Chapter 52 - Heibao Bro
The class was halfway through by the time Lin Yi arrived, and it didn’t take long before the bell rang. Ms. Liu made sure to assign the students homework before leaving the classroom.
Kang Xiaobo turned around to look at Lin Yi, his tone somewhat complaining. “Jeez, boss! You scared me, I thought you weren’t coming today!”
“What, Zhong Pinliang and his friends giving you a hard time? Aren’t they absent?” Lin Yi said with a laugh. It was true- Xiaobo didn’t stand a chance against them without Lin Yi here. It was only natural for him to worry.
“Absent? They were here this morning, and Naipao’s face was all swollen, with band-aids and everything!” Xiaobo said. “But they left after taking a look around, maybe because you weren’t here?”
“Oh? They came to school?” It was outside of Lin Yi’s expectations, but it didn’t really matter to him if they left after coming, or if they’d come at all- it was all the same. “Let them do what they want.”
“I guess, but boss, they might go get someone after realizing how much stronger than them you were!” Xiaobo warned, worried about his boss.
“Get someone? What do you mean?” Lin Yi asked, not catching on to what Xiaobo was trying to say.
“I’m talking about them asking for outside, gangster help, getting them to deal with you since they can’t do it themselves!” Xiaobo explained. “Boss, you gotta be careful!”
“They even know gangsters?” Lin Yi frowned- Zhong Pinliang was cocky, but the kid was a student, at the end of the day. He never considered the possibility of Pinliang going so far as to get gangsters to beat him up, after failing to do so himself.
“Of course they do, one of our Big Four, Zuo Ruoming- his very brother’s a gangster!” Xiaobo said. “There was that time when he clashed with the boss of Songshan’s Second School, and he even involved his brother in the whole thing! His arms were bare, and thick, with a huge tattoo on his body and everything! His followers even had iron pipes and machetes, and Songshan’s Second’s boss knelt on the ground to plead for mercy before the fight even began!”
Lin Yi only frowned at the story- these students were getting out of control, well out of his expectations. Perhaps he wasn’t cruel enough with Zhong Pinliang yesterday?”
“Let’s go, it’s exercise break.” Xiaobo stood up after the class emptied itself.
They sat at the very back of the classroom, and had to wait until almost everyone was out before they could leave.
“What do we actually do during exercise break?” Lin Yi asked- he hadn’t yet participated because of Zhong Pinliang’s antics yesterday.
“You didn’t go yesterday? Oh, yeah, I don’t think I saw you.” Xiaobo thought about the question for a bit before speaking up again. “Exercise break is basically something like organized gymnastics, with a P.E. teacher at the front leading everyone. Really easy to learn.”
Xiaobo brought Lin Yi to class five’s area on the field. He was a tall guy, and so he stood at the far back of the line. Lin Yi was pretty tall himself, as well, standing right next to Xiaobo.
Zhong PInliang’s eyes lit up as he finally saw Heibao Bro at the school gates.
A bulky, bald-headed man got out from a white Nissan van, and two similar looking followers came out after him.
“Master Zhong!” The baldy greeted.
Pinliang nodded in response before turning to his own followers. “Go on, Heibao Bro is here!”
“Heibao Bro!!” Naipao and Xiaofu greeted in unison.
“Master Zhong, where’s this guy you were talking about? I’ll get rid of him quickly- still need to get back before boss finds out about this.” ‘Boss’ here, naturally, referred to Pinliang’s father. Heibao understood that the boss didn’t take well to Pinliang causing trouble like this, and had to take the long way to avoid getting found out.
“Right over there, it’s exercise break right now!” Pinliang answered.
Heibao Bro nodded curtly, cigarette in hand as he walked into the school. A guard stopped him. “Hey, what are you doing here? This is a school, you can’t just come in as you please!”
Heibao Bro looked back at the guard disinterestedly. With a glare, he blew out a smoke ring at his face. “Old shit. Stay where you are if you wanna live.”
One look at the gangster’s face and the guard understood- this wasn’t someone an old guy like him could afford crossing. He backed off and pretended not to see the group- there were teachers with the students during exercise break anyway.
The entirety of the school was currently on the field for exercise break when six unfriendly figures walked over. Zhong Pinliang, Zhang Naipao, and Gao Xiaofu were three of those six, albeit much less intimidating than the three gangsters behind them.
Heibao Bro was absolutely uncaring of the gazes as he marched onto the field.
“Where?” Heibao Bro asked.
“Right there, there’s our class. Lin Yi’s gotta be with them!” Pinliang wasn’t able to see for himself, but he was sure that Lin Yi would be present for the exercise break.
“Boss, it’s Zhong Pinliang! He’s brought backup!” The group’s target was obvious- all six of them were clearly looking for Lin Yi.
Lin Yi had already noticed the six- they were on the field, after all- everyone could see them.
It didn’t take long before the six reached class five’s area, and Pinliang spotted Lin Yi at the back right away. He pointed at him on sight. “That’s him, that guy in the uniform at the far back.”
Heibao Bro only nodded, making his way to Lin Yi with quick steps. It was true- the kid was just like any other normal student out there. Tall and skinny, not a fighter’s build at all. Heibao Bro sighed- was this really worth him dealing with personally?
The kid was kinda handsome, but that’s it- Heibao Bro was unable to identify any more traits to the guy. He was no fighter, just a poor student!
But the young master had made his request, however, and Heibao Bro decided to end things quickly- he needed to get back as soon as possible.
“You’re Lin Yi?” Heibao Bro asked as he gazed at Lin Yi, cigarette in his mouth.
“Yeah.” Lin Yi replied dully.
“Know why I’ve come for you?” Heibao Bro didn’t take well to Lin Yi’s attitude.
“No idea.” Lin Yi said with a frown, a little impatient. “Stop blocking me, I’m trying to do gymnastics here! I can’t follow the people in front of me!”