Shortly after leaving the noodle shop, Tao Yi and his friends arrived at a nearby bus stop. Seeing the "sea of people" in front of the bus sign, Tao Yi immediately felt a headache coming on. He suggested, "Let's take a cab... Lei."
"You paying?" Zhang Lei responded immediately, raising an eyebrow intentionally.
Tao Yi, feeling helpless, turned to look at Lin Lin, who also quickly turned her gaze away, peering to the left as if checking for the approaching bus.
Definitely a couple!
Tao Yi sighed inwardly, thinking to himself. With a resigned tone, he replied, "Actually, I was planning to pay in the first place. If you two have no objections, let's go..."
And so, the three of them hailed a taxi and left.
They headed to East City Area Three, where Zhang Lei and Lin Lin lived.
Although they both attended university in Xuanwei City, Zhang Lei and Tao Yi were not at the same school. Zhang Lei's university was located in the most bustling part of Xuanwei City, East City Area Three. His family was quite well-off, and they could afford to buy an apartment in such a prime location.
Yes, they bought it. He didn't rent like Tao Yi did.
Whenever Tao Yi thought about this, he felt a twinge of inferiority, even though Zhang Lei wasn't spending his own money. It still cast a shadow over Tao Yi's pride, which was unusually strong.
After getting out of the taxi, the three quickly arrived at the base of Zhang Lei's building.
As they walked upstairs, Tao Yi asked, "By the way, how did you find out that Zheng Meixuan and I broke up?"
"A friend told me. I heard Zheng Meixuan has already booked her plane ticket. Also, I heard she's been spending a lot of time with a foreign guy lately," Zhang Lei replied awkwardly. It was a difficult subject for him because he knew Tao Yi well. On the surface, Tao Yi didn't seem to show any change, but Zhang Lei knew deep down he was hurting.
"Which friend of yours knows me so well?"
"Actually, that guy has a crush on Zheng Meixuan..."
Tao Yi gave Zhang Lei a side-eye. "You could have told me earlier."
"Yi, having a crush is not a crime..."
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about Zheng Meixuan being with that foreign guy. You knew and didn't tell me."
"I wanted to, but I didn't know how to bring it up. You know how it is," Zhang Lei said, unsure of how to answer.
"Alright, let's drop it." Tao Yi kept a smile on his face as they continued up the stairs. After giving Zhang Lei a glance, he asked, "By the way, do you know where she bought a ticket to?"
"Where to? How would I know? But I heard it's outside Asia. I actually hinted it to you before, but you trusted her too much."
"It seems she really came to say goodbye..." Tao Yi chuckled bitterly.
"Goodbye? What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Let's keep going."
After a few more steps, Tao Yi suddenly spoke up, "Maybe if we had broken up a little later, today's situation wouldn't be this troublesome, hehe."
Hearing this, Zhang Lei frowned. He understood Tao Yi's implication. As for Zheng Meixuan's background, it was actually quite powerful, albeit somewhat shady.
Maybe "shady" wasn't the right word. In the underworld circles of Xuanwei City, apart from that Liao man they had just mentioned, everyone else was quite wary of her family.
This had always been a knot in Tao Yi's heart and another source of his feelings of inferiority.
"Actually… people like her aren't suited for you," Zhang Lei finally said after a long silence.
"I know, hehe, thanks." Finally reaching the seventh floor, Tao Yi responded while panting slightly, his tone seemingly unchanged.
"Let's go inside and talk. See? This is what happens when you don't work out! Just the seventh floor, and you're already tired." Not wanting to dwell on the unpleasant topic, Zhang Lei quickly changed the subject and inserted the key into the lock.
As soon as Zhang Lei inserted the key, Tao Yi suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.
He swiftly pulled Zhang Lei back. At that moment, Lin Lin had just reached the landing between the sixth and seventh floors.
She saw that almost at the same instant Tao Yi pulled Zhang Lei back, the door was violently kicked open from the inside.
