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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 197: Reunion with Lu Bin
"I have to keep this a secret; I'll surprise you later."
Zhang Qiu deliberately kept it vague, while Liu Fangfei pleaded with him. With a smile, Zhang Qiu felt much better. He understood that Liu Fangfei was concerned about him and said, "Sister, thank you. I'm feeling much better."
Liu Fangfei smiled softly, "As long as you're better, that's good. Rest well; I'm waiting for you to take me out to have fun."
After ending the call with Liu Fangfei, Zhang Qiu didn't return to the classroom. He stood for a while under the teaching building, his eyes fixed on the windows of Class Eighteen in the senior year. The sun was setting in the west, the heat was dissipating, and the breeze rustled the willow branches. Zhang Qiu felt a wave of emotions.
Returning to the bar, he remained silent all the way. In the hall, laser lights flickered, and cheers erupted from all around. Yang Yu and Rui Rui were sitting in the hall; as soon as Zhang Qiu entered, they surrounded him and asked with concern, "Brother Qiu, how did it go?"
"It's fine now; the students are back in class, and the school has promised not to hold me accountable," Zhang Qiu said as he collapsed onto the sofa and turned to Rui Rui, "Could you get me a drink?"
"Sure!" Rui Rui readily agreed, flipping her golden wavy hair and swaying her hips toward the bar.
Seeing Zhang Qiu looking listless, Yang Yu asked, "Brother Qiu, what's wrong? Everything's resolved, but you look troubled."
Zhang Qiu forced a faint smile and said, "Sit down."
Rui Rui brought over two glasses of drinks and handed them to Zhang Qiu and Yang Yu with a smile. "You guys chat; I’ll check on things at the bar for a bit."
"Okay." Zhang Qiu nodded with a smile. After Rui Rui walked a few steps away, she turned back with concern for Zhang Qiu. What happened to him? He seemed like a different person since returning from school.
"Brother Qiu, what happened?" Yang Yu sensed the seriousness of the situation from Zhang Qiu's expression. The last time Zhang Qiu looked like this was when Jiang Xue was locked up.
"This strike has completely exposed our club to the school's scrutiny. Principal Wu ordered me to disband the club during the flag-raising ceremony after May Day." Zhang Qiu took a big gulp of his drink and coughed violently several times.
Rui Rui rushed over upon hearing the noise, took the cup from Zhang Qiu's hand, patted his back, and complained, "Why are you drinking so fast?"
Zhang Qiu looked at Rui Rui with a spouse-like expression and waved his hands repeatedly, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
Once Rui Rui left, Yang Yu asked, "Brother Qiu, do you have any plans?"
"The club cannot disband," Zhang Qiu said firmly, his attitude resolute.
Yang Yu asked, "Is that possible?"
"Yes, the condition is that I won't return to school."
"Ah, how can that be!"
"There’s nothing wrong with it. There are only two choices: I want the club."
Yang Yu wanted to say more, but Zhang Qiu shook his head and called out, "Rui Rui, pour me another drink."
"No way, you shouldn't drink anymore."
Yang Yu looked at Zhang Qiu and then at Rui Rui, shouting, "Let Brother Qiu drink."
"Alright." Rui Rui hesitated but walked over to Zhang Qiu with the cup.
"Damn it, stinky!"
"Ah!"
Zhang Qiu suddenly looked up and saw Rui Rui emerging from the crowd, running straight towards him. Behind her were several tall men. Among them, Zhang Qiu immediately recognized Lu Bin, the Fatty, who was surrounded by the others.
Earlier that morning, Lu Bin had been humiliated by a young punk at school and was feeling disgruntled. He gathered a few friends to hang out at a bar. While they were having a great time, he noticed a Blonde Beauty walking past him, her hair brushing against him and exuding a pleasant fragrance. Unable to resist, Lu Bin reached out to touch the curvy backside of the Blonde Beauty. Just as he was enjoying the soft sensation, a slap landed on his face, stinging painfully.
Lu Bin cursed loudly and raised his hand to retali, but the Blonde Beauty screamed and darted away into the crowd. Lu Bin chased after her and saw that she had hidden behind someone—none other than the guy who had beaten him into a pit earlier that day. Lu Bin's eyes turned red with anger, but he hesitated to charge forward due to Zhang Qiu's strength. Seeing that he had five friends with him while Zhang Qiu only had two people made him feel more secure; it was clear how that would turn out.
"Zhang Qiu, heh, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here," Lu Bin sneered, his belly shaking as he spoke, his expression smug as if he had already trampled Zhang Qiu underfoot.
Zhang Qiu ignored him and used his gaze to stop the approaching friends from all sides. He turned to Rui Rui, who was hiding behind him. "What did this Fatty do to you?"
"He touched me," Rui Rui said angrily and shyly, lowering her head against Zhang Qiu's back.
Zhang Qiu asked again, "Which hand?"
"Left hand."
As soon as Rui Rui finished speaking, she suddenly felt an empty space in front of her and saw Zhang Qiu standing directly in front of Lu Bin, delivering a punch right to Lu Bin's face.
