Chapter 8

Liu Wei's part-time job was at a restaurant on the side of the antique market's night street, not far away.

Liu Yiyang had a longer shift today, and when he came out, it was already dark. Looking up at the sky, Liu Yiyang quickened his pace.

In just a few minutes, Liu Yiyang arrived at the bustling night market street. The street was not wide but very long, and the crowds made it seem very lively. Liu Wei worked as a waiter at a hot pot restaurant here, with the busiest four hours of his day.

Striding into the night market street, Liu Yiyang quickly reached a fast-food restaurant.

This fast-food restaurant had the cheapest and most delicious food. Liu Wei's working hours were longer than his, and in the past, he would always eat here and wait for Liu Wei, and then they would go back to school together.

Entering the fast-food restaurant, Liu Yiyang felt a sudden surge of excitement.

Usually, he only ate the cheapest fast food, but today he rarely ordered two small dishes and half a liter of white wine, sitting alone and drinking.

If Liu Wei saw this, he would probably widen his eyes. Liu Yiyang saved money for his family to improve their living conditions, and his life was extremely frugal. He never bought unnecessary things, let alone added dishes and drank.

Liu Yiyang was indeed happy today, not only because of the raise but also because he identified a fake item.

After all, he was young, and no matter how calm he appeared, deep down he still felt a bit proud. Anyone who achieved something would feel the same way.

With his salary doubled, his life could change a lot, so he decided to treat himself.

The two small dishes and half a liter of white wine were quickly finished by Liu Yiyang.

Liu Yiyang's hometown was in Licheng County, Henan Province, where there was a tradition of drinking, and the wine culture was very prosperous.

His father had a good drinking capacity when he was young, but now he drank less due to health reasons. However, Liu Yiyang completely inherited this trait. On the day of his high school graduation dinner, he drank a whole bottle of white wine by himself and was fine.

Half a liter was nothing to him.

However, he only drank half a liter. He would treat himself on special occasions but never overdo it.

After eating, Liu Yiyang took out a book from his bag and started reading at his seat. Liu Wei still had some time before his shift ended, and he usually waited here, reading a book while waiting.

The boss and waiters in the restaurant knew him well and were aware of his habit. They just smiled and cleaned up his table, allowing him to sit and read.

"Old Three!"

Not long after, a familiar voice sounded beside Liu Yiyang. Liu Wei had finished his shift and came over.

"So fast?"

Liu Yiyang looked up and smiled, reluctantly closing his book. He was reading a textbook on infectious diseases, as his part-time job reduced his study time, and he would read whenever he had free time.

"What do you mean so fast? I've been standing here for a while. You were just too engrossed in your book. Let's go!"

Liu Wei said with a chuckle, feeling relieved to see Liu Yiyang's state. At this moment, Liu Yiyang looked completely different from when he came to work. Liu Wei had been worried that Liu Yiyang's poor health would affect his work, knowing that his job required concentration and meticulousness.

Now, those worries were gone.

"Okay, let's go!"

After tidying up, Liu Yiyang said goodbye to the boss and left the restaurant. He had eaten here many times and was familiar with the boss, always saying goodbye when he left.

"I'll ride the bike!"

Just as Liu Wei was about to get on the bike, Liu Yiyang pulled him and took the handle.

"Okay, but be careful!"

Liu Wei glanced at Liu Yiyang, nodded lightly, and didn't mind. He got on the back seat as Liu Yiyang rode the bike. They usually took turns riding the bike. Today, Liu Wei took the initiative because he thought Liu Yiyang was not feeling well, but since Liu Yiyang insisted, he didn't object.

For them, this was a trivial matter.

When Liu Yiyang rode out, it was already completely dark. He had been riding this bike for about half a year, but he had never felt so light. He felt as if he had endless energy, and his speed kept increasing.

"Old Three, what's up with you today? You were so listless in the afternoon, but now you're so energetic?"

Sitting on the back, Liu Wei felt the speed was too fast and grabbed the seat, shouting.

"I don't know, isn't it good to have energy? Let's go back and rest early!"

Liu Yiyang laughed softly, pedaling even faster, and the speed increased.

Their speed was comparable to that of a medium-speed motorcycle.

It took them about ten minutes to get here, but Liu Yiyang took less than ten minutes to ride back, almost twice as fast as usual.

In the distance, they could already see the side gate of the school, which was the closest to their dormitory.

