Big Tiger

Red Hair barged into the restaurant through the main entrance, storming aggressively toward their table.

He stopped about two meters away, pointed at Lin Yu, and turned to the towering man behind him, shouting,

"Big Brother Dahu!"

"It's this bastard—"

Before Red Hair could finish the word "bastard," the furious glare from Zhao Dahu silenced him mid-sentence.

Unfortunately, his belated wit couldn’t save him from what came next. Zhao Dahu raised a palm as large as a sand pot and slapped him across the face without mercy.

With that single strike, Red Hair collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold before he could even scream.

Lin Yu didn’t spare a glance at the self-destructive Red Hair. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Zhao Dahu, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, his expression complicated.

After dealing with Red Hair, Zhao Dahu lowered his head, the once-honest look on his face now tinged with guilt. He seemed reluctant to face Lin Yu, like a dropout encountering the teacher who once had high hopes for him.

"You chose this life after all?" Lin Yu asked softly.

Zhao Dahu nodded, replying in a voice that didn’t match his imposing frame,

"Brother Long, I was never cut out for studying."

"Couldn’t focus on books, couldn’t grasp the lessons."

"All I have is this strength with nowhere to put it."

"And when my brother decided to step into this world, he needed help, so I…"

He trailed off, as if too ashamed to continue.

"Everyone has their own path. It’s fine," Lin Yu exhaled deeply, forcing a smile.

"But since you’ve chosen this life, you’ve got to be careful."

"Stay sharp. Don’t rush into things—think about how to handle situations the smart way. Don’t let anyone use you as a pawn."

Zhao Dahu nodded solemnly, lifting his head with a familiar, earnest grin.

"Got it, Brother Long."

"Alright, go on then. Take care."

With another nod, Zhao Dahu led his crew out in a noisy swarm, dragging the unconscious Red Hair along like a dead dog. The anger on his face made it clear this wasn’t over.

Once the group had left, their food arrived quickly. Noticing Tang Manman’s hesitant expression, Lin Yu spoke first to explain,

"I’m not involved with them. I just helped this guy out when he was still a student. He’s the type who remembers favors."

Tang Manman seemed to relax, offering a sweet smile before burying herself in her wontons.

Lin Yu picked up his spoon, stirring the steaming bowl absentmindedly as he turned over Red Hair’s earlier words in his mind:

"Why the hell should I know you?"

"I roll with Brother She!"

"Big Brother Dahu, it’s this—"

Lin Yu knew Red Hair must have been a recent recruit to the Black Blood Gang—otherwise, he would’ve recognized him.

And then there was the mention of Brother She.

At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but something about it didn’t sit right.

If he were introducing himself to an outsider, claiming allegiance to Brother She would make sense.

Small-time thugs usually name-drop their immediate superiors first. Only if the other party didn’t recognize the name would they escalate to bigger figures—or even the gang leader.

At the time, I had practically spelled it out that I was also part of the Black Blood Gang, yet he still acted with an arrogance that seemed to disregard everyone else in the gang.

What’s even more interesting was how he had just addressed Zhao Dahu.

He had called him "Big Brother Dahu."

The Black Blood Gang already had a "Brother Hu"—Black Tiger, the gang’s second-in-command.

In a situation like this, if another member with "Hu" in their name rose to prominence, they’d at most be called "Little Brother Hu."

Yet Zhao Dahu was being referred to as "Big Brother Dahu."

With Zhao She’s cunning, there was no way he didn’t know how much trouble this title would bring Zhao Dahu.

No—

Anyone with common sense would know this wasn’t an appropriate way to address him.

But that red-haired guy still called him that.

And no one stopped him. No one corrected it.

Realizing something, Lin Yu turned to look out the window, watching Zhao Dahu’s retreating figure. A thought surfaced in his mind:

The Black Blood Gang was about to face a storm.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yu withdrew his gaze and picked up a wonton with his spoon, eating it slowly.

Whatever.

What happened to the Black Blood Gang had nothing to do with him.

And compared to that scheming bastard Li Yuan, maybe things would actually work out better for him if Zhao She took over the gang.

As for what would happen to Li Yuan…

What did that have to do with him?

Seizing the inheritance of the original Lin Yu’s parents.

Threatening me to cough up the money when I first transmigrated here, then cutting into the already pitiful allowance when he found out I’d spent it.

Pushing me to drop out and become cannon fodder when I was barely scraping by.

If it weren’t for the fact that he’d hyped it up too much and couldn’t explain it to the gang members, he would’ve long taken back the shares of that little bar. Did anyone really think he’d let me keep them?

Let’s be real.

The only reason he’s been so nice to me lately is to put on a show for the Black Blood Gang.

To show them the benefits of loyalty to the gang and its leader.

Otherwise, would he even care who I was?

Picking up a plump shengjianbao with his chopsticks, Lin Yu blew on it before taking a big bite.

Besides, there was no need for me to warn him. They were already openly calling him "Big Brother Dahu"—Li Yuan wasn’t stupid enough to miss that.

I wonder when Zhao She will finally make his move against Li Yuan.

With a ruthless guy like Zhao She coming for him…

Li Yuan’s chances don’t look good.

Just the thought of Li Yuan getting what he deserved improved Lin Yu’s appetite.

Ordering another basket of shengjianbao, he happily stuffed himself.

After the meal, Lin Yu followed through with his plan and took Tang Manman to the cinema in the mall.

Flipping through the movie options, he found himself torn between the horror film Ghoul and the animated movie Kung Fu Panda 4.

Ghoul was an obvious choice—horror movies were perfect for dates.

But this one didn’t seem to focus on scares as much as it did on zombie-slaying action, more like Resident Evil than a true horror flick.

Plus, the poster looked mediocre, and with so few screenings, it was probably a dud.

As for Kung Fu Panda…

Lin Yu really wanted to see it!

The little panda on the poster looked absolutely adorable, and with the first three movies in the series receiving great reviews, this one probably wouldn’t disappoint either!

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lin Yu finally settled on Kung Fu Panda.

Handing over the money and taking the ticket from the staff, Lin Yu couldn’t help but feel a little smug.

Such a cute animated film—Tang Manman was bound to love it too, right?

With that thought, Lin Yu turned to glance at Tang Manman beside them.

...Wait a minute.

Why does your face look slightly disappointed?!