Chapter 127 Rong Qian

Chapter 127 Rong Qian

Yan Zhoubai looked up to see a person he never expected: Rong Qian. It had been so long since he last saw him that he had almost forgotten about him.

"Why are you here?"

Yan Zhoubai's tone was cold, devoid of the warmth he showed other customers, and without the hostility he once harbored. He treated Rong Qian like a complete stranger.

"That young Taoist who briefly went viral online—I recognized you instantly. After that, I started coming to Nantian Street often, hoping to run into you."

Rong Qian hadn't changed much; his voice was still cool, almost aloof. Yet, upon closer inspection, the arrogant swagger he once possessed had largely vanished, replaced by a hint of weariness.

"I don’t think we have anything left to discuss. Besides, I heard you all went abroad, didn't you?"

Back then, after Yan Anxuan exerted pressure, none of them got into Peking University. Soon after, rumors spread that they had gone overseas for their studies.

Leaving Rong Qian and Dai Jian aside, Yan Zhoubai knew Ji Yangwen well. There was no way Ji Yangwen could have gotten into Peking University on his own merit; his grades weren't much better than Yan Zhoubai's, who wasn't particularly academically inclined. If Ji Yangwen hadn't gone abroad, he would have ended up at a very ordinary university. How could he have maintained his pretense then? And the Ji family likely wouldn't have approved, finding it embarrassing.

"I didn't go abroad. The other two did. I got into Qing University. Ji Yangwen's grades weren't great, so after that incident, the Ji family started arranging his overseas studies. Dai Jian's grades were quite good; even if he couldn't get into Peking University, he could still have gotten into a very decent college. But his position in the Dai family was rather awkward, and after what happened, the family also found it embarrassing, so they sent him abroad too. He left for Country E in August."

Ignoring Yan Zhoubai's cold demeanor, Rong Qian recounted the recent situations of all three of them.

Yan Zhoubai was quite surprised that Rong Qian had ended up at Qing University. Qing University was the second-ranked institution after Peking University, a truly prestigious school with formidable capabilities.

Yan Zhoubai had known that Rong Qian's grades were good enough for Peking University, but due to pressure from Yan Anxuan and public opinion, he hadn't been admitted. Yan Zhoubai had assumed Rong Qian would also go abroad, as it was somewhat humiliating to possess the ability to get into Peking University but be denied entry. If he had gone abroad, he could have easily attended a top-ranked international university. He never expected Rong Qian to stay.

"Qing University is quite good too. It's not much worse than Peking University."

Yan Zhoubai replied dryly. He truly had nothing to say to Rong Qian. Rong Qian had always been the least talkative of the trio and the one Yan Zhoubai had the least contact with. If Ji Yangwen had been here, Yan Zhoubai might have exchanged a few more words.

His reply was meant to subtly urge Rong Qian to leave, but the other party didn't seem inclined to go.

"I never planned to study abroad. If I had, I wouldn't have studied so hard in high school."

Rong Qian let out a bitter laugh. Yan Zhoubai was surprised and even took a closer look at him. It was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on the face of the once arrogant young master—quite a rare sight.

"And there's another reason I stayed," Rong Qian suddenly turned serious, straightening his posture. "Although the bullying incident is in the past and our grudges are settled, I know what we did to you was terrible. I stayed to make amends."

"Please, there's no need."

As soon as Rong Qian straightened up, Yan Zhoubai instinctively leaned back. He didn't want any further involvement with these three. After hearing Rong Qian's words, he refused without a moment's hesitation.

"Our matters were settled long ago. From now on, let's go our separate ways. Qing University is quite far from my school, so we won't run into each other. You don't need to come looking for me again."

Yan Zhoubai was clearly trying to usher him away. What a waste of time! He had thought another customer had arrived. With Rong Qian occupying his stall, what about other potential customers? He was hindering his business.

"Xiao Bai…"

Seeing Yan Zhoubai's expression, Rong Qian grew anxious.

"Don't—don't call me Xiao Bai. We're not that close."

Yan Zhoubai truly wanted him to leave now and even started pushing him. But there was no way he could move Rong Qian, who stood over 180 cm tall.

"I heard you're not living with the Yan family anymore—you're staying with Zhan Jiayu?" Rong Qian suddenly asked.

"Yeah."

Yan Zhoubai wore a "none-of-your-business" expression. Why was this guy so annoying? Would he just leave already?

