Pandora’s Box

I used the rich man’s, Lu Feng, money to help Yuan Keke pay off damages of the restaurant she worked at. To some extent, this could be regarded as robbing the rich to help the poor.

On the other hand, the so-called infatuated Gao Qi, who kept saying it was love at first sight and claimed Yuan Keke was the only one he’d pursue, had no intention of taking that initiative to pay for the mess he caused.

Oh, man.

And seeing Yuan Keke today, she looked forlorn.

“How come, you lost money?”

“It’d be fine if I just lost money,” she complained, “Gao Qi’s birthday party is tonight, and they all asked me to go. I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t go.” It would be strange to go.

She hesitated, “But the officials from the student council are all going.”

“??? What does our college’s student council have to do with him?”

“It didn’t matter at first,” she curled her lips in distaste, “but the president wants to build a good relationship with him.”

“…..,” I wasn’t even an official, but already learnt the officialdom already.

She asked me, “If I really don’t go, it will be difficult to carry out my duties in the future, right?”

I seemingly felt the pressure that women felt in the workplace.

“Well, well, I’ll go with you. At worst, I’ll bring him a gift.”

Yuan Keke frowned and said, “What are you going to do?”

“I won’t do anything, but if he has bad intentions, at least there should be someone to really want to protect you, right?”

She looked at me and seemingly was surprised for a while.

I laughed and asked, “What? Do you find me handsome?”

She didn’t scold me this time but murmured, “No.”

I bought a random gift and wrapped it up. I went to the birthday party with Yuan Keke that evening.

The birthday party was held in a large KTV room. I went in and took a look.

Oh boy, except for Yuan Keke, the others were all men.

Seeing that I was an unexpected guest, everyone’s expressions were unpredictable. Heck, I didn’t know them but they all seemed to already know who I was. I was not yet in Jianghu, yet I was already a legend in Jianghu.

I still said “Happy Birthday” to Gao Qi generously and handed him a gift. On the contrary, Gao Qi looked at me playfully, unwrapped the gift in front of everyone and stared at the gifted book I bought from Cheng Yichen’s bookstore, “The Way of Speaking.”

He said, “That’s it. How dare you rub this in?”

I said, “Hey, what’s the point of being embarrassed? You can use this bestseller book. Well, I won’t eat, I won’t sing, and I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll even applaud you for free, okay? Speaking of it, I heard that someone started a fight, and made another girl pay for his mess. He pretended that nothing happened, and that is embarrassing.”

Everyone in the room was quiet for a while, looking at each other in disbelief. I didn’t know if they were in disbelief because Gao Qi was always someone who enjoyed showing off his wealth and status, but was actually stingy and vulgar. Or if it was unexpected for someone audacious enough to tell him directly to his face.

An oldie song that was ordered by someone started on the projection screen, “~It’s raining all the time, and the atmosphere is not very harmonious…~”

I smiled. Anyways, it was not my birthday.

Someone stepped forward and defended, “What are you talking about. Our Brother Gao is not that kind of person.”

“Yes, Brother Gao didn’t see it the same way you do.”

“That’s right,” I said sincerely, “It must be my misunderstanding. I’m sure Brother Gao won’t care too much about me. Then, I’ll eat?”

“…..”

The president (thanks to Yuan Keke, I met him several times before) came over and whispered to Gao Qi, “Brother Gao, don’t let him disappoint you, or else, won’t you end up dancing to his tune? If you see it that he doesn’t exist, you will be better off.”

Gao Qi nodded.

No one in the room wanted me as the center of attention tonight, so everyone tried to ignore me. I was also happy concentrating on eating the fruit platter and appetizers on the table amidst their compliments. The spicy braised squid was quite delicious.

While they were dancing and singing, they started to drink. The president came over with a wine glass to Yuan Keke beside me, and said, “Come on, Keke. You have to toast to the birthday star tonight.”

Yuan Keke looked distressed, “Huh? But I don’t know how to drink.”

“That’s too embarrassing,” the senior of the student council shook his head disappointedly, “You will not be welcomed by others if you enter society like this.”

“She really can’t drink,” I hurriedly attempted to smooth things over, “Substitute with Coke from the bar, and that should be fine.”

The president sternly asked, “Why can’t you drink? You can drink a lot of alcohol. If you drink more, you will naturally be able to. You are not going to say you’re allergic to alcohol, right? Haha.”

I sincerely pressed on, “She has a bit of gastroenteritis recently and she just took Cephalosporin. Cephalosporin can’t be mixed with alcohol.”

Gao Qi looked at me and smirked, “You know it quite well. Okay, then you can drink for her.”

Yuan Keke shockingly said, “No need. If I can’t drink, then I can’t drink! Why ask him to replace me?!”

“How dare I,” I politely refused, “The gift I brought is too shabby. Is it worth enough for me to consume such good wine?”

Gao Qi smiled and replied, “You don’t need to be polite. Am I such a stingy person?”

