Chapter 4: A Wave of Goodbye

Although Wen Liang did not know Zuo Yuxi's background, he could tell that for someone her age to become the deputy director of the education bureau, she must have had someone powerful behind her. However, in his previous life, Zuo Yuxi was still forced to her death, which meant that the person she offended must have been extremely powerful, and the enmity was deep and irreconcilable.

The young thug was clearly not just passing by and acting on a sudden impulse; he had come prepared to target Zuo Yuxi, which was why he was so nervous and stiff. And those so-called passersby, how could it be such a coincidence that someone just happened to take a photo of Zuo Yuxi being raped, and then it just happened to spread?

Wen Liang had already noticed that there was not a single person at either end of the alley. While coincidences do happen, too many coincidences together become a certainty. To say that no one was behind this, he would not believe it even if he were beaten to death.

What was now worrying was whether he should warn Zuo Yuxi, or whether she would believe him. Wen Liang knew nothing about the strength of either side, and getting involved rashly might just bring trouble upon himself.

After a moment's thought, Wen Liang decided to say nothing for now. After tonight's incident, Zuo Yuxi would naturally be more cautious in the future. Her enemies would have to wait a long time to find another opportunity to act, so he would just wait and see.

"Sister, since you're fine now, I'll go home. It's getting late, I need to hurry back," Wen Liang turned to leave, but Zuo Yuxi grabbed him, saying irritably, "Are you going home like this?"

Wen Liang looked down at his bare upper body and couldn't help but laugh. He had given his short-sleeved shirt to Zuo Yuxi, and after being beaten by Gu Wenyuan, his hair was a mess, his pants were covered in mud and footprints, and his body was a mix of sweat and dust, making him look like a mud monkey.

Wen Liang smiled bitterly, "You really have a lot of nerve. I probably don't look much better than that guy, and I might even look more like a bad guy."

Zuo Yuxi touched his hair, her slender fingers brushing against his scalp, causing a faint, tingling sensation to rise in his heart. She smiled, looking even more alluring.

"Come on, my place isn't far from here. I'll wash your clothes and dry them; it will only take a few minutes. Or... you can take a shower, look at how dirty you are..."

Wen Liang, with his sharp eyes, could see that Zuo Yuxi was a bit hesitant. It was understandable; although he was small and thin, he was still a 16-year-old boy, and after what she had just gone through, she naturally had some reservations about bringing a man home.

Wen Liang smiled, patted his chest, and made an OK gesture, "I was raised in a free-spirited way. I don't go home unless I'm in this state; my mom is used to it, no problem! You should leave quickly, I'm going!"

With that, he turned and walked away, waving his hand casually. Zuo Yuxi felt guilty for her hesitation. He was just a child, and he had gotten himself into such a state to save her, yet she had been wary of him. He was so smart; he must have noticed.

Thinking of this, Zuo Yuxi quickly looked up, but the long, quiet alley was empty; there was no sign of the young man. At that moment, she realized that she didn't even know the name of her savior...

Ten minutes after Zuo Yuxi left, two vans screeched to a stop where the Santana had been parked. A group of burly men got out of the vans, rushed into the dead-end alley, dragged out the still unconscious thug, and threw him into the van before driving away.

Wen Liang pushed open the door to his small three-bedroom apartment, which seemed unchanged. The simple, spacious white tiles, the warm, soft yellow pendant lights, and the marble dining table between the kitchen and living room. His father was still hunched over on the sofa, reading boring policy documents. Hearing the door open, he didn't even look up. Wen Liang understood that his somewhat cowardly personality had never been to his father's liking. In his previous life, he often had cold wars with his father because of strict discipline, and neither of them ever saw eye to eye. It wasn't until Wen Liang started working that their relationship improved.

But this was for the best; he could slip into his room to change. Just as he was tiptoeing towards the bedroom, he suddenly heard his father's stern voice, "Wen Liang!"

His left foot, which had been lifted high, froze in mid-air. Wen Liang turned around with a pained expression, and his father, Wen Haiming, sat on the sofa, looking serious.

"I think you should explain. Where is your shirt, and what happened to you? Wen Liang, a man should be responsible for his actions. Don't always try to get away with things. Tell me, what did you do outside?"

If it were the old Wen Liang, he would have strongly disliked his father's way of speaking and would have either passively resisted by saying nothing or actively resisted by arguing, which would only make the older man angrier and the younger one more frustrated. Now, Wen Liang knew that his father actually hoped he would get into some trouble, rather than always being timid and fearful. So, he decided to take a third approach: bluffing!

"Father, I didn't do anything. I was cooling off in a small park earlier and accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up, some scoundrel had taken my short-sleeved shirt. The security in Qingzhou is really terrible. Don't you guys in the policy research office do anything about it? Maybe you could start a research project on it?"

This response was both defensive and offensive, leaving his father stunned. He had never heard his son speak to him like this before. However, the security in Qingzhou was indeed poor; one could lose their clothes while cooling off, and with so many people cooling off outside in the summer, who knew how many things were lost every night? Starting a research project on this was a joke, but mentioning it to Director Meng the next day was not out of the question.

Wen Haiming's thoughts were successfully diverted. Seeing his son so dirty, he wasn't as angry, but he still warned, "Although you did well on the high school entrance exam and your usual grades are good enough to get you into Qingzhou No. 1 High School, I know you worked hard this semester. But this is just the first step in a long journey. High school is a big step, and you need to focus and stay humble. Only by getting into a good university can you..."

"I know, I know," Wen Liang plopped down on the armrest of the sofa, put his hand on his father's shoulder, and said playfully, "Only by getting into a good university can I have a good future. Don't worry, Father, I understand. I will study hard and try to become your superior within twenty years, ha."

Wen Haiming chuckled, then immediately put on a stern face and grunted.

Wen Liang waved his hand carelessly and walked to his room, singing, "I want to see through the sky, hum hum ha hey, I want to see through the earth, hum hum hey ha..."

Wen Haiming watched Wen Liang's back, a strange feeling rising in his heart. The Wen Liang before him seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, but this feeling was actually quite nice!