Chapter 128 Part Ways

Chapter 128: Bridges Are Bridges, Roads Are Roads

A young man in bright red suddenly burst from the alley behind Yan Zhoubai, instantly joining the fray. Rong Qian, who had been on the defensive, quickly regained his footing.

With this new ally, the two of them swiftly subdued all eight or nine opponents.

Bodies lay scattered on the ground—a rather striking scene. Though tourists generally avoided trouble, who could resist stopping to gawk at such a spectacle?

By the time the police arrived, they were met with this chaotic sight.

Everyone involved was taken to the police station. The person who had been lurking in the shadows and emerged at the crucial moment was Ji Yangwen.

The sequence of events was crystal clear, and with numerous witnesses, Yan Zhoubai and the other two were quickly exonerated. The responsibility lay with those who had instigated the fight.

Before leaving, Yan Zhoubai overheard an officer mention that the boss behind these troublemakers was already on the police's watch list. Yan Zhoubai paid little mind to this, catching no further details.

It was nearly 1 p.m. by the time the three left the police station, well past lunchtime.

"Yan Zhoubai, I knew someone with your personality would get bullied by local thugs if you set up a stall. See? If it weren’t for me, you’d have been in trouble. If anyone bothers you again, just let me know. I’ll sort them out. No one’s going to mess with you on my watch."

Ji Yangwen, having just emerged from the police station, seemed to have no concept of discretion. Standing on the curb right outside, he began to pontificate loudly.

Yan Zhoubai stood beside him, pulling his small cart, and regarded Ji Yangwen with a look of utter incomprehension.

Dressed head to toe in fiery red, his hair gelled stiffly upright, he looked so "trendy" it seemed painful. Yan Zhoubai saw no change in him whatsoever. While Rong Qian's weariness was palpable, this person acted as if he'd never experienced a setback.

After his pronouncement, Ji Yangwen looked proudly at Yan Zhoubai, clearly seeking praise. He seemed to believe he had done an excellent job.

"No need. My affairs have nothing to do with you. Don’t interfere in the future."

Yan Zhoubai had no desire to waste words on Ji Yangwen or be indebted to him. Reconciliation was impossible. He pulled his cart, preparing to leave.

"Xiao Bai, wait. It’s past lunchtime. You must be hungry. Let’s find somewhere to eat first, okay?"

While Ji Yangwen was still blissfully basking in the glory of his "heroic deeds," Rong Qian had already noticed Yan Zhoubai’s expression. The moment Yan Zhoubai moved to leave, Rong Qian stepped forward to block him.

"You… I’m not interfering. I just want to do something for you. I was a jerk in the past, a terrible person. I want to make amends for my mistakes."

Ji Yangwen’s proud demeanor vanished the instant Yan Zhoubai tried to leave, replaced by a cautious expression rarely seen on his face.

This rapid shift clearly indicated that his earlier flamboyant display, seemingly unchanged from before, had been an act.

"I’ve come here many times since your stall went viral last time. But those videos were quickly taken down, and you never came back."

"I saw you as soon as you arrived today, but I didn’t dare show myself. I know you dislike me, and I was afraid you’d be upset if I appeared. I wouldn’t have come out if it weren’t for those troublemakers."

Ji Yangwen spoke softly, as if fearing that a louder voice would displease Yan Zhoubai. His tone was heavy with loneliness.

Yan Zhoubai glanced at Rong Qian’s calm expression and realized that Rong Qian had known all along about Ji Yangwen’s presence.

"Didn’t you say he went abroad?" Yan Zhoubai challenged Rong Qian.

"I only said he wasn't attending university in the country, not that he’d already left. His university hasn’t started yet."

Rong Qian quickly explained, fearing Yan Zhoubai would think he had lied—or worse, conspired with Ji Yangwen to deceive him.

"Right, I’m leaving next week. I just couldn’t give up. I wanted to see if I could run into you here. Rong Qian dared to show himself, but I didn’t—because I was the absolute worst to you in elementary and middle school."

Ji Yangwen also hurried to explain, worried Yan Zhoubai would think they had ulterior motives.

"I’ve made myself clear. From now on, we go our separate ways. I don’t want to see you, and I ask you not to appear in front of me again."

With that, Yan Zhoubai pulled his cart, preparing to leave, but Rong Qian, blocking his path, showed no intention of moving.