Ah, you were.

“Drink boldly, we have enough wine,” he generously insisted, “I will drink one glass and you will drink two glasses.”

“Huh? Isn’t that bad?”

He asked, “Isn’t it normal for you to have two drinks in total, for you and her?”

I reluctantly agreed, “That’s fine.”

The whole room paid attention to us, eager to witness me make a fool out of my self.

Gao Qi raised his glass and downed it in a single gulp. I kept my eyes on him and drank a cup reservedly, and then drank another cup very restrainedly.

Gao Qi smiles and said, “How refreshing. You’re sensible.”

“I’m flattered.”

“Come on, go on. Keep drinking until you can’t drink anymore.”

I quickly waved my hand, “No, that’s too much.”

“What are you playing at?” He slapped the table, “You’re not going to give me any face? If you don’t out drink me today, neither of you will get to leave.”

I laughed and said, “But you are one person and I have to drink two’s…..”

“You can’t afford not to, can you?”

I hesitated for a moment, “If I really can’t drink it, can I not ask someone else to help drink?”

“That’s too boring. Can’t you be more sincere? Whoever calls for help is a dog.”

“Then, what if I drink half of it?”

“Then recognize yourself as my grandson.”

I sighed, “That’s fine too.”

So, I drank two cups.

He looked at me and took a drink as well.

After going back and forth like this for about five or six rounds, the originally light atmosphere of the room gradually grew tense.

The president commented, “You… are quite good at holding in your alcohol.”

I modestly said, “No, no, I’m just so-so.”

What a joke. Was I fooling around with Lee for so many years without merit? When I was still in Nangao, I was already famous, okay? It was true that if I was not in Jianhu, there wouldn’t be any legends.

I was not bragging. No one in this room was my opponent.

After several rounds more, Gao Qi’s expression gradually darkened.

The president whispered, “Brother Gao, why don’t you take a break?”

Gao Qi turned around and cursed, “Shut up, did I ask you to fucking talk that much?”

“That’s right, Brother Gao is in high spirits. Why rest? Who are you looking down on?” I egged, clicking two more glasses, “It’s your turn, Brother Gao.”

Gao Qi turned to me and stared for a long time, gritting his teeth and pouring the drinks again.

“It is Brother Gao after all,” I said emotionally, “You are a real one, a real man. Keep it up, I respect that.”

Gao Qi was also stubborn as a stone as he picked up and held onto his cup again. This time, he took one sip and spat it out onto the table.

Several people next to him scrambled immediately, shouting out “Brother Gao, Brother Gao” while helping him, patting him, and wiping him.

The president was indignant and glared at me, “You’ve gone too far. Do you need to be so arrogant?”

Surprised, I innocently asked, “Huh? Why is that? I drank twice as much as him, who else drank?”

Gao Qi eventually vomited. He stood up unsteadily and pointed to me, saying, “Hey, you…..”

I quickly responded, “Thank you, thank you.”

He didn’t react to my thanks because he had dropped under the table.

I laughed and said nothing. What type of wine-cultured mannerisms and snobbish ways did this person learn from? If you didn’t give them a lesson, they would never know who the real father was.

The whole room was silent.

I politely stated, “I out drank him, so we can go now.”

No one let out a squeak of disagreement, so I took Yuan Keke and my copy of “The Way of Speaking,” and swaggered out the door.

On the way out, Yuan Keke didn’t say anything. I felt her shoulders slowly twitching and looked over at her, “What’s wrong?”

She was biting her lips to suppress a smile.

At first, I held it in but eventually, I laughed out loud.

“You’re terrible,” I said, “People are miserable there and yet, you’re laughing.”

“You’re the one who’s terrible!” She smacked me with a small bag in her hand, “Look at you messing with him!”

“Were you not happy to see me mess with him?”

She trembled with laughter and her cheeks flushed but gradually, she looked concerned.

“You embarrassed him in public like that, I’m afraid he will retaliate against you.”

I laughed and said, “I’m not afraid.”

Kidding aside, who was I afraid of? I lived under the same roof as Lu Feng, so who was Gao Qi to me?

However, I was a little worried about them retaliating against Yuan Keke. After all, he was a veteran at pinching soft persimmons.

When I went back, I recapped this story in my three-person WeChat group. Ke Luo was in high spirits, “Is there going to be a fight? Remember to call me if you’re planning to fight. Brother, I’m always ready to attack!”

Zhuo Wenyang stopped us immediately with, “Don’t think about fighting. Lin Jing, remember, if you lose, you will be hospitalized. If you win, you will end up in jail.”

Ke Luo said, “Huh? In our family, it is possible to end up hospitalized after a fight, but it is absolutely impossible to be imprisoned.”

Zhuo Wenyang said helplessly, “You, don’t tell Lin Jing that. He’s bolder than you. He will be lawless.”

Then he specifically @ me, “Don’t fight, do you hear me?”

I had to deal with it orally, “Well, I don’t want to fight with anyone.”

