Chapter Seventy: What If I Lose It All?

That scream sobered up Xu Fei considerably; truth be told, he could hold his liquor, and what he’d drunk tonight was barely enough to make a difference.

Old Third An whirled around.

“It’s Sun Yindi!”

“I’ll go check.”

Xu Fei told Old Third An to wait there, then turned and hurried off in the direction of the noise.

Rounding the corner, he found himself in a pitch-dark alleyway, the sounds of a heated argument echoing through the night.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Let go!”

“Ah!”

Xu Fei followed the voices at a run.

When he reached the mouth of the alley, he saw a group of men surrounding Sun Yindi and Li Zhen.

Li Zhen lay sprawled on the ground, vomiting up a mess that had soaked his clothes.

Whether he was drunk or had been beaten, it was hard to tell, but he was in no shape to get up.

“Stop!” Xu Fei shouted.

The men, who had been pawing at Sun Yindi, turned to glare at him.

“So, someone wants to play hero, huh? Who the hell are you? Mind your own business before you get hurt!”

But Xu Fei crouched by the roadside and picked up a brick.

“Hey, boss, this guy’s looking for trouble!”

Two of them turned and strode toward Xu Fei.

“Let her go.”

“Let her go? And just who do you think you are, giving us orders?”

One of the two produced a switchblade, flicking it open with a snap and waving it menacingly.

“Seems like you don’t know what’s good for you.”

“Get him!”

Seeing Xu Fei, Sun Yindi struggled desperately, but with two thugs gripping her arms she could only shout, “Be careful, Xu Fei, they’ve got a knife!”

Xu Fei sized up the one with the blade—he’d have to take him down with a single blow.

Without waiting for them to make a move, Xu Fei charged.

The man lunged at him with the knife, but Xu Fei twisted aside, using the momentum to bring the brick crashing down on the thug’s head.

A howl of pain, and the man dropped like a stone.

The other stood stunned for a moment, but Xu Fei gave him no chance; though the brick had shattered, a fragment remained in his hand.

He hurled it, striking the man squarely in the face.

“Damn it!”

The thug staggered, clutching his ruined face, and collapsed to the ground.

“My teeth! Ahh…”

Xu Fei strode over and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling, then stooped to pick up the knife.

“Let her go!” he ordered.

The two men holding Sun Yindi, mere lackeys, lost their nerve now that their leaders were down. They released her and fled.

Xu Fei hurried to Sun Yindi’s side.

“Are you alright, Sister Sun?”

Sun Yindi had just managed to break free, but the rush of adrenaline and alcohol left her weak; as soon as the danger passed and the thugs ran, her strength deserted her.

A wave of dizziness came over her and she collapsed into Xu Fei’s arms.

At that moment, Old Third An arrived.

The two thugs Xu Fei had beaten, seeing reinforcements, realized they were outmatched and staggered away.

Xu Fei knew there was no point in chasing them.

He called Old Third An over.

He slung Sun Yindi onto his back, while Old Third An helped Li Zhen to his feet.

As luck would have it, Sun Yindi lived in the same direction as Xu Fei, and Li Zhen’s place was near Old Third An’s.

They divided up the task.

Carrying Sun Yindi was no trouble for Xu Fei—she was a petite southern woman, and he was big and strong.

When they reached the staff apartments of the Donghai Bank, Sun Yindi spoke.

“Put me down now.”

She had been fully conscious the whole way, but she simply wanted to stay on Xu Fei’s back a little longer.

The solid warmth of this man’s back reminded her of An Guohao.

“Thank you.”

She looked at Xu Fei. “Would you like to come in for a while?”

Xu Fei was taken aback.

Such an invitation could hardly fail to set a man’s imagination racing.

“Maybe another time,” he replied after a moment. “Next time, I’ll bring Third Brother with me. By the way, I might be heading south soon—if there’s anything you need, I can…”

“No,” Sun Yindi cut him off abruptly.

She turned and walked toward the apartment building.

“Goodbye, Sister Sun,” Xu Fei called after her.

She waved a hand behind her, but a glimmer of tears shone at the corner of her eye.

Xu Fei watched as Sun Yindi vanished into the darkness. Outwardly, she seemed so strong, but she carried countless hidden feelings inside.

He reached back to touch his shirt; it was damp with her tears.

…

“What happened to your arm?” Du Man pointed to Xu Fei’s sleeve.

He glanced down and saw that his shirt had been sliced open, with a shallow cut bleeding on his arm beneath.

“What on earth happened?”

Xu Fei, not wanting to worry her, shook his head. “I must’ve scraped it on something while I was drunk.”

“Honestly, can’t you drink a little less?”

Xu Fei waved his hand. “I’d like to, but last night was unavoidable.”

“What kind of drinking can’t be avoided? Did someone hold a gun to your head?”

Xu Fei grinned at her.

“No, nothing like that.”

Du Man, exasperated, couldn’t help but laugh. “You just wanted a drink.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t next time.” Xu Fei raised his hand in a mock oath.

Du Man just shook her head with a smile. “How many times have you said that now?”

Xu Fei chuckled and stood up.

“By the way, I might have to go on a business trip in the next few days.”

“A business trip?” Du Man gave him a puzzled look.

“What would a workshop worker from the sugar refinery need to handle outside?”

“It’s not for the plant—it’s for my own business.”

Du Man nodded.

“What are you planning to sell this time?”

“Televisions,” Xu Fei replied, grinning.

“What!?” Du Man was startled.

“Have you lost your mind? Televisions? Where did you get the money to speculate in TVs?”

“I’ve sorted out the money.” Xu Fei pulled a shoebox from under the cabinet. “Take a look.”

Du Man opened it to find twenty thousand yuan inside.

“That much?”

“It’s a lot, right? Just wait—when I bring the TVs back, this could easily double or triple.”

Du Man eyed him. “What if you lose everything?”

“Don’t you have any faith in me?” Xu Fei asked.

Du Man shook her head. “I still think our life as it is now is pretty good.”

“But didn’t you tell me your brother made seven or eight thousand in the south? This time, I’ll make more than him.”

“When are you leaving?”

“That depends on things over there. If all goes well, I’ll be back in three days.”

Du Man nodded. “Will you make it back in time for Xu Qing’s college entrance exam?”

Xu Fei frowned.

“Oh, that’s right, she’s taking the exam soon. Hmm…”

He shook his head. “I might not. You’ll have to go in my place.”

Du Man could only nod.

“She already resents you, and I thought this exam might help smooth things over between you two. But I guess…”

“There’s no choice—this is too important. If I make money, her tuition will be taken care of.”

As they were talking, there was a knock at the door.

“Is Xu Fei here?”