Looking at the fat man lying on the bed, with the scars all over his face, and recalling everything Lin Shaocong had done for him in his past life, Tang Yi's heart was filled with both gratitude and anger.
"Who did this?" Although Tang Yi tried to control himself, the anger in his tone was extremely evident, and even Lin Shaocong, who was usually slow to react, noticed it. He was taken aback for a moment, then feigned ignorance and asked, "What do you mean who did this?"
"The injuries on your face."
"Oh, that!" Lin Shaocong pointed at his big round face and chuckled, "Heh heh! Last night I dreamt I was the emperor, with three thousand beauties in the Inner Palace. I was overjoyed, but then tragedy struck when I fell out of bed face-first, like a dog eating shit, and ended up like this!"
Although Lin Shaocong tried to play it off lightly, seeing Tang Yi's expression, he knew he wouldn't believe it. This gave Lin Shaocong a bit of a headache as he tried to think of some excuse to get past this.
Just then, a very arrogant voice came from outside the dormitory door: "Hey fatty, here I am again, and it's the same message, if you don't break it off with that loser Tang Yi, I'll beat you up once a day!"
Upon hearing that voice, Lin Shaocong immediately showed a look of nervousness and fear, while Tang Yi's eyes burned with rage.
At the same time, a muscular young man walked in. He glanced at Tang Yi, who had his back to him, and dismissed him as just one of Lin Shaocong's classmates. He then turned his gaze to Lin Shaocong lying on the bed.
"So, how does it feel to be beaten up, fatty?" The young man completely ignored Tang Yi, walked past him to Lin Shaocong's bed, and said indifferently, "After all, we're cousins. I really don't want to see you suffering, but who told you to be friends with Tang Yi!"
"Now that you've offended Young Master Bai, you're doomed to a bad end. Following him, you'll definitely get dragged down too. Whether you live or die doesn't matter; the key point is you're a member of the Lin Family. If because of this Young Master Bai goes after us, it won't be a laughing matter!"
Even though the visitor ignored Tang Yi, Tang Yi recognized him – it was Lin Shaocong's cousin Lin Meng. Although Lin Meng was Lin Shaocong's cousin, he never really behaved like one, bullying Lin Shaocong since they were young with scolding and beating. Lin Shaocong had expressed his hatred for Lin Meng more than once to Tang Yi.
"So you'd better just listen to your cousin and make a clean break with that good-for-nothing Tang Yi. It's for your own good and for the good of the Lin Family!" Lin Meng said, placing his hands in front of him, looking at Lin Shaocong on the bed.
"Otherwise..." Lin Meng clenched his fists violently, causing a series of crisp popping noises, threatening, "You know what it feels like to be beaten, and I'm sure you've had a clear understanding of that these past few days!"
The thought of how powerful Lin Meng's fists were made Lin Shaocong's face tingle, but he was defiant nonetheless.
"Beat me if you want, I've been feeling a bit itchy lately anyway!"
With that, Lin Shaocong also covertly signaled Tang Yi with his eyes, urging him to quickly slip away.
However, Tang Yi remained unmoved, his eyes growing increasingly filled with anger.
"Hmph!" Lin Meng snorted coldly and scoffed, "Good! Good! Good! Didn't expect you to be so tough, fatty. Well, I want to see if your mouth is tougher, or my fists are tougher!"
Before the words had even faded, Lin Meng threw a punch at Lin Shaocong on the bed, scaring the fat man into quickly covering his head.
Lin Shaocong was tough, but he knew his cousin had practiced karate since childhood and was exceptionally brutal. He had suffered no small amount in the past few days, and if he didn't protect his vitals, he might really get beaten to death.
However, counter to the fat man's expectation, Lin Meng's punch didn't come down. Instead, a miserable wail was heard, followed by a loud bang, and the whole dormitory shook violently.
"What the hell! Who the fuck dared to hit me!"
Lin Shaocong cautiously peeked through his fingers only to see Lin Meng leaning against the wall, shaking as he staggered to his feet.
And before Lin Shaocong, a figure had appeared out of nowhere, standing between him and Lin Meng.
"Tang Yi!" Lin Shaocong blinked in surprise.
Just as he blinked, Lin Meng let out a roar and charged at Tang Yi.
"You bastard, go to hell!"
Having studied karate since childhood, Lin Meng's decades of training had far exceeded that of an ordinary person in both strength and speed. With one stride, he reached Tang Yi and brought his hand down in a karate chop aimed directly at Tang Yi's neck.
Just as the chop was about to hit Tang Yi's neck, Lin Meng suddenly saw a blur, and a large hand was already in front of him, smacking right across his handsome face.
"Smack!"
The slap was so powerful it sent Lin Meng, who weighed over a hundred kilos, flying into the air, spinning several times before crashing to the ground with a thud.
Lin Meng tried to get up but failed, so he simply lay on the ground, pointing at Tang Yi and threatening, "Do you know who I am? You dare to hit me; you're dead meat!"
"And you, you fatso!" Lin Meng said, pointing at Lin Shaocong with venomous hate, "You actually dared to get someone to beat me up; just you wait, I'll surely flay the skin off you, you fatso!"
Tang Yi's eyes suddenly narrowed, his gaze sharp as a blade. Without a word, he grabbed Lin Meng by the collar and hoisted him up, then slammed him down with a harsh knee to the stomach.
Tang Yi was too fast, and Lin Meng had no chance to resist. With a scream, he crumpled into a ball, clutching his stomach and kneeling on the ground.
"Tang... Tang Yi!" Lin Shaocong's eyes widened in disbelief. Was this person in front of him really the same Tang Yi who had once been as lowly and timid as himself?
"Are... are you Tang Yi?" Lin Meng, clutching his stomach and kneeling before Tang Yi, looked up in shock at the teenager who had just beaten him without a chance to fight back.
Wasn't Tang Yi said to be a loser? How could he beat Lin Meng, a karate expert of many years, without allowing any form of resistance?
But Tang Yi did not waste any more words and kicked Lin Meng to the ground, stepping viciously on his face.
"Fatso!" Tang Yi exerted pressure under his foot, making Lin Meng howl in pain.
"Come!" Tang Yi looked at Lin Shaocong with a hint of a smile, "Haven't you always been bullied by your cousin since you were little? Today, my friend, I'll give you the chance for revenge!"
"Whatever he did to you, pay him back double!"
"I..." Lin Shaocong stared, shocked, at Tang Yi, who had Lin Meng under his foot.
"You dare..." Before Lin Meng could finish his threat, Tang Yi kicked him away, smashing him against the wall where he slumped half-dead.
"Fatso! Opportunities like this come only once. It's up to you if you can overcome the fear in your heart!" Tang Yi said to Lin Shaocong with a meaningful glance, "Whether you're a dragon or a worm, it's your choice to make!"
With that, Tang Yi spoke no further, turned around, walked out, and gently closed the door of the dormitory.
With Tang Yi's abilities, he could indeed make Lin Shaocong rise to great heights, allowing him to live a luxurious, carefree life. However, Tang Yi would one day leave this place, and by then, Lin Shaocong would lose his support!
As the saying goes, character determines fate. What the future holds for Lin Shaocong will ultimately depend on himself!