Chapter 0008: Why Won't You Listen to Advice?

It must be said, the nightscape of Jinghai City is truly beautiful—not just the scenery, but even more so the people.

Making money—Zhang Xiaofan was still at a loss, unsure where to start.

“The girl across the street, look over here, look over here…”

Humming a tune, Zhang Xiaofan wandered the streets in search of opportunities to earn some cash.

Forget it, forget it, I’ll just head home and figure something out tomorrow…

After two hours, Zhang Xiaofan still hadn't found a way to make money. There were jobs for dishwashing and nightclubs hiring waiters, but who was Zhang Xiaofan? How could he sell himself for a mere handful of pocket change?

“Ah… help!”

Just as he was preparing to head home, a woman's desperate cry rang out.

Hmm?

In broad daylight… no, in the dark of night… someone was committing a crime? As a model youth of a socialist society, I must act bravely.

The voice sounds nice—could it be a hideous woman?

Zhang Xiaofan couldn’t help but recall the meme about cute voices hiding less attractive faces. If that’s the case, maybe I should just head home…

Or maybe I should take a look. What if she’s beautiful? And rich?

On second thought, Zhang Xiaofan decided to check it out.

The further he walked, the darker it got. Suddenly, a figure rushed toward him, followed by several burly men in pursuit.

Before Zhang Xiaofan could ask anything, the figure crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.

He could have dodged, but in that instant, he caught a glimpse of her face and lost all desire to escape.

So fragrant, so soft.

Zhang Xiaofan instinctively squeezed twice—nice feel… about the same size as Yin Rou Rou, he guessed.

“Mm…”

Ye Qingcheng whimpered in distress. Her car had broken down, she’d been harassed by thugs, and now, just when hope seemed near, she’d run into another pervert.

“Haha, go on, run! Let’s see who saves you tonight. I’ll make sure you experience true ecstasy.”

The pursuers quickly caught up, their demeanor making it clear they were local hoodlums.

“Help me…”

Ye Qingcheng, red-faced, had no choice but to stand behind Zhang Xiaofan, seeking shelter.

He looks about my age… not even twenty… am I putting him in danger…

Wait… I haven’t even seen him clearly, why am I hiding behind him? Zhang Xiaofan was certain she was a beauty, not inferior to Yin Rou Rou in the slightest.

Never mind, I’ll get a better look later…

Hold on… I haven’t discussed terms yet. Pretty as she is, am I the type to help a beauty for nothing? Money—no money, no deal.

“I can save you. Tell me, how much will you pay?” Zhang Xiaofan asked.

“Money? Are you even a man?” Ye Qingcheng was furious. What kind of person was this?

“You’re right, I’m not a man—I’m a pure boy.”

“If you don’t have money, then maybe you can let me touch you again later.”

Seeing her hesitant, Zhang Xiaofan assumed she was broke. Fine, so be it—no money, no money. After all, I am a model youth of socialism.

“You…”

Ye Qingcheng’s beautiful eyes flashed with indignation. Who was this shameless person?

But if he could really save her, being touched once more was better than falling into those thugs’ hands. She’d already been groped once anyway.

“Look, I’m easy to talk to. You guys should leave, or I’ll beat you up,” Zhang Xiaofan said to the men, his tone calm. Today had been unlucky; he’d already fought twice, and really didn’t want another fight—though beating people up wasn’t all bad.

Oh no…

Looks like he’s just a smooth-talking little fraud…

Ye Qingcheng started to panic. Asking for money, she thought he might be a rare skilled fighter, but now, hearing him talk, she was sure Zhang Xiaofan was nothing but a street trickster.

Isn’t this how it always goes in TV dramas…

But she didn’t know there was another script: the true master can’t be bothered to fight the weak.

“Damn, running into an idiot at midnight.”

The lead thug cursed impatiently and moved to deal with Zhang Xiaofan, planning to take Ye Qingcheng away after.

But when he shoved Zhang Xiaofan, he couldn’t budge him at all—like pushing against a mountain, unmovable.

“So you want to get rough? Why don’t you listen to reason?”

With that, Zhang Xiaofan launched a kick, instantly knocking the thug to the ground and stomping repeatedly: “How dare you raise your hand, how dare you show off…”

Soon, the thug lay motionless, whether knocked out by the beating or by Zhang Xiaofan’s words, it was hard to say.

