Chapter 24

After a while, Xiao Yuanhang felt a warm sensation on his left arm. Glancing over, he saw that Jiang Shan's shoulder had leaned against him. When they were watching the movie, Jiang Shan had deliberately kept a certain distance from him. Hearing her heavy breathing, he knew that the alcohol was affecting her, and she couldn't help but lean on him.

Xiao Yuanhang grabbed Jiang Shan's smooth, delicate hand and whispered, "It's okay, it will pass soon." Jiang Shan tried to pull her hand back, but Xiao Yuanhang held on tightly. After struggling a couple of times, she stopped. Xiao Yuanhang held her hand until the movie ended!

As the movie ended and everyone started to leave, Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan, being in the last row, were the first to exit the cinema. Xiao Yuanhang wanted to check if Zhang Mingwei was still around, but with so many people, it was impossible to see who was who. Seeing several waiting carts in the small square in front of the cinema, he pulled Jiang Shan onto one of them.

Jiang Shan lived in a residential area near the Second Railway Middle School, in a row of houses where eight families shared one building. When they reached the entrance of the alley leading to her house, Jiang Shan got off the cart and said to Xiao Yuanhang, "Xiao Yuanhang, you can stop here. It's just a few steps to my house."

Xiao Yuanhang paid the fare and stepped forward, saying, "The alley in front of your house is too dark. I'm not comfortable leaving you here. Since I've brought you this far, a few more steps won't matter. What if Zhang Mingwei is hiding there and scares you?"

"Okay!" Jiang Shan, hearing Xiao Yuanhang's words, realized that Zhang Mingwei might indeed be hiding there. Although he wouldn't dare do anything in front of her house, it wasn't worth being scared. She nodded in agreement and walked into the alley.

When they reached the front door of Jiang Shan's house, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Jiang Shan stopped and looked at Xiao Yuanhang, saying, "Xiao Yuanhang, thank you very much for today. I'll treat you to a meal when I get my salary."

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Jiang Shan, it's no big deal. Don't be so formal with me!"

Before Jiang Shan could respond, a series of hurried footsteps came from the alley entrance. Both of them turned to look. In the dim light from the windows of the houses, although they couldn't see the person's face, they could tell from his height and clothing that it was Zhang Mingwei!

Zhang Mingwei had been following them since 5 PM, and by 9 PM, he was so hungry and weak that he couldn't keep up. When he entered the alley, he suddenly saw two figures ahead and immediately recognized them as Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan. Frightened, he turned and ran away.

Seeing Zhang Mingwei run, Xiao Yuanhang turned to Jiang Shan and said, "Jiang Shan, go inside. I'll take care of Zhang Mingwei. Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Zhang Mingwei's behavior had truly angered Xiao Yuanhang, and he was already thinking about how to deal with him, but his words were calm, showing no sign of anger.

Jiang Shan, somewhat worried, said, "Xiao Yuanhang, hitting someone is illegal. You can't act rashly!"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Seeing Jiang Shan enter the courtyard and lock the door from the inside, Xiao Yuanhang turned and walked out of the alley. When he said goodbye to her, he really wanted to give her a hug but restrained himself. He knew Jiang Shan's personality well; such things couldn't be rushed. Today, being able to hold her hand was already a significant step forward.

Xiao Yuanhang left the alley and searched around but couldn't find Zhang Mingwei. He didn't know where the guy had hidden. He had no choice but to go home and sleep.

The next morning, he didn't go to the hospital until the afternoon. He had already planned how to deal with Zhang Mingwei. When he told Wang Dahai at the hospital, Wang Dahai immediately exploded, "Brother, don't worry, if I don't break this guy's legs, I'm not your brother!"

Xiao Yuanhang waved his hand to stop Wang Dahai, "Dahai, Zhang Mingwei deserves a beating, but we can't do it the way you suggest. He's a college student, and if we injure or cripple him, it will be a big deal. I don't want my brothers to go to jail for me. This time, we'll focus on intimidation, just to scare him off!"

Wang Dahai said, "Brother, what exactly do you want to do? Tell me, and I'll follow your lead!"

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Dahai, you don't need to do it yourself. Jiang Shan is on the night shift and will be off work early tomorrow. I think Zhang Mingwei won't come these two days. The day after tomorrow, Jiang Shan will be on the day shift. Have two of your brothers wait at the hospital entrance around 5 PM. When they see him, they should beat him up without using any weapons, just fists and kicks. They shouldn't hurt him too badly, just enough to cause pain, and warn him that if he dares to harass Jiang Shan again, they'll beat him up every time they see him!"

Wang Dahai grinned, "Brother, that's easy. Don't worry!"

Xiao Yuanhang waved his hand, "Dahai, don't rush. Let me finish."

"Brother, go on," Wang Dahai nodded.

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Just beating him once won't be enough. Then, have a few of your brothers keep watch near his house every day. The main goal is to intimidate him. If he dares to come out, give him another beating, but don't hurt him too badly. Keep this up until he doesn't dare to leave his house!"

Wang Dahai confidently said, "Brother, leave it to me. I'll make sure it's done perfectly!"

Xiao Yuanhang said, "I have to go to work tomorrow. Call all the brothers over tonight to the Hongming Restaurant near the store. I'll treat everyone to drinks!"

"Yay!" Wang Dahai's brothers cheered when they heard about the drinks.

Hongming Restaurant was one of the better restaurants in the area. That evening, Wang Dahai brought about seven or eight brothers. Xiao Yuanhang ordered a full table of dishes and opened a carton of Da Hongmei cigarettes, giving each of them a pack and handing the remaining two cartons to Wang Dahai. Seeing how generous their brother was, they were very excited, drinking and smoking until past 10 PM.

The next day, Xiao Yuanhang reported to the education room at the section. The train conductor Tang Jing and the business officer Song Chunli were there. The education room director, Tian Fen, wanted to take credit for their achievements, so she decided to give them a closed training session, similar to what the railway division was doing. If she didn't do anything and they performed well in the railway bureau's technical competition, she wouldn't get any credit. By organizing this closed training, she could share in the glory!

When Xiao Yuanhang heard that Tian Fen was planning a closed training session, he knew her intentions, but as the director in charge, he had to comply. However, Tian Fen and Jiang Xuefang gave them the same repetitive lectures in the small classroom at the section, with no new business knowledge. Xiao Yuanhang found it boring and almost fell asleep. He barely made it through the day until it was time to leave.

The next day was the same. Tian Fen lectured in the morning, but ran out of things to say. In the afternoon, she arranged for Jiang Xuefang to lecture on the passenger regulations. The three of them could already recite the regulations by heart and understood them well, so there was nothing new to learn. Jiang Xuefang stopped after less than an hour, letting them read and memorize the regulations on their own. She dismissed them before 5 PM.

Xiao Yuanhang knew that Jiang Shan was on the day shift that day, so he wanted to see her before she finished work. As he approached the entrance of the railway hospital, he saw Zhang Mingwei being beaten up by two of Wang Dahai's brothers, who were chasing him around...

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{Piaotian Literature}