I don't know why, but after I was reborn, I felt unusually strong. At first, I thought it was just the result of my regular exercise routine. However, the more I experienced it, the more something felt off. Before I was reborn, I never had this much energy. And this feeling became more pronounced after I returned from Yanjing—like there was an endless supply of strength within my body. I should ask my "Yama" (god of death) brother about this someday to figure out what's going on.
"Help—!" A woman's cry for help came from a distance, and strangely enough, it sounded incredibly beautiful. I couldn't help but stop and look around.
"Yell all you want! Even if you shout your throat raw, no one's coming to save you!" A rough, coarse voice shouted.
Sighing in my heart, I muttered, What kind of thug is this? Couldn't he come up with anything more creative?
Sure enough, the woman stopped shouting for help and switched to a more terrified voice, "W-what do you want from me?"
What? There's more than one of them?
"What do I want? Little girl, just come and entertain me," came a voice, now in a high-pitched tone.
What the hell? Not even professional about it! You think just because you change your voice, you can act like a thug? No future in this!
"Ah! Let go of me! If you don't, I'll fight you!" The woman cried out.
"Fight me? Ha! I've been waiting for this!" The rough voice responded.
Sigh~ I was in a good mood today, so I figured I'd play the hero and save her. Wait a second, I need to check if she's beautiful first. If it's some tough girl and she clings to me and demands I repay her for saving her with my body, that'd be a disaster.
I quietly moved in the direction of the voice, realizing it came from a small alley by the roadside.
There, I saw two thugs of very different builds—a fat one and a thin one—standing with their backs to me. The figures seemed strangely familiar. Could they be the fat and thin monks from The Deer and the Cauldron? I quickly glanced around to make sure no one was holding a camera.
Under the moonlight, I could clearly see the girl they were holding captive. She seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in light clothing. Her figure was quite developed... actually, extraordinarily developed—her chest was so big it was almost bursting out of her shirt. Damn, I swallowed my saliva. If I were a thug, I'd probably force myself on her too.
Her face was also stunning—oval-shaped, with delicate brows, and bright, clear eyes that held a hint of panic and fear, but also an indescribable grace that made me want to protect her. Damn, she's gorgeous. How could I let these two monks ruin her? If anyone was going to have her, it should be me!
As the song goes, when you see injustice, you have to shout out! When it's time to act, you should act. I quietly snuck up behind the thin monk (the one with the high-pitched voice) and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Good heavens, there's a ghost!" The thin thug, deep in his own thoughts, was startled when something tapped him on the back. He jumped, his mind briefly scrambling to figure out what happened.
"Shut your mouth!" The fat thug turned around, irritated, but when he saw me standing behind him, he froze. "Who... who are you?"
"Good evening, gentlemen. Looks like you're having quite the fun tonight," I said with a smile.
"Damn, you scared the life out of me! Who the hell are you? This has nothing to do with you, so scram!" The thin thug snapped at me.
"Help! Somebody help!" The girl, seeing me, screamed even louder.
"Shut up!" I shot her an annoyed look, then turned to the two thugs. "Do you guys even know how to be proper thugs? Is this how you do it? You've got to be kidding me."
"Hey, how'd you know we're farmers?" the thin thug asked, confused.
"Shut up! Don't talk nonsense!" The fat thug immediately cut him off, then looked at me and sneered, "What does it matter to you if we're farmers?"
Sigh. With these two, I was at a loss for words. I muttered under my breath in frustration, "Fine, let me show you how it's done."
The thugs and the girl all stared at me in complete shock. The girl's face was especially dejected. She thought she was about to escape danger, but now another thug had shown up. She sighed, realizing her innocence might be lost tonight.
I turned away, gathering my thoughts, and even briefly recalled Ye Xiaoxiao's curves. After a moment, I forced a lewd grin and began to walk toward the girl.
"Are you ready?" I suddenly recalled a line from a comedy sketch, "Selling Crutches," and let it slip out.
The thin thug exclaimed, "Damn! Big brother, look at this! Now this is what I call professionalism—asking if she's ready before the assault."
