VIP Volume, Chapter 089: Planting the Flag

Ye Xiaoxuan had already gone. He had emptied Big Baldy’s pockets of every last cent, leaving with only one hundred yuan of his own.

“Uncle Wen, why did you say such things?” Hua Lingluo frowned at Big Baldy, looking genuinely puzzled. “I know you’re not that kind of person at all. Why make things hard for him?”

Big Baldy smiled faintly, then suddenly asked her, “What do you think of that boy just now?”

Hua Lingluo had not expected the question and grew flustered at once. Blushing, she said, “I’ve seen plenty of punks like him. Besides, he’s Fishy’s boyfriend. Why are you asking me? You should be asking Fishy!”

Big Baldy rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. Looking out, he said, “That one is no creature of a shallow pond. In time, he will surely accomplish great things. Fishy has good judgment. If she finds a man like that, she need never worry for the rest of her life.”

Hua Lingluo was utterly bewildered. “Then why treat him like that? Why be so cruel as to drive lovers apart?”

Big Baldy lowered his gaze, every inch the enlightened old monk. “A heavy burden descends from Heaven upon a man. First, it must grind his will, starve his flesh, and strengthen what he cannot yet do.”

Hua Lingluo coughed twice. “Uncle Wen… you left out a lot in the middle…”

Big Baldy waved a hand. “…You know what I mean! If I don’t provoke him, this boy will probably spend his whole life as a petty thug, drifting through existence! For my daughter’s sake, I am willing to play the villain once.”

Hua Lingluo nodded. A father’s love was like a mountain; she understood it deeply. For Fishy’s happiness, the temporary breaking apart of the two of them was ultimately for a lasting union.

She looked at the still-sleeping Fishy, her eyes full of envy, and murmured, “I only hope Uncle Wen’s judgment is not mistaken.”

Big Baldy rubbed his gleaming bald head and said, “It won’t be mistaken. This boy has immense potential. With my strength as a Martial King, I used so much force last night and still couldn’t make them let go. Today I tried testing him with a weapon, and I didn’t even cut off a single hair. The boy truly is born exceptional!”

Hua Lingluo did not know why she could never stand hearing others praise Ye Xiaoxuan. The moment she thought of that shameless fellow, with his crooked smile and head full of dirty tricks, anger rose in her like fire.

And that night, when she had been careless enough to be tied up by two bumpkins like a rice dumpling, only to be humiliated at that wretched thug’s pleasure, the hatred in her heart made her almost shiver.

With a cold snort, Hua Lingluo said to Big Baldy, “Uncle Wen, don’t let that boy fool you with appearances. He may look dull and do everything like an idiot, as though he’s always a beat slow, but in truth he’s full of rotten schemes. If you’re not careful, he’ll have you eating out of his hand. Don’t let Fishy get tricked by him again!”

Big Baldy gave an “oh,” turned around, and looked at Hua Lingluo with surprise. “So you dislike that boy that much? Then on the way here, who was the one kept telling me how wonderful he was, begging me to show mercy?”

Hua Lingluo’s cheeks turned scarlet at once, and she could no longer get a word out.

The sun was already sinking. Ye Xiaoxuan climbed down from the three-wheeler and walked home with a desolate look on his face.

Chen Tianfeng, who was crouched at the gate watching dog fights, bared his teeth and shouted, “Ye the Third, where’s your pretty wife? Hey, that hairstyle of yours is really something!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s girlfriend was stunning enough to make people swoon; the whole village knew it. Men like Chen Tianfeng were jealous until their eyes nearly spat fire. Now that such a huge thing had happened, of course they were thrilled to watch the spectacle.

Ye Xiaoxuan could not be bothered with him. He cursed under his breath, “None of your damned business!” and kept his head down as he walked on.

But Chen Tianfeng hurried after him and leaned close to his ear. “Ye the Third, I heard you’re planning to form some kind of Bad Boys’ Alliance?”

Ye Xiaoxuan corrected him with a straight face. “It’s the Bad Boys’ Alliance.”

Chen Tianfeng waved a hand. “Whatever. I’m just reminding you since we’re from the same village. Tietou from Linhu Village came looking for you this afternoon. You weren’t there, so I don’t know if he’s left yet!”

Ye Xiaoxuan shot him a sidelong glance. “The hell are you jerking me around for? If Tietou’s gang were really here, would you still be standing at home so obediently? You’d have been at my place long ago, watching the fun!”

Chen Tianfeng glared back. “Damn it, you think I don’t want to watch? If you weren’t here, there’d be no fun to watch, would there? Tietou’s a man of loyalty—he only came for the right person. He’s waiting for you to come back before settling the score!”

By now they were almost at the gate. Sure enough, on the plots of land to either side stood a group of young men, more than a dozen in all. They looked unfamiliar, and they must have been the ones Tietou had brought from neighboring Linhu Village.

Ye Dajun was blocking the entrance to Ye Xiaoxuan’s house, his right shoulder bare, making him look as though he were wearing a monk’s robe. That was his signature outfit whenever he was about to start fighting.

Hao Liuzhi’s face was pale as he stood behind him, smoking one cigarette after another. That was unusual. It seemed the clothes they had bought him yesterday had done the trick; faced with this scene, he had not simply run off. That alone was almost a miracle.

It looked as though the two of them were guarding the gate because they feared those people would storm into the house and cause trouble. Yet the visitors seemed to have no intention of going inside. They stood far off in the shade, chatting and smoking, as though they had come merely to enjoy the cool.

The moment Ye Xiaoxuan appeared, Ye Dajun was the first to notice. He stared at him strangely for a long while without saying a word. Hao Liuzhi also wore a peculiar expression, as though he wanted to laugh but felt the situation was not quite right.

Chen Tianfeng pointed at Ye Xiaoxuan and said to a burly young man whose temples seemed to bulge faintly with power, “Brother Tietou, weren’t you looking for Ye Xiaoxuan? That’s him!”

Tietou widened his eyes, jumped down from the plot, circled Ye Xiaoxuan once, and asked in a daze, “You’re Ye the Third?”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded.

“Hahaha!” Tietou and the dozen-odd youths beside him all burst into laughter. Ye Xiaoxuan scratched his scalp in frustration. “It’s only a bald head. What’s so funny about that?”

Hao Liuzhi covered his face. “The problem is your scalp was shaved way too smooth. Coming back under this sun, your whole head looks like a two-hundred-watt lightbulb…”

Ye Dajun tried to keep a straight face, but in the end he could not help laughing. He simply turned away from Ye Xiaoxuan’s comical appearance and said with his head lowered, “Little Third, they’re here to take the flag down.”

Ye Xiaoxuan said gloomily, “I haven’t even raised a flag yet. What are they taking down?”

Tietou held back his laughter and put a hand on Ye Xiaoxuan’s shoulder. “So you’re planning to raise a flag?”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded. “Yeah. What, are you interested in joining?”

The moment the others heard that, they laughed even harder, some bending over in helpless delight.

One of them clutched his stomach and said, “Did I hear that right? Ye the Third, the useless loser from Reed Village, wants to raise a flag here too? Hahaha! That’s just too hilarious!”

Ye Xiaoxuan looked at him solemnly and said, “You heard right. But there’s one thing you should listen carefully to: my flag won’t just be planted in Reed Village. It’ll stand in your Linhu Village too, and even in Champion Township, Fairy Lake City, and the Central Nation!”