20demayo Chapter 35 Earnest Advice
Chapter 35 Earnest Advice
The news that Sun Changlin, Hong Liguo, and the Longhu brothers had agreed to spar reached Wang Yuxin's ears like a gust of wind.
On the way home from school, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the ground a warm orange-red, casting long shadows of everyone. Wang Yuxin, like a chattering little bird, followed Hong Liguo closely, constantly nagging. Her face was full of worry and anxiety, her brows furrowed tightly, and she kept talking about the dangers of the sparring match, urging Hong Liguo to cancel the competition and not to gamble with his safety.
Hong Liguo was getting annoyed by her nagging. He was thinking about important matters and had no interest in listening to her, but he couldn't show it, since Wang Yuxin meant well. He could only push his bicycle slowly forward, humming and hawing in response, but inwardly he was thinking, "What does this have to do with you? You're always worrying about everything. Mind your own business."
Seeing that Hong Liguo's attitude was perfunctory and that he didn't take her words to heart at all, Wang Yuxin became even more anxious. She quickly stepped forward, tightly grasped Hong Liguo's sleeve, her eyes filled with pleading, and her voice trembled slightly: "You must cancel the sparring match! You can't go and fight with anyone! It's too dangerous! He Yunlong and the others are so strong; you'll definitely get hurt if you go!"
Hong Liguo really didn't want to listen to her nagging anymore, but he didn't want to argue with her, so he reluctantly agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. I won't go, alright? Look at you, it's like they'd eat me alive if I went. It's not like I'm going to the front lines, it's just a matter of sparring. Is it worth worrying so much? I'm not going, let them go, I'll stay home and sleep."
Unexpectedly, Wang Yuxin persisted, her eyes glistening with tears, her voice choked with emotion as she said, "I'm not telling you not to go, I'm telling you all to cancel, nobody goes! Everyone knows the He family's Longhu brothers... they never show any mercy, why won't you listen to advice? If any of you insist on going, I'll report you to the police station and have you all arrested."
Wang Yuxin's words really startled Hong Liguo, because she knew that if Wang Yuxin said she would report it, she would definitely do it; hadn't she done it once before? However, she was fortunate that she went last time, otherwise things would have been very difficult to handle.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind: "Yuxin, you don't need to worry about them. Let them go if they want... the fewer of them there are, the less trouble they'll cause at school. What do their business have to do with you? You don't need to concern yourself with them."
Hong Liguo didn't need to turn around; he could tell from the sound that Yu Deshui had caught up. No one else would make such sarcastic remarks.
Upon hearing Yu Deshui's words, Wang Yuxin's face flushed red. She seemed embarrassed to be spoken to like that in front of Hong Liguo, so she stopped talking, let go of Hong Liguo's clothes, pedaled her bicycle straight ahead, and soon disappeared into the crowd.
Yu Deshui rode up to Hong Liguo, looked at him with a mocking smile, and said contemptuously, "Can you please not let Wang Yuxin know what you're doing in the future? If you want to play around, go ahead; if you want to fight, go ahead. Don't always let her know, making her worry and fret over you guys. Don't you have any shame?"
Upon hearing his words, Hong Liguo felt a surge of anger and wanted nothing more than to beat him up immediately. He thought angrily to himself, "How did I let Wang Yuxin find out? I have no idea myself, how did she even know? Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me! If it weren't for Wang Yuxin's sake, I would have already... dealt with you, and you wouldn't have the audacity to talk nonsense here!"
Jun, who was standing to the side, seemed to have seen through Hong Liguo's thoughts. He didn't say anything, but just pedaled hard on his bicycle a few times and quickly caught up with Yu Deshui. Then, taking advantage of Yu Deshui's inattention, he cleverly used the rear wheel of his bicycle to throw Yu Deshui's bicycle. Yu Deshui immediately lost his balance, cried out "Ouch!" and fell into the ditch by the roadside with his bicycle, making a mess of himself.
Seeing this, Hong Bo immediately stopped the car, his face full of anger. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to get out and beat Yu Deshui up to vent his anger. Hong Liguo quickly stepped forward to stop him, shaking his head and saying, "Forget it. We all go to and from school on the same route every day, we see each other all the time. Just teach him a lesson, don't make a big deal out of it, or it will be hard to handle later."
The next day, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was cloudless—a rare beautiful day. Sun Changlin, however, rushed to find Hong Liguo, his face filled with anxiety, as if something extremely urgent had happened. He grabbed Hong Liguo's arm and said urgently, "I have a feeling this won't do! If we don't let them have a second chance, with Wang Laoba and Liu Laohaizi's strength, they'll definitely lose to us! And Zhang Qiaoyun, look at her, so frail, she can't even kill a chicken. Looking at the entire Dragon Tiger... who can she compare to? We'll lose even more miserably!"
Seeing him pacing anxiously, Hong Liguo couldn't help but smile. He patted his shoulder and comforted him, "If you can't win, just admit defeat. We've already set the rules: once one side admits defeat, the other can't play again and won't get hurt. Don't worry, Zhang Qiaoyun won't suffer any losses. Besides, if we allowed a second appearance, everyone else could too. No matter how skilled you are, can you guarantee you'll win every time? I'm afraid He Yunlong alone could sweep us all."
Upon hearing this, Sun Changlin's eyes widened in anger: "If everyone admits defeat, what's the point of the competition? Just admit defeat and be done with it!"
Hong Liguo, still smiling, said, "If you don't believe me, we can withdraw. Do you really think you can win without us?"
Sun Changlin's heart sank upon hearing Hong Liguo's words. He knew that even with Hong Liguo and the others' help, the chances of winning this competition were slim; without them, it would not only be a loss, but a devastating one.
Hong Liguo walked up with a smile, gently patted Sun Changlin on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Do you understand the principle of trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust? Believe me, as long as you do as I say, I can not only guarantee you won't lose, but I can also guarantee you will win."
Sun Changlin looked at Hong Liguo, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion, yet also with a hint of expectation. He shook his head helplessly and left with a sense of skepticism. He simply couldn't understand how Hong Liguo could possibly ensure victory and avoid defeat. But at this moment, he had no other choice but to trust Hong Liguo and await the final outcome.