The fat thug nodded in agreement. "Yeah, city people know how to act cultured. They really know how to be polite!"
"Alright, now I'm going to start. You have the right to resist, but trust me, your resistance will just make it more exciting for me!" I reached my hand toward the girl's chest. But just as I was about to touch her, I pulled my hand back.
To be honest, I didn't want to pull back, but I had no choice. Right now, I was playing the role of the hero, not a pervert. I had to think about it from their perspective. If I actually touched her, wouldn't I be just like those two thugs? I couldn't do that.
"Alright, demonstration over," I said to the thugs. "You two can leave now."
"Boss, you're really something else! How about you go first? You've had your fun, but you should leave some scraps for your brothers!" the thin thug said with a grin.
"Who the hell is a thug here? I was just trying to save the girl, but you two were so unprofessional, I thought I'd give you a little demonstration," I retorted, feeling annoyed. How could they call me a thug?
"Old two, this guy's playing us! Let's teach him a lesson!" The fat thug shouted, moving toward me.
Oh, so you two are still trying to take me on? In this moment, and you're still thinking about acting tough? In my past life, I was a kickboxing champion, and in this one, my physical strength is even better
"Wait a second!" I quickly called out, raising my hand to signal them to stop.
"What? Are you scared? If you're scared, then just scram!" the thin thug yelled.
"I just wanted to ask if you two brought any medical fees with you. I wouldn't want to accidentally cripple you guys, and then you won't have money for treatment. I'd feel bad if you guys end up with worse conditions because of a delay!" I said, trying to sound considerate.
"Hahahahahaha!" Both thugs burst into loud, arrogant laughter.
I was really too tired to waste any more time talking with them. I had already said what needed to be said, and if they died now, it wouldn't be my problem. I raised my foot and kicked the fat thug out of the way, sending him crashing into the thin thug with a loud thud. There was a crack, and it sounded like one of the thin thug's bones was broken under the weight of his larger companion.
I walked over and checked their breathing. They were still alive, but both of them had passed out. It looked like their chances of waking up again were slim—two brand new vegetables had just been born.
"Hey, what's up with you, little beauty?" I said to the stunned girl, who was still standing there. "Are you planning to just keep standing around, waiting for the next bunch of thugs to show up?"
"Uh—well, thank you for earlier," the little beauty said, finally snapping out of her daze after I called to her.
"Oh, actually, I'm a bit of a rogue too, I just changed my mind," I replied.
"Heh, I know you're a good person," the little beauty said, looking at me with gratitude in her eyes.
When our eyes met, I immediately shivered and quickly looked away. Her gaze was so alluring that just a single look made me feel certain physiological impulses. No wonder so many bad people had those thoughts about her.
"What are you doing out so late? Don't you know there are a lot of bad people around these days?" I scolded her. I couldn't understand why her parents weren't keeping an eye on her. If I had such a beautiful daughter, I certainly wouldn't let her wander around at night by herself.
"I—I'm traveling for the first time, and I got lost as soon as I got off the bus," she said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, I see. Then quickly tell me your family's contact information, and I'll help you get in touch with them." It seemed she was a tourist, so I thought I'd be a good Samaritan and play the part of a responsible citizen of Songjiang City.
"I—I don't have a family!" the little beauty said, biting her lip and speaking defiantly.
"You don't have a family? Are you an orphan?" I asked, confused. I really couldn't believe that such a beauty could survive alone. She should have been picked up by some pervert long ago, right?
"My parents don't want me anymore!" She said, her voice faltering as she choked up.
Sigh... I sighed. It turned out she was a child abandoned by her parents. I really couldn't understand what her parents were thinking. A daughter like her could fetch a high price even if she was sold to some remote mountain village! Wait, what? What was I thinking? I'm a good citizen, of course.
I then said, "Little sister, what are you planning to do from here on out? How about I take you to the police station?"
It seemed this little beauty was even older than me, but I didn't mind. After all, I was the hero here, saving her from danger. I couldn't exactly call her "big sister" — that'd be so embarrassing. Besides, with my good looks and height, who would know I'm only 16?
