At the Xiaoshulin Market's food stall, Qin Piao had packed some late-night snacks and bought some beer, intending to have a good drink with Luo Yang before engaging in some beneficial physical activities.
As she got off her motorcycle and pushed it forward, Luo Yang helped her carry the packaged snacks. The group laughed and chatted as they walked, but no one understood the bitterness in Qin Piao's heart. When she received Luo Yang's message, she thought she was going to unleash her wild side tonight, only to end up disappointed.
An Yuying also followed them to Qin Piao's house, wanting to send a message to Hong Jiaxin: she was Luo Yang's other half.
When Qin Piao opened the door, Luo Yang faintly heard footsteps inside. Ever since he had True Qi in his body, his hearing had improved, allowing him to detect even the faintest sounds around him.
Just as Qin Piao was about to push the door open, Luo Yang grabbed her hand and made a silencing gesture. The beauties, unsure of what was happening, looked at each other in confusion.
He handed the late-night snacks to Qin Piao and then entered the house first. If there were any attackers, he wouldn't care, as his skills allowed him to easily dodge any attacks.
Upon entering, he turned on the light and searched the ground floor, finding no one.
At this point, the three beauties roughly guessed what Luo Yang was looking for. Hong Jiaxin, the bravest among them, remained calm, while the other two looked surprised, barely daring to breathe.
"I'll go check upstairs," Luo Yang said.
The three beauties nodded, and he went up to the second floor.
The second floor had a living room, three rooms—one empty with no hiding spots, another a guest room with a double bed under which someone could hide, and the last one was Qin Piao's bedroom, where one could hide under the bed or in the wardrobe.
Luo Yang first checked the empty room, glanced around, then left and closed it, before he went into the guest room to look under the bed, where he unexpectedly found an unwanted guest—not anyone else but Zhang Xiangqian.
"Come out!" Luo Yang said sternly.
Having been discovered, Zhang Xiangqian had no choice but to crawl out from under the bed. Knowing he was no match for Luo Yang, he was irate but looked frightened.
"Don't meddle in other people's business!" Zhang Xiangqian retorted defiantly.
"What did you steal?" Luo Yang demanded.
At this point, everyone else had also come upstairs, crowding at the door.
Seeing it was Zhang Xiangqian, Qin Piao jumped, realizing that if Luo Yang hadn't planned to bring company over tonight, the consequences could have been dire. Just the thought frightened her, turning her face pale.
"This is a dispute between her and me, whoever dares interfere, I'll show them!" Zhang Xiangqian said as he moved towards the door, attempting to slip away.
Luo Yang kicked at Zhang Xiangqian's lower body with a bang, causing Zhang Xiangqian's legs to give way, and he fell.
"Don't think I'm afraid..." Zhang Xiangqian was furious.
But before he could finish his sentence, his head received another kick, and he fell backward onto the floor. Now, he couldn't speak, only moan in pain.
If Zhang Xiangqian wasn't taught a lesson, he would likely sneak into Qin Piao's house again in the future. Luo Yang decided to put an end to this matter.
He beat Zhang Xiangqian severely, then used his phone to call Lang Yifeng to come over.
After a while, Lang Yifeng arrived at the doorstep of Qin Piao's house, saw Zhang Xiangqian lying on the ground, and was unclear about what had happened. After Luo Yang briefly explained, he understood the situation.
"Brother Yang, let me talk to him," Lang Yifeng said.
"I want a resolution tonight. My patience with him has run out. There will be no next time," Luo Yang stated indifferently.
Straight away, Lang Yifeng helped Zhang Xiangqian up and dragged him a dozen meters away to talk.
Considering they were from the same village, Luo Yang didn't beat Zhang Xiangqian to serious injury, but it was enough to torment him for a week.
Hearing Lang Yifeng address Luo Yang as "Brother Yang," Zhang Xiangqian was already surprised. He didn't know that Lang Yifeng had reconciled with Luo Yang and was willing to work off his debt.
