Where did he go?
After blinking hard a few times to confirm that Ye Xiu was nowhere to be seen, the young man started to panic. He widened his eyes and looked around frantically.
He couldn't have gone far; he must still be on this street!
Not seeing Ye Xiu anywhere in his field of vision, the young man grew even more anxious. After glancing quickly in the direction ahead, he dashed toward a nearby alley.
Ye Xiu must have gone down that alley! There's no way he could have disappeared so quickly; I only looked away for a moment!
But there was no sign of him.
How could there be no sign of him?
How is this possible?
The young man soon reached the entrance to the alley, but all he saw was emptiness. He was stunned once again.
Did I really lose him?
Did I really lose him?
This is bad. How will I explain this to Brother Zhang?
He had just assured Brother Zhang that he wouldn't lose track of Ye Xiu!
The young man's heart raced with panic.
"Hey kid, are you looking for me?"
Just as the young man was filled with anxiety, a voice tinged with amusement sounded next to his ear. At the same time, he felt a long, slender hand on his shoulder.
"You… Who are you?"
The young man's face turned pale as he quickly turned his head. His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw who it was.
Standing in front of him was the same clean-cut face he had been following—Ye Xiu.
But how had he managed to get behind him?
He hadn't seen him at all!
And why hadn't he noticed Ye Xiu approaching him?
His mind was filled with questions.
"Did Zhang Peng send you to follow me?"
Seeing the young man's puzzled, dumbstruck expression, a playful smile appeared on Ye Xiu's face.
He knew exactly what the young man was confused about, but he had no interest in explaining. With the young man's level of skill, it had been incredibly easy for Ye Xiu to lose him and then sneak up on him. It was so easy, he didn't even bother mentioning it.
"How… how do you know?"
The young man instinctively widened his eyes. After speaking, he realized he had said too much. As a "professional" follower, he shouldn't have been so easily led into revealing information, especially with Brother Zhang listening on the other end of the radio. Realizing his mistake, he hurriedly tried to cover it up with an unconvincing denial, "What are you talking about? I don't know any Zhang Peng, and I wasn't following you. I'm just passing by."
Idiot!
On the other end of the radio, Zhang Peng didn't know the specifics of what was happening but knew his follower had been caught. Hearing the young man's flustered words, Zhang Peng felt his chest tighten in anger, almost spitting out blood.
Ye Xiu also felt speechless watching the young man's antics.
He didn't bother arguing further. Instead, he reached for the microphone attached to the young man's collar.
"What… what are you doing? Hey, you wanna die?"
Seeing Ye Xiu reaching for his collar, the young man's expression changed. He tried to dodge Ye Xiu's hand and threw a fierce punch at him, his face twisted with anger.
The young man had some experience in street fighting; his punch was fast and forceful, with a good angle. Against an ordinary person, this punch might indeed have posed a threat, potentially forcing them to back off and allowing him to escape.
But unfortunately for him, his opponent was Ye Xiu.
Even Zhang Peng's powerful punch had been effortlessly caught by Ye Xiu, posing no threat to him. How could this young man's punch fare any better?
Ye Xiu easily caught the young man's fist with a slight move. Ignoring the young man's shocked expression, he reached for the microphone on the young man's collar, squeezed it lightly, and then pushed the young man away.
The entire sequence of events happened in a flash. The young man felt a sharp pain in his fist before he even understood what was happening. A moment later, a powerful force threw him backward, slamming him hard onto the ground.
"You're young. Don't get involved in gang activities. Consider this a lesson. Next time I see you, it won't be so easy."
Ye Xiu looked at the young man writhing in pain on the ground and said calmly. Without waiting for a response, he turned his attention to the microphone in his hand.
"I don't care who you are, but tell Zhang Peng this: My name is Ye Xiu. I live at Bi Huayuan Complex on Guanghua Road. My car's license plate number is Jing QXXXXX, and my phone number is 135XXXXXXX. If he wants to find me, he's welcome anytime."
"Bang!"
On the other end of the radio, Zhang Peng, hearing Ye Xiu's words, smashed his radio to the ground in a fit of rage. His face, already dark with anger, turned almost pitch black.
How dare he!
This Ye Xiu dared to openly provoke him!
How dare he slap him in the face like this!
How dare he show such blatant contempt for him!
Unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable!
Ye Xiu from Bi Huayuan Complex, with license plate number Jing QXXXXX.
I, Zhang Peng, will remember this. If I don't deal with you, I'm not Zhang!
Zhang Peng's eyes burned with fury, veins bulging on his forehead, his fists clenched tightly.
Ye Xiu didn't know if Zhang Peng himself was on the other end of the radio, and he didn't care. He believed that whoever was listening would relay the message to Zhang Peng.
After finishing his message, Ye Xiu casually tossed the microphone aside, watched it shatter against the wall, and glanced meaningfully at the young man still lying on the ground before turning and leaving.
Who is this guy that Brother Zhang provoked?
The young man's eyes were filled with fear and trepidation as he watched Ye Xiu's retreating figure and the shattered microphone, feeling the intense pain in his fist and back. For the first time, he realized that the path he had chosen might not be as glamorous or easy as he had thought.