No. 006 Yearning for Wings
Dati was different from the others in our group.
He was Long Fei’s sworn brother, yet he rarely participated in the Black Dragon Society’s activities. He would disappear for weeks on end, and even I, the “girlfriend” of his sworn brother, had only met him twice formally. Long Fei once told me that Dati’s background was very mysterious and that I should never involve him unless absolutely necessary.
“Of course, you can hang out with him if you want, but try not to disturb his work.” That’s what Long Fei had told “me” a few months ago.
Honestly, I wasn’t that interested in Ouyang Dati’s background. What intrigued me was what he had just said.
The Jiang Nan Gang wanted to treat me to dinner? They wanted to treat the person they had just fought with to dinner? Was this a trap?
“Don’t worry, their higher-ups aren’t taking this matter seriously. This dinner is mainly a farewell party for their leader. The problem is that guy whose hand you broke.”
As we reached the electric bike parking area downstairs, Dati explained.
“He’s the sworn brother of ‘that person.’ Communication might be a bit difficult later. She’s not easy to talk to and has some powerful connections.”
“‘That person’?”
“Ah, you’ll know when we get there.”
He tossed me a helmet and gestured for me to get on his bike. “It’s just a formality. Don’t worry, with so many people around, she won’t dare do anything to you.”
Easy for you to say.
I put on the helmet and silently got on the bike, carefully holding onto his sturdy shoulders.
“What’s wrong? Something on your mind today?”
Dati started the engine.
“Yeah, my mom is sick. It’s quite serious.”
Long Fei had once told me never to hide anything from Dati. Even if I wanted to lie to him, I shouldn’t even try to deceive this seemingly kind and gentle man. It was clear that he had a powerful backing.
“She’ll be alright.”
He offered a generic word of comfort as he steered the bike out of the residential complex.
“I knew this day would come when I saw you practicing martial arts.”
His voice was calm and even.
I was taken aback. “You all knew?”
“Heh, Long Ge only has a few close friends. Of course, I knew. He told me not to interfere, said that with your personality, you wouldn’t cause any trouble. But I always had a feeling that your usual gentle demeanor was an act. Seems I was right.”
I remained silent.
Yi Yao wasn’t acting.
She was indeed a fragile girl who could be crushed by any setback.
But I wasn’t.
People always said that in life, you only need to conquer yourself. However, Yi Yao had conquered herself, only to lose to the world.
“Hahaha, don’t get me wrong. I’m praising you. I’m not interested in those ordinary girls.”
“Where’s Long Ge?”
Not wanting to dwell on this topic, I changed the subject.
“His dad’s company ran into some trouble. He probably won’t be back for a while.”
His dad’s company? That promising company ran into trouble?
I racked my brain for a while before recalling from those fragmented memories that Heavenly Fire Network Technology did indeed experience a crisis ten years ago. It seemed someone had hacked into their important accounts and changed the passwords, encrypting crucial files on their servers, essentially turning the company into an empty shell.
Perhaps I could use this opportunity to “improve” my relationship with Long Fei.
The bike smoothly navigated the streets, finally stopping in front of an ordinary-looking roadside stall.
After parking, Ouyang Dati led me to a small table. The sun had completely set, and the place was already bustling with people eating and drinking. A young man with dyed blonde hair at a nearby table saw Dati and immediately stood up, giving him a bear hug. “Dati Ge!”
“Haha, Hai Lao Da, long time no see!”
Dati plopped down next to the blonde-haired, earringed young man, who looked every bit the stereotypical delinquent. He downed a glass of beer in one gulp and then gestured to me. “Let me introduce you. This is Xiaoyao, Long Ge’s girlfriend.”
“Oh… Xiaoyao.”
Despite his intimidating appearance, the blonde-haired young man had a friendly expression. He picked up a beer glass and filled it for me. “Can you drink?”
“I…”
Before I could answer, a wave of killing intent washed over me. Instinctively, I turned and assumed a defensive stance.
“Thwack!”
A powerful kick landed squarely on my arm, sending me flying backward. I crashed into a small tree by the roadside, a meter away.
Thanks to my quick reaction, I escaped with only a numb left arm. Despite the frightening force behind it, the attack hadn’t caused any substantial damage.
As I looked up, I saw… a girl?
She was a head shorter than me, with delicate features, milky skin, a slender figure, and long, flowing hair that reached her waist. Her expression was cold and aloof as she stood there in a standard Taekwondo stance. She couldn’t have been older than fifteen.
“Xiaodie!”
The blonde-haired young man barked, but the girl ignored him. She lifted her right leg and launched herself at me with a spinning kick.
Scoffing inwardly, I took a quick step back, pivoted on my toes, and raised my leg.
“Crack!”
I blocked her attack with the same technique, using the momentum to launch myself into the air. My left leg shot out in a roundhouse kick aimed at her head.
As if anticipating my move, the girl swiftly retracted her leg and twisted her body, narrowly avoiding my attack. With lightning speed, she retaliated with a spinning hook kick, her long hair whipping around her like a dancing butterfly.
“Haa!”
Her voice was like a songbird’s, yet laced with chilling killing intent.
Black belt?
No, judging from her strength and technique, she probably hadn’t even passed her red belt test.
“Crack! Crack!”
I blocked two more attacks, then decided to stop holding back. In that confined space, with everyone watching, I unleashed a series of attacks. The girl, seemingly angered, retaliated with her own flurry of kicks.
Another Taekwondo enthusiast who specialized in legwork?
Although Taekwondo relied heavily on kicks, it also incorporated punches. Yet, throughout our exchange, the girl chose to dodge or block whenever I presented an opening for a punch, indicating she wasn’t comfortable with hand-to-hand combat.