Yan Zhoubai looked up, meeting Rong Qian’s eyes, and spoke word by word: "Move. Aside."

Rong Qian’s expression shifted repeatedly. He didn’t want to move. He had finally managed to see Yan Zhoubai and wanted to talk to him more. He didn’t want them to become complete strangers.

But under Yan Zhoubai’s icy gaze, he ultimately relented and stepped aside.

The moment he moved, Yan Zhoubai pulled his cart away without hesitation. He quickly crossed the street and disappeared into the crowd.

Ji Yangwen wanted to chase after him, but Rong Qian stopped him.

"He doesn’t want to. Let him go."

Though against his better judgment, Rong Qian spoke these words.

Ji Yangwen’s expression turned agitated, his face almost contorted with emotion.

When he saw Yan Zhoubai, he had pretended nothing was wrong, acting as brash as before, as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened between them.

But in reality? After the bullying incident came to light, his plans to attend Peking University fell through, and he was forced to study abroad. His family had berated him relentlessly, and former friends had seized the opportunity to abandon him.

His relationship with Rong Qian and Dai Jian—his so-called "bad influences"—had also crumbled. His family even forbade them from associating, whether to prevent further trouble or due to public pressure.

Ji Yangwen didn’t care about that, but having always had things easy, this series of setbacks hit him hard. He was suffering inside, yet when he saw Yan Zhoubai, he put on a brave face.

"You’re leaving the country soon. What connection do you still expect to have with him? Consider yourself lucky to have seen him today. Do you really think you’re that important?"

The moment Yan Zhoubai left, Rong Qian reverted to his usual cold, disdainful attitude. He targeted Ji Yangwen’s vulnerabilities without mercy.

"You never took part directly back then—just watched from the sidelines. But see how he treats you? No different from me. We’re birds of a feather. Don’t act like you’re better than me!"

Ji Yangwen, stung by the remark, flared up.

It was true he was leaving soon. Even if he could fly back occasionally, it wouldn’t be convenient. But Rong Qian was staying in Beijing. Ji Yangwen had never regretted his poor academic performance more bitterly than now, which prevented him from attending a good university in China.

The two of them argued right outside the police station, each targeting the other’s weak spots. If words could kill, they would have left each other dead on the doorstep.

Of course, Yan Zhoubai knew none of this. He had unilaterally cut these two out of his life. Even if they reappeared, it didn’t matter—he would have nothing more to do with them.

"System, I want to move my stall. South Sky Street isn’t working. Two incidents in a row—it feels like a bad omen."

Yan Zhoubai sat on the bus, leaning against the window, watching the bustling streets of Beijing outside, speaking to the system in his mind.

"Move it. I agree, that place is no good anymore," the system replied.

"But where? Other places don’t have as much foot traffic as South Sky Street." Yan Zhoubai was troubled.

"Bud, I think we’ve strayed off track," the system said suddenly.

"Strayed how?" Yan Zhoubai didn’t understand.

"Look at what kind of customers we were getting this morning—all fortune-telling for tourists. How much money is that really bringing in? Even with lots of people, it’s not enough. This wasn't what I had in mind originally."

While the fight was happening, the system had been reflecting on where things went wrong.

"What should we do then?"

After what the system said, Yan Zhoubai also realized that something seemed off. Just doing fortune-telling one reading at a time not only failed to earn him much money but also prevented him from building up any real network. How was that any way to build a real business?

"Originally, we envisioned leveraging your knowledge of feng shui and geomancy to help wealthy families solve their problems. You've actually studied this stuff, so naturally, you’re more skilled than those charlatans out there. Word would get around fast, and soon enough, we’d have both money and connections with influential families. Simply put, our initial plan was to target the 'upper' class."

The system thought it over and reached a conclusion.

"You’re right."

The system wasn’t wrong—this was indeed their original plan. Comparing it to their current situation, they'd clearly gotten off track.

"But it’s not that we don’t want to. We just haven’t encountered anyone seeking feng shui advice while setting up shop on Nantian Street. Though I’ve only been there twice, so maybe it’s too soon to tell."

Yan Zhoubai knew there was a problem, but it wasn’t something they could solve immediately.

"We can’t stay on Nantian Street. We chose the wrong location; this approach isn’t working."

"So what should we do?"

"Return to Cangru Temple!"

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Author's Note: Just tying this back to the synopsis a bit [Let me see...]