I recently reminded Yuan Keke to be more careful and not venture out alone if she had nothing important to do. This week, when she went to work at night, I waited for her to get off work. I accompanied her on the dark roads at night where there were no people.

I was not warm and caring, but rather, if Yuan Keke was in trouble, it would be my fault. I provoked Gao Qi so I had to take full responsibility until this mess was settled.

That night, I picked up Yuan Keke at the entrance of the restaurant and we walked towards the station together.

Yuan Keke said, “My colleague said you are very caring.”

I casually said, “Did you say I’m handsome?”

She rolled her eyes and replied, “Yes.”

I nonchalantly asked, “Then is your colleague pretty?”

She stopped abruptly and punched me in the arm aggressively.

“??? Should I leave? You are quite strong. Fortunately, I’m still worried that Gao Qi may be bad for you since I think you can send him away with a single punch…”

Instinctively, I stopped teasing and pulled her aside instantly.

I didn’t pay much attention to that car when it followed us yesterday. But it showed up again today, parking next to us.

The car door opened and two people wearing hoodies rushed out. One ran over and hugged Yuan Keke, dragging her into the vehicle.

Yuan Keke screamed, “Lin Jing!”

I dodged and kicked the man’s jaw with a flying kick.

Amid the subtle sound of bones cracking, the other party slipped into the ground with an object rolling out of his hand. It turned out to be an iron rod that ended up rolling far away.

The scene was quiet for a moment, and Yuan Keke remained in shock. The person holding onto her was still dazed. I directly punched him in the face and he let go of Yuan Keke with an “ow,” covering up his face.

Probably because no one expected this situation to be this bad, a backup decided to get out of the car. He opened the car door and before he could completely get out, I kicked him back inside the vehicle.

“…..”

This appeared to be very different from their original plan of beating someone up, kidnapping, and then driving away immediately. The driver finally exited the car and timidly charged at me.

Alas, how vulnerable he was. Fortunately for him, the trio who was beaten prior also recovered and joined him in battle so that he wouldn’t have to face me alone. Ah, no one-on-one battle.

He drove a five-seater car and saved a seat for the kidnapped girl. Therefore, only four people came and they even came out in batches as a gift to me.

I almost laughed out loud. It was too unprofessional, Brother. Who were they looking down on?

To be honest, I had nothing to do until I was in my twenties. I didn’t know anything else. All of my years of messing and playing around went towards drinking and fighting. When I was in one-to-many group fights in an Internet cafe with my fake ID, these people were probably still finishing up their homework in cram school.

Because I was considered a good student now after entering T University, I decided to hide my tail between my legs to behave like a proper human being. They really thought I was a vegetarian.

After a scuffle, I basically did not need to do much more, but the four of them were different. They gained injuries and lost their hoodies. It turned out that Gao Qi was the one who attempted to take Yuan Keke away. How very touching. This man deserved to have his nose wrecked by me with a single punch.

Then, they scrambled and climbed into the car, escaping in a hurry.

Yuan Keke was still frozen in fright and stared at me with a dazed look.

“It’s okay,” I said.

Her big, round eyes stared at me.

“It’s okay,” I said, “I’m a person who has fought through rivers and lakes; my fighting experiences greatly outweighs those bastards. They didn’t take advantage of me. They absolutely won’t dare to come back next time.”

Yuan Keke was holding back from crying out of fright suddenly snapped with a sharp sob.

“Don’t, don’t,” I panicked. Oh my god, this was scarier than asking me to beat ten of them one at a time. “Don’t cry, it’s okay. Don’t cry.”

She cried out, “I’ve hurt you! I’ve hurt you!”

“What are you talking about? I’m fine. I just scratched my skin.”

She shook her head desperately, crying loudly, “I shouldn’t have involved you in this muddy water! I’m going to get you killed!”

“??? I’m not hurt.”

“No, you beat Gao Qi so they won’t let you go.”

I laughed, “Hey, what’s their meaning of ‘won’t let go?’”

I wasn’t scared.

“He will definitely sue you for compensation. If he doesn’t, he will call the police and have you arrested,” she said, wiping her tears, “Charges of assault will be on your criminal record. You won’t be able to take the civil service exam in the future!”

“What the hell,” I said, “It was their intention to fight and kidnap first. Well, I was acting in self-defense.”

“Do you remember the fight between Li Chao and him in the restaurant last time?” Yuan Keke sobbed, “It was Gao Qi who initiated it first but the police arrested Li Chao instead. In the end, Li Chao’s family lost money and apologized before he was released. Things became so bad that all posts were deleted. No one dared to talk about it and no one dared to speak for Li Chao.”

“Damn,” I didn’t pay much attention to this matter. I didn’t know that Li Chao was in such a miserable state. “Was this the king’s law?”

Yuan Keke wiped her tears and whispered, “There are some people who are the king’s law.”

“It’s okay,” I replied apathetically, “I don’t plan to take the civil service exam anyway.”