All the way, Xia Shiyun seemed intent only on leaving that Western restaurant as quickly as possible, completely oblivious to anything, even as Yang Yi was holding her hand. Yang Yi leaned in, feeling the warmth of Xia Shiyun's body, a faint smile touching the corner of his mouth.

After walking like that for a while, they finally stopped. Xia Shiyun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then realized she was still holding someone's hand. Her face flushed, and she quickly let go, saying, "Student Yang, thank you so much today. If you hadn't helped, I really wouldn't have known what to do."

"Heh heh, don't mention it. I'm your man, after all. It's only right that I do little things like this," Yang Yi replied, a faint smile still lingering on his face.

"You—you rogue!" Xia Shiyun feigned annoyance, knowing Yang Yi was teasing her again.

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked away. Indeed, Xia Shiyun possessed the talent of a master of disguise. Yang Yi thought, seeing the sudden change in her demeanor, "This girl changes faces so fast it startles even me. I really don't know what kind of person she is." He thought to himself, then followed her.

A great deal had changed between the two today. Yang Yi had originally thought this would be a date with Xia Shiyun, but unexpectedly, he had become a human shield. Now, he still didn't know if that boy named Ling Bin would actually come looking for trouble. Thinking of this, his mind drifted back to the present. Yang Yi was curious; hadn't this girl previously said she didn't want to go too far from school? Yet now, she was walking in the opposite direction?

Xia Shiyun's heart was a confusing mess for some reason, and she had completely forgotten what she was supposed to do next. The images from earlier kept flashing through her mind. She felt an indescribable fondness for Yang Yi, a goodwill born from his help today. Because of this, she cared deeply about that last sentence Ling Bin uttered.

With that thought, she stopped and turned back, asking Yang Yi with a tense expression, "Will there be trouble?"

"Uh! What trouble?" Yang Yi was momentarily stunned as he asked.

"Will that Ling Bin do anything to you? I heard his family are police officers." Xia Shiyun’s originally tense face had shifted to one of worry—indeed, the shift was too rapid.

Hearing this, Yang Yi felt a warmth in his heart. He secretly thought, This girl actually cares about me. Heh heh, there’s hope. However, hearing that Ling Bin’s background involved the police brought a chill to his heart. After all, he had heard Ling Bin's final words, and the depth of that resentment was far from ordinary. Although it was their first meeting, a woman's charm was irresistible, especially a beautiful one. Thinking this, he sighed inwardly, "It's all the fault of women. Beauty has always been a source of disaster."

Seeing the worried look on Xia Shiyun's face, Yang Yi smiled calmly and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. Besides, this is a society ruled by law; Ling Bin wouldn't dare abuse his power for personal revenge."

"That's true." Xia Shiyun clearly felt better after Yang Yi said that, then continued, "Alright, thank you again for your help today. Let's head back to school!"

"Ah... oh, okay!" Yang Yi responded.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory of Number One Middle School, Fatty Lin was fiddling with his phone, while Ye Xiaohou was playing on a computer nearby. This computer was bought by Ye Xiaohou himself and was always kept there for them to game. Xu Ming, who had just finished showering, walked out and asked Fatty Lin, "Second Brother, where did the Boss go? Why hasn't he come back so late?"

"Uh, I don't know. Probably dealing with the Black God Gang's business!" Fatty Lin replied.

"Damn, now that Second Brother mentions it, I really want to experience that thrilling feeling again. Man, last night was awesome! We wiped out two major powers in City A in just one night," Ye Xiaohou said, turning back with an excited smile upon hearing Fatty Lin.

"Haha, yeah," Xu Ming seemed equally addicted to that thrilling, blood-pumping sensation. He had witnessed it with his own eyes last night: Long Yi, leading a group of Black God Guards, drew their daggers without a word and attacked. After killing a few people, the small fry quickly surrendered. Recalling Long Yi's ethereal techniques and power, Xu Ming felt even more thrilled. He glanced at Fatty Lin beside him, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes, "Second Brother, Second Brother."

"Uh, what do you want?" Fatty Lin asked with an uncomfortable expression as Xu Ming suddenly appeared before him and even climbed onto his bed.

"Geez... relax, I don't have that kind of hobby," Xu Ming said, giving him a look of utter disdain, apparently guessing what Fatty Lin was thinking.

"Good, I thought my reputation was in jeopardy," Fatty Lin said calmly.

This instantly provoked Xu Ming, who tossed a towel at him. "I just need your help with something."

"Pah... just say what you need, don't drag it out like a girl," Fatty Lin said, a forced smile flickering across his face.

"Well, Second Brother, do you and the Boss both know martial arts? Um, can you teach us too?"

At these words, even Ye Xiaohou gathered around, eagerly saying, "Yeah, yeah, Second Brother, can you teach us too?"

"But you two already know some things, right? Third Brother, your close-quarters combat skills are quite good, and Fourth Brother's too," Fatty Lin countered.

"You know we only know a little bit of fighting technique, not even the surface level of real martial arts. After seeing Long Yi and the others last night, I felt profoundly inferior," Xu Ming said dejectedly.

"Exactly! And Second Brother, we are the Boss's helpers too. Please teach us," Ye Xiaohou pleaded.

Fatty Lin pondered it and agreed that it made sense; after all, they were all brothers and would be working together in the future. But he couldn't make the decision himself, so he apologized sincerely, "I can't decide, and I'm not good at teaching either. How about this: when Brother Yi gets back, you ask him."

"Okay!" Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou agreed. They actually knew that if even Fatty Lin agreed, it meant there was a high probability Yang Yi would consent. Thinking they might learn martial arts, the two who had already made up their minds broke into smiles.

Fatty Lin realized at that moment that while they were asking him, they were really seeking approval from Brother Yi. He gave them a disapproving, almost scornful look and said, "You two shameless guys, let me tell you, don't get cocky too soon. Although I agree with you learning martial arts, Brother Yi probably isn't a teacher either."

"Ah—?" Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou cried out in dismay.