You don’t mess with a tiger’s rear end.
Especially a tigress.
An Yi knew he couldn’t stay at this school any longer—lingering might cost him his life.
That woman Yan Zhi could kill him!
Just as he stepped out of the school gate, An Yi paused and glanced toward the roadside.
A trash bin seemed to shift slightly.
“Someone’s there?”
An Yi frowned.
Who would hide in a place like this in the middle of a scorching day?
Then, in a flash, a group of people rushed out, brandishing bats and clubs.
“Hey, you slob in flip-flops! You see a guy in a denim jacket around here?”
A punk with an earring sneered at An Yi.
Slob?!
Him?!
“He went that way—I saw him duck in there.”
An Yi’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as he pointed toward a high-end club nearby, dead serious.
“Brothers, after him!”
The earring guy grinned and led the charge as seven or eight thugs stormed into the club.
An Yi shook his head at the sight.
These idiots had no fear—they’d pick a fight anywhere!
Sure enough, moments later—
Crash! Bang! Thud!
The sounds of chaos erupted, followed by screams.
An Yi shrugged and turned to leave.
Just then, the trash bin toppled over with a clatter, spilling garbage everywhere.
A young man crawled out from the mess.
Denim jacket… No surprise, he was probably the one those thugs had been chasing.
“Thanks for the save.”
The guy gave An Yi a grateful nod before bolting in the opposite direction.
An Yi sighed. “Kids these days! Why can’t they just live straight? Stirring up trouble, no discipline—what kind of future is that?”
Suddenly, another crowd surged down the street.
An Yi stepped back, clearing the way for these wannabe gangsters.
Then, another group appeared from the opposite direction.
An Yi’s brow furrowed.
A brawl brewing?
Perfect. He loved watching fights.
And the leader of one side… was a girl?
An Yi took a closer look. Yep, a pretty one at that.
Petite but not too short—he guessed around 5’4”. Compact but well-proportioned, with legs that looked longer than they were.
Jet-black bob cut, delicate features, big eyes, snow-white skin—adorable at first glance.
Except for the iron pipe in her hand. That ruined the vibe.
Her smudged smoky eye makeup and clip-on nose ring didn’t help. Neither did the tattoos snaking up her arm and neck, paired with a perpetually pissed-off expression as she chewed gum. Cute, but with a serious “don’t mess with me” edge.
The nose ring was crooked, the makeup uneven.
Zero effort.
Were these two groups about to throw down?
An Yi’s heart raced. Damn, he should’ve bought popcorn and soda.
This was his kind of entertainment.
But then, the opposing group stopped in front of the girl. A bald, muscular guy bowed his head respectfully. “Boss Nie, we couldn’t find Wang Yuan.”
An Yi’s eyebrow twitched.
Wait, what?
They were on the same side? So much for the show!
“You didn’t find him? What about Chengzi and the others?”
The girl—Nie Qinglan—glared, her voice icy.
“They got into a fight with the bathhouse guys… and lost. Now they’re being held for ransom.”
The bald guy looked ashamed.
“Useless! Can’t even catch one guy! Did a donkey kick your brains out? Why pick a fight with the bathhouse?!”
Nie Qinglan gritted her teeth, barely holding back her rage. She took a deep breath, then pointed at An Yi. “Leopard, this is your last chance. Screw up again, and you’d better start practicing your seppuku.”
Every eye turned to An Yi.
He blinked.
He was just a bystander! What did this have to do with him?
Couldn’t catch their guy, so they’d take it out on him?
Ridiculous!
“Got it!”
The bald guy—Leopard—cracked his knuckles and advanced.
An Yi gaped. “Chotto matte! We don’t even know each other!”
Leopard smirked. “Oh, we don’t, huh—”
“Move!”
Nie Qinglan smacked Leopard aside and swaggered up to An Yi, blowing a bubble. “Name’s Nie Qinglan. Remember it. One day, this name’ll shake all of Jiangbei City.”
An edgelord?
An Yi suppressed a sigh.
An edgelord leading a pack of delinquents—great.
“Got it. Loud and clear.” An Yi nodded solemnly.
The best way to handle edgelords? Play along.
“Good boy.” Nie Qinglan smirked, then waved her hand. “Boys, beat him up!”
“Yes, boss!”
Seventy or eighty thugs answered in unison.
An Yi’s jaw dropped.
Before he could react, the mob charged.
“Wait! Boss Nie, what did I even do?!” An Yi yelped.
Nie Qinglan shrugged. “You stole Wang Shengli’s girl. That enough for you?”
Wang Shengli was her underling?
An Yi’s stomach dropped. Of course—this all traced back to Yan Zhi!
That woman was nothing but trouble.
Seventy-odd armed thugs? Even he couldn’t take that many.
So he struck first.
A single sweeping kick—like a whip cracking through air—sent one guy flying.
Thud!
Clean. Efficient.
The thug skidded five meters before stopping.
The crowd froze. This flip-flop-wearing pretty boy packed a punch?!
“So cool!” Nie Qinglan blurted, eyes wide.
Catching the stares around her, she coughed and scowled. “You morons! Seventy against one and you’re losing? Keep going!”
An Yi used the distraction to put distance between them. Even in flip-flops, he scaled the compound wall in three steps, looking down at the crowd.
“This is unfair. You’ve got numbers—how about a one-on-one?”
He could escape anytime, but where was the fun in that?
Nie Qinglan twirled her pipe and jerked her chin at Leopard. “Wants a duel? Leopard, show him what we’re made of!”
“With pleasure!”
Leopard cracked his knuckles as the crowd cleared a space.
An Yi dropped down, flipping him off. “Baldy, you’re weak. Five hits. That’s all I need.”
“Leopard, wreck this punk!”
“You’re dead, pretty boy!”
The crowd roared, itching to see his head split open.
Leopard’s face darkened. “You asked for it!”
He lunged, fist aimed at An Yi’s face.
Bam!
An Yi sidestepped and countered with a punch of his own—knuckles colliding with a bone-jarring impact.
Both men took a step back.
The crowd gasped in shock—Leopard's punches were known to be heavy enough to crack sandbags, yet this kid had managed to block one!