CM - 31

Liang Jifan wasn’t looking for a fight. He said to Shen Tingwen, “Give me some face.”

Shen Tingwen had died in the final circle, didn’t get a chicken dinner, and exited the game. He said to Liang Jifan, “You always ask me for face. Do you have that much face?”

He came to the internet cafe because he was annoyed. He had planned to play a couple of games to adjust his mood, and Liang Jifan came over to cause trouble. How much patience did he have to let them jump around?

His words were harsh. Liang Jifan poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue: “What do you mean by that?”

“It means, why do you always have something to ask of me? Am I your dad?”

In Yuan Gengcheng’s mind, Shen Tingwen’s image grew taller. When he first met Shen Tingwen, he didn’t mingle and barely spoke. This impression made him think Shen Tingwen was a low-key person who didn’t provoke others, even if he was an excellent shot.

At that time, he hadn’t imagined him in a direct conflict with someone. Now that he saw it, he realized Shen Tingwen wasn’t incapable of being tough, nor was he not tough enough; he simply disdained it.

Liang Jifan was concerned about his reputation and retorted to Shen Tingwen with forced bravado: “We’ve had a few dealings, honestly, haven’t I always given you face? I just came over and didn’t say anything harsh to you. Why do you have to be so confrontational?”

Shen Tingwen didn’t have time to mess around with him: “Your one-sided requests don’t count as dealings. I have no dealings with you.”

Liang Jifan’s pride was repeatedly trampled. He suddenly understood why Chen Ziqian couldn’t control himself and confronted Shen Tingwen directly before. Sometimes, when anger flares up, it’s truly uncontrollable.

Understanding is one thing; being able to do it is another.

He took a step forward, veins bulging on his forehead and neck: “Looking for a fight, are we?”

Shen Tingwen stood up, three centimeters taller than him: “Think carefully.”

Liang Jifan picked up an ashtray, aiming to smash it on Shen Tingwen’s head. His friends, as if receiving a signal, cursed and lunged forward, ready to fight them.

Shen Tingwen reacted quickly and dodged. Yuan Gengcheng reacted slowly, didn’t dodge, and got a slap in the face. He was done with it, calling people for backup.

The internet cafe owner saw that things were getting serious and called the police.

Several people were taken to the police station. Chen Fuyu finally panicked a bit and quickly deleted her Moments post, but it was too late; everyone already knew.

________________________________________

Yuan Gengcheng’s family arrived and took him and Shen Tingwen away. Liang Jifan’s family arrived a bit later, accompanied by Zhao Guqing and Zhu Jiayi. They insisted on coming as soon as they heard.

Zhao Guqing didn’t see any injuries on his face and felt relieved: “Does it bother you not to get into a fight for a day?”

Zhu Jiayi also said, “Is there any police station in Beijing you haven’t been to? You tell us to study hard and improve every day, but you’re always hanging out with a bunch of hooligans. Are you trying to act out Shanghai Beach?”

Chen Fuyu was off to the side, not daring to speak.

Zhu Jiayi turned her head and sarcastically said, “Some bitches are really good at using others as pawns.”

Chen Fuyu was very embarrassed and said she had something to do, then left.

Zhu Jiayi said to Liang Jifan: “Look! Look! What kind of woman is she? You’re so fond of going back to old habits? So many people have already chewed on that, and you can still stomach it.”

Liang Jifan didn’t listen to their words. He was still looking in Shen Tingwen’s direction. To be honest, he was the one who started the trouble today. Although Shen Tingwen’s reaction was a bit emotional, it was reasonable. If he had been kicked out, he probably wouldn’t have waited for the other person to finish speaking before throwing a punch.

Yuan Gengcheng put an arm around Shen Tingwen: “Want to go eat?”

Shen Tingwen was replying to a WeChat message. Zhou Shuirong had, for once, asked him where he was, and he was a little flattered: “Police station.”

