tail from the corner of his eye. The person was staring at him so intently that Ye Xiu couldn't help but feel amused. This was the most amateurish tailing job he had ever seen. The guy might as well have worn a sign saying "I'm tailing you."
But Ye Xiu quickly shrugged it off. What professional tail could Zhang Peng, a small-time hooligan, possibly find? He probably just grabbed someone to keep an eye on Ye Xiu.
Regardless, it was good that someone showed up.
Ye Xiu smiled and leisurely walked towards the street in front of the mall.
"Brother Zhang, that guy is heading to the street across from here."
Behind Ye Xiu, the tail, a young man around twenty with a streak of red in his otherwise undyed hair, spoke into a walkie-talkie while keeping his eyes glued to Ye Xiu. He looked excited.
This was his first time tailing someone, and it felt like he was in a movie. It was exhilarating.
"Keep an eye on him. See where he goes. Don't lose him!" Zhang Peng's voice came through the walkie-talkie.
Zhang Peng was watching Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu on the surveillance screen. They were happily shopping and occasionally playfully teasing each other. His eyes were filled with intense hatred.
Just as Ye Xiu suspected, Zhang Peng harbored deep hatred for him. After leaving the scene in disgrace, Zhang Peng immediately contacted his underlings, positioning them at various exits of the mall to watch for Ye Xiu. As Ye Xiu had predicted, Zhang Peng also bribed the mall's security team to monitor the surveillance footage.
From the moment he left, Zhang Peng had decided that he would teach Ye Xiu a lesson for humiliating him in public. He wanted Ye Xiu to know that crossing Zhang Peng would have dire consequences.
Therefore, he wouldn't let Ye Xiu get away.
Initially, Zhang Peng thought he would quickly spot Ye Xiu leaving. But he didn't expect Ye Xiu to go have dinner with Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu, a meal that lasted over two hours.
This fueled Zhang Peng's jealousy and anger. The thought of Ye Xiu charming Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu after stepping on him made him furious.
Simultaneously, he was also furious with Zhou Xiaoyu and Fang Tingting.
Those two bitches, how dare they treat that pretty boy Ye Xiu so well and have such a long meal with him!
He vowed to deal with them too, eventually.
During the two-plus hours Ye Xiu spent dining with Fang Tingting, Zhang Peng's jealousy and anger grew by the minute. This jealousy and anger reached a peak when he saw Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu happily chatting with Ye Xiu as they left the restaurant, reluctantly watching him leave.
So much so that in his rage, he forgot to keep an eye on Ye Xiu and was busy cursing Fang Tingting and Zhou Xiaoyu on the screen. It wasn't until Ye Xiu's figure disappeared from the screen that he snapped out of it, frantically switching cameras to find Ye Xiu.
Luckily, Ye Xiu hadn't gone far and was still at the mall entrance. Zhang Peng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly informed his underling to follow Ye Xiu.
It was a good thing he reminded his underling in time. Otherwise, the guy might have fallen asleep. After two hours of monotonous waiting, the underling didn't have the anger and jealousy to sustain him.
That was why Ye Xiu didn't notice the tail at first.
"Got it, Brother Zhang. Don't worry, he won't get away!" the young man replied enthusiastically. He was even more excited now and quickened his pace to follow Ye Xiu. After a few steps, he decided he should be more professional and not follow too closely, lest he be discovered. So he slowed his pace, trying to act casual, mimicking the scenes from movies by occasionally dodging behind other pedestrians.
I, Mao Fei, am truly a genius at tailing!
Kid, you're in for a world of trouble now that you've crossed paths with me.
Feeling increasingly confident in his tailing skills, the young man looked at Ye Xiu with a sympathetic gaze.
Hmm, staring at him nonstop might get me noticed. I should act casual, occasionally looking elsewhere.
The young man's natural talent for tailing was fully awakened. He soon found another flaw in his approach and decided to correct it.
As he passed through a crowd, he decided to look away from Ye Xiu and check out the surroundings, perhaps the long-legged beauty in a short skirt nearby?
Wow, those legs are long, white, and stunning!
If only I could get between those legs, my life would be complete!
As he ogled the beauty's legs, a lecherous look crept into his eyes.
Wait, no, I'm on a job here. How can I get distracted?
Finally, as the short-skirted beauty walked away and her legs faded from view, the young man snapped back to reality, remembering his task. He quickly looked back in Ye Xiu's direction.
What he saw left him dumbfounded.
The street was still bustling, but his target, Ye Xiu, had vanished.