Chapter 19: 19: Disappointed with Someone's Lack of Progress
Chapter Nineteen
"Little Ling, wake up," Long Xiaoshan called to awaken Long Xiaoling.
"Brother, what happened?" Long Xiaoling asked.
"A friend over there has run into some trouble, I'm going to check it out. You wait for me under that streetlight," said Long Xiaoshan before he dashed toward the alley.
Although Su Wan had misunderstood him that afternoon, he could tell that she was a nice person, or she wouldn't have offered him the job as a security guard at the hotel.
Besides, even if it had not been someone he knew, Long Xiaoshan would not stand idly by in such a situation.
Despite having faced many injustices, Long Xiaoshan still possessed a sincere heart.
In the alley, the pitch-dark passage was lit only by the moonlight above.
Several thugs dragged Su Wan in and pinned her to the ground.
Suddenly, a cold gust of wind struck from behind.
Bang!
The young man with a nose ring was sent flying and crashed to the ground, his face violently scraping against the pavement. He was in so much pain he almost cried, his entire face going numb.
"Brother Dafei."
The other three thugs were taken aback by the sudden change and quickly called out.
They then saw a tall, skinny, bald youngster standing before them, whose scarred visage under the moonlight seemed quite ferocious.
"Who the fuck are you?" one thug shouted, standing up and swinging a punch at Long Xiaoshan.
Long Xiaoshan kicked him in the belly, sending him flying five to six meters away.
The remaining two thugs' eyes widened in shock. It wasn't something just anyone could do, to send a person flying with a single kick.
The two instantly stood up and pulled out a folding knife, pointing at Long Xiaoshan and said, "Who are you? Do you know we're Brother Qiang's men? You're looking for death if you mess with us."
"Scram!" Long Xiaoshan, facing the two folding knives, did not change his expression and walked toward the men.
These thugs were far inferior to the ones he had encountered at the Grand Tycoon Hotel in the afternoon. Long Xiaoshan had stood his ground against a dozen chopping knives, let alone two small ones. As the thugs saw Long Xiaoshan not only not retreating, but actually walking towards them, they felt decidedly uneasy.
Just as the knives were about to touch Long Xiaoshan, under the overwhelming pressure, the thugs yelled out and lunged at Long Xiaoshan with their knives.
"Be careful!" Su Wan had managed to get up and shouted in alarm upon seeing the scene unfold.
Crack, crack!
The sound of bones snapping echoed as Long Xiaoshan grabbed the arms of the two thugs, twisted hard, and with a scream of pain from them, their arms bent awkwardly, and the knives clattered to the ground.
"Run!" The thugs finally realized they had met their match and, helping each other out, they fled in a miserable state.
After driving away the thugs, Long Xiaoshan finally turned to look at Su Wan, his heart skipping a beat. Su Wan's goose-yellow dress had been torn, and the lower half of her skirt was ripped up to the root of her legs, revealing her fair and lovely legs, an extremely enticing sight.
"Manager Su, are you alright?" Long Xiaoshan quickly averted his gaze and asked.
"You know me... eh, it's you." In the dim light just prior, Su Wan hadn't made out who her rescuer was. After she walked a few steps closer, she recognized that it was Long Xiaoshan, who she had sent away that afternoon at the job fair.
"It's me. Are you hurt anywhere, do you need to go to the hospital?" Long Xiaoshan asked.
"No, I'm fine." Su Wan felt somewhat embarrassed. She had driven Long Xiaoshan away in the afternoon, yet he had saved her that evening.
"If you're okay, then let's get out of here," Long Xiaoshan said as he walked out.
Su Wan also hurriedly held onto her skirt and followed Long Xiaoshan out of the alley.
"Brother!" Just as Long Xiaoshan stepped out, Long Xiaoling ran over. Seeing Su Wan behind Long Xiaoshan with her tattered clothes, she asked, "Brother, what happened?"
"It's nothing, don't ask too much. Manager Su, you better take a taxi home. It's safer," Long Xiaoshan said to Su Wan, then pulled Long Xiaoling, preparing to leave.
"Long Xiaoshan, wait a minute," Su Wan quickly called out to the siblings.
Initially, she had been somewhat scared, as Long Xiaoshan sported a buzz cut and seemed pretty fierce when fighting. She was afraid that Long Xiaoshan might also have ill intentions towards her. However, seeing Long Xiaoling, her fears were completely allayed; no brother who was up to no good would bring his sister along.