Zhou Shuirong: “Address.”

Shen Tingwen sent her his location, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth as the message successfully sent.

Yuan Gengcheng looked at his phone: “You can still smile? What did you see?”

Shen Tingwen didn’t let him see, put away his phone, and said, “You go back yourself.”

Yuan Gengcheng understood: “From your girlfriend?”

Shen Tingwen didn’t answer, nor did he need to, because Zhou Shuirong arrived. She got out of a taxi and, under the gazes of several acquaintances, walked towards Shen Tingwen. The posture was as if, in this vast world, she was only there for him.

Zhou Shuirong came to return his card. She had found it when she was tidying her bag. She guessed they had argued fiercely at the time, and his keys, cards, and bracelet had fallen all over the floor, and she had accidentally put them in her own bag.

Shen Tingwen didn’t take it: “You came all the way here just to give me this?”

Otherwise? Zhou Shuirong didn’t care about his well-being, nor did she want to know if he was alright. She just came to return the card; she didn’t want anything unclear between them regarding belongings, that’s all.

She didn’t look at him: “You thought I came to see you? Don’t flatter yourself.”

Shen Tingwen took the card: “Oh.”

Zhou Shuirong saw there was nothing else and started to leave: “I’m leaving.”

Shen Tingwen said to Yuan Gengcheng: “Bro, it’s fine. No need to go to the hospital.”

Yuan Gengcheng was suddenly addressed: “Huh?”

Zhou Shuirong heard it. She thought she would continue walking forward, pretending not to hear, but then she remembered she had misunderstood him at the gym, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. It was this slight embarrassment that made her turn back.

When she turned back, she couldn’t help but speak, so she reluctantly asked, “What’s wrong with you again?”

Shen Tingwen’s voice suddenly became weak: “Nothing.”

Yuan Gengcheng saw Shen Tingwen’s two different faces, almost failing to keep up with his act. Luckily, he was also a bit of a scoundrel, had had a few girlfriends, and understood some tactics, which prevented him from exposing Shen Tingwen. He said, “Maybe he got hit somewhere during the fight just now. We should hurry to the hospital to get it checked!”

Shen Tingwen stumbled forward two steps and sighed: “I’ll be fine after I go home and sleep.”

Yuan Gengcheng saw his insistence: “Alright then, I’ll take you back.”

Shen Tingwen said, “No need, it’s not far from home.”

Yuan Gengcheng understood again. He turned to Zhou Shuirong and said, “Well, I have something urgent to do here. How about this, I’ll call a taxi for both of you, and you can take him back.”

Zhou Shuirong was about to speak, but Yuan Gengcheng had already hailed a taxi for them and then disappeared faster than a rat.

By this point, Zhou Shuirong had figured out what was going on. Shen Tingwen was improving; he was even hiring actors now. But because she felt guilty about hitting him, she didn’t abandon him.

Zhou Shuirong glanced at him: “Let’s go.”

Shen Tingwen couldn’t walk: “My calf cramped.”

Zhou Shuirong asked him, word by word: “So what do you want, Young Master?”

Shen Tingwen extended his hand to her: “You support me.”

Zhou Shuirong glared at him: “Don’t push your luck, Shen Tingwen.”

Shen Tingwen turned his head to the left: “I understand. I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll go back by myself. I won’t disturb you again in the future. It’s true, someone as annoying as me, you must hate me. Unlike Fu Linying, you even bought him yogurt, AD Calcium Milk. I’ve never even had any.”

Zhou Shuirong almost slapped him: “Didn’t you end up drinking that row of yogurt? Stop playing dumb with me! Are you going or not! If not, just stay here and die!”

Shen Tingwen stopped pretending and followed her.

Liang Jifan and his friends, not far away, witnessed the entire scene. He and Zhu Jiayi instinctively looked at Zhao Guqing. Her eyes still showed sadness, but she was already smiling as she faced their concern: “They are a perfect match.”