Untitled

Xia Yueshan and Tall Guy were playing table tennis against each other on opposite sides of the table.

Their skills were clearly far superior to Little Heizi and Little Fatty.

With a brilliant spin shot from Xia Yueshan, the yellow ping pong ball grazed the edge of Tall Guy’s paddle, flew past, hit the ground, and bounced far away.

Tall Guy turned around to retrieve the ball.

Seizing the moment, Xia Yueshan glanced at Little Heizi, who was watching from the sidelines, and asked:

"Did you talk to your aunt about that thing?"

Little Heizi nodded, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant as he replied:

"Yeah."

"And then?"

Xia Yueshan pressed eagerly.

Little Heizi’s face grew even darker—despite his already dusky complexion, his distress was unmistakable.

"Don’t even ask."

"I told my aunt about it."

"She yelled at me and said you guys are no good, that I should stay away from you."

Hearing this, the three of them couldn’t help but laugh.

Xia Yueshan’s laughter carried an extra note of relief.

Of course!

Such a ridiculous idea!

How could it possibly work?

Better just give up on it already...

...

"What?"

"Your aunt is getting married?"

"No way!"

"Wasn’t she just chasing after her crush not long ago?"

"How is she suddenly getting married?"

Xia Yueshan’s head was full of question marks. He couldn’t understand what had happened—how had Little Heizi’s aunt abruptly decided to tie the knot?

At the mention of this, Little Heizi’s frustration boiled over as he vented:

"I’m so mad!"

"That day, I told my aunt about that ‘cook the raw rice’ plan."

"Man."

"She chewed me out."

"And then she told my mom!"

"My mom gave me an earful too."

"But guess what?"

"She went and secretly used that method herself—cooked her crush’s ‘raw rice’!"

"The pregnancy test even came back positive!"

"That’s why they’re rushing to hold the wedding."

"You guys go have fun tomorrow."

"I’m going to confront her."

"If the hush money’s less than 200, this isn’t over!"

"Two hundred?"

Little Fatty shot Little Heizi a disdainful look and chimed in:

"Ask for at least a thousand!"

"That much?"

"Would that work?"

Little Heizi wavered.

"That’s too much?"

"That’s the bare minimum!"

"But don’t go demanding it like some loan shark."

"Be subtle about it."

"Wait till she’s alone, then whisper it near her. Don’t even mention money outright, just say..."

Little Fatty proceeded to coach Little Heizi on his extortion tactics.

Xia Yueshan wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. He was still reeling in shock, unable to fully process everything.

This absurd, reckless plan… actually worked?

Then what about Sister and Lin Yu...

No, no!

Xia Yueshan snapped out of it.

Don’t even joke about this!

Something like this…

Could ruin two people’s lives for real!

"Alright, alright!"

Little Heizi nodded excitedly, as if he’d just been handed some martial arts secret manual.

"If this works out."

"I’ll treat you all to Kentucky Duck!"

Little Fatty flashed an OK sign and patted Little Heizi’s shoulder, as if to say no further words were needed.

Once Little Heizi’s business was settled, Little Fatty turned to Xia Yueshan and asked:

"Hey boss, you free to hang out tomorrow? It’s Saturday."

"Hey, there's this horror movie out now—heard it's amazing!"

It was only then that Xia Yueshan snapped out of his thoughts, nodding at Little Fatty and Tall Guy before replying,

"Yeah, I’ve got time."

"How about you?"

Little Fatty then turned to Tall Guy, who nodded emphatically, as if to say, "Absolutely, no question about it!"

"Alright then!"

"That settles it!"

"Tomorrow, we’ll meet at Baida Plaza!"

"Then we’ll catch the movie!"

With a wave of his chubby hand, Little Fatty finalized their Saturday plans.

Just then, the bell for class rang, and the group hurried back to their classroom, dutifully settling in for the lesson.

The rest of the afternoon flew by.

The four parted ways at the school gate.

Little Heizi, Little Fatty, and Tall Guy headed off together, while Xia Yueshan walked alone.

On the way home, Xia Yueshan’s mind kept wandering.

The success story of Little Heizi’s sister lingered in his thoughts like a stubborn nightmare.

He knew it was wrong—something he shouldn’t even consider.

His own sister’s situation was entirely different from Little Heizi’s sister’s.

At the very least, Little Heizi’s sister had been willing to go after what she wanted, taking the initiative.

But his sister?

With her meek, self-sacrificing nature, the odds were a billion to one she’d never agree to such a thing!

So what right did he have to interfere?

He might just end up ruining everything for both of them...

Letting out a long sigh, Xia Yueshan hitched up his slipping backpack strap and buried that shameful thought deep in the shadows of his mind.

Forget it!

If Lin Yu couldn’t see how amazing my sister is, that’s his loss.

How could anyone not want someone as wonderful as her?

What a blind fool!

Xia Yueshan fumed inwardly, cursing Lin Yu for his utter lack of appreciation.

Under the setting sun, his shadow stretched long and dark, clinging to him like a second skin.

When he reached the neighborhood gate, Xia Yueshan nodded at the new security guards—already back on duty just days after the New Year—as a casual greeting.

Compared to his brief acknowledgment, the guards were far more enthusiastic.

A buzz-cut man with a cigarette dangling from his lips was the first to call out,

"Hey, Xia Yueshan, how was school today?"

"Anyone giving you trouble?"

"If someone’s messing with you, just let Brother Ye know."

Rolling up his sleeves, he flexed, his biceps bulging conspicuously.

Patting his own muscle with pride, he tipped his chin up and declared,

"Brother Ye’ll take care of ’em!"

Xia Yueshan scoffed playfully, joking,

"Mess with me?"

"I’m the one who does the messing around at school!"

"Who’d even dare?"

The guards burst into laughter, and after the chuckles died down, Brother Ye gave Xia Yueshan a thumbs-up.

"That’s the spirit!"

With a grin, Xia Yueshan walked past them into the neighborhood.

After a short distance, he paused, glancing back at the laid-back figures at the gate and shaking his head in amusement.

No idea what the new property management was thinking, hiring security guards who looked like this—

Every one of them had a rough-around-the-edges vibe, tattoos and all, like they’d stepped straight out of a gangster flick!

Still, they weren’t bad.

They treated residents with respect and took their jobs seriously.

Now, not even scavengers—considered potentially dangerous—are allowed into the residential complex, let alone food delivery workers.

All deliveries are now left at the security gate, after which property management staff bring them to residents' doors.

At first, Xia Yueshan was worried that hiring these people as security guards might be like inviting wolves into the house.

But to his surprise, the guards turned out to be doing an excellent job.

They were even respectful and caring toward the elderly and children!

Around female residents, they behaved with utmost propriety.

And strangely, they seemed especially well-behaved around his older sister—almost as if she were the wife of some underworld boss...

...