Even though Tao Yi pulled him away in time, Zhang Lei's nose got grazed by the door, causing two streams of blood to flow out.
Zhang Lei and Tao Yi stared in shock at the kicked-open door and the unfamiliar face of the man who had kicked it open.
The man was dressed in black, about 1.8 meters tall, with a rugged face and a slightly cold gaze.
Before Tao Yi and the others could snap out of their surprise, several more people emerged from behind the man in black, coming into their view.
Seeing those people, Lin Lin let out a soft gasp.
One of the men behind the black-clad man was one of the three men Lin Lin had kicked the other day — the one who had talked the most, seemingly the leader.
"Run!"
"Run!"
In unison, Zhang Lei and Tao Yi took off down the stairs, shouting to Lin Lin, who was still standing on the landing between the sixth and seventh floors.
Bang! Bang!
The two intended to flee, but the black-clad man was too fast. After two loud thuds, Tao Yi and Zhang Lei were sent tumbling from the seventh floor to the landing on the sixth.
"Honey!" Seeing Zhang Lei and Tao Yi rolling down, Lin Lin became extremely nervous. She quickly reached out to help Zhang Lei up.
"I'm fine." Zhang Lei, with his strong build, was not just boasting. Despite being knocked down the stairs and hit by the door, he quickly got back on his feet after tumbling.
Seeing that Zhang Lei was alright, Lin Lin quickly urged, "Run! They're coming down!"
Looking down at Tao Yi lying on the ground, Zhang Lei frowned, "Damn, Tao Yi must have passed out."
Upon saying this, Zhang Lei prepared to hoist Tao Yi up.
"What are you doing?!" Tao Yi suddenly shouted, then sprang up as if nothing had happened. "I just saved your life! My instincts are always right. Otherwise, you'd have been knocked out by the door by now."
"Oh my god, Tao Yi, what's gotten into you?" Zhang Lei looked at Tao Yi in surprise.
He knew Tao Yi too well. Despite his somewhat robust appearance, Zhang Lei knew that Tao Yi was a paper tiger — easily broken with just a poke. Even if Tao Yi hadn't fainted from that kick, he would usually be screaming in pain. But now, he seemed entirely unaffected, casually brushing off the dust from his body, saying, "Nothing's wrong with me, I'm perfectly fine. What are you waiting for? Run!"
Tao Yi's words snapped Zhang Lei back to reality. He quickly grabbed Lin Lin's hand and started running downstairs.
But they had only taken a few steps when they heard the mocking laughter from the man Lin Lin had kicked before: "Run? Heh, you kids still think you can run?"
"Pfft, why wouldn't I run? You think I'm as dumb as you?" Tao Yi cursed under his breath while running.
The man who had been kicked wasn't angry at all. He watched them run and gave a subtle glance to the man in black beside him. However, a careful observer would notice that his eyes were filled with a flattering look.
The man in black paid no attention to the kicked man. His face remained cold, and with equally cold steps, he moved forward.
The three of them were still running desperately, but just as they reached the sixth floor, the man in black appeared in front of them like a nightmare!
He had jumped down through the gap between the staircases with agility and speed that indicated he was far from an ordinary person.
"Honey, today I'm allowing you to fight. Take him down! Quick, I'm ready to make our escape," Zhang Lei released Lin Lin's hand and signaled her with a glance.
Almost the instant Zhang Lei finished speaking, Lin Lin shot forward like a bolt, delivering a flying kick aimed at the face of the man in black.
Tao Yi looked at Zhang Lei in surprise. "Releasing Sister Lin to fight? Lei, you haven't done this in a long time. Count me in!"
"You? Can you handle it? You should run first; we have experience with this sort of thing," Zhang Lei looked at Tao Yi like he was seeing a ghost. The situation was tense, but Tao Yi's unexpected words left him even more shocked.
Ever since they were kids, whenever there was a fight, Tao Yi would always flee. Zhang Lei had never heard of him stepping up.
