Go ahead, hit him if you dare

"Then what happened?"

"I noticed you don’t seem to get along well with your classmates either."

"What’s the conflict between you and them?"

Lin Yu silently memorized the names of those people before asking further.

"A few kids in our class went to the same elementary school as them. Those guys are pretty popular in our class."

Xia Yueshan replied flatly.

He didn’t elaborate, and Lin Yu didn’t press further.

Because the answer was already clear in that one short sentence.

The food at McDonald’s came quickly, and Lin Yu and Xia Yueshan ate just as fast.

After finishing, Lin Yu led Xia Yueshan out of McDonald’s. Standing by his blue-and-white motorcycle, Lin Yu turned to Xia Yueshan and asked:

"Do you know where they’d be around this time?"

"I know a few places."

Xia Yueshan nodded.

"What about the ones you don’t know? Do you know where they live?"

Lin Yu lit a cigarette, his tone calm.

"No."

Xia Yueshan shook his head, his breathing unconsciously growing quicker. He knew exactly what this guy was planning.

But he still couldn’t quite believe it.

Going to their houses?

This… this is insane…

"Then we’ll just have to ask them one by one."

Lin Yu exhaled a puff of smoke, crushed the barely-smoked cigarette under his foot, then swung onto the motorcycle and started the engine.

"Get on."

Lin Yu glanced back at Xia Yueshan.

"Right."

Xia Yueshan nodded and quickly climbed onto the back seat.

...

Soaring Internet Café.

Lin Yu lit another cigarette, eyeing the middle schoolers with swollen faces in front of him before turning to Xia Yueshan.

"Just these guys who messed with you here?"

He then tilted his chin toward a group of troublemakers on the side and asked:

"None of them?"

Xia Yueshan studied them carefully before shaking his head.

"No."

"Then let’s go."

Lin Yu kept the cigarette between his lips and walked off without another word.

Xia Yueshan trotted behind Lin Yu, his expression a mix of vindication and something else—admiration.

All the hostility he’d felt toward Lin Yu when they first met was gone. Now, he stuck close like a loyal shadow.

After the internet café, Lin Yu took Xia Yueshan to several more places—pool halls, basketball courts, bubble tea shops, and the like.

They’d met and dealt with all the key figures, even the loudmouthed fat kid who’d taunted Xia Yueshan on the first day of school.

After turning his pale cheeks purple with a few slaps, Lin Yu and Xia Yueshan left.

"Now there’s just him left."

"What was his name again?"

"The short, dark-skinned one."

Lin Yu recalled the kid who’d backed up the fat kid and threatened to jump Xia Yueshan after school.

"They call him Li Heizi."

Xia Yueshan’s smile vanished at the mention of the name, his face darkening. Clearly, their grudge ran deepest.

"Do you know where he lives?"

Lin Yu asked.

"Yeah."

Xia Yueshan nodded.

"Can you beat him in a fight?"

Lin Yu thought for a moment before asking.

"Easily."

Xia Yueshan answered without hesitation, brimming with confidence.

"Good."

"Let’s go."

They mounted the motorcycle, and with Xia Yueshan directing, Lin Yu headed for Li Heizi’s home.

When they arrived, no one was there.

After waiting half an hour with no sign of him, Lin Yu had no choice but to leave.

On the way back, Lin Yu spotted a lively plaza and pulled over, deciding to stroll with Xia Yueshan and maybe get some answers—why did he hate his sister so much?

Given Xia Muzhu’s personality, she didn’t seem like the kind of sister anyone would dislike.

And while Xia Yueshan had a temper and acted impulsively, he wasn’t a bad kid who went looking for trouble.

So their hostility puzzled Lin Yu.

Stopping at a roasted pork knuckle stall, Lin Yu paid and stood in line, waiting.

"You—"

He turned to Xia Yueshan, about to ask why he despised his sister, when a familiar figure caught his eye.

Not far behind Xia Yueshan stood a short, dark-skinned boy—Li Heizi.

Lin Yu smirked.

What a coincidence.

"Come with me."

He patted Xia Yueshan’s head, cutting off his confused expression, then strode toward the boy known as Li Heizi.

Seeing the middle-aged couple standing close behind him, Lin Yu understood the situation.

He extended a hand to the man and smiled.

"Hello, I’m Lin Yu."

The short, middle-aged man frowned at the punkish-looking teen but shook his hand politely.

"What do you want?"

After the brief handshake, Lin Yu kept his smile.

"Here’s the thing."

He hesitated, then decided to confirm first.

"That’s your son, right?"

The man nodded.

"Yeah."

With confirmation, Lin Yu continued smoothly.

"Good. I have a small matter to settle."

He placed a hand on Xia Yueshan’s shoulder.

"This is my brother. Your son bullied him at school. I’m here to get justice for him."

He tilted his head slightly.

"So, will you hand over that justice willingly?"

"Or do I take it myself?"

The man was momentarily stunned, then glanced at his son. The boy’s nervous expression told him everything.

His face hardened when he looked back at Lin Yu, all pretense of politeness gone.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I’ve made myself clear."

"My brother was bullied."

"I’m here to settle it."

Lin Yu replied calmly.

"So you’re saying you want to hit my son?"

The man scoffed.

"Go ahead. He’s right here. Try laying a finger on him."