Caught off guard, Lu Bin remembered being ambushed by Zhang Qiu earlier that day at school. Now at the bar, he found himself falling into the same trap again. After landing a solid punch, Zhang Qiu quickly grabbed Lu Bin's arm and twisted it forcefully; with a crack, Lu Bin's left arm hung limply at his side. He cried out in pain, and by the time his friends reacted, Zhang Qiu had already retreated two meters away.
"Fight back! Fight!" Lu Bin screamed frantically as his friends rushed towards Zhang Qiu. Zhang Qiu exchanged glances with Yang Yu and charged forward. In just moments, the four burly men were knocked down to the ground. Zhang Qiu turned back and took Rui Rui's hand as they walked towards Lu Bin, a smile creeping onto his lips.
Lu Bin clutched his arm and backed away, terror written all over his face as he shouted, "Help! Someone's attacking!" While shouting, he cast desperate glances at the onlookers in the bar. Confused, he wondered why no one was stepping in to stop Zhang Qiu; was there really such a big difference between bars in the county and those in the city?
Lu Bin was still deep in thought when Zhang Qiu slowly approached, closing the distance step by step. Wherever Lu Bin went, people automatically cleared a space for him, leaving him no chance to escape. Seeing Zhang Qiu getting closer, he suddenly grabbed a bottle of wine and threw it at Zhang Qiu before running toward the exit.
With a punch, Zhang Qiu shattered the bottle with a loud crash, the shards scattering across the floor. At the entrance, Lu Bin, who was trying to flee, was captured by the guards and brought before Zhang Qiu, who respectfully called out, "Brother Qiu."
Lu Bin looked at Zhang Qiu in shock, feeling disheartened after hearing what others had said. Damn it, he just wanted to have some fun but ended up in someone else's territory.
Zhang Qiu smiled lightly and waved his hand. "Let him go."
The guard released Lu Bin but remained on either side of him. Lu Bin covered his left arm and glared angrily at the grinning Zhang Qiu.
"Kneel."
Lu Bin's brows twitched as he panted heavily, his dead fish-like eyes staring blankly at Zhang Qiu.
"Did you not hear Brother Qiu?" Yang Yu shouted angrily. Lu Bin shivered but still stood frozen.
Zhang Qiu chuckled. "Good, good. Let me see how tough you are. Break his other arm too!"
At Zhang Qiu's command, several guards stepped forward—some grabbed his arms while others held his wrists, and the rest restrained Lu Bin's unusually hefty body. Realizing they were serious, Lu Bin panicked completely. At this moment, saving his life was more important than saving face. He bent his knees and knelt down right in front of so many people in the bar.
Zhang Qiu motioned for Rui Rui to step forward and shouted at Lu Bin, "You’re not kneeling to me; you’re kneeling to her."
Lu Bin silently turned in her direction and lowered his head without saying a word.
"The eldest son of Jin Hao Group, a leading enterprise in the city—how can you still engage in such activities? Groping—aren't you ashamed?" Qiu Wan smiled at Rui Rui and said, "I've avenged you; feel free to hit or scold him as you wish."
Lu Bin, upon hearing that he was still going to be beaten, suddenly raised his head and lunged in front of Rui Rui, startling her into a scream as she dodged away. Zhang Qiu was about to step forward when he saw Fatty, who weighed over two hundred pounds, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. Rui Rui looked at this scene, frowned in disgust, and moved aside, saying, "Forget it."
"You guys, come here!" Zhang Qiu waved at the four people who had followed Lu Bin. The four of them had already gotten up from the ground and were inching toward him with terrified eyes.
Yang Yu urged, "Hurry up!"
The four immediately quickened their pace and lined up respectfully, looking more obsequious than junior officials meeting their superiors. They were all locals and knew that bars were often protected by gangsters, but they never expected that the one overseeing White Day Fire was an utterly ordinary-looking student.
Zhang Qiu announced loudly, "From now on, if anyone dares to lay a hand on the girls working at White Day Fire again, whichever hand they use will be broken; whichever leg they use will be broken."
Zhang Qiu's tone was calm, as if discussing something very ordinary. However, to the listeners, it was anything but simple, especially with Lu Bin's living example right there. Regulars at the bar were all discussing this newly emerged student in a school uniform.
In fact, harassment of waitstaff in bars had been a long-standing issue. The clientele typically fell into three categories: students, white-collar workers, and gangsters. In Beilan County, where there were no universities, most of the patrons were gangsters or wealthy young men like Lu Bin. These individuals often caused trouble after drinking too much.
The bar employed staff specifically for special services, but even those responsible for regular work frequently faced harassment. Generally speaking, when confronted by these wealthy and powerful individuals, they would endure it silently; over time, they became numb to the unwanted touches. With Zhang Qiu's declaration today, the girls working in the bar suddenly lit up with hope and wished they could hug Zhang Qiu and kiss him passionately. It would be wonderful if no one harassed them anymore.
After observing people's reactions for a while, Zhang Qiu pointed at Lu Bin and shouted, "You all get lost."
Lu Bin hurriedly left with his friends, having lost face completely—first humiliated at school and then forced to kneel in front of everyone at the bar. What infuriated him even more was that Zhang Qiu had publicly revealed his identity. Zhang Qiu... this isn't over between us!
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