16: Chapter 16 I want to get off the bus

It was already nine o'clock at night when he returned.

Zhao Jian returned to his rental apartment and suddenly felt a bit hungry.

Only then did he remember that he hadn't eaten dinner yet.

Surprisingly, he hadn't felt anything while keeping Zhang Tao company at the hospital.

Could this be what they call "love is enough to sustain you"?

He grabbed his phone and went out again. He didn't go far; in Xiong City, especially in the suburbs, shops closed very early at night.

But the barbecue stalls were just starting to open.

They were right by the roadside, with no storefronts and no air conditioning.

And no city inspectors.

There were quite a few people eating skewers and drinking beer, most of whom looked rather spirited.

Zhao Jian saw several motorcycles parked nearby with brands he didn't recognize, wondering if they had been modified.

But they were certainly cool.

"Boss, ten lamb skewers, three chicken cartilage, and five pork tenderloin skewers."

"Three enoki mushrooms and one grilled bun."

After ordering, he found an empty seat and sat down.

The stall owner was a Middle-aged Woman who scribbled down the order and continued working.

The whole stall was run by just one person, so the wait time was a bit long.

Just as Zhao Jian was hesitating whether to urge her, two motorcycles roared over.

Then, they came to a halt with a beautiful tail-slide two meters from the stall.

There were four people on the bikes.

All of them were female riders.

Zhao Jian just glanced at them casually; he was too hungry to pay much attention.

But just from that glance, one of the female riders, who had fair skin and a slim figure, walked straight over.

This action made Zhao Jian feel uneasy.

He knew he was handsome.

But it wasn't realistic to expect a girl to hit on him just because he was out for a stroll.

After all, the current trend was for soft, delicate "little fresh meat," not sunny, handsome guys.

It wasn't until the female rider took off her helmet, revealing a head of brilliant blue hair, that he felt relieved.

An acquaintance, the Loves Lock Heart sucker whose real name he didn't know.

"Oh my, Big Brother, it's you! You're here for barbecue too? Since it's such a coincidence, treat us, won't you?"

She wanted to rip him off the moment they met.

"Since it's such a coincidence, you pay the bill." Zhao Jian didn't even look up.

He had earned some money recently.

But this money was earned through his hard work based on intelligence.

He couldn't spend it recklessly.

Having already witnessed Zhao Jian's stinginess, Loves Lock Heart wasn't discouraged.

She had agreed with her girlfriends to go out for a late-night snack, and she had promised to treat them!

If she hadn't run into Zhao Jian, it would be one thing.

But since she did, if she didn't ruthlessly squeeze a meal out of him, she'd feel frustrated!

After all, she had just found out that the bracelet she sold for 500 yuan was actually worth over ten thousand!

This profiteer had made so much off her; what was a meal compared to that!

"Big Brother, look at us four beauties. How about this: you treat us to dinner, and we'll treat you to milk."

As she spoke, she beckoned her three schoolmates to come over and sit together.

They took off their helmets, their tight clothing outlining their proud figures.

They were indeed all beauties.

But since they weren't his, no matter how beautiful, they were a zero.

"Forget it, we don't know each other."

A carton of milk didn't cost much, yet she wanted him to shell out hundreds to treat them; she was dreaming.

Soon, his skewers were brought over by the stall owner.

Loves Lock Heart was quick-witted and snatched one from the plate.

Then she stuffed it into her mouth.

Like a puppy that had been starving for days, she hummed with enjoyment as she ate.

Her three schoolmates weren't quite as brazen.

But they were also eyeing Zhao Jian's skewers with envy.

Zhao Jian was just about to speak, to reprimand her for her bad behavior of stealing food.

Two burly Middle-aged Men walked over to the table.

"Little sister, have a few drinks with us. We have plenty of skewers at our table."

As he spoke, he tried to touch Loves Lock Heart's face.

She dodged it.

"Get lost. If you need someone to drink with, go home and ask your mom to keep you company." Loves Lock Heart frowned.

