Chapter 44: Cutting Off the Route

“Boss Xiao, how about we go to Prince KTV tomorrow afternoon to sing? We’ll book a private room,” Xu Tong and his friends asked as school ended that afternoon.

Xiao Lin glanced at Wang Yuqing, who was sitting nearby, and asked, “Yuqing, what do you think? Are you free?”

Wang Yuqing tilted her head, thought for a moment, and replied with a bright smile, “I am. But Xiao Lin, you should come pick me up. I don’t want to take the bus—it’s too crowded.”

“Alright, no problem,” Xiao Lin agreed, then turned to Xu Tong and his group. “It’s settled then. Tomorrow afternoon.”

“Why haven’t you ever mentioned not wanting to take the bus before? Oh, I get it…” Tan Linlin grinned mischievously at Wang Yuqing.

“What do you get?” Wang Yuqing asked, puzzled.

“I think you want to ride on Xiao Lin’s bike! Haha!” Tan Linlin burst out laughing, then immediately lifted her leg and darted out of the classroom.

“Tan Linlin, you’re dead!” Wang Yuqing’s cheeks turned scarlet at Tan Linlin’s words. Furious and embarrassed, she stamped her foot and chased after Tan Linlin, waving her small fists.

Xiao Lin watched Wang Yuqing running around, chasing Tan Linlin, and couldn’t help but smile. This girl, when lively, was truly radiant! With a sigh of admiration, he began packing his books, ready to head home.

“This week went by so fast! Once I get home, my mom’s going to nag me again. My grades didn’t improve much, and I have no idea what she’ll say this time,” Wang Tao muttered as he returned to his seat to gather his things.

Soon, after saying their farewells, Xiao Lin wheeled his mountain bike out of the shed, put on his sunglasses, and rode away on his fiery red mountain bicycle at full speed.

Not far from Innovation High School, a group of young men walked down a small path. The leader had purple-dyed hair, a big earring, and mismatched features—a character straight out of a comic book. At his right, a skinny, sharp-faced boy spoke up, “Tiger, thanks for helping me out this time. After we teach that kid a lesson, I’ll treat everyone to dinner at a hotel.” The boy with the pointed face was none other than Sun Feifei.

Hearing Sun Feifei’s offer, Tiger laughed, “You know how to show appreciation. We’re friends, aren’t we? This is nothing for me. Soon, that kid will be kneeling and begging for mercy.”

Sun Feifei was secretly pleased. He pulled out a pack of premium cigarettes, handed one to Tiger, and lit it for him. Then he distributed a few more to Tiger’s crew.

Tiger took a contented drag, savoring the taste. “Hey, Feifei, what did you have Monkey and the others do? That fat guy looked so excited.”

At this, Sun Feifei leaned in and whispered something in Tiger’s ear. Tiger squinted, “Oh, helping your girlfriend deal with a girl. No wonder Fatty’s so happy.”

Sun Feifei chuckled. He’d asked Tiger for three men to help Meng Ranyan. But he and Tiger were here to ambush Xiao Lin. Altogether, eight people had come for Xiao Lin: Tiger and his three men, Sun Feifei and his three men. It seemed like an ordinary lineup, but Tiger and his crew were street toughs, all with police records. Especially Tiger, who was known for being ruthless.

At that moment, a young man with bleached yellow hair spoke up, “Tiger, he’s just a high school kid. You won’t even need to do anything. I’ll take him down myself.”

Another, whose face was pitted and scarred, chimed in, “Exactly. Dealing with a kid who knows nothing about the world? It’ll be a piece of cake.”

“Brothers, don’t underestimate Xiao Lin. He’s trained,” the short guy behind Sun Feifei warned.

“Trained, huh?” Tiger and his men were unimpressed. To street fighters like them, Xiao Lin was just a naive kid.

Xiao Lin, meanwhile, was riding along, headphones on, carefree and swift. Several minutes later, he left the main road and turned onto the small path, lined with greenery—landscaped by the government, seldom used, with no houses or shops. In truth, the path was made for sanitation workers to trim the greenery. Xiao Lin had discovered it was a shortcut home and now used it regularly.

“Tiger, is that him?” The yellow-haired youth, sharp-eyed, spotted Xiao Lin cycling toward them.

“That’s him, riding the red bike. Don’t go easy on him,” Sun Feifei said, glaring as Xiao Lin approached.

“Feifei, don’t worry. Tiger never goes easy. Cheng, go block him,” Tiger said with a sly smile, nodding to a young man with multicolored hair.

“Got it,” Cheng replied, flicking away his cigarette and cracking his knuckles, a sinister grin on his face.

“Hey, you there! Stop! We need to talk!” Cheng shouted, stepping out to block Xiao Lin’s bike.

With a screech, Xiao Lin stopped, squeezing the brakes and taking off his headphones. He eyed the strange-haired youth blocking his way, puzzled.

“Hey, this tree was planted by me, this road opened by me—you want to pass, pay a toll!” Cheng sang out, proud of his theatrical performance.

The others rolled their eyes, Tiger’s lips twitching in annoyance—this kid was embarrassing him.

Xiao Lin couldn’t help but laugh. Did this guy think he was an ancient highway robber? The trees were clearly government-planted.

“Xiao Lin, remember me?” Sun Feifei stepped forward from behind Tiger, glaring at Xiao Lin with murderous intent.

“Oh, it’s you, Sun Feifei. Looks like you forgot what I told you last time,” Xiao Lin replied, raising an eyebrow. He understood Sun Feifei was here for revenge after being beaten before. But with only these few people, they were underestimating him. Xiao Lin looked over the group of seven or eight, utterly unafraid.

“Xiao Lin, don’t get cocky! With Tiger here, you’re finished!” Sun Feifei shouted, enraged at the sight of Xiao Lin.

Hearing Sun Feifei mention Tiger, Xiao Lin sized up the group, his gaze settling on the burly, tiger-faced man.

Tiger noticed Xiao Lin’s fearless stare and grew inwardly furious. This kid was bold. He frowned, and the lines on his forehead formed a character resembling a king—a feature that earned him his nickname.

“Kid, you put Feifei in the hospital last time. Now it’s your turn to enjoy a stay yourself,” Tiger said, his face cruel and cold.