TPW – Chapter 76

Late at night, it wasn’t safe for a female comrade to walk home alone, so Li Hongjun offered to walk Yu Fan back.

Although she was bold and used to walking alone at night, faced with Li Hongjun’s determined gaze, she still agreed.

Yu Fan was a local and also lived in a courtyard house, but for some reason, her place was even smaller and more cramped than Li Hongjun’s small room—maybe only about ten square meters.

If you compared it to housing twenty years later, it’d be roughly the size of a slightly larger bathroom.

“You really live here? It’s not even as good as my rundown yard. There aren’t even any windows. Tsk.” After surveying it for a while, he finally realized—it was actually a makeshift shanty!

When he stepped outside to look again, he confirmed it. Since it had been dark when they arrived, Li Hongjun hadn’t noticed at first, but now he finally saw the situation.

He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sorrow.

From her appearance, one would think Yu Fan came from a well-off family, but in reality, her conditions were worse than an average household—it was just a flashy surface.

Li Hongjun silently sighed in his heart.

“I live alone, so as long as I can sleep, it’s enough.” Yu Fan had always cared more about clothes and food; everything else she just made do with.

Besides, it wasn’t easy to rent a place in the city during these times. Just being able to settle down somewhere was already a blessing. There were plenty of people in worse situations than her.

“You live here alone? What about your parents?” When Qiao Lu chatted with Yu Fan before, Li Hongjun hadn’t been there, so he hardly knew anything about her.

“They died.” Yu Fan casually replied while picking up the messy clothes and folding them.

“No other relatives?” Li Hongjun studied her expression. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he pressed further.

Yu Fan shrugged indifferently. “My grandparents were taken away by my second uncle. So now it’s just me here.”

After she said that, both of them fell silent. The already cramped and narrow room suddenly felt even more suffocating.

“If you’re scared being alone, you can come to my place. It’s much roomier,” Li Hongjun joked, unaware Yu Fan already had someone. He spoke freely without reservation.

It was his usual way of lightening the mood. Sometimes it could be a bit offensive, but he had to admit—it usually worked on Yu Fan.

“In your dreams.” Yu Fan chuckled softly and gave his shin a playful kick. Her mood sounded steady.

The room wasn’t dirty, just messy. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and in the dim lighting, he could vaguely make out some intimate garments piled at the head of the bed…

Like he’d been shocked, Li Hongjun quickly averted his gaze. “Ahem. You haven’t taken out the trash either. Find something to put it in—I’ll take it out for you when I leave.”

Still folding clothes, Yu Fan didn’t even look up. “Thanks.”

He quietly watched her finish folding. Only after she was done did Li Hongjun speak again. “Seriously, this place is so rundown. You’re really not scared?”

Even if she wasn’t, just looking at it made him worried.

That thin “cardboard door”—could it really keep out bad people?

Just as he finished speaking, Yu Fan gave a chilling smile. Her hand reached down, groping for something. After a moment, she pulled a gleaming knife from under her pillow.

She pointed it at his face in a swift motion. The blade gleamed so brightly it made his scalp tingle.

“What’s there to be afraid of? I’m used to it. And if anyone dares try anything… I’ll just—!”

She made a throat-slitting gesture as she said it.

“Hiss—savage.” Li Hongjun rubbed his arm, slowly taking the knife from her and sliding it back into its sheath. “Still, girls should be a bit more gentle. Don’t always try to tough it out. Some things… should be left to men.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yu Fan feigned ignorance, but her heart skipped a beat.

“You’re already twenty. Time to find a boyfriend.” Li Hongjun said lightly.

“So what if I do? Does that mean I can move into his place right away? Or is he supposed to move in and keep me company?”

“Ahem, ahem—” Yu Fan had always spoken bluntly. Li Hongjun knew that, but he still wasn’t used to it.

Girls like her were rare these days—truly “different.”

“Then just get married early. Once you’re married, you can move out.” That was the simplest, most straightforward and reliable method—also the only one Li Hongjun could think of.

