In stark contrast to Cheng Yu’s calmness were the reactions of Tiger Cub and Suzhan Yue.
Tiger Cub seized both of Suzhan Yue’s wrists in one hand, grinning savagely as he gritted his teeth at Cheng Yu.
“Good. Brat, I knew you’d make the choice that pleases me.”
Suzhan Yue, however, had been staring at Cheng Yu for a long while. Her expression was tangled with complexity—she opened her mouth several times but fell silent. Finally, she turned her head away, muttering with a trace of inexplicable emotion:
“…Who asked you to come? I don’t even want to see you.”
“Oh-ho! Still flirting at this hour? Tsk tsk tsk. What a pair of star-crossed lovers to envy.”
Tiger Cub clearly still mistook them for a couple, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Cheng Yu regarded him calmly. Though he knew it was unlikely, he tried anyway:
“Let her go. Take it out on me. She has nothing to do with this.”
Suzhan Yue’s eyes flickered. Though she kept her face turned away, her gaze stole sideways toward Cheng Yu.
A young girl’s heart is complicated—especially one as sheltered as Suzhan Yue. What others might dismiss as trivial could carve deep, inexplicable marks within her.
Tiger Cub snorted. He sneered at Cheng Yu, cold laughter bubbling from his throat.
“Heh… Playing the hero? Want me to release her? Is *this* how you beg?”
“Brat, I’ll throw your own words back at you from the other day.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
His laughter grew wilder. Cheng Yu sighed inwardly. *Of course it wouldn’t be this simple.*
Two things were clear: First, Tiger Cub harbored vicious hatred toward him. If caught, Cheng Yu wouldn’t just be beaten—he’d be tortured, maybe even killed. Second, Suzhan Yue was still in his grasp. Cheng Yu *had* to find a way to escape with her.
*How to handle both at once…?*
Cheng Yu fell into thought. But his silence instantly put Tiger Cub on edge.
The man tightened his grip on Suzhan Yue’s wrists. She gasped sharply in pain, sucking in a breath.
“No tricks, brat! Kneel. Now. Or I crush your little girlfriend’s wrist bones this second!”
His roar jolted Cheng Yu. Frustration tightened Cheng Yu’s brow.
Yet in that same moment, a new doubt pierced Cheng Yu’s mind.
*Why does Tiger Cub seem… afraid of me?*
What was there to fear? Cheng Yu was just an ordinary college student with no fighting skills. Now that he’d shown up, why not just rush over and beat him bloody?
No—earlier, back at the bar, he’d had the perfect chance to charge and fight. Cheng Yu would’ve been bleeding on the floor by now.
But he hadn’t.
Why?
He’d even gone to the trouble of kidnapping Suzhan Yue, rushing Cheng Yu without giving him time to think… yet he still wouldn’t get close.
Why?
“Hey! Brat! I said *kneel*! Deaf? No tricks. Kneel. *Now*!”
*Why why why why why—!*
Don’t be shaken by his bluster. The answer’s simple. You know it.
“Three…”
…Wait.
*Bluster?*
“Two…”
Yes. That’s it. How could you forget something so obvious?
The one who should be afraid isn’t me—
“…One!”
—*it’s him!*
“Brat, you—”
“HAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Cheng Yu’s sudden, maniacal laughter froze everyone on the spot. The sheer arrogance in his voice made Tiger Cub’s stomach drop. He barked, “What the hell are you laughing at?!”
Cheng Yu ignored him, laughing harder.
That laughter carved deep unease into Tiger Cub’s heart. Suzhan Yue felt his hand tremble.
“You’re pathetic.”
Cheng Yu spat the words, his face twisting into the same sneer Tiger Cub had worn earlier. He glanced at Suzhan Yue with utter disdain.
“I’m laughing because you grabbed some random girl off the street and actually thought you’d hit the jackpot. Thought you could use her to threaten me?”
“No wonder Blade Brother calls you nothing but his pet dog. You’ll never amount to anything.”
“Bullshit!”
Tiger Cub’s fury exploded. His grip crushed Suzhan Yue’s wrists harder. Pain contorted her face.
“Don’t lie! I *saw* you two together at the bar! This bitch can’t be unrelated to you—”
“She *is* connected to me. Just not how you think.”
Cheng Yu’s smile oozed provocation, mocking Tiger Cub’s stupidity.
“We’re just ordinary friends.”
Suzhan Yue’s expression froze for a split second as she stared at Cheng Yu.
But to Tiger Cub, those words meant something else entirely. He roared back, spitting denial:
“Bullshit! Excuses! All lies! I don’t believe a single word!”
“How pitiful.”
Cheng Yu looked at Tiger Cub with genuine pity, as if mourning his ignorance.
“We’ve told you since the start—we’re not a couple. You refused to believe it. Keep lying to yourself if you want.”
“Fine. Do what you like.”
“But…”
Cheng Yu bent down, plucked a fist-sized stone from the roadside, and tossed it lightly in his palm, testing its weight.
“The moment you crush her wrist bones, this stone will smash into your forehead. Maybe it’ll stuff something useful into that empty skull of yours.”
“You… you bastard—”
Tiger Cub’s hand shook violently. Cheng Yu truly didn’t care if this woman lived or died.
*What now? Damn it, what do I do?!*
“Three…”
The tables had turned. Cheng Yu began counting slowly, his voice cold and final as an executioner’s verdict.
“Two…”
*No. He’s bluffing. Don’t fall for this smooth-talking brat’s tricks. Don’t.*
But… what if he’s *not*…?
“One…”
Panicked, Tiger Cub stole a glance at Cheng Yu’s face. Utterly emotionless. No hesitation. Cold as a machine.
He also saw Suzhan Yue’s expression—fixed on Cheng Yu, dazed, disbelieving.
In that instant, his resolve shattered.
*This kid… he’ll really kill me.*
“Zero!”
The moment Cheng Yu’s voice cut through the air, Tiger Cub made his choice. He released Suzhan Yue. Dropped to his knees. Squeezed his eyes shut on instinct.
At that exact moment, Suzhan Yue—who’d been locked onto Cheng Yu—saw him silently open his mouth wide, shaping a single word for her:
*Run!*
Without hesitation, Suzhan Yue darted away like a startled deer, sprinting toward Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu hurled the stone aside, seized her hand, and pulled her into the rushing streams of traffic.
