Volume One: High School Days Chapter Forty-Four: My Woman—You're Not Worthy to Touch Her!
Yagyu was walking back and forth with Liu Meng on his back when his phone suddenly rang. Liu Meng, sensing this, slipped off his back. Yagyu took out his phone and saw that the call was from Li Ting. He hesitated for a moment but answered.
“Yagyu, do you want to have a drink tonight?”
Yagyu had nearly forgotten about it and hurriedly replied, “Let me get back to you. I’ll ask my friend.”
After hanging up, Liu Meng asked, “What was that about?”
“Nothing, just someone inviting me and Ren Xiadong for drinks.”
Yagyu then dialed Ren Xiadong’s number. When Ren answered, he exclaimed, “Damn! I thought you forgot about me! I’ve been bored all day!”
“Li Ting—oh, no, Little Li invited us for drinks. Want to go?”
Upon hearing Little Li’s name, Ren Xiadong replied urgently, “Of course! Let’s go!”
Yagyu told Ren that he was at the snack street and asked Ren to take a taxi over. Yagyu glanced at Liu Meng, intending to ask her to go home, but before he could speak, Liu Meng said, “Li Ting’s a woman, isn’t she? No way! I’m coming too. I won’t let another woman snatch you away again!”
Helpless, Yagyu agreed to take Liu Meng along. He then called Li Ting and arranged to meet at the karaoke bar where Li Ting worked.
Not long after, Ren Xiadong arrived by taxi at the snack street, but instead of getting out, he had Yagyu and Liu Meng get in, and they went straight to the karaoke bar.
Upon entering the lobby, a waiter greeted them, “Welcome, Mr. Yagyu. Little Li has already reserved a private room for you. This way, please.”
Liu Meng followed behind, grumbling, “Mr. Yagyu! They’ve even reserved a room for you. I don’t believe there’s nothing else going on between you two!”
They hadn’t been sitting in the private room for long when four beautiful women entered: one was Li Ting, and the other three were Ren Xiadong’s acquaintances.
Li Ting, seeing Liu Meng sitting beside Yagyu, pointed back and forth between them and asked, “And you two are...?”
Liu Meng answered directly, “I’m his girlfriend!”
After what happened with Xiaoya, Liu Meng had resolved not to give others a chance. So this time, she answered assertively, claiming Yagyu as her boyfriend and nipping any ideas in the bud.
Li Ting didn’t say much, simply took a seat on Yagyu’s other side.
Yagyu sang a few songs, his voice captivating Liu Meng, who listened in a trance. After singing, Yagyu started drinking, but with Liu Meng present, no one mentioned Xiaoya. During the drinking, Liu Meng excused herself to go to the restroom, and as she left, she reminded Yagyu, “Watch your behavior!”
Yagyu could only smile wryly as Liu Meng departed.
After Liu Meng left, Li Ting remarked, “You have good taste. She’s even more elegant and beautiful than Xiaoya. No wonder you weren’t interested in me—you’ve been hiding a beauty all along!”
Liu Meng didn’t return for quite some time. Then, a waiter pushed open the door and announced, “Mr. Yagyu, your friend is in trouble—she’s been dragged into another guest’s room.”
Yagyu immediately stood up and shouted, “Show me the way! Hurry!”
He rushed to the room where Liu Meng was, kicked the door open, and saw a man pressing Liu Meng down, saying, “Isn’t this the kind of money you earn? Playing coy for me, a bar hostess? I let you drink with me because you’re pretty—don’t want to? Are you looking down on me?”
Yagyu moved forward to intervene, but the waiter held him back. The waiter knew Yagyu was wealthy and influential, but this was a business, and letting Yagyu act recklessly could ruin future dealings.
The waiter quickly addressed the guests in the room, “She’s not our employee—she’s a guest!”
The man replied, “I don’t care anymore! I’ve got my eye on her. The more I look at her, the more I like her—tonight she’s mine!”
Seeing he couldn’t control the situation, the waiter released Yagyu and whispered, “That man’s father is the district chief of Xiangyang. Consider your actions carefully.”
Yagyu ignored the warning, stepped forward, and kicked the man to the floor. Liu Meng escaped and rushed behind Yagyu.
The man staggered to his feet and shouted, “Do you know who I am? Do you want to keep living?”
Ordinarily, a simple apology and a bit of money would resolve such things, but just then, Ren Xiadong burst in, unaware of the situation, and began punching and kicking the man, yelling, “You’ve got guts, bullying my brother’s woman!”
Yagyu wanted to say something, but seeing Ren Xiadong’s relentless assault, he could only shake his head.
The district chief’s son’s companions considered helping, but Yagyu grabbed a bottle and pointed it at them, declaring, “Anyone who moves, I’ll kill!”
Faced with Yagyu’s reckless resolve, the others could only watch as the district chief’s son was beaten.
Ren Xiadong didn’t stop until he was exhausted. When he finally paused, the others hurriedly carried the district chief’s son out. As he left, he threatened, “Just you wait! How dare you hit me!”
