Chapter 9

"Stop staring, take her away." Zhang Yongwei didn't look at Ding Hao but glared at a few of his underlings.

"Zhang Yongwei, give me some face, let her go."

"Face? Do you think you're someone special? Didn't you see that bitch hit our car? Why are you sticking up for her? Are you going to pay for her?" Although they didn't have much contact in junior high, Zhang Yongwei still knew a bit about Ding Hao's family background. He was sure Ding Hao couldn't afford to pay, so he meant to tell him to back off.

"That's right, young man. I can see you don't have that much money, so don't get involved in this." A kind old man pulled Ding Hao aside and said.

The woman's eyes lit up when she saw someone helping her, but her heart sank again after hearing Zhang Yongwei's words. Even a fool could see that Zhang Yongwei didn't take Ding Hao seriously. When the old man advised Ding Hao to stay out of it, the woman was almost ready to curse his ancestors, but she felt even more helpless when she calmed down.

"Uncle, I can't let this go. She's my girlfriend," Ding Hao found a reason that didn't require him to pay but still allowed him to intervene.

"Your girlfriend?" The old man and Zhang Yongwei looked at Ding Hao with suspicion, as if trying to see through him. Even Xia Lin, who was standing behind, was confused. She knew exactly what Ding Hao was like; even the girls in his class didn't want to talk to him much, let alone such a beautiful woman.

Besides, this woman was at least five or six years older than Ding Hao. How could she possibly be his girlfriend? This guy must be deliberately causing trouble!

"Right, I'm his girlfriend," the woman also knew that Ding Hao wasn't taking advantage of the situation but was finding an excuse to help her. So she cleverly cooperated with him.

"You, you little punk, can find such a beautiful and rich girlfriend? I don't believe it. Even if she is your girlfriend, this isn't over unless you pay for her." Zhang Yongwei was clearly not willing to let it go. His gang had been eyeing this girl since she entered the city, and they hadn't seen Ding Hao get in or out of the car. Although he looked confident, they were still skeptical.

"Zhang Yongwei, we are classmates, give me some face, let this go, okay?"

"No, boss, that bitch just hit you."

"Right, Ding Hao, don't get involved. Take her away!" Thinking of that slap, Zhang Yongwei's face started to burn.

"Damn it, you're kidnapping a civilian. Do you think this is the Qing Dynasty?" Seeing that they wouldn't let go, Ding Hao quickly stepped forward and pulled the woman away from the thugs.

"Ding Hao, get out of my way!" Zhang Yongwei was more and more convinced that Ding Hao was just causing trouble and that the woman wasn't his girlfriend. Moreover, a few days ago, Yu Feng had called him to help deal with Ding Hao. He didn't expect this guy to come to him. If Ding Hao kept stalling, he would have to deal with him too.

"Zhang Yongwei, I told you she's my girlfriend. You won't even give me this much face, and you still call yourself a gangster?" Ding Hao supported the woman while questioning Zhang Yongwei.

"It's none of your business, get lost!"

"Right, punk, get lost."

"Let's go!" Ding Hao grabbed the woman's hand and tried to rush out.

"Damn it, get them both!" The thugs had been holding back, but now that Zhang Yongwei showed no mercy, they surrounded them again.

Zhang Yongwei was furious: "Damn it, you're asking for it." Before he finished speaking, he punched at Ding Hao's face.

"Be careful. Go hide over there." Ding Hao turned, grabbed Zhang Yongwei's fist with one hand, and pushed the woman to the side with the other.

Seeing that his first move failed, Zhang Yongwei immediately kicked. Ding Hao didn't dodge but reached out and grabbed Zhang Yongwei's ankle, easily pulling him down. With a twist, Zhang Yongwei fell to the ground with a cry.

The woman's phone also fell to the ground. Ding Hao calmly picked it up and handed it to her, then turned to look at Zhang Yongwei with disdain. From this exchange, Ding Hao realized that Zhang Yongwei and his gang were no match for him. If Yu Feng's strength was 80, Zhang Yongwei was at most 85, just with a worse reputation.

"Boss, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't just stand there, kill this guy." Zhang Yongwei, feeling his ankle burning, realized he was injured and couldn't stand up. He no longer wanted his underlings to show any mercy.

The two thugs no longer cared about any old acquaintances or classmates and swung their sticks at Ding Hao.

Crack, crack...

One, two... in the blink of an eye, Zhang Yongwei and the two thugs were all lying on the ground in a row. Impossible, Zhang Yongwei rubbed his eyes, he couldn't believe that the once weak and timid Ding Hao was so skilled.