"Robbery! Help!"

Before they reached the school gate, a sharp scream suddenly came from a side alley, a woman's voice.

The scream was cut off halfway, and with a 'squeak,' Liu Yiyang braked hard. Liu Wei, due to inertia, crashed into him.

"Old Five, did you hear that?"

Liu Yiyang turned back and asked urgently. Liu Wei, who had straightened up, also turned back and looked at the roadside.

This was an old street, with their school on one side and a village on the other. Because of the school, the village had become a large urban village, and many students rented houses here.

Most of the students who rented houses were couples, so there were many girls living here.

"I heard it, it seems to be from over there!"

Since the scream was cut off halfway, and there were many alleys, Liu Wei couldn't tell which one it came from.

"No, the fourth one!"

Liu Yiyang stared straight at a small alley in the darkness. When the scream started, he knew exactly where it came from.

"Old Five, wait here!"

Liu Yiyang suddenly got off the bike and ran towards the alley. The scream being cut off halfway meant the person was likely being muffled, and the person inside might be in danger.

"Old Three, wait for me!"

Liu Wei was slightly stunned, but Liu Yiyang had already run far. He quickly left the bike and followed, partly worried about the woman in the alley and partly concerned for Liu Yiyang.

It was a robbery, and who knew how many people were inside. If there were many and they had weapons, Liu Yiyang might be in trouble.

Just as he started running, Liu Wei was slightly stunned again.

Liu Yiyang ran very fast and reached the alley entrance in no time, directly entering it.

This speed was much faster than his usual running. The distance to the alley entrance was not far, but it was over a hundred meters. Liu Yiyang probably took no more than ten seconds.

Is this speed good enough for the Olympics?

Just stunned for a moment, Liu Wei continued running and soon reached the alley entrance, entering it without hesitation.

The alley had no streetlights and was very dark. Liu Wei ran a short distance and saw two figures, one sitting and one standing.

"Old Three, Liu Yiyang!"

Liu Wei shouted, and the standing figure suddenly turned around. By this time, Liu Wei had run closer and, under the faint moonlight, recognized the standing figure as Liu Yiyang.

Seeing Liu Yiyang, he felt relieved.

"Old Three, are you okay?"

Liu Wei panted and asked softly, looking down at the person sitting on the ground.

The person's head was buried, and it was hard to see their face, but from the hair and clothing, it was clear it was a woman. She was likely the one who screamed.

"Just now, someone was here, but they ran away when I came in!" Liu Yiyang looked towards the depths of the alley and shook his head lightly.

He didn't mention that when he came in, he saw a masked man with a knife pointing at the girl, and the man ran to the other side when he saw him.

The alleys here were complex and interconnected, with few dead ends. If someone knew the area well, they could run in and be hard to find.

He knew this, and the girl, shocked, had collapsed on the ground. He didn't know if she was hurt, so he had to stop.

"Actually ran away, if I caught him, I would break his legs!"

Liu Wei shouted angrily, and Liu Yiyang squatted down, looking at the girl with her head buried in her chest.

The girl was still trembling from shock. Liu Yiyang couldn't say much, only telling her that the bad person had run away and not to worry.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

After two minutes, the girl lifted her head and spoke softly. Her face was still wet with tears, and her trembling was partly from shock and partly from crying.

Any girl would be shaken by such an experience.

"Ah, it's okay, as long as you're safe!"

Liu Wei turned around and saw the girl's face. He had already adapted to the darkness in the alley and could see her clearly.

The girl was very beautiful, with a heart-shaped face and willow-like eyebrows. She seemed to be wearing no makeup, making her even more attractive.

Her face was still wet with tears, adding a touch of sorrowful beauty. Liu Wei stared at her, only able to say, "It's okay, you're safe!"

The girl also saw him and then looked at Liu Yiyang, who was still staring into the depths of the alley.

"The streetlights in these alleys are all broken, it seems someone did this on purpose. Where do you live? We'll take you there!"

Liu Yiyang said softly, then turned his head and saw the girl, slightly stunned. He hadn't expected to save such a beautiful girl.

For Liu Yiyang, this girl was the most beautiful he had seen, aside from the somewhat violent Ouyang Xuan. Even compared to Ouyang Xuan, she was not much less beautiful, and her tears made her even more endearing, evoking a strong protective instinct.