Chapter 96: Pretend to Be a Pig to Eat a Tiger

Believe in ghosts in this world, but never trust a man's rotten mouth.

If these words had come from a woman's mouth, that man would have been utterly detestable. Yet when they issued from a woman gripped by misandry, the matter required further judgment.

Seeing no trace of Lin Yang, Bai Jing, driven by a strong sense of urgency, dialed his number at once.

Lin Yang, who had watched Bai Jing's every move from across the street in the small restaurant, had long been ready. He stood and seized the moment to slip into the restroom and answer the call.

The moment the connection formed, Lin Yang at the toilet door endured a fresh barrage of words.

"Hello, Little Yang, where have you vanished to? Didn't you say you'd wait at the main entrance by three? It's already five past three and still no sign of you!"

Bai Jing's furious voice sliced through the phone, her shrill tone betraying genuine rage.

Lin Yang had no choice but to relate everything he had witnessed and heard. Fortunately, his tongue was unusually sharp; he condensed the tangled tale into a few succinct sentences.

"What? Humph, it's that scoundrel from the Fang family again. Are they truly mounting a full-scale counterattack?" Bai Jing shouted in fury, stamping her foot with womanly indignation.

Women are gunpowder; a spark and they detonate. The Bai family, pressed relentlessly by the Fang family, had driven Bai Jing to the point of hating them to the bone, especially that loathsome man Fang Tianyu, head of Jin Hai Fang Yu Pharmaceutical Industry.

Fang Tianyu, though fond of women and willing to cling desperately once he set his sights on one, even resorting to the basest tactics, was no mere playboy but a true scoundrel in business. Young as he was, he had risen to deputy leader of Fang Yu Pharmaceutical Industry. Had his father not clung to the top post, he would surely have surged forward and seized control of Yinchuan City, the provincial capital.

Lin Yang remained speechless. He was forced to play the role of detective in this grueling farce. From the phone came one explosive sentence after another, like a sudden thunderclap. Had it occurred face-to-face, he had no doubt he would have been drowned in spittle.

"Enough. You two drive to the seaside first. I'll join you shortly and take care of those two." To spare his ears further torment, he ended the call, splashed water on his hands, and strolled unhurriedly to the table.

Remarkably, Bai Jing's anger had not dulled her reason. After hearing his words, she spoke several words to Dong Yingying beside her, then both climbed into the luxurious Porsche SUV parked at the entrance.

Because they were shooting an advertisement video by the sea, Bai Jing had not driven alone. A chauffeur was ideal, and a longer business van carried specialized filming equipment.

Two vehicles raced out in tandem. After Bai Jing drove away, the two men beside Lin Yang rose and prepared to follow at once.

"One, two." The pair stood. Lin Yang offered a sly smile and beat out the rhythm. Next, he intended to make them miss the chicken and lose the rice.

Thud. As the man carrying the miniature camera passed, Lin Yang seemed to trip casually with his foot, striking the opponent's lifted right foot squarely.

The right foot was halted, then collided with the companion rushing up behind. The man lost balance and toppled headfirst to the floor.

The crash startled the diners. Instinctively defensive, the black-clad man reached for balance and seized the nearest table. His sturdy frame prevented a clean fall, yet the table still overturned, plates and cups shattering everywhere.

"Ah!" A piercing scream followed. The black-clad man pinned beneath his skinny-faced companion rolled several times, their bodies twisting together. The fallen shards pierced and cut them both.

After much struggle, the two rose from the ground. The skinny-faced man, Fish Head, bore a ruined face, glass fragments jutting from his wounds, blood streaming down. The other fared no better, perhaps even worse; he had tripped over Lin Yang's stumble, fallen hard against the floor, then been pinned again and slashed by the glass and porcelain littering the ground, his clothes torn and stained with blood.

