“Zhang Yu, don’t rush, what happened to Fatty?” I was also worried about Fatty’s situation, but I had to remain calm. From Zhang Yu’s tone, it seemed that Fatty had encountered quite a problem.
Zhang Yu took a deep breath and said, “Just come back first; it’s not something I can explain clearly right now! Try to hurry!”
“Okay, I’ll head over right away!” After saying that, I hung up the phone.
The Old Man looked at my anxious expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I made two friends in the city I ran away to, and now one of them is in trouble. I want to go back for a bit,” I said to the Old Man in a tone that suggested I was seeking his approval.
Now that my identity was different, as the Family Head of the Xia Family, if I left recklessly, someone might take action against the Xia Family.
“You’re just like Xiao Feng, too loyal to your friends. I don’t know if that’s a good thing…” The Old Man sighed and continued, “You’ve just taken over as Family Head, and there’s a lot for you to learn. But since Jing Rou and I are still here, you can go. The family matters will be taken care of by me and your aunt.”
At first, his words made me think he wouldn’t let me go, but hearing the latter part, I finally relaxed. I was still too young; family matters needed to be taken over gradually. My earlier worries were mostly unnecessary.
“Then I’ll leave now!” I said as I prepared to head out.
Suddenly, the Old Man called out to stop me, “Do you need Old Fu to go with you?”
“It’s fine; I can handle this on my own!” I felt a warmth in my heart. The Old Man had always cared for me, though his way of expressing it didn’t quite match my personality.
I looked at the Old Man with determination and said, “Grandpa, trust me, I will definitely find the murderer who killed my parents!” After saying that, I turned and left the secret room, walking out of the study.
Seeing that there was no one around, I used the Air Walking Technique and flew up into the air.
There was no time to waste; I just wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Fatty was timid by nature and would never cause trouble. If something had really happened, it was likely someone was bothering him!
No matter who it was, anyone who dared to bully my brother would not be spared by me, Xia Tian!
With that thought, I suddenly accelerated, and before long, I arrived at the city where Zhang Yu was.
I had been to Zhang Yu’s home a few times, and following my memory, I quickly found the neighborhood where he lived. However, when I knocked on the door, Zhang Yu didn’t come out. His former neighbor told me that Zhang Yu’s family had moved away, but he didn’t know where they had gone.
With no other options, I had to call Zhang Yu: “Hey? Zhang Yu, where did your family move? I’m already at your old place!”
“That was fast; I think it hasn’t even been an hour since we talked?” Zhang Yu said, a bit surprised. However, since Fatty’s matter was urgent, he quickly added, “Just wait for me at the school gate; I’ll be there soon!”
“Okay, I’ll do that!” After hanging up, I quickly made my way to the school gate.
The Third Middle School was still the same as before, showing no signs of change. I had initially thought about going in to greet Sister Qian, but remembering Fatty’s situation, I held back and waited for Zhang Yu.
Before long, Zhang Yu arrived in a taxi.
“Xia Tian, over here!” Zhang Yu called out to me without getting out of the car. I nodded and walked over to the car, getting in.
“Driver, to Tianyang Community!” Zhang Yu told the driver. Fatty’s home was in Tianyang Community.
I looked at Zhang Yu and asked, “What exactly happened to Fatty?”
“This is a long story; please be patient and listen!” Zhang Yu sighed and began to explain Fatty’s situation to me.
After I left, Zhang Yu and Fatty had similar scores, but Fatty came from a well-off family. Under his parents’ insistence, he went to a public vocational school in the city. Zhang Yu’s goal was simply to get into any school, so he casually chose a private institution. The three of us had completely parted ways.
Not long ago, Fatty called Zhang Yu, saying he had a crush on a girl and asked Zhang Yu for advice on how to woo her. Upon hearing that Fatty was getting all flustered, Zhang Yu shared some random tips on dating. As for why he didn’t call me, the reason was that he was afraid I would roam and waste too much on phone bills. Plus, during high school, Zhang Yu had indeed dated quite a few girls. Although most of those relationships ended after just a few days, he was recognized among the three of us as the master of flirting.
Before long, Fatty surprisingly managed to win over that girl. It was supposed to be a cause for celebration, especially with the National Day holiday approaching. Zhang Yu and Fatty planned to call me back to celebrate together. Who would have thought that at that moment, a rich and handsome guy had set his sights on Fatty’s girlfriend?
Reality can be harsh; Fatty’s girlfriend directly got together with the rich guy, but Fatty was unaware and continued to care for his girlfriend, who was cheating on him. It wasn’t until he went out with his roommates and passed by a hotel near a school that he saw his girlfriend entering the hotel with a guy. Fatty couldn’t accept it at first because he thought his girlfriend was a good girl, so he followed them.
At that moment, the rich guy was in the middle of an intimate moment and had left the door open. Overcome with anger, Fatty confronted him and ended up beating him up. The outcome was predictable; as I had said before, it was as easy for the rich guy to deal with Fatty as it was for him to take off a goddess’s underwear.
The next day, Fatty was beaten up badly by a group of people and was then thrown at his own doorstep. After work, Fatty’s parents found him injured and hurried him to the hospital. Initially, I thought the matter had ended there, but Zhang Yu continued, “Not long after Fatty was hospitalized, a group of thugs smashed up Fatty’s house and threatened him, saying they would return in three days and demanded one million as compensation for their losses. I wanted to ask Zhang Peng for help, but his little brother told me that Zhang Peng was out of town on business and wouldn’t be back for a while. Since you’ve dealt with the mayor before, I had no choice but to reach out to you to see if you could help…”
Zhang Peng had done so much for Zhang Yu, yet even now, Zhang Yu still called him Zhang Peng instead of brother. They were practically like brothers, yet it had come to this. However, for Fatty’s sake, Zhang Yu was willing to seek out Zhang Peng. It might be a good idea to bring them both together to resolve their misunderstandings.
“You say Fatty is in the hospital, so why are we going to his house? Shouldn’t we be going to the hospital?” I asked Zhang Yu, puzzled. Zhang Yu shook his head with a bitter smile, “The people Fatty offended are too powerful. He was kicked out of the hospital the day after he was admitted, and no other hospitals in the city would take him. So now, Fatty is at home, only able to drink some traditional Chinese medicine to recover.”
“You mentioned those thugs said they would come back in three days. Has it already been a few days since the last time?” I asked Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu paused for a moment and then said, “It seems the day they mentioned is today!”
“Today?! What the f**k! You’re only telling me now?!” I snapped at Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu sighed, “I only found out today that Fatty was in trouble.”
“Driver, please hurry up! I’ll pay you double when we get there!” I told the driver. I had already thought it through; if they came today, it was just perfect! If they dared to touch my brother, I would make sure they wouldn’t return!