NH chapter 001

Chapter 01: Huo Ye

“Zhousheng Yi, do you know where you went wrong?”

“……”

“Speak up, are you mute?”

On an ordinary afternoon, the sun was setting in the west, casting intersecting shadows that gradually divided the city into realms of light and dark. The streets were bustling with traffic and crowds, white-collar workers finally settled into their cars after a long day, while students laughed and chatted in groups as they hopped onto buses or subways, eventually parting ways.

In a corner not touched by light, in a narrow alley resembling a winding bird path, passersby, hearing the shouts and curses coming from within, only took a detour, clearly not wanting to stir up trouble, or perhaps, they had become accustomed to it.

“Tsk.”

Another punch landed hard on his abdomen. The teenager’s body was still too frail and slender to withstand it. Zhousheng Yi doubled over