Ye Qingcheng’s red lips parted in astonishment. The Zhang Xiaofan before and after the fight seemed like two different people, leaving her stunned but hopeful—she was finally saved. Yet remembering she had to let him touch her again, she blushed shyly.

The remaining thugs, seeing Zhang Xiaofan’s prowess, had no courage to help their companion. They fled as fast as their legs would carry them, all their supposed loyalty forgotten.

“Done. Job finished.”

Zhang Xiaofan dusted off his hands and turned to look at Ye Qingcheng.

Beautiful—truly beautiful. Even in darkness, her star-like eyes shone, her small lips inviting a kiss, a gemstone necklace around her neck that screamed wealth, and further down, a loosened button revealed a tantalizing glimpse of snowy white skin.

Wait…

Zhang Xiaofan’s expression hardened. He realized this beauty was poisoned. If untreated, she’d be dead within three days!

Who could be so cruel as to poison such a beauty?

“You pervert, where are you looking?”

Ye Qingcheng was speechless. He’d been charming during the fight, but now he’d reverted to his shameless ways. Still, since Zhang Xiaofan had saved her, she wasn’t truly angry.

“If you want to touch me, just do it…”

Seeing his gaze fixed on her chest, Ye Qingcheng assumed he wanted his second reward.

Though unwilling, she could only accept it.

Uh…

Zhang Xiaofan hesitated, then said, “Beauty, you’re mistaken. Am I really that kind of person?”

“Then why are you staring at my chest?” Ye Qingcheng retorted, her cheeks flushed.

“By heaven and earth, it’s because you’ve been poisoned. If you don’t get treated within three days, you’ll die without question.” Zhang Xiaofan spoke without exaggeration. He didn’t know the exact poison, but the symptoms were severe.

“You’re lying. I feel perfectly fine. How could I be poisoned?” Ye Qingcheng was skeptical.

“Let me ask you, have you had unusually frequent periods lately?” Zhang Xiaofan asked seriously.

“How… how did you know?” Ye Qingcheng was stunned. It was true; she’d been forced to deal with it earlier, which led to her car breakdown and the thugs’ pursuit.

“Such a simple question and you need to ask? Truly, beauty without brains. Because I am a miracle doctor, ever heard of that?” Zhang Xiaofan shook his head at her confusion.

“I’m not trying to scare you. If this continues, you’ll lose too much blood, and in three days, the poison will fully take hold. Even the greatest doctors couldn’t save you then.” This time, Zhang Xiaofan spoke only the truth.

But Ye Qingcheng could not easily believe him.

To her, it was just a minor inconvenience that would pass in a couple of days.

“Well, could you escort me home? Once we get there, can you treat me?”

Though she didn’t believe she was poisoned, it was dark out and she feared running into more thugs. Besides, she had her own little plans.

That was Ye Qingcheng’s thought.

“Beauty, we’re strangers. Isn’t it a bit soon to meet your parents? Handsome as I am, I’m not that casual,” Zhang Xiaofan joked.

“Oh… the treatment, right. Seems I misunderstood…”

Seeing the beauty about to get angry, Zhang Xiaofan quickly added, “I can treat you, but my consultations are expensive. I already saved you for free once; I can’t work for nothing again. It’s hard enough to make money at night.”

“Are you really so short on money?” Ye Qingcheng asked.

“I am—very. I was even chased by loan sharks today.”

“All right, come to my house. I’ll pay you one hundred thousand.” To her, that amount was trivial.

“You’re not trying to lure me home for revenge because I touched you earlier, are you?” Zhang Xiaofan felt a hint of nervousness.

“What, aren’t you tough enough? Are you scared?” Ye Qingcheng teased.

“Scared? That word isn’t in my dictionary. Who’s afraid of whom? Let’s go to your house.” Zhang Xiaofan thought, one hundred thousand—how could he pass that up?

“Heh, so your name is Zhang Xiaofan,” Ye Qingcheng smiled, for reasons unknown, storing the name away in her heart.

“My name is Ye Qingcheng. Come, let’s go home.”

“Alright!”

Zhang Xiaofan strode forward, following Ye Qingcheng, his gaze involuntarily drawn to her swaying hips. So young—how did she develop so well?