Wen Bai watched from the corner, hearing the eager voice of System 001 in his ears.
"Before, I could only dote on and flatter the male and female leads. Now, I can openly abduct the male lead! I'm so excited! I need to think about what I'll do to him after I get him!"
Wen Bai looked ahead expressionlessly, waiting for developments.
A few minutes later, Yu Yang had beaten the few people into a pulp.
The System sighed, "As expected of the male lead. Even with his injuries, he took less time to deal with them than you. It seems this plan of using these people to abduct the male lead won't work. We need someone with higher combat power..."
"Useless," Wen Bai muttered softly, lowering his gaze. He then brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes and stood up, walking out.
System: "Are you walking into a trap? Or are you going to do it yourself? Your wounds haven't healed yet, can you do it?"
"Visually, no."
System: "..."
Not far away, surprised voices echoed from behind Yu Yang. "Not learning to be a good person at such a young age is one thing, but being blind enough to provoke you. I really don't know what they were thinking," the person turned and scolded the people on the ground, "Do they look like people who would get robbed?"
Ignoring his friend's lecture, Yu Yang finished dealing with the assailants and pulled out his phone, dialing a few numbers before bringing it to his ear.
Li Ming, who was with him, asked, "What are you doing?"
"Calling the police."
"Hey, hey, hey~ It's late at night, and we'll have to wait for the police, do the paperwork. We have things to do. These guys don't look like they're adults. Why are you arguing with a bunch of kids?" Li Ming lightly kicked the closest person at his feet, gesturing for them to leave. He then gestured to Yu Yang and the people still standing behind him.
Footsteps were exceptionally clear in the night. Su Ying, walking behind them, looked at the people on the ground and then at the phone in Yu Yang's hand. "Are you done? If it's inconvenient today..."
Yu Yang frowned and hung up the call that hadn't been connected.
"It's not inconvenient at all. We can leave now, right, Yu Yang?" Li Ming said quickly, nudging him with his elbow.
Su Ying was notoriously difficult to get a hold of. He rarely attended friends' gatherings, and everyone who sought him had to be on a waiting list. If it weren't for the fact that Su Ying owed him a favor, he wouldn't have agreed to come out so easily, especially with such a flimsy excuse.
Yu Yang glanced at the people on the ground. "It's handled."
Those people were beaten up and defenseless. They didn't even try to run.
The one with dyed yellow hair, thinking he was being subtle, repeatedly turned his head to look in the direction behind them.
Li Ming exclaimed, "Huh? Do they have accomplices?"
Yu Yang followed his gaze. One of the streetlights was out, and the area in that direction was dark, making it impossible to see if anyone was there.
The yellow-haired man on the ground spoke up, lifting his head with a fierce expression. "I just don't like the look of you guys. Do I need accomplices? Stop dragging other people into this... Hmph..."
The feeling of trying too hard to hide something was palpable.
Li Ming stroked his chin. "This looks even more suspicious..."
Just then, the sound of distinct, clear footsteps echoed. Several people turned their heads simultaneously, and a slender figure slowly emerged.
The yellow-haired man on the ground was questioning his life choices. These past few days had been terrible. First, he encountered that terrifying person, and now he was forced to mess with these tough guys.
Even though they no longer wanted to pursue it, this person still showed up. Was he going to take action himself? Would they be blamed for being too useless to deal with them?
With that thought, the yellow-haired man simply lay on the ground, closed his eyes, and pretended to be dead. His brothers, showing a similar understanding, also closed their eyes and remained motionless in their previous positions.
"Are they... trying to rob and then feigning injury?" Li Ming widened his eyes and exclaimed. The people on the ground remained still, pretending not to hear anything.
Li Ming kicked one of them, but the yellow-haired man endured it without moving.
When Wen Bai reached the streetlight and could see the person clearly, Yu Yang's brow furrowed even more. He said coldly, "It's you? I thought I made my attitude clear that day. I'm not interested in you."
Li Ming, who had been shocked by the shamelessness of the people on the ground, looked up even more surprised. What the hell?
"When did you start attracting men?" Li Ming looked closely at Wen Bai under the streetlight and whispered, "He's really good-looking. You're a femme fatale!"
However, his expression didn't look like he was looking at someone he liked. The way this person looked at Yu Yang was strange, as if Yu Yang were prey but not a romantic interest.
Yu Yang ignored his friend's muttering. "You don't need to do this."
Wen Bai remained silent.
Su Ying, however, spoke next. "We meet again."
Seeing it was Su Ying, Wen Bai's stern and indifferent expression softened slightly. This was the person who had treated him to a meal.
Wen Bai: "I was just passing by."
Yu Yang was momentarily speechless and stopped talking.
Li Ming, not one to shy away from stirring the pot, looked at the people passing by, then at the people pretending to be dead on the ground.
"Are these people bothering you again?" Su Ying asked, his gaze never leaving Wen Bai.
System: "?"
Wen Bai seized the opportunity. "Yes."
The people on the ground: "..."
The yellow-haired man, eyes tightly shut on the ground, inwardly cursed. "Damn it!"
"It seems this area isn't very safe."