For some reason, Yu Fan suddenly went quiet.

Seeing her silence, Li Hongjun nudged her arm. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Then, he suddenly noticed something in her eyes—something he’d never seen before.

She was always carefree and unrestrained, but now her expression oddly reminded him of a stray cat he once took in as a child—big, misty eyes full of sorrow.

“Nothing really. It’s late. You should go. Be careful on the way.” Her voice suddenly softened, sounding a bit down.

Scratching his head, Li Hongjun gave her one last look. “Then, I’m heading out. You take care too.”

“Mm, go on.”

“See you tomorrow.” He got on his bike. But after pedaling only a few meters, he turned back, paused for two seconds, then said, “Thanks for today.”

Thanks for notifying Qiao Lu. Even though it hadn’t made much of a difference, at least it showed she considered them friends.

“Mm, got it. Hurry and go.”

Under the moonlight, her slightly flushed face from the alcohol looked even more entrancing.

Li Hongjun’s vision blurred for a second. When he looked at her again, his heart thumped wildly three times.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He pedaled back to her.

“You forgot to give me the trash.”

“No need. I’ll take it out myself.” Yu Fan smiled. Earlier, she had splashed water on her face, so now with no makeup on, she looked quite fresh and youthful.

“Alright then.”

That night, Li Hongjun couldn’t sleep. He didn’t fall asleep until almost four in the morning.

But before six, he was already up, feeling full of energy. He passed a breakfast stand and bought a serving of soup dumplings, a fried dough stick, and soy milk.

When it came time to pay, he paused for a moment, looked at the busy vendor, and said, “Give me another set—exactly the same.”

“Another serving of soy milk, fried dough stick, and soup dumplings?” the vendor asked, a bit unsure.

“Yeah.”

“Alright! Here you go—careful, it’s hot.”

In a flustered rush, he bit into a youtiao (fried dough stick), shoved the rest into a cloth bag, and hung it on his bicycle’s handlebars. Chewing as he pedaled, he hurried toward Baiyun Street.

When he arrived, there was barely a soul in sight.

The watch showed: 7:01.

He really came way too early today.

After finishing breakfast, he sat there, bored out of his mind, staring blankly at ants crawling on the ground. He couldn’t even start stocking the shop, since all the goods were still at Xu Haizhou’s house.

Surprisingly, just as the minute hand ticked to 6—marking 7:30—a woman appeared at the street entrance. She was pushing a bicycle, slowly strolling in.

Li Hongjun’s face lit up with surprise and joy. He stood up and called out, “Hey!”

The distracted Yu Fan was startled.

She patted her chest in lingering fear. “What the heck is wrong with you? Scaring me like that so early in the morning instead of sleeping!”

Li Hongjun scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled. “How come you’re here this early today too?”

“Too?”

Yu Fan gave him a once-over and let out a soft snort. She walked past him, heading toward the end of the alley.

“I didn’t feel like sleeping. What’s wrong with opening shop early to earn more money?”

Li Hongjun chased after her with breakfast in hand. “Who’s gonna come buy your silk so early in the morning?”

Yu Fan shot him a sideways glance. “And who’s coming to buy your clothes this early?”

That cracked Li Hongjun up. He doubled over laughing, then handed the breakfast to her. “Here, for you.”

Yu Fan blinked, stunned for a moment. When she realized he was serious, she raised an eyebrow and said, “Wow, did the sun rise from the west today?”

“Just eat. So talkative.” He tossed the breakfast to her, raising his hand to awkwardly scratch his face.

“Thanks. How much is it?”

“What money? It’s just a few cents…” He trailed off, suddenly feeling awkward. Clearing his throat, he casually added, “Hey, wanna go play pool after work this afternoon?”

Lately, for reasons unknown, Lian had sparked a pool-playing craze. It had become the favorite pastime of almost every young man and woman after work.

“Pool?” Yu Fan thought for a second, then shook her head, biting into the youtiao. “Not going. I’ve got plans.”