"Zhan Jiayu must have ulterior motives. Otherwise, why would he make such a request? Even if the Yan family owes him a favor because of the poisoning incident at the banquet, he can't just…"

Yan Zhoubai thought to himself that whether Zhan Jiayu had ulterior motives or not was no longer his concern—after all, he was already with Zhan Jiayu.

Just as he was about to tune out Rong Qian's long-winded rambling, someone interrupted.

"Who do you think you are? Do you even know how things work on Nantian Street? First day here and you're already stealing business from the regulars?"

Three or four mean-looking men in their thirties or forties approached Yan Zhoubai's stall, clearly there to cause trouble.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Yan Zhoubai didn't know what these men were up to and instinctively took two steps back.

These guys meant trouble. He hadn't expected to run into such a situation on his first day back.

"What do we want? You've taken all the business on this street this morning. Do you even know the rules? What kind of nobody thinks they can just set up shop on Nantian Street?"

Yan Zhoubai finally understood—his business had been too good that morning, sparking jealousy among his peers, and now someone wanted to teach him a lesson.

If that was the case, it was simple—he would just pack up and leave. After all, he had already made quite a bit of money that day. Plus, with Rong Qian causing a distraction, it was a good time to go.

Yan Zhoubai didn't want to clash with these local bullies. Of course, he also didn't have the ability to; these guys looked like they could easily overpower him.

But just as he was about to try to defuse the situation, Rong Qian spoke up first: "What rules? You're just jealous because his business is good. Stop putting on airs."

Rong Qian had been coming to Nantian Street frequently lately to try and run into Yan Zhoubai, so he actually knew the situation better than Yan Zhoubai did.

"What do you mean? What's it to you? If you don't want trouble, get lost. Do you even know who we are? Watch yourself, or you won't leave Nantian Street in one piece."

The leader of the group, seeing that Rong Qian and Yan Zhoubai were both young—barely in their twenties—didn't take them seriously at all and even started making threats.

Nantian Street was crowded, and quite a few people had gathered around Yan Zhoubai's stall to watch the commotion, but the group of men quickly and aggressively shooed them away.

These men practically had "mind your own business" written on their faces. Most people on Nantian Street were tourists, and naturally, no one wanted to get involved.

The nearby shopkeepers and stall owners seemed to know better than to interfere. No one stepped in to stop the confrontation or even tried to mediate.

Seeing the situation, Yan Zhoubai thought it might be best to slip away. There were too many of them, and it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Babe, just call Zhan Jiayu. These small-time thugs are nothing—Zhan Jiayu could send someone over to take care of them easily. Why be afraid?"

The system was indignant. It didn't like these troublemakers. Their host had attracted so many customers through his own ability, and these guys were green with envy? How dare they try to drive him away?

And they were so aggressive! The system wasn't having it!

"No need. It's not a big deal. Zhan Jiayu is busy—no need to bother him."

Yan Zhoubai had never considered asking Zhan Jiayu to step in. This was a minor issue, and it was his own problem. He could handle it himself.

"Hmph! I'd really like to know who you think you are. Not many people in Jing City dare talk to me like that!"

While Yan Zhoubai was still conversing with the system in his mind, Rong Qian had already started a fight with the group without him noticing.

Good grief, he was really making things worse! If not for him, Yan Zhoubai would have already left. But now, leaving might not be appropriate—after all, Rong Qian had stepped in to help him.

"What's inappropriate? Didn't he say he wanted to make amends? Helping you deal with these small-time thugs is nothing major. Look, he's pretty good in a fight. We can just slip away—it'll be fine."

The system really changed its attitude as quickly as flipping a book. Just moments ago, it insisted Yan Zhoubai shouldn't leave, but as soon as it saw Rong Qian stepping up, it immediately told Yan Zhoubai to back off. It was clear that it really disliked Rong Qian.

Yan Zhoubai had never seen Rong Qian fight before and didn't expect him to be so skilled. It seemed like he had some training—his moves were sharp, and he didn't lose ground even when fighting four people alone.

"Hey, forget leaving! They're already fighting—it's time to call the police." With that, Yan Zhoubai took out his phone and dialed the emergency number.

The four men were clearly no match for Rong Qian, who handled them with ease. Yan Zhoubai thought things would be under control and that the police would arrive soon.

But then, out of nowhere, four or five more people burst from the crowd and joined the fight. No matter how skilled Rong Qian was, he couldn't take on nearly ten people alone. Soon, he was overwhelmed and started getting hurt.

"Damn it, have they no shame? Ganging up on one person—I've put up with this long enough!"