"Miss Lin, there are an awful lot of them. I don't think I can take them all on, so… I say we make a run for it." A playful, mischievous smirk tugged at Fang Yu's lips. In the next breath, he wrenched open the car door and hauled the dumbfounded, frozen Lin Ruofei out into the open.
Thump-thump.
Yanked out so roughly and unceremoniously by Fang Yu, a flutter of nervousness coiled tight in Lin Ruofei's chest. This was the first time she had ever held hands with a man other than her father, and even as the thought crossed her mind, her palm broke out in a cold sweat.
"Scared?" Fang Yu smiled softly, then twisted his head around to face the men who had now completely surrounded the car, grinning. "Gentlemen, this car is worth a small fortune. If you're going to smash something, smash me, not the car, yeah?"
A snort of laughter escaped Lin Ruofei, caught off guard by his ridiculous remark. Huddled behind the young man, a sudden, unexpected sense of security washed over her—a feeling she had not known in years.
"Quit laughing, or these goons will think we're mocking them for being idiots." Fang Yu heard her quiet laughter from behind him and couldn't help but shrug.
"What did you say, you little brat?" At last, Lord Ghost was driven into a fury by Fang Yu's words. He clutched his broken wrist with his good hand, and snarled at his men, his voice frigid with rage. "Hack this little shit to mincemeat. We'll see how cocky he is then."
"Idiots will always be idiots. I gave you a chance to walk away, and you fools were too stupid to take it. Now? You've got no chances left." Fang Yu let out a cold huff, hurled the dagger he'd stolen from Lord Ghost to the ground, then suddenly pointed sharply into the darkness behind the men. "Look! Company's here."
"You think we're brain-dead, kid? We'd fall for that cheap trick?" A young man wielding a wooden club let out a cold sneer at Fang Yu's words. What a ridiculous, childish ploy—only an idiot would believe it.
But in the very next instant, the poor man came crashing down face-first into the dirt, his fall so brutal it was almost comical.
"What the hell was that?" The sudden, unforeseen strike left the men, who had been fully confident they could beat Fang Yu to a pulp, pale with alarm. They spun around as one, and a man clad in an immaculate white suit loomed into view before them.
"Cousin?" Lin Ruofei gasped from behind Fang Yu, her voice ringing out with shock and delight.
"He's your cousin?" Fang Yu turned to her, watching the starry-eyed, lovestruck look spread across her face, and curled his lip in a scoff. So he's a little better looking than me, big deal. I'll be waiting to watch him make a fool of himself any second now.
And so, our dear Fang Yu settled off to the side, ready to watch the show unfold. Had the circumstances allowed it, he would have dragged over a small wooden stool, grabbed a bag of popcorn, and hooted and hollered along with the crowd.
A cold huff escaped the white-suited man Lin Ruofei had called cousin. His gaze swept over Fang Yu, and his brows furrowed sharply when he saw their hands still clasped together.
"Kid, this isn't the time to be zoning out." Lord Ghost fixed the white-suited man with a venomous glare, as his men closed in, surrounding the newcomer on all sides.
The white-suited man said nothing more. His fists slowly clenched, a loud, sharp crack echoing out as his knuckles tensed. In the next heartbeat, he moved in a blur, launching himself straight into the fray with the men.
"Cousin, you're so handsome!"
"Go cousin! You've got this!"
Fang Yu had still been holding Lin Ruofei's hand, but the moment she saw her cousin leap into battle, she wrenched her hand free of his grasp. She stood off to the side now, clapping her hands together like a starstruck schoolgirl, her eyes fixed on the fight.
"Hmph. When your cousin gets his ass kicked later, don't you dare come crying to me for help." Fang Yu curled his lip, muttering the words under his breath.