"Feng, you and him..." Zhang Xiangqian said, puzzled.
"Yes, from now on, I'm planning to stick with Brother Yang. He cured my mom's stroke, which is truly amazing. He's way more capable than I am. He's easy to talk to. Apologize and thank him, and promise not to bother Qin Piao again, and he should forgive you," Lang Yifeng advised.
Ever since Qin Piao's husband had died, Zhang Xiangqian had always been thinking about getting the house for nothing and then selling it to someone else to make a profit of a hundred thousand or so.
Now that he heard Lang Yifeng was willing to stick with Luo Yang, Zhang Xiangqian was even more scared.
It's known that Lang Yifeng is an extremely ruthless guy. Even he didn't dare to challenge Luo Yang anymore, and Zhang Xiangqian, as Lang Yifeng's lackey, certainly wasn't bold enough to act up in front of Luo Yang.
"I'm just afraid he might hit me again," Zhang Xiangqian murmured.
"Offer Brother Yang a cigarette, I'll put in a good word for you, and he should let you off. Come on, don't dawdle," urged Lang Yifeng.
The three beauties couldn't hear what Lang Yifeng was saying to Zhang Xiangqian, as they were standing about ten meters away and they were speaking in low voices. But Luo Yang could hear them.
As they approached, Zhang Xiangqian hurriedly took out a cigarette and offered one to Luo Yang, saying timidly, "Brother Yang, please have a cigarette."
Luo Yang took the cigarette, and Zhang Xiangqian helped him light it, continuing, "Brother Yang, I was wrong. I promise I won't trouble Qin Piao anymore. Please forgive me."
After taking a puff, Luo Yang said, "You've said it, now you better do it. I'm giving you a second chance. Don't stir up trouble. You know the consequences are grave."
Zhang Xiangqian nodded repeatedly, saying earnestly, "Brother Yang, please be assured, I'll keep my word."
With this, the tense atmosphere eased quite a bit.
Lang Yifeng invited, "Brother Yang, would you like a drink? I've got some beer ready."
Luo Yang declined politely, "Not tonight, maybe next time. It's late; you guys should head home and rest."
Seeing the three beauties standing behind Luo Yang, Lang Yifeng, realizing something, smiled and said, "Brother Yang, I won't keep you from resting any longer. I'll be off then. If you feel like having a drink, come find me."
With that, he walked away with Zhang Xiangqian.
Returning inside the house, Qin Piao said gratefully, "Niu Zai, thank you. If it weren't for you coming tonight, I wouldn't have known what to do."
That was the truth. Zhang Xiangqian had already sneaked into her house, waiting to surprise her on her return. She couldn't have overpowered him; the outcome could have been extremely serious. Just the thought of it sent shivers down her spine.
Luo Yang smiled and said, "Then repay me. I want to stay at your place often. You don't have to charge me rent."
Hearing this, Qin Piao was so thrilled she couldn't contain her excitement. She was eager for Luo Yang to come over and sleep at her house every night and promptly agreed, not knowing that Hong Jiaxin would be staying there for a while.
Luo Yang had no idea where Hong Zhong and his wife had gone, nor had he heard anything about their return date. Before Hong Zhong returned, Luo Yang could only do his best to protect Hong Jiaxin.
The supper Qin Piao had bought was quite a feast: beef fried rice noodles, lean meat porridge with preserved eggs, duck necks, and seasoned river snails with beer. She prepared to have a full meal and drink with Luo Yang first, then take a shower, followed by thrilling and fun physical activity.
But now, she had to share the late dinner with four people, which couldn't be helped.
By the time they finished eating, it was almost 1 am.
Seeing that Luo Yang had no intention of leaving Qin Piao's house, An Yuying said, "Niu Zai, let's go."
She thought that only Hong Jiaxin was staying overnight at Qin Piao's place.