"Manager Su, is there something else?" Long Xiaoshan asked.
"You saved me, and I haven't thanked you yet. I'd like to take you out to dinner," said Su Wan.
"That's not necessary," Long Xiaoshan said, gesturing towards Su Wan's skirt.
Su Wan's face flushed. She knew she looked a mess with her skirt torn, but thankfully it was late at night. She quickly said, "It's okay, my home is just 200 meters ahead in the Happiness Community. I can change my clothes in a bit."
Long Xiaoshan had intended to refuse, but neither he nor Long Xiaoling had eaten dinner. Though he was not particularly affected, his sister must have been very hungry. After hesitating for a moment, Long Xiaoshan said, "Then, thank you for the trouble."
"It's no trouble at all," Su Wan said with a slight smile.
The three walked forward another 200 meters and indeed there was a community. Su Wan entered one of the buildings, while Long Xiaoshan and Long Xiaoling waited below. After more than ten minutes, Su Wan came back down, having changed into casual wear, removed her makeup, and tied her black hair into a ponytail, which added a touch of purity to her appearance. Standing with Long Xiaoling, they could easily have been mistaken as sisters.
Su Wan didn't go far but found a restaurant nearby that served late-night snacks. She ordered a variety of barbecue items and duck heads.
Regaining her composure and sitting in the restaurant, Su Wan reverted to the capable persona of a white-collar beauty. Observing Long Xiaoling focused on tackling a duck head, one could tell from the siblings' attire that their family must be struggling financially.
Su Wan asked, "Xiaoshan, why are you and your sister out so late at night? Where is your home?"
"Our home is in a village near Lotus Township."
"Lotus Township, that's quite far. Where will you stay tonight?" Su Wan asked.
A look of guilt crossed Long Xiaoshan's face, and after a moment of silence, he said, "We missed the bus, planning to make do in the park for the night."
"What?" Su Wan was taken aback. She pointed at Long Xiaoling and said, "You're going to make your sister sleep in the park?"
The cost of living in Niuyi County wasn't high. Even the cheapest lodges charging twenty or thirty yuan could be found, and even though the conditions were poor, it was still better than sleeping in the park. Could it be Long Xiaoshan couldn't even afford twenty or thirty yuan?
While Su Wan didn't feel it was her place to meddle in others' family affairs, she couldn't help but say, "Xiaoshan, I don't mean to criticize, but despite your situation, why didn't you want to take the job as a security guard at Lily Hotel I offered you this afternoon?"
Long Xiaoshan kept his head down and didn't make a sound.
"Don't think being a security guard is beneath you. With your abilities, as long as you work diligently, in two or three years, you could definitely become a deputy team leader or team leader. By then, your salary could be three thousand yuan, plus performance bonuses and all that. Isn't that good, not even worse than a university graduate," Su Wan argued passionately and pleadingly.
Seeing that she had talked quite a bit without any response from Long Xiaoshan, she became a bit exasperated and said, "Long Xiaoshan, how can you be so unrealistic?"
If it wasn't for the fact that Long Xiaoshan had saved her, and seeing how pitiable Long Xiaoling was, she wouldn't have said so much.
"Sister Su, don't say that about my brother. My brother is the best. He even got into Shuimu University," Long Xiaoling protested, defending Long Xiaoshan as soon as she heard Su Wan rebuking her brother.
"Little Ling," Long Xiaoshan interrupted Long Xiaoling.
"Shuimu!" Su Wan was somewhat shocked but also skeptical. Shuimu was the top university in Huaxia; how could a simple farm boy gain admission to Shuimu? And how could a Shuimu University student be unable to find a job to the point of having to sleep in the park?
Yet, Long Xiaoling didn't seem like the type to lie. Su Wan asked with a glimmer of hope, "Xiaoshan, did you really get into Shuimu?"
Long Xiaoshan shook his head and said indifferently, "Don't listen to Little Ling's nonsense."
"I thought so... Little Ling, I really didn't mean anything by it, and I'm certainly not looking down on your brother. I also came from a rural area. Because my family couldn't afford it, I dropped out of high school," said Su Wan, relieved. She felt that this sounded more reasonable, maybe Long Xiaoling was just too protective of her brother and lied so others wouldn't look down on him.
Looking slightly aggrieved and wanting to speak, Long Xiaoling was glared at by Long Xiaoshan and had to close her mouth.