Moreover, her overall strength was clearly inferior to mine.
“Xiaodie! That’s enough!”
Finally, after more than three minutes of our back-and-forth, the blonde-haired young man slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Have you no shame, fighting like this in public?”
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I cautiously maintained my guard as I watched the girl.
The emotionless girl walked back to the blonde-haired young man, her chest heaving slightly. It seemed she was starting to tire.
“This isn’t over.”
She downed her drink in one gulp, shot me a cold glare, and turned to leave.
“A-Pian Jie! Wait for me!”
Several other teenagers at the table shot me dirty looks before following after her.
What was going on?
“Hahaha, that was amazing! As expected of a martial art designed for performance.”
Dati laughed heartily, pulling me towards an empty chair beside him. “You know, I was worried for a second there. With your skills, taking her down shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
I hesitated. “But you said she had a powerful backing.”
“Hahaha, interesting, you girls are so interesting.”
Dati took a large gulp of his beer and looked at me with amusement. “So, Xiaoyao, do you know who she is?”
I shook my head.
“She’s the mayor’s daughter, his only child.”
The mayor’s daughter?
That unfortunate mayor who would be sentenced to death for corruption in 2017?
“Eh? You’re not scared after hitting the mayor’s daughter?”
I shrugged. “Is it too late to apologize?”
“Pfft…”
This time, it was the blonde-haired young man who burst out laughing. “This girl’s got guts! Good taste, Long Ge.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s their private matter. Let’s not talk about it.”
Dati waved his hand dismissively and turned to me. “Xiaoyao, this is Huang Tianhai, the true leader behind the Jiang Nan Gang. You can call him Hai Ge.”
Huang Tianhai!
My body jolted at the name.
The legendary figure who, after studying abroad for two years, would return in 2017 and single-handedly clean up Yixian Province, transforming the provincial capital of Upper Capital City and earning the respect of all? What was he doing here?
“What’s wrong?”
My reaction piqued Huang Tianhai’s curiosity. “Not afraid of the mayor’s daughter, but scared of a nobody like me?”
“You flatter me, Hai Ge.”
I snapped out of it and raised my untouched glass of beer. “I’ve read a few of your articles in the newspaper, Hai Ge. They were very insightful. I never expected to meet the author himself.”
That was close. Thank goodness I was an avid reader in my past life.
“You… read them?”
Huang Tianhai seemed surprised. He ignored my compliment and clinked his glass against mine. “I heard that newspaper doesn’t have many readers.”
“The one about the current situation in Upper Capital City was spot on.”
I downed my beer in one gulp.
So bitter!
Although I was used to it in my past life, this body clearly wasn’t. The bitterness lingered in my mouth and traveled all the way to my stomach, making me grimace.
“Girls shouldn’t drink alcohol. Have some juice.”
Noticing my expression, Huang Tianhai snatched my empty glass and filled it with orange juice.
It seemed he believed that I had indeed read his articles.
“First time drinking? Haha, and here I am, just a nobody.”
“No, I truly admire you, Hai Ge.”
I wasn’t lying. If it weren’t for this blonde-haired young man, Upper Capital City ten years later might have been a very different place. What I didn’t expect was to find the man who would one day rule Yixian Province looking so… unmotivated.
“Heh.”
Huang Tianhai chuckled dryly and looked down. “I don’t even know when I’ll be back after I leave. What big shots are we talking about?”
“Hai Ge, don’t say that.”
“Yeah, Hai Lao Da, life’s full of ups and downs. Who knows what will happen in three years?”
The other delinquents chimed in with words of comfort.
“Brothers, enough with the depressing talk. Let’s drink!”
Ouyang Dati grabbed two bottles of beer, bit off the caps one after another, and slammed one down in front of Huang Tianhai. “Fix that attitude of yours when you’re out there. It’s not like here. No one will bail you out if you get into trouble.”
His tone turned serious. “But don’t look so glum when you’re with us. We’re all brothers here. Who are you trying to impress with that frown?”
“Alright, alright, cheers!”
Huang Tianhai took the bottle and downed a third of the beer in one go. “Xiaoyao, I heard about what happened between you and Xiaodie. We’ve already sent someone to apologize to Lao Liang…”
“Hai Ge…” I started to speak.
“Don’t,” Huang Tianhai interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. “Let’s just say I, Huang Tianhai, owe you a favor. Consider yourself a friend. I apologize for my subordinate’s behavior. You must have been quite frightened… Do you have your phone with you?”
I hesitated for a moment before taking out my phone and handing it to him.
He punched in a few numbers and returned the phone. “That’s my number, and the other one is my grandfather’s. If you ever need anything, just call either number and say you’re a friend of Hai Ge.”
“Thank you, Hai Ge.”
Although I had no idea who this “grandfather” was, I knew better than to ask or refuse his offer. These people were straightforward. Accepting their kindness openly would only improve the atmosphere.
My straightforwardness brought a satisfied smile to Huang Tianhai’s face.
“Listen up, everyone. Xiaoyao is one of us now. If anyone dares to mess with her, you’ll have to answer to me, Huang Tianhai.”
“Of course, Hai Ge. It was Qinghao and his buddies who broke the rules in the first place.”
“Haha, besides, Xiaoyao Jie(sister) is a beautiful young lady. How could we possibly lay a finger on her?”
“Good. Now, let’s drink! Xiaoyao, order whatever you want. It’s on me tonight. But no alcohol for you, alright?”
“…”
“…”
As if I would ever touch that stuff again.