“What plans?”

She gave him a mysterious smile and said, “A date.”

It was finally the weekend—this time couldn’t be wasted.

Li Hongjun’s face instantly froze. “You’re seeing someone?”

His expression was full of disbelief.

Yu Fan finished her steamed bun and wiped her hands on the oily paper wrapper. “Yeah, I’ve always had someone.”

Li Hongjun’s face went through a whole range of expressions.

After a long silence, he opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. Finally, he forced out a smile. “Oh, that’s… great. I always thought no guy could handle a woman with a personality like yours.”

A budding crush—snuffed out right in the cradle.

Li Hongjun could cry, but there was no place to cry…

“Get lost!” Yu Fan laughed brightly and playfully kicked him. “Plenty of guys like me.”

He laughed too. But if you looked closely, there was bitterness behind it.

As he watched Yu Fan walk away, Li Hongjun swallowed hard. It was bitter.

From 7:30 to 8:30, he waited. Xu Haizhou finally showed up, leisurely late.

“Why so late today?” Li Hongjun asked, steadying the bicycle.

“An’an had an upset stomach. Took him to the clinic.” Xu Haizhou got off and wiped his sweat.

Li Hongjun’s heart skipped a beat. “Huh? Don’t tell me he got sick from the lamb I made?”

No way, right? If that precious kid of theirs got sick from his lamb, wouldn’t he be the culprit?

Xu Haizhou glanced at him, unloaded the goods, and chuckled. “Nah. Took the kids to the riverfront for some breeze last night. Probably caught a chill.”

Since everyone else was fine, it probably wasn’t the lamb.

Li Hongjun let out a long sigh of relief and patted his chest. “That’s good, that’s good. I thought something was wrong with my cooking. Scared me.”

But something was off with him today—he kept glancing toward the end of the alley while sorting the goods.

Xu Haizhou had been watching for a while and finally asked, “What are you looking at?”

Looking down the bustling street, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Li Hongjun gave a quick smile and brushed off some loose threads from his new clothes.

“Just checking if those shameless ones got any new stock today.” Only he knew what he was really looking at.

“Whether they got stock or not, there’s nothing we can do. Just focus on our own stuff,” Xu Haizhou said in his usual calm manner. Li Hongjun couldn’t help but glance at him more.

“Hey, Haizhou, what do you think… What does it feel like to like someone?”

The question came out of nowhere. Xu Haizhou was completely caught off guard.

He gave him a strange look, then quickly caught on. “You’re into someone?”

Li Hongjun flushed and snapped, “No, no way! But I will be one day. I’m just asking ahead of time, in case I miss out on true love!”

Even if there was someone, that was two hours ago. Not anymore.

Xu Haizhou looked at him and chuckled. “If you say so. No need to be so worked up.”

Li Hongjun: “…”

With a soft laugh, Xu Haizhou said, “Liking someone… it’s something that can keep you up at night. When you don’t see them, you miss them. When you do see them, you worry about the next time. Before dating, you wonder when you can be with them. After that, you think about marriage. After marriage, you want to be together forever…”

“Okay, okay, stop! I don’t even have anyone yet. Let’s not jump to marriage—I’m not there yet.”

Xu Haizhou laughed and shut up.

“Then go find someone first. Otherwise, no matter what I say, you won’t really understand what love means.”

“Hmm…” True. He didn’t understand—because the little spark that just lit up got extinguished before it had a chance.

Sigh. His love life… so pathetic.

After sorting the goods, Xu Haizhou headed to a clothing store on Baiyun Street run by a couple to ask where they got their counterfeit goods.

“It’s not that we don’t want to tell you. It’s just… we promised them we wouldn’t say anything.” The couple looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable.

Xu Haizhou had chosen to ask them first because they were usually decent people—didn’t follow shady trends or copy marketing tricks, just quietly ran their business.

But when it came to counterfeits, they weren’t innocent.