Since they all knew each other, and recalling Yu Yang's earlier attitude, Li Ming tried to smooth things over. "So it was a misunderstanding. We've exchanged greetings, and we have other things to do, so...?"
Yu Yang rubbed his forehead. "Let's go."
Su Ying, however, pulled on Wen Bai's elbow. "The wound on your head needs to be treated. Let's go together."
It was stated as a fact.
Wen Bai glanced at Yu Yang and agreed.
The people lying on the ground let out a sigh of relief, finally about to get away from these people.
Su Ying took a couple of steps and then stopped. "When are the police coming?"
"What? Oh... that's right. You guys go ahead. I'll handle the rest," Li Ming volunteered.
Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, Su Ying's eyes curved gently. He thanked him politely. "Then I'll trouble you."
Li Ming: "..."
He remembered this person wasn't usually one to meddle. Ah, how people change.
However, it was fine. Li Ming genuinely didn't want to go with the two of them. Even if he did go, he would have found an excuse to leave.
As for Yu Yang, he was good in every way, loyal to his friends, and a good person through and through.
But such a seemingly aloof person turned out to be a doting brother. He would grant almost any request his sister made.
He didn't know where his sister had met Su Ying, but from then on, she pestered Su Ying almost daily, always under the guise of being sick, cycling through various ailments. Su Ying, being a doctor, dealt with countless patients every day and likely hadn't noticed his sister's intentions.
His sister learned through a mutual acquaintance that he had some connection with Su Ying and incessantly pestered him to invite Su Ying over.
Yu Yang actually agreed to such an outrageous request and asked for his help.
He tentatively inquired, and Su Ying, indeed, hadn't even remembered who the person was or her name!
But not remembering made things easier.
Su Ying owed Li Ming a favor. Today, he invited Su Ying over, they had a few drinks not far from Yu Yang's place, and invited Su Ying over under the pretense of helping, using proximity as an excuse to get documents. Su Ying didn't refuse.
This way, he could formally meet Yu Yang's sister, without any special arrangements. They would simply introduce the two of them.
As for what would happen next, it would be up to Little Sister Yu.
This was their plan.
They all arrived at a residential area nearby.
Yu Yang sent a message on his phone and then led them directly home.
The house's decor was bare except for the essentials, maintaining a cold, post-renovation style, which suited the male lead's appearance: seemingly indifferent and impatient.
On the sofa, however, lay a small bear plush toy that was completely out of place with the rest of the house, about palm-sized, like a keychain.
There was no one else in the house. Yu Yang's expression was now frozen like ice. He took out his phone and called. After a long wait, a cold, robotic female voice announced, "The number you have dialed is not responding..."
No answer.
He had already felt that bringing someone home to meet his sister was awkward and a forced request.
But his sister had been sickly since childhood, and their parents had passed away early. His sister had endured countless hardships. Every time he thought of this, he would grant her requests without question.
Now that he had brought the person over, his sister was playing hard to get.
Very well!
He took a deep breath and poured two cups of water, placing them in front of Wen Bai and Su Ying. "Thank you for coming."
He then went into the house and retrieved a brown paper bag of documents, handing it to Su Ying.
Su Ying took it and placed it on the table, then asked, "Mr. Yu, no rush. Do you have a first-aid kit at home?"
Yu Yang looked confused for a moment, then noticed that the bandage on Wen Bai's head had a slight red stain.
He paused. "No, we don't. But there's a 24-hour convenience store downstairs that sells basic medicine."
Su Ying stood up. "In that case, I'll go down..."
Yu Yang, already feeling he had troubled them, couldn't possibly allow that.
"You won't find the place. I'll go."
Su Ying listed the items he needed.
"You two make yourselves at home. I'll be back soon."
Su Ying agreed.
The door closed, and silence returned to the room.
"Let me see your wound," Su Ying said, reaching to remove the bandage.
Wen Bai lowered his head obediently, letting him do as he pleased.
He briefly examined the wound.
"The wound is a bit inflamed. Those medicines won't be enough."
Su Ying picked up his phone and dialed a few numbers. A ringing sound echoed from the entryway.
Yu Yang had forgotten his phone...
Su Ying stood up. "I'm going out for a moment. You need to take some anti-inflammatory medicine. Wait for me here, okay?"
Wen Bai didn't understand why Su Ying was so concerned about a stranger. They had only met a few times; this was only their third meeting.
He nodded.
The door closed again.
Wen Bai: "Is this what they call being kind-hearted?"
System: "Likely."
There was no one else in the room. Wen Bai stood up and looked around. There was not a single photo or unnecessary item in the room.
Wen Bai was not interested in the stack of documents and didn't touch them.
He went to the washroom, then the bedroom, and then returned to sit on the sofa.
The doorbell rang, piercing the quiet of the empty room.
Thinking they had returned, Wen Bai walked to the door and opened it.
The lock had barely been opened when a forceful push from behind sent him stumbling back.
Perhaps due to blood loss that hadn't been replenished, Wen Bai felt a moment of dizziness and took several steps back before barely regaining his balance.
Along with the forceful push, a woman's aggressive voice rang out, "You finally decided to open the door?"