It wasn't the first time she had encountered blind thugs trying to take advantage of her.

But in front of Zhao Jian, she inexplicably didn't want to expose her rough and fierce side.

The two tattooed Middle-aged Men's faces turned ugly after being rebuked.

One of them, a bald man with a face full of flab, slammed the table, emboldened by alcohol, and roared viciously:

"Don't f***ing refuse a toast. Since you won't drink with me, I'll make you drink urine!"

His spit landed on Zhao Jian's skewers.

He stood up and silently walked over to the stall owner: "How much? Settle the bill for that table."

The stall owner apologized with an awkward smile, then charged every cent: "68 yuan."

He scanned the code to transfer the money.

Seeing Zhao Jian actually stand up to pay the bill, Loves Lock Heart didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

The two didn't have that deep of a relationship, and besides, Zhao Jian looked like a college student who hadn't been out of school for long.

He probably hadn't even been in a fight before; it was understandable that he would feel pressured facing street thugs.

The two Middle-aged Men who had been harassing the girls laughed out loud.

The bald man shouted: "See that, little sister? Your trash boyfriend is useless; he got scared off. You'd better just obediently drink with us brothers."

As he was speaking.

Zhao Jian had already walked back.

"You piece of trash, you dare come back? Are you looking to die?" The bald man slammed the table hard again.

The nearby tables had already started packing up and running away.

The barbecue stall owner was anxious; with customers scared off, how could she make money today?

She desperately hoped Zhao Jian would leave quickly.

But Zhao Jian reached out his hand towards the skewers.

Seeing this, Loves Lock Heart rolled her eyes, thinking: You really do love skewers.

Her three sisters were also speechless.

But the bald Middle-aged Man felt much better.

When Zhao Jian walked back just now, he had thought the kid didn't know his place and dared to come back to meddle.

Now seeing that he was just back to get skewers, he immediately felt his deterrence was still effective, and his face was satisfied.

The next moment, he wasn't comfortable anymore.

Zhao Jian used the iron skewer to fiercely pierce through the bald man's hand, which was pressed on the table, pinning it into the wooden surface.

"Ah!! You f***ing..."

The bald man's scream had just begun when another punch came.

His accomplice rushed forward, pulled a switchblade from his pocket, and stabbed at Zhao Jian's back.

It was blocked by Loves Lock Heart with a tray, and did not succeed.

Five against two, and the bald man had been crippled in one hand by Zhao Jian's sneak attack.

The fight ended quickly.

The two Middle-aged Man thugs lay on the ground, groaning; they were conscious, but didn't dare to get up.

Afraid of getting beaten up further.

By this time, the people eating barbecue had long since run away.

The stall owner was also hiding far away.

"Big Brother, you're amazing! Let's run!"

Zhao Jian was pushed by Loves Lock Heart onto the motorcycle, and then they sped away.

The three sisters rode on one bike together, following behind.

"Haha, how about it, Big Brother? Does it feel good to hold my waist?"

After escaping a certain distance, Loves Lock Heart, who wasn't even wearing a helmet, laughed out loud.

It was just that the question she asked made Zhao Jian quite embarrassed.

Because it really did feel good.

He pretended to cough and then whispered: "It's okay, but it would be even better if I were sitting on that bike behind us."

There were three girls behind.

Three is greater than one.

Loves Lock Heart turned around in anger, glaring sideways.

"Hey? Hey? Watch the road, watch the road!" Zhao Jian was truly anxious.

There was a curve ahead; if she didn't watch the road, they would crash.

He couldn't help but pinch her waist.

"Hmph!"

She turned her head back with an angry huff.

Passing a traffic light, it just happened to turn red. Zhao Jian wanted to say: I'll get off here.

Before the words could leave his mouth, he noticed there was no sign of braking.

They just ran right through it.

"You seem to have run a red light."

"Yeah, it's fine. I don't have a driver's license anyway."

Huh? I want to get off!