Still, he could understand. In business, even if you have no marketing tricks, as long as your goods are good enough, that alone can make you money. Marketing was just icing on the cake.

“But why? Does the supplier have a grudge against us?” Everyone else could buy from them—why were they shutting us out?

Victims of counterfeit suppression?

“Uh, no, not really. It’s just… we can’t tell you. And honestly, I don’t even know much. They just deliver the goods to our house,” the woman stammered, clearly lying.

Xu Haizhou had no choice but to go around asking several other stores, but none would tell him.

He returned to the shop, frustrated.

“No one’s talking?” Li Hongjun could tell from his expression that something had gone wrong.

“Yeah,” Xu Haizhou replied, taking a tactical sip of water.

So many days had passed, and one would think he’d be used to everyone’s attitude by now, but Li Hongjun was still so infuriated that he flung the rag onto the ground. “Damn it! They stole our design and didn’t even tell us—what the hell is that? Like biting the hand that feeds you!”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got—he just couldn’t swallow the rage.

“No way, we have to get to the bottom of this! I don’t believe we can’t!” He patted Xu Haizhou’s shoulder and suggested, “How about this—let’s close up a little early this afternoon and stake them out.”

Xu Haizhou chuckled, “How do you even know they’re going out for supplies? Their store still looks stocked. Where would we even wait?”

“Then we’ll wait till they’re sold out!”

Just as Li Hongjun was about to say more, an unexpected visitor appeared in the distance.

“You two! The one surnamed Xu, the one surnamed Li—give me back my shop!” It was Zhang Weiqiang.

Li Hongjun: “???”

Xu Haizhou: “……”

“Bro, what are you trying to pull now?” Li Hongjun was speechless.

One problem after another—couldn’t they just catch a break?

“You were the one begging us to switch with you last time. Now you want us to give it back? Who do you think you are? Whatever you say, we just have to do it?”

Seriously pampered! A person should take responsibility for their own choices. There’s no such thing as a regret pill in this world!

Zhang Weiqiang snapped back angrily, “Cut the crap! You two scammed fifty bucks off me last time! Did I say anything then?”

“But we didn’t force you! You agreed to the whole thing willingly!” Li Hongjun shot back.

As the tension escalated, more and more bystanders and nearby vendors gathered to watch the drama unfold.

After all, who doesn’t love a good show?

“Get lost! I didn’t agree willingly—you two forced me!” Zhang Weiqiang rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to brawl. “If you know what’s good for you, pack up and scram. I’m moving back in right now!”

His attitude this time was far more aggressive than before.

Back then, he still hoped to make money, so he spoke politely. Now that he was losing big time, there was no room for negotiation. If he could, he’d hire a bulldozer to drive the two of them out and take the prime shop all for himself.

He was losing badly!

Not only was he scammed fifty bucks, but he hadn’t made a single cent since! That “fancy fitting room” might’ve looked novel, but it was completely useless!

All that buzz before was just an illusion—he was sure those two punks had used their looks to lure in customers. Otherwise, with that dump of a place, who’d even go?

Xu Haizhou’s gaze turned sharp as he stepped forward. “You think just because you say so, we have to move? Is every shop on Baiyun Street owned by your family?”

He was tall and imposing. Even next to the burly Zhang Weiqiang, he held his ground.

Zhang Weiqiang snorted. “No, it’s not, but I want you to move out now, so you must! If you don’t, don’t blame me for what happens next!”

Even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a furious bear!

“What exactly do you plan to do?”

“How about I get someone to beat the crap out of you—does that count?” he said boldly, not even trying to hide it from the crowd.

Looking at the onlookers, who seemed completely unfazed, the two finally understood why no one had dared to take this location before.

Zhang Weiqiang wasn’t just a thug—he was a stubborn brute who feared nothing and listened to no one!

“Then go ahead and try. But we’re not moving,” Xu Haizhou said coldly, his eyes narrowing.

He was usually gentle, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a temper. He’d already made it clear back when they were forced to switch that once moved, there was no going back. Zhang Weiqiang had agreed then.

