From the teary glint in Hong Jiaxin's eyes, it was clear she was deeply moved.
Luo Yang pointed to the young men on the ground and said with a smile, "Class leader, how should we deal with them?"
Blinking her eyes, Hong Jiaxin came to her senses, wiped the corner of her eye, and then kicked each of the young men.
"She is my sworn sister, called Sister Kick."
When Zhu Li approached, Luo Yang introduced her to Hong Jiaxin.
Upon their first meeting, both Zhu and Hong marveled at each other's beauty and nodded slightly in greeting.
At that moment, the rumbling sound of motorcycles approached from a distance. Just by the sheer noise, it was clear there were many motorcycles.
Hong Jiaxin expressed her concern, "It might be their people!"
Zhu Li reassured her, "They're my people."
Indeed, after a while, a dozen motorcycles arrived; some had one rider, others two. All who saw Zhu Li greeted her. It was then that Hong Jiaxin realized Zhu Li was the boss.
Interrogating people at the school entrance was inconvenient. Zhu Li's people thus took the few rivals under the pine trees by the playground.
"Class leader, what's going on?" Luo Yang asked curiously.
"I was in class when someone came to the classroom door looking for me. He said my mom had come and was at the school gate, asking me to go out and talk to her. So I went out, and then they said my mom was at the hospital and insisted I get in the car. When I refused, they tried to drag me in."
Hong Jiaxin still felt shaken as she recounted the events.
Luo Yang pointed at the long-faced young man and said coldly, "Tell us, why did you want to take her away?"
The long-faced young man clenched his face, clearly unwilling to speak. Then Zhu Li snapped her fingers, and someone came up to teach the long-faced young man a lesson.
After suffering for a while, the long-faced young man had to say, "I don't know. I was just responsible for taking her to town and waiting for orders to bring her to a designated spot."
Upon further questioning, it was learned that the long-faced young man was from Luoshui Town and not from nearby Hongyun Town, a distance of several tens of kilometers.
Further questioning only revealed that someone named Mr. Shen was specifically in contact with the long-faced young man. Strangely, the long-faced young man did not have Mr. Shen's mobile number.
After the interrogation, Luo Yang looked at the bewildered Hong Jiaxin and said, "Do you know what this is about?"
Hong Jiaxin shook her head, "I don't know."
At that moment, Zhu Li said, "Let's just make a trip to town. Finding Mr. Shen will clarify everything."
Then, they tied up the few young men, forced them into a van, and had Zhu Li's people drive it. Luo Yang and Hong Jiaxin also sat in the van. Zhu Li's car was too conspicuous, so she returned to Xiaoshulin Market to switch cars first.
On the road to the town, seeing that Hong Jiaxin was still unsettled, Luo Yang reached out to hold her hand and comforted her, "Class leader, it's not a big deal. Together, we can even take down a tiger."
Hong Jiaxin pursed her red lips and forced a smile, saying, "Sis has never dealt with something this terrifying before. This is a first for me."
Being the school beauty and attracting the lustful gazes of men was expected.
But attempting to steal a beauty in broad daylight took audacity Luo Yang had never encountered before.
"Have you been pursued by anyone from outside school recently?" Luo Yang asked.
"No," Hong Jiaxin pondered.
Luo Yang suspected it might be an admirer forcibly trying to get Hong Jiaxin.
"Why did they want to take you to town?" Luo Yang asked.
"My dad has opened a martial arts gym in town. I wonder if it's related to that," Hong Jiaxin speculated.
Until now, it was known that Hong Jiaxin had practiced martial arts since childhood, but this was the first time he heard her mention her father.
"Then let's check out your dad's gym first," Luo Yang suggested.
"That's a good idea. Thank you for helping me," Hong Jiaxin expressed her gratitude.
"In ancient times, didn't beauties repay their benefactors with their 'body'?" Luo Yang teased with a sly smile.
At those words, Hong Jiaxin's pretty face blushed fiercely, and she gave him a light glare.
"Try to take advantage of Sis again, and Sis will hit you," she pouted her red lips and said playfully.
"Didn't you say you wanted to repay me?" He revealed an innocuous smile.
"Sis will hit you."
As she spoke, she waved her little fists lightly against him.
Luo Yang grabbed her hand.
"Let go."
After struggling for a while, Hong Jiaxin finally withdrew her hand.
"That long-sleeve T-shirt looks really good on you. What fabric is it, can I feel it?" Luo Yang asked politely.
"No," she said with a smile.
As she sat up straight, he was still looking at her.
"What are you looking at? Don't look at Sis like that," she reached out to push his head away.
"Class leader, your pants look very nice," he falteringly said.
In fact, she was wearing the school's sporty, baggy pants.
During the casual conversation, they arrived at the town. This place was where the town's government and main market were located, and though there was only one main street, several small lanes crisscrossed with numerous shops.
All the while, Luo Yang kept an eye on the long-faced young man's cellphone; he hadn't received any calls or messages.
The dozen motorcycles that followed the van spread out in the distance, aiming to keep their association with Luo Yang discreet to avoid scaring away Mr. Shen.
Just as Luo Yang was contemplating their next move, his phone rang. The van was very quiet, and the sudden music blared out harshly.
"Only you, can take me to get the Journey to the West..."
Checking his phone, he saw it was his teacher, Suyun, and had to answer.
"Luo Yang, you promised to come to class, and you broke your word. Where are you now?" Suyun asked.
"Teacher Su, I just got to the school gate and ran into the class leader. She's sick, so I took her to the hospital," Luo Yang had to make up an excuse.
"You're at the hospital?" Suyun sounded surprised.
"Yes," Luo Yang braced himself and replied.
"I'll come find you there. I'll call you when I arrive," Suyun said anxiously.
Luo Yang wanted to persuade her not to go to the hospital, but she had already hung up the phone.