Chapter 8

"Absolutely not, this is too expensive. If I take it home, my dad will beat me to death!" Despite Ding Hao's insistent lies, Xia Lin still refused to accept it!

"If your dad finds out you lost your phone, he'll blame you anyway. Besides, if you don't tell, how will your parents know whether the phone is expensive or cheap?"

"No, no, it's not easy for you to earn money, and you have many expenses. How about you buy me a Xiaomi instead? I'll pay you back when I have money." Xia Lin, hearing that Ding Hao could earn money on his own, raised her standards a bit.

"Do you still not trust me? Look at how much I have in my pocket. Not only have I prepared for high school tuition, but I've also saved for college. If you consider me a friend, don't refuse anymore. Who says poor people can't use Apple phones?"

"But..." Seeing Ding Hao's determination, Xia Lin was a bit tempted, but she was still hesitant, after all, 5,000 yuan is not a small amount.

"Stop saying 'but.' You didn't spend a whole day tutoring me, did you? I can earn back this phone in at most two days, or even one day if the market is good! If you don't want it, I'll be angry!"

"Ding Hao, what do you do to earn so much money?"

"Xia Lin, can you not be so nosy? I'll definitely tell you when I should. For now, let's keep it a secret and choose a phone, okay?"

"..."

"Give me two, one gold and one gray?"

"Are you really going to buy it? Just so you know, I don't have money to pay you back." Xia Lin, seeing Ding Hao's firm expression, said from the side.

"Who asked you to pay me back? Do you like the gray one or the white one?"

"Your boyfriend is so sincere, miss, you should accept it." Seeing the two of them discussing, the salesgirl, afraid of losing the business, said to Xia Lin.

"Don't say that..." Xia Lin's face turned red, she was about to get angry, but then she thought it wasn't the salesgirl's fault. Anyone who heard their conversation and saw their expressions would think they were a couple.

"Right, miss, you misunderstood. She's my neighbor, we're classmates, and we grew up together."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Xia Lin, gray?"

"Alright..." Xia Lin's voice was as soft as a mosquito, but the salesgirl heard it and quickly took out two boxes from the counter.

"Would you like to keep your old number or get a new one?"

"Let's get a new one." Ding Hao, who didn't have a phone, turned to ask Xia Lin. Xia Lin nodded slightly.

"Then please give me your ID cards..."

About fifteen minutes later, Ding Hao and Xia Lin walked out of the mobile service center, leaving the smiling salesgirl behind, who kept saying, "Welcome to visit again, goodbye!"

After leaving the mobile service center, Xia Lin was still dazed, looking at the deep space gray iPhone 5S in her hand, muttering, "Why buy such an expensive one..."

"Do you not like it? Then give it back to me." Ding Hao pretended to reach out to take Xia Lin's phone.

"No, it's mine!" Xia Lin held the phone high to avoid Ding Hao.

"Ha ha..."

"Ding Hao, I really don't have money to pay you back. But I'll definitely pay you back when I earn money in the future!"

"If I waited for you to pay me back, I wouldn't have bought it. By the time you pay me back, the flowers will be withered..."

"You... how can you make me sound like a deadbeat!"

"Not at all, not at all, you are one!"

"Annoying!"

"Ha ha, you should think about how to explain it to your parents. Even you questioned me just now, those two old-fashioned people..."

"You're the old-fashioned one! Don't talk about my parents like that!"

"Okay, okay... Let's go to the bookstore, I wonder if the set of materials is still available."

"Sure. Ding Hao, you should study hard too, and try to get into college next year! Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, you're just a rich guy, I don't like that." Xia Lin, for some reason, blurted out the last four words, "I don't like that."

"I'll do as you say!" Ding Hao was overjoyed! Although Xia Lin said it casually, Ding Hao got a valuable insight into her true feelings. She liked educated people. Although he and Xia Lin were still young, after the college entrance exam, hehe...

The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the Xinhua Bookstore, bought the tutoring materials Xia Lin had her eye on, and then headed back. While they were fiddling with their phones and chatting, they suddenly noticed a lot of people at the gas station ahead.

"You woman, how can you be so unreasonable? Clearly, you hit me and you're trying to run away?"

Ding Hao recognized the voice immediately. It was very familiar. As he approached, he saw Zhang Yongwei, surrounded by two thugs. Ding Hao knew Zhang Yongwei; they were in the same class in junior high school, and he was quite arrogant because his father was the director of the Forestry Bureau.

In junior high school, Zhang Yongwei, being tall and athletic, bullied both boys and girls. Teachers and school leaders were afraid of him and didn't dare to discipline him unless he went too far. Many girls were harassed by him but dared not speak up.