Who would’ve thought he’d regret it in less than half a month? Ridiculous.

“Fine! Just you wait!”

Li Hongjun was anxious the whole day, so anxious he couldn’t even think about his budding romance.

But even after they closed shop, Zhang Weiqiang hadn’t shown his hand—yet.

A breeze blew through, swirling the fallen leaves like a mini cyclone in the air. It was almost early summer, and green was everywhere, making those yellowing leaves quite a rare sight.

The two men kept watch—one looking left, the other right.

CLANG!

“Brothers—get ‘em!”

Sure enough, Zhang Weiqiang didn’t break his promise. He said he’d teach them a lesson—and here he was.

Earlier, they’d seen him manning his stall. Who knew he’d teleport into this alley to ambush them?

Five burly men, each holding a wooden club, raised their weapons and came at them without hesitation.

The two didn’t even have time to exchange glances. They dropped their bikes and ran across the street to gain some space.

Of course, they didn’t make it far. Surrounded by five attackers, the fight broke out immediately.

Xu Haizhou had trained under a retired soldier back in the day. Handling street thugs was no problem for him. Plus, he never slacked on his fitness.

Even against multiple opponents, he didn’t back down.

Li Hongjun hadn’t trained, but he grew up in the slums.

He’d been in fights since grade school, kept at it through middle school, and even after graduating and joining the factory, he kept fighting. Management often called him in for “tea talks”—which was why he had a deep fear of teachers and bosses.

Every time he fought, they’d call his parents.

It was manageable as a student, but even after joining the workforce, still being called in for fights—how embarrassing was that?

“Damn! You guys think you’re tough? Me and Xu Haizhou will still beat you all till you can’t get up!”

After two minutes of brawling, Li Hongjun found that familiar rhythm from his old schoolyard days. Xu Haizhou was so fired up he didn’t say a word—just threw himself into the fight.

Both of them were born fighters. Business had tamed them a bit, but Zhang Weiqiang’s little gang of thugs was no match for them.

A left hook here, a spinning kick there—they took them all down!

“Ah—Damn it—”

By the end, the alley was filled with groaning bodies twitching on the ground like “corpses.”

But just when they thought it was over, Zhang Weiqiang—madman that he was—pulled out a knife!

With a flash, he slashed toward the nearest person—Xu Haizhou.

Lightning quick, Xu Haizhou dodged—but then he saw Li Hongjun push him aside and accidentally fall straight onto the knife!

“Watch out!” Xu Haizhou kicked the knife away with a swift motion, but it was a second too late.

The blade grazed Li Hongjun’s arm, and drops of bright red blood began to flow down like beads.

Drip drip drip—

Dripping onto the ground, his shoes, and through Xu Haizhou’s fingers—the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

“Ah—what the hell! You filthy dog! You—!” A string of curses couldn’t dull the pain.

Xu Haizhou’s gaze darkened. With a powerful sweep of his leg, he sent Zhang Weiqiang flying, as if the kick shattered his insides.

Zhang Weiqiang collapsed, and Li Hongjun also crumpled like a leaf in the wind, falling to his knees.

Xu Haizhou quickly knelt to support him.

“Ah—ah—” Groans of pain echoed all around them.

In the midst of agony, the corner of Li Hongjun’s eye caught sight of some olive-green uniforms not far away. His bloodshot eyes turned to Xu Haizhou to ask something—but before he could, Xu Haizhou gently laid him down.

“Wha-What’s going on?” Shouldn’t they be running away, getting far from that lunatic Zhang Weiqiang?

“The police are here,” Xu Haizhou said in a low voice.

Having known each other for years, they understood each other instantly with just one glance.

Li Hongjun quickly caught on. He smeared the blood from his arm all over his face and neck—and even wiped some on Xu Haizhou to make them look more like victims.

Though, to be fair, they were the victims…

In just seconds, the two looked pitiful and miserable. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were on the brink of death.

“Don’t move!”

“Hands up!”