"Big brother," (clearly, my plan was working) "please don't send me to the police! If you do, they'll just send me back to my parents!" The little beauty pouted and clung to my sleeve.
Ugh, I couldn't stand it. Her voice was like that of a little fox spirit. But based on her words, it didn't seem like her parents had actually abandoned her...
"Actually, actually, I ran away from home!" she finally confessed, seeing the confusion in my eyes.
"Ah, little sister, that's where you're wrong. Think about it. When you ran away, how worried do you think your parents were? You should listen to me, let's go to the police station!" Such a beautiful flower needed to be returned to a safe environment, or who knows what could happen to her.
"Please, big brother. Don't send me back! I don't want to go back to that home! My parents don't love me. They only care about their own socializing and don't pay attention to me at all. They— I just don't want to go back! Big brother, I really can't take it anymore!" As she spoke, her eyes grew red, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
I quickly dug through my pockets and pulled out a handkerchief, gently wiping away her tears. Ugh, this handkerchief was a gift from Zhao Yanyan, and here I was, using it to wipe another girl's tears.
"Alright, alright, don't cry anymore. I won't send you to the police," I reassured the little beauty, surprised by how much emotional weight she carried despite her young age. Did I have rebellious thoughts at her age too?
"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up with joy.
"Of course, it's true. Big brother never lies," I said with a serious expression, but in my heart, I thought: Lying is my specialty.
"Big brother, you're so nice!" The little beauty immediately stopped crying and smiled. Then, she suddenly turned around and lightly kissed me on the cheek.
My first reaction was: Uh-oh! What's going on? I thought, my poor face must be covered in snot and tears by now!
"Alright, I promised I won't send you to the police. You can go now. I need to get home." After all the fuss, it was almost 10 o'clock. I figured if I didn't go back soon, my mom would probably explode.
"Huh? Big brother, you're just going to leave me here?" The little beauty pouted, looking disappointed.
"Well, what else should I do? You didn't want me to take you to the police station!" I said, eager to leave. If I didn't go home now, my mom would probably be at the police station by now looking for me.
"What if I run into bad people again?" she asked with a dazed look, helplessness in her eyes.
"——" I couldn't take it anymore. Not this again. Seeing her like this, my body reacted involuntarily.
"So, what do you think we should do?" I asked helplessly.
"I want to stay with big brother, that way big brother can protect me!" The little beauty blinked her eyes, looking like she had gotten what she wanted.
Oh my god! She had planned this all along! After all the circling around, she had finally trapped me. Taking her home? Sure, I didn't mind. Having such a beauty at home would be nice. But what about my parents? Should I tell them I found her on the street?
Seeing the conflicted look on my face, the little beauty looked at me with pitiful eyes and said, "If it's too difficult for big brother, I guess I'll just stay here in the wilderness and fend for myself."
——Although I knew she was exaggerating, claiming she was in the "wilderness" when we were actually in the city center, and that she would "fend for herself"—please, what was she going to do, grow her own food? But still, I couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for her. I sighed and said, "Fine, I'll take you home. But we agreed, just for tonight. After tonight, I'll help you find another place to stay."
The little beauty cheered and gave me another kiss. Why was she so willing to kiss people? Didn't she ever learn the rules about not being too familiar with the opposite sex?
I hailed a taxi, let the little beauty get in first, and told the driver my address. After all, I was a billionaire now; I should enjoy life a little and take a taxi once in a while.
When I got home, my parents were standing in the living room, looking very grim, ready to explode. But then, they suddenly noticed someone was with me.
"Hello, Uncle, Aunt!" The little beauty sweetly greeted them.
"Who is this?" My mom asked, looking at me suspiciously.
Just as I was about to explain, the little beauty spoke up: "Aunt, my parents don't want me anymore. I was bullied on the street, but thankfully, big brother saved me. Aunt, I have nowhere to go now. Can you take me in?"
I stood there, stunned. I was speechless. Was she seriously this bold? She was so familiar with them! It was my home, and I hadn't said a word yet, but she was already talking.
Was she planning on living with us permanently?