Ren Xiadong wanted to go after him for another round, but Yagyu pulled him back, whispering, “His father’s the district chief.”
Ren Xiadong’s mouth fell open. “What do we do now? The beating’s done.”
“Let’s head back to our room and figure things out.”
The three returned to their private room, silent, knowing the trouble was serious. After a long pause, Yagyu called Officer Fang Po.
“Officer Fang, it’s Yagyu.”
“Yagyu, need any help?”
“We hit the district chief’s son today...”
Before Yagyu could finish, Fang Po cut him off, “The district chief’s son from Xiangyang?”
“How did you know?”
“That bastard is notorious in Chongshi—he’s a menace, ruined countless young women. You did well!”
“So...”
Again, Fang Po interrupted, “I have a plan, but it’ll involve some running around. It’s a bit complicated.”
“I don’t mind trouble, just as long as it doesn’t turn bad.”
“Yagyu, listen. District Chief Xue Sheng from Xiangyang has plenty of skeletons in his closet. There’s a Deputy Chief Xu under him who holds evidence of Xue Sheng’s misdeeds. I’ve only heard this through the grapevine, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy.”
“Why hasn’t Deputy Chief Xu exposed Xue Sheng?”
“Anyone who becomes a district chief has connections. People prefer less trouble. Besides, even if Xu brings Xue Sheng down, he won’t gain much. Why take the risk? But if the payoff is big enough, that’s another story. Do you understand?”
“Money.”
“Smart. I don’t know your background, but judging by where you live, it’s clear you’re not short on cash. I’ll send Deputy Chief Xu’s address to your phone shortly. Contact me if you need help later.”
Before Yagyu could thank him, Fang Po had hung up. Soon after, Yagyu received a text with Deputy Chief Xu’s address.
Ren Xiadong asked, “So? How’s it looking?”
“No problem. Tomorrow morning, come with me—we’ll strike first.”
Yagyu resumed drinking, while Liu Meng and Ren Xiadong sat quietly, uncertain whether this matter could be resolved.
“I’m sorry, truly sorry. I shouldn’t have come with you,” Liu Meng said, her voice choked with tears.
Yagyu embraced her, saying, “With me here, nothing will happen. Whoever hurts my woman, I’ll make him wish he were dead.”
That night, as Yagyu prepared to sleep, Liu Meng grabbed his sleeve, saying, “I’m scared.”
This time, she was genuinely frightened—she had offended someone with real power.
Ren Xiadong tactfully returned to his own room. “I want to sleep alone tonight—don’t bother me, Yagyu!”
Yagyu saw him off, then followed Liu Meng to her room.
Standing before Yagyu, Liu Meng took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for something momentous. She removed her outerwear, then pulled from her tight jeans the “square circle” Ren Xiadong had given her.
Seeing her nervousness, Yagyu understood it was her first time.
He asked, “Are you sure?”
“Will you treat me well?”
Yagyu thought for a moment, then said, “I will.”
After his reply, Liu Meng kissed him.
Just as Yagyu was about to remove his clothes, Liu Meng suddenly pushed him away, saying, “You haven’t brushed your teeth—go do that first!”
She was so nervous, she needed a moment to calm herself before making the final decision.
When Yagyu returned after brushing his teeth, Liu Meng was already lying in bed with her eyes closed. “Come on,” she said.
Yagyu turned off the light and approached.
The next morning, Liu Meng was scrubbing the bedsheet with a toothbrush. Hearing the noise, Yagyu opened his eyes and said, “I can afford to replace it.”
Liu Meng kept her head down, “No, it wouldn’t be good if someone saw.”
At that moment, Ren Xiadong knocked on the door. “Yagyu, aren’t we supposed to go out today?”
“Come in, we’re dressed.”
Hearing the door open, Liu Meng hurriedly covered the red stain with the quilt.
Ren Xiadong joked, “What are you hiding? Let me see!”
Liu Meng lay on the quilt, refusing to let him look.
Yagyu got dressed, “You know perfectly well. Come on, we’re pressed for time. Liu Meng, stay here today and don’t go anywhere.”
With a soft “Hmm,” Liu Meng agreed, and Yagyu and Ren Xiadong headed out.
They rented a car, went to the bank, and withdrew a million in cash, dividing it into five document bags. Then they drove straight to Deputy Chief Xu’s house.
After knocking for a while, an approximately fifty-year-old woman opened the door. “Who are you looking for?”
“We’re here to see Chief Xu—we have something to consult him about.”
She had seen plenty of people come seeking favors from Chief Xu, so she replied, “He’s not home. Come back another day.”
As she tried to close the door, Yagyu quickly blocked it and handed over a document bag. “I have some files I’d like the chief to review.”
The woman took the bag, opened it, and saw it was filled with cash. She promptly opened the door wide. “I’m Chief Xu’s wife. He’s sleeping, but I’ll wake him. Please, sit—don’t be shy.”
Soon a man in his fifties, with an air of authority, messy hair, and a tired look—clearly not fully awake—emerged. This was Deputy Chief Xu.
He looked at the two young men in the living room and asked, “So, what business do you have with me?”