Chapter 7

As Xiao Pingtou was frantically trying to wipe the scalding water from his face and head, Lin Xi swiftly dashed to his front and punched him hard in the face again.

Xiao Pingtou let out a miserable cry and fell backward.

After knocking down Xiao Pingtou, Lin Xi took advantage of the moment when the other was dazed, and raised his right foot to kick the fat man's abdomen fiercely. By the time the fat man realized Lin Xi was attacking him, it was too late. He was hit hard in the abdomen and immediately crouched down.

After two successful hits, Lin Xi did not let up and pounced on the remaining two. The thin man and the one in the blue T-shirt were already weak fighters. Seeing Lin Xi's bravery, they realized the situation was not good and turned to run out of the barbecue shop.

Seeing this, a smile appeared at the corner of Lin Xi's mouth. He did not chase after them but turned to stare intently at Xiao Pingtou and the fat man. If they made any move, he would not hesitate to continue beating them up.

Xiao Pingtou and the fat man exchanged glances, their eyes filled with fear. At this moment, they had no courage to continue fighting. They just hoped Lin Xi would not continue to torment them. They supported each other, stood up, and seeing that Lin Xi did not make any further move, they felt slightly relieved.

From their behavior, Lin Xi could tell that in the current situation, these two cowards had no courage to challenge him again. Since that was the case, he did not plan to continue attacking them. He still did not know the background of these four people, and the matter concerning his father's future was still unresolved. He did not have the heart to tangle with them.

Xiao Pingtou and the fat man retreated to the door. Seeing that Lin Xi did not chase after them, they felt more at ease. Xiao Pingtou said to Lin Xi, "Kid, this isn't over. Whether in Qingyuan or Minzhou, my brothers and I will definitely get back at you today. Just wait and see!"

Seeing that the other side was still putting up a front despite their dire situation, Lin Xi felt a surge of disgust and angrily said, "Get lost! If I see you again, I'll beat you up every time!"

As he said this, Lin Xi made a move to pounce on them. Seeing this, Xiao Pingtou and the fat man did not bother with any more bravado and immediately ran out of the door, looking back as they ran, fearing that Lin Xi would chase after them.

Lin Xi had only taken two steps forward. He knew these two were all bark and no bite. As soon as they saw him move, they would run. His goal was just to scare them away, not to really hurt them. Now that his goal was achieved, there was no need to chase after them.

The barbecue shop was a small business, and they were most afraid of these hooligans. They thought the shop would be vandalized again today, but they never expected Lin Xi to scare the few people away with just a few punches. Seeing this, the owner quickly came out to apologize to Lin Xi and offered to treat him to a meal.

Lin Xi repeatedly said it was not necessary, but the owner was very insistent, so he had to agree. The owner, seeing Lin Xi agree, thanked him again and went to the barbecue grill to prepare. It was not yet time for the shop to be busy, but the owner still needed to prepare to avoid being overwhelmed later.

After sitting down again, Hao Xinyan looked at Lin Xi and asked, "Lin Xi, weren't you afraid just now? What if, I mean, what if those four attacked you together, what would you do?"

Hao Xinyan's concern was evident in her words.

Seeing this, Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat. To be honest, he did not remember having such a dinner with Hao Xinyan in his previous life, let alone the battle just now and the current whispers.

It seemed that with his rebirth, some people and events had changed. Whether these changes were more beneficial or more harmful was unclear, and he could only take it one step at a time.

Lin Xi remembered that in his previous life, he and Hao Xinyan were close during this period. After his father's incident, she seemed to have transferred to the provincial capital Yingtian. After that, they never met again.

Later, at class reunions, Lin Xi occasionally heard from others that Hao Xinyan had married into a wealthy family and become a rich wife. As for other details, he knew nothing.

Lin Xi was unsure if the same scenario would play out again, but he could not afford to think about that now. There was a more important matter he needed to ask for her help with.

"It's fine. I'm confident I can handle these guys. Besides, even if I suffer a bit, I can't let you suffer too, can I? I wouldn't be able to face you afterward," Lin Xi said with a serious expression.

Hao Xinyan was amused by Lin Xi's jest and giggled, then said in a coquettish voice, "You talk so sweetly. Tell me, if I were to transfer, would you write to me?"

Hearing this, Lin Xi thought, "Is it really that coincidental? I just thought about you transferring, and you bring it up?"

Seeing this, Lin Xi said without hesitation, "Why transfer? Minzhong is also a provincial key school! Apart from No. 12 High School in Yingtian, there aren't many schools better than Minzhong, right?"

Lin Xi and Hao Xinyan were classmates in Class 10, Grade 2 of Minzhou High School, so he said this.

Hao Xinyan was slightly taken aback by this, then asked curiously, "How do you know I'm going to Yingtian? Did I tell you?"

"Ah, this... that..." Lin Xi was sweating profusely. Thinking quickly, he said, "People always aim high, and water flows downhill. If you were to transfer, it would naturally be to the provincial capital Yingtian, right? It wouldn't be that No. 12 High School, would it?"

"Forget it, let's not talk about it. It's not decided yet," Hao Xinyan said with a gloomy face.

Lin Xi could tell Hao Xinyan was in a bad mood, but he had no other choice. He steeled himself and said, "Hao Xinyan, I want to talk to you about something. Is it okay?"

"Just say it. Is it okay? You're making it sound so serious!" Hao Xinyan said irritably.

"Um... um... I want to borrow some money from you. Is that okay?" Lin Xi said awkwardly.

"Sure, how much do you need?" Hao Xinyan answered straightforwardly.

Lin Xi glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Six... six ten-thousand!"

"What? Six ten-thousand! What do you need so much money for?" Hao Xinyan exclaimed.

Lin Xi quickly put his right index finger to his lips to shush her, then lowered his voice and said, "I have an urgent need. Don't worry, I'll give you an IOU."

"What are you talking about?" Hao Xinyan said angrily. "If it's six thousand, I have it here, but for six ten-thousand, I need to talk to my aunt."

"Okay, no rush. By tomorrow night is fine," Lin Xi said.

"By tomorrow night? That's not urgent?..." Hao Xinyan was speechless.