Ding Hao usually avoided such people in school, but he couldn't avoid conflicts. Once, they had a disagreement, and Zhang Yongwei tore Ding Hao's Chinese textbook to shreds. It was only after the homeroom teacher intervened that Zhang Yongwei compensated Ding Hao with some money to buy a new book.

After junior high school, Zhang Yongwei's father wanted to send him to Yun Gang No. 2 High School, but he refused because he found the school boring and his grades were poor. After a few years, Zhang Yongwei had become even more muscular, but his thug nature remained unchanged.

Zhang Yongwei didn't see Ding Hao and continued to pressure the woman, "What do you want to do?"

"Clearly, you hit my car, and you're being unreasonable." A woman in her twenties, her face flushed, was surrounded in the center. She kept fidgeting with her clothes, clearly unprepared for the situation.

"Hey, you're quite a talker. Yes, we are being unreasonable, what are you going to do about it?" one of the thugs chimed in.

"Shameless!" The woman was almost in tears. Ding Hao looked at the license plate, which was from Qianjiang. It was no wonder she caught Zhang Yongwei's attention; the car was nice, worth around 300,000 to 400,000 yuan, and she was attractive.

"Who are you calling shameless? Don't be ungrateful. Here's the deal: either you pay us 20,000 yuan for the car damage, or you can't leave."

"I'm on a trip, I don't have that much money." The woman might not have been short of money, but she didn't have much on her, which revealed her financial status.

Yun Gang is located in a mountainous area, with Yun Mountain stretching for dozens of kilometers to the southwest of the city. The scenery along the way is beautiful, making it a popular destination for self-driving tours. People from within and outside the province often visit. The woman was probably here for a trip, but her car ran out of gas, and she came to refuel, only to encounter these thugs.

Ding Hao initially thought it was just a spectacle, as such incidents were common in small towns. However, seeing that the woman's license plate was from Qianjiang and that she didn't look like an ordinary person, he didn't leave immediately.

Now that Grandpa Yang was gone, Ding Hao, after experiencing the power of the magical system, planned to upgrade while studying hard to get into Qianjiang University, and then gradually investigate his parents' whereabouts. He didn't want to miss any information about Qianjiang.

Moreover, Zhang Yongwei and his gang might let locals off with a small amount of money, but this woman was an outsider and attractive. They might...

"Since you don't have money, you'll have to entertain our boss." One of the thugs voiced his thoughts, confirming Ding Hao's fears.

"No." Seeing the thugs closing in, the woman panicked and pulled out her phone to call for help.

"Come on, let me touch you." Zhang Yongwei, attracted by the woman's beauty, no longer pretended to be polite. He snatched her phone and prepared to make a move.

Slap! A loud sound echoed, and Zhang Yongwei clutched his face, clearly in pain. He had been slapped hard! The woman was clearly desperate; she didn't want to be violated by Zhang Yongwei!

The onlookers were shocked, thinking that the woman was risking her life. If she had paid the money, Zhang Yongwei and his gang might have let her go, but now that she dared to slap Zhang Yongwei, she was in real trouble. Zhang Yongwei was a notorious thug in Yun Gang.

"You bitch, you're asking for it, daring to hit our boss." The two thugs immediately started yelling.

"Damn, you dared to hit me. Brothers, drag this woman to my car, and we'll all have fun tonight!" Zhang Yongwei, holding his burning face, snarled at his gang.

"No, do you have any law? Help! Help!" Realizing the thugs were about to grab her, the woman started screaming for help.

It was understandable; in a regular city, the onlookers would have called the police, but this was a small town, and Zhang Yongwei was a local bully. No one dared to call the police, and even if they did, they might be targeted by Zhang Yongwei and his gang. These thugs were ruthless.

So, despite a dozen onlookers, no one stepped in to help or called the police. This was why Zhang Yongwei and his gang were so brazen.

"Hehe, this woman is quite pretty, the brothers will have a good time tonight." One of the thugs, hearing Zhang Yongwei's plan, grinned lecherously.

"Ahh..." Seeing the thugs about to drag her away, the woman cried in fear.

"Stop!" Ding Hao couldn't stand it anymore. This was broad daylight, and it was like a scene from the old society. It was a disgrace to the people of Yun Gang, and even more so to the province.

"Hmm?" Zhang Yongwei turned his head to look, seeing Ding Hao, and then turned back, "If you don't want to die, get lost!"

"I said, stop!" Ding Hao raised his voice, and the thugs, not recognizing him, thought he might be someone important and looked at Zhang Yongwei.