Chapter 10

Chapter 3: [The Strong New Concept] (5)

Gao Wei was so frightened by Zhang Yang's arrogant words that his face turned pale. He couldn't believe that this young, ignorant boy would dare to speak to Chang Qijin like that. He had no idea how the night would end.

Chang Qijin, being publicly scolded by a student, couldn't bear the humiliation. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Little bastard, are you looking for death?" He pulled out the iron rod from his belt and charged at Zhang Yang. Since it was just a student, his gang didn't rush in all at once. Chang Qijin had been in the underworld for years, and dealing with a young punk should be easy.

But things often take unexpected turns. Before Chang Qijin's iron rod could hit Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang had already grabbed his wrist. With a casual tug and pull, Chang Qijin's elbow dislocated, and he screamed in pain. The iron rod slipped from his grasp and was caught by Zhang Yang, who then jabbed it into Chang Qijin's open mouth, roaring, "In broad daylight, how dare you ruffians cause trouble?"

More than ten gang members, seeing Chang Qijin taken down by an intern doctor, all rushed forward with their sticks.

Zhang Yang twisted Chang Qijin's left hand, making him turn his back, and kicked him in the back of the knee. Chang Qijin's legs buckled, and he knelt down. Zhang Yang aimed the iron rod at Chang Qijin's head and shouted, "Do you believe I can smash your head with one blow?"

Chang Qijin yelled, "Stop, stop..." He knew that the other person had dislocated his right arm with just one move, clearly a skilled fighter. Chang Qijin wasn't stupid; he understood that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle.

The gang members, seeing Chang Qijin restrained, reluctantly stopped.

Two patrol officers were approaching from a distance. The gang members, seeing the police, quickly scattered.

Zhang Yang then released Chang Qijin. The two patrol officers arrived and, seeing the situation, immediately understood what had happened. The county's public security was poor, and fights broke out almost every night, but they hadn't expected one of the parties to be students.

The taller officer, Zhao Dongliang, had met Gao Wei a few times. After listening to Gao Wei's account, he came to Chang Qijin and pointed at him, "Chang Qijin, it's you causing trouble again. If you keep this up, I'll lock you up for a few days."

Chang Qijin, with his right arm hanging, groaned in pain, "Are you kidding? I'm the one who got beaten. My right arm might be broken... This kid is guilty of assault... I'm going to report him..."

Zhao Dongliang then noticed Zhang Yang, who had already thrown away the iron rod and was standing with his arms crossed, pretending to be uninvolved.

Chang Qijin, using his left hand, pointed at Zhang Yang, "He's the one who beat me!"

Zhao Dongliang, of course, didn't believe it. Zhang Yang walked over and lightly patted Chang Qijin's right arm, saying, "If you want to frame someone, you can always find a reason. Be careful, or you'll get what you deserve!"

Chang Qijin screamed in pain from the pat but was surprised to find his right arm had returned to normal and could move freely. Realizing he had encountered a true expert, he didn't dare stay any longer and mumbled as he slunk away.

The two patrol officers gave Gao Wei a few instructions, advising them to go home early. Gao Wei, deeply regretting the incident, had even forgotten about his invitation to Zuo Xiaoqing for a movie the day after tomorrow. He parted ways with the other students.

This time, not only did Zuo Xiaoqing realize that Zhang Yang had martial arts skills, but the other students also began to reassess him. Chen Guowei, who had lived with him for half a year, didn't know about Zhang Yang's skills and now spoke to him with more respect, "Zhang Yang, have you practiced martial arts?"

Zhang Yang chuckled, "A little."

Hong Ling, curious, came closer, "What kind of martial arts?"

"Yi Jin Jing, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and so on..."

Everyone looked at each other, speechless...

Zhang Yang suddenly realized that in this era, telling the truth often made people skeptical.

Zhang Yang's behavior of fighting and skipping work didn't result in any criticism. The so-called threat by Dean Zhou to contact the school was just talk. As an intern, he wasn't significant enough to draw the attention of the hospital leadership.

Zhang Yang had a strong ability to adapt. He devoted almost all his time to reading books, newspapers, and watching TV. As a famous person once said, "I throw myself into books as a hungry person throws himself into bread." This perfectly described Zhang Yang's current state.

After lunch, Zhang Yang dove into the hospital's reading room and started reading the newspapers. His reading interests were very broad. With the mindset of "the more, the better," he read everything with Chinese characters, except for English newspapers. However, fully digesting what he read wasn't something that could be done in a short time.

Zhang Yang, feeling a bit tired, rubbed his forehead and noticed Zuo Xiaoqing sitting across from him. Her long black hair was braided into two cute braids, adding a touch of playfulness to her appearance. Zuo Xiaoqing had been there for half an hour and had already seen Zhang Yang, but she found that this strange guy was always buried in his newspapers, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Zuo Xiaoqing gave Zhang Yang a sweet smile, her cheeks showing two shallow dimples, which were very charming.

Zhang Yang smiled back. The reading room was empty, and he whispered, "Not at work?"

Zuo Xiaoqing lowered her voice, "It's quiet here!" In fact, she was hiding from someone. It was Friday, and it happened to be February 14th, Valentine's Day. Gao Wei had already invited her to a movie through Hong Ling the day before. Zuo Xiaoqing didn't want to go but was afraid Gao Wei would come looking for her at the department, so she hid in the hospital reading room. She didn't expect to run into Zhang Yang here.

Zhang Yang looked out the window and then at the wall clock. It was already 4:30 PM, and it was almost time to go home. After a few days of study, he had learned Arabic numerals, and his sense of time had shifted from the traditional Chinese time system to the 24-hour clock.

Suddenly, Zuo Xiaoqing's pocket beeped. Under Zhang Yang's curious gaze, she pulled out a Motorola pager. This small black box was still a symbol of status in the early 1990s. The message was from Gao Wei, and the screen read: "Where are you? 7:00 PM tonight, at the entrance of Dawnlight Cinema, see you there—Gao Wei."

Zuo Xiaoqing smiled with a hint of helplessness. Among her classmates, only Hong Ling knew her pager number. It must have been this little girl who betrayed her.

Zhang Yang, always curious about new things, leaned in and saw the message, "What's this little box?"

Zuo Xiaoqing, not expecting him to lean in, panicked and turned off the screen, her face blushing as she scolded, "How impolite! Do you like to pry into other people's privacy?"

Zhang Yang snorted, "What privacy? It's just that hypocritical Gao teacher!"