Lin Yang seized the chance. With a flick and hook of his right foot, he palmed the miniature camera that had fallen, tucked it away, and resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

The two men glared at Lin Yang. Especially Mantis, the stocky one, stood and snarled, "Kid, tired of living?"

The commotion drew the proprietress, a flamboyantly dressed woman of about thirty-five, who trotted out to mediate. "Oh, please calm down, guests. Let's sit and talk. There's no need to get so angry."

She ran a small establishment; any real trouble would ruin her business.

"Talk your ass." The skinny-faced man refused to relent. They were the injured party; no one would simply overlook it. He turned and cursed the proprietress harshly, then signaled his companion. The two flanked Lin Yang against the glass wall.

Mantis cursed while reaching for his collar. "You ate a leopard's gall and a leopard's heart—daring to trip me!" He meant to exact justice for his torn and stabbed face.

"What are you doing? I tripped? I didn't touch you." Lin Yang feigned innocence and argued his case.

His kind appearance, polished acting that could win a Golden Horse Award, and the two men's ugly tempers made the onlookers regard him as the wronged party, while the aggressive black-clad duo swearing and using foul tactics appeared as troublemakers.

Yet under the prevailing social climate, except for the proprietress left helpless, the crowd dared not intervene.

Lin Yang, long accustomed to such scenes, displayed his acting without restraint, looking utterly innocent. Some still retained a shred of conscience and secretly dialed 110.

"I tripped? Humph, kid, do you think I'm blind or my head's addled? Clearly you tripped me." The stocky man tightened his grip on Lin Yang's collar and roared, preparing to hoist him. After several attempts, however, Lin Yang's bottom remained planted as if on a chair; no matter how hard the man pulled, he stayed immovable.

Seeing the tall, stocky Mantis unable to lift the brat, despite his own build and the boy's lean frame, the Fish Head grew puzzled. "Dumbass, why did you lift him? Can't you hit?"

The Fish Head kicked Mantis's leg and cursed. He had no desire to, yet as more onlookers gathered and some pointed, their thick skin felt thin; moreover, they had committed unsavory acts and felt guilty.

Hearing the police car's siren approach, the guilty pair shot Lin Yang a venomous glare and turned to flee.

They were willing to leave, but Lin Yang was not. He knew the local police well enough; letting the two thieves go without a few days in custody would be too unfair to the wrong he had suffered.

"Wait." As they turned to run, Lin Yang called out coldly.

His voice stunned everyone present. More than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on him as he stood, finishing his rice.

Some wondered if the boy had lost his mind, so thick and naive. They hadn't bothered him, yet he caused trouble, seeking it for no reason.

Others seethed, accusing the two of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. As soon as police arrived they fled; without them they might have done worse. This praise for Lin Yang's stubborn spirit warmed some hearts.

If Lin Yang knew their thoughts, he would have smiled. He only wanted to toy with them. Humph, they dared plot against his friend. Beating them senseless was too good for them after their acting had earned him nothing but contempt.

Thud. The responding police crashed into the small restaurant door and rushed inside. Seeing the officer, the crowd parted respectfully, allowing them to pass without leaving.

People loved free spectacles and crowds.

"Hello, what's happening? Someone reported a fight. Are you the two?" the lead officer asked coldly.

Because Lin Yang had swallowed the two men, he sat back down on his chair. The standing pair blocked his view, so the officer did not see him.

"Heh heh, officer, we were only joking. We slipped and fell by accident. Where's the fight?" The skinny-faced Fish Head was quick-witted; his earlier bravado vanished. Facing the officer, he offered a smug explanation.

Had the glass shards not been removed, his words would have been even more sinister.

Yet as he stepped forward, the hidden Lin Yang came into the officer's view.

"Oh, it's Brother Yang! So long! The brothers all miss you, old man!" The previously cold officer broke into a smile, looking overly eager, which felt rather awkward.

Click. Hearing the words and that lecherous grin, the Fish Head and Mantis turned deathly pale and uttered in unison, "It's over."