"Stop wasting time, hurry!" Tao Yi shouted, and in a single stride, he charged forward. Though he had never fought before, he raised his fists and swung at the man in black.
Tao Yi had a plan. He wasn't afraid of pain anymore, and they weren't here to go head-to-head with the man in black.
"Seriously? You…" Zhang Lei was about to say more but fell silent.
His confidence shattered. He had always considered Lin Lin's skills almost superhuman, but today was different. It had exceeded his expectations.
It turned out that Lin Lin was no match for this man. The difference in their abilities was vast. What seemed like a sudden and forceful kick from Lin Lin was nothing in front of the man in black.
The man's hand moved with lightning speed and incredible strength, like a steel vice.
He effortlessly grabbed Lin Lin's slender ankle, and the moment he did, his wrist barely moved. This was a level of strength no ordinary person could possess.
After grabbing Lin Lin's ankle, he did not stop. He pulled her forcefully towards himself, turned around, and kicked her down the stairs.
Bang!
Lin Lin flew down from the sixth floor to the landing between the fifth and sixth floors, her body soaring through the air without touching the stairs.
As for Tao Yi, who was just throwing a punch, the man in black ignored him and had already kicked him to the ground.
"Wife!" Zhang Lei shouted as he saw Lin Lin flying back, her body curling up, trembling uncontrollably, and tears streaming down her face.
Seeing Lin Lin unable to get up, Zhang Lei's anger surged. He took two quick steps, almost instantly reaching the man in black.
Unfortunately, the man in black was ruthless. He gave Zhang Lei no chance to act on his anger, and with a swift kick, sent him tumbling down beside Lin Lin, who was struggling to get up.
"So simple, and yet Jiaxing needed me to help you guys? Take these three away," the man in black said with a dismissive shake of his hand, turning to the man observing from upstairs.
The man upstairs immediately smiled obsequiously, "Yes, yes, sorry to waste your time, Mr. Qing. Young Master Xing is indeed troublesome."
At this moment, a group of people emerged from Zhang Lei and Lin Lin's apartment upstairs. They quickly ran down to carry Lin Lin, Zhang Lei, and Tao Yi. Lin Lin had lost the ability to resist, Zhang Lei could still move, but resistance was futile.
As for Tao Yi…
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Two screams echoed as the two people holding Zhang Lei and Lin Lin were kicked down the stairs by Tao Yi.
Three men had come down in total, each one holding one of them. The man in black thought everything was settled and went upstairs. Little did he know that Tao Yi, who was being carried in the front, suddenly sprang back to life like a zombie!
After kicking the two men, Zhang Lei also "came back to life," hoisted Lin Lin over his shoulder, and started running downstairs.
In fact, all of this had been planned long ago. For Zhang Lei and Lin Lin, this troublesome couple, it wasn't the first time they'd pulled off something like this. Tao Yi had pieced it together based on past experiences.
The only difference was that originally, it was supposed to be Tao Yi being carried back, not Lin Lin.
But today, things took an unexpected turn. Zhang Lei hadn't anticipated the man in black being so formidable, knocking Lin Lin out of commission with a single kick!
Zhang Lei had thought today would be the end for them, but he never expected that the Tao Yi he'd considered an idiot had suddenly turned into a superhero...
Yet, even so, there was still a problem: Zhang Lei himself...
Seeing Tao Yi running by his side, Zhang Lei grinned. "Your body's much better than before, huh... But that's good."
Tao Yi was just about to smile back when he caught the tone in Zhang Lei's last words, and his brows furrowed.
Thud!
Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Lei finished speaking, he collapsed.
"That kick was really heavy… I can't run anymore. Carry Lin Lin and go, hurry!" Zhang Lei panted.
Tao Yi was about to say something but laughed instead.
"No need. Even if you were in perfect shape, we still wouldn't escape. Seems like your bad luck has rubbed off on me."
...