The buzz-cut guy nodded, and two of his lackeys walked toward Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing stumbled back in fear, begging, "Big bro, you can play with me if you want, but please don't drag me off to be sold, okay?"
No one responded. The two men yanked her into a small room.
The other two lackeys moved toward Li Yan. Terrified, she kept backing away and grabbed Cao Yang's arm.
The buzz-cut man looked at Cao Yang with a grin. From the moment they entered, this kid had been sitting motionless, like he'd been scared stupid.
He laid a hand on Cao Yang's shoulder and smiled. "Don't be scared, little bro. We won't give you any trouble. When we're done having fun, we'll let you have some fun too."
Cao Yang shook his head. "No. She's my sister."
"So what? Doesn't that make it more exciting?"
"Then have you slept with your sister?" Cao Yang asked seriously, making the buzz-cut guy freeze. For a moment he couldn't tell if the kid was mocking him or actually curious.
But it didn't matter. Anyone who dared ask something like that deserved a beating.
"F*** your mother!" He swung a slap at Cao Yang.
But the slap never landed. His hand froze in mid-air, tightly caught by Cao Yang, unable to move at all.
"Can I hit them?" Cao Yang turned and asked Li Yan.
"Yes! What the hell are you hesitating for? Beat them!" Li Yan shouted. She was about to be assaulted and he still asked such a stupid question.
Cao Yang didn't want to hesitate either. He'd gotten in trouble for fighting back home, and before he left for Dongguan, his mother told him to listen to Li Yan. And on their first day out, Li Yan told him not to fight.
Now that she said yes, Cao Yang tightened his grip. The buzz-cut man heard his own bones crack as a wave of searing pain shot up his arm. He screamed uncontrollably.
With another crack, Cao Yang twisted harder, completely snapping the man's hand, leaving it hanging at a grotesque angle.
"AHHH!" His scream echoed through the room. The two lackeys who were about to grab Li Yan stopped and stared. The pair inside Zhou Qing's room rushed out as well.
"Get him! Beat him to death!"
At the buzz-cut man's order, all four charged at Cao Yang from four directions.
One swung a fist straight at his face.
Cao Yang punched back. His counterstrike landed first. Their fists collided.
The thug screamed and flew backward, his entire arm shattered.
Cao Yang didn't even look at him. He kicked to the side, sending another thug flying.
Then he lunged forward, and with a single punch and kick, he took down the remaining two.
All four were blasted into the wall and collapsed to the ground, groaning and unable to stand.
It all happened in an instant—only a few seconds.
Li Yan was stunned. She knew Cao Yang liked fighting and that he was good at it, but she never knew he was this good.
Four men, incapacitated in the blink of an eye.
The buzz-cut man was shocked too. He'd never run into someone who could fight like this. His brain lagged for a moment.
Only when Cao Yang walked up to him did he snap back to reality. "It's a misunderstanding, bro! You know what they say—no fight, no friendship. With skills like yours, you can join us. I'll help you make big money."
Cao Yang ignored him. He grabbed the man's chin with one hand. "You tried to slap me? Only my mom gets to slap me. Got it?"
"I wasn't—" Before he could finish, Cao Yang's slap smashed into his face. The man flew across the room, teeth and blood scattering through the air.
Cao Yang shook his hand, walked back to the sofa, and sat down. There was a pack of good cigarettes the man had just set down. He took one, lit it, inhaled deeply, smoke drifting from his nose.
Cool as ice, he looked at Li Yan. "All done."
"Stop acting cool. Let's go!" Li Yan ran back to the room to pack.
Cao Yang frowned. "This is our place. Shouldn't they be the ones leaving?"
"Are you stupid? You beat them up! Of course they'll come back for revenge!"
"They can't beat me."
"Cao Yang, I know you can fight, but how many can you take? Five came today, ten could come tomorrow, a hundred the next day—armed with knives and guns. Can you beat that?"
"They have that many people?" he asked, unconvinced.
"Believe it or not, they're the Henan Gang. They're huge around here. Calling a few hundred guys is nothing for them."
"The Henan Gang? A gang made of people from Henan?"
"Of course! Why else would they be called that?"
Cao Yang was actually interested in these gangs and wanted to ask more, but Zhou Qing came dragging her luggage.
"You done? Let's go!"
"Coming!" Even stingy Li Yan left most of her things behind—she just wanted out.
Cao Yang had no choice but to follow. When Li Yan saw him still carrying his broken bucket and ragged mat, she felt like exploding. Should've made him take more things earlier.
As soon as the three stepped outside, their boyfriends came chasing after them.
"Yanzi, where are you going?"
"None of your damn business! Move!"
"Yanzi, I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice. I still love you!"
"Love your ass!" Cao Yang kicked A-Le in the stomach. The man flew and collapsed, unable to move.
That kick was even harder than the ones he gave the thugs. The thought that this guy was Li Yan's boyfriend—and had probably slept with her—filled him with nameless fury.
He glared at Li Yan again, thinking, Your taste in men is garbage.
Li Yan had no idea why he was glaring but had no time to think about it.
Zhou Qing's boyfriend, seeing A-Le's fate, didn't dare approach. He stepped aside silently.
"Where do we go now?" The three walked out of the village, feeling lost.
"My cousin lives in Shenzhen. I want to stay with her," Zhou Qing said.
Li Yan nodded. "Okay. We'll go with you."
"That's not really good… My cousin lives with her husband. It'd be inconvenient if you guys came."
"We're not staying in her place. Just going with you."
"Still… better not. I'll go check things out first. Once I'm settled, I'll call you."
With that, Zhou Qing waved down a taxi and left.
The Henan Gang was powerful—she didn't want to get dragged into their mess. What could've been solved by letting them sleep with her once, they just had to start a fight. Why bother?
"That b****! Always calling us sisters, but the moment something happens she dumps us!" Li Yan cursed—and after she was done cursing Zhou Qing, she started cursing Cao Yang instead.
"This is all your fault! All your fault! I told you not to fight and you still fought!" She kept punching him with her little fists.
There are levels of speechlessness, and Cao Yang had reached the peak. He really wanted to hang her up and beat her.
They caused the trouble, he saved her from assault, and he even got her permission before fighting—how was this his fault? Completely unreasonable.
"Where are we going now?" he asked, giving up.
Li Yan thought for a moment. "Let's go to Houjie. That's the territory of the Hunan Gang and Sichuan Gang. The Henan Gang rarely operates there."