When Yu Feng called him to deal with Ding Hao, Zhang Yongwei didn't believe it. In his memory, Ding Hao was always skinny and timid, and Yu Feng had a few followers. But today, he started to believe Yu Feng. He couldn't even beat Ding Hao in a one-on-one fight, how could Yu Feng?

Not just him, even the onlookers didn't see how Ding Hao did it. They only saw a black shadow, and then a bunch of thugs lying on the ground.

"How is this possible, you?"

"If I didn't have some skills, how could I find such a beautiful girlfriend?" Ding Hao smiled at Zhang Yongwei while naturally putting his arm around the woman's shoulder. "What do you want to do with them?"

"Let them go, I don't want to see them." The woman, still in shock, clearly didn't believe that Ding Hao was so skilled.

"Get lost, my girlfriend doesn't want to see you!"

The thugs got up from the ground and limped away with Zhang Yongwei to their car, quickly driving off.

"Let's go, they're all gone..." Seeing the woman still in a daze, Ding Hao reminded her.

"Oh, thank you, thank you! My name is Chen Tao, please..."

Chen Tao was about to express her gratitude but saw Ding Hao walking to his car and getting into the passenger seat.

He can't really want to be my boyfriend, can he? If so, that would be like driving out a wolf from the front door and letting a tiger in from the back. Chen Tao, still puzzled, opened the car door and prepared to start the engine.

"Let's go. Are you going back to the provincial capital or continuing your trip? If you're going back, we can go together. I'll take you out of the city; the security here isn't good." Ding Hao, fearing that Chen Tao was worried, patiently explained and then rolled down the window to Xia Lin, who was also confused: "Go back, I'll be right back!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, I... will go back to Changsha." Chen Tao understood Ding Hao's intention and felt relieved.

"May I ask your name?" On the road, Chen Tao couldn't help but ask.

"Ding Hao."

"Ding Hao, I'll remember that. I'm from Qianjiang, welcome to visit Qianjiang."

"I will. Don't come here alone in the future; you're too beautiful and it's not safe..." Ding Hao thought, I don't have time to play, but he wasn't lying. His intended destination was Qianjiang, where he grew up until he was seven.

"Your girlfriend is also very beautiful." Women like to be complimented, and Chen Tao was no exception.

With Ding Hao's company, the woman wasn't as nervous as before. Soon, they arrived at the highway entrance, and Ding Hao got out to say goodbye. The woman tried to give him money as a thank-you, but Ding Hao refused. She left her phone number and kept saying thank you.

Ding Hao didn't look back and ran all the way. He knew Xia Lin was waiting for him at home. If he was late, she might worry. She probably had a bunch of gossip questions ready. But today, Chen Tao's appearance indirectly helped Ding Hao cover a lie.

If Xia Lin was still skeptical about Ding Hao helping an old lady before, seeing him act bravely again and save someone with some status would change her mind. But trouble was also coming. Zhang Yongwei was more difficult to deal with than Yu Feng.

But Ding Hao didn't regret it. If he had stood by and done nothing in front of Xia Lin, would he still be a man? Moreover, many people at No. 2 High School knew that Yu Feng recognized Zhang Yongwei as his boss, so the other thugs who gave way to Yu Feng were actually giving face to Zhang Yongwei.

A few days ago, he had beaten up Yu Feng, and Zhang Yongwei would definitely come for him. This was a good opportunity to take down Zhang Yongwei's reputation. But Zhang Yongwei wasn't like Yu Feng; he was even more ruthless, had more followers, and often brought weapons and cars to fights. His father was also a county official!

So Ding Hao felt he needed to find a way to upgrade quickly and avoid any direct conflict with Zhang Yongwei until he was sure of victory.

After dropping Chen Tao off at the highway entrance, he rushed back home, greeted Xia Lin, and then returned to the space to upgrade. A few hours later, drenched in sweat, Ding Hao felt hungry and left the space to get something to eat. He was also considering whether to go to the village chief's house to take a hot bath.

Yungang was a county town, but the village where Ding Hao lived had only been incorporated into the urban area a few years ago. Only a few households had 24-hour hot water. The village chief's house had a solar water heater and a shower, and Ding Hao often sneaked in to take a bath when he was a child.

While Ding Hao was eating a late-night snack, he suddenly heard some commotion outside!

"Help, no..." Damn, not again. Zhang Yongwei had many followers, but he had successfully dealt with him the first time. As long as he had time, he would become stronger!

Could he be having hallucinations just because of what happened with Zhang Yongwei today? His willpower must be too weak. But it sounded like someone was really shouting for help. Ding Hao quickly went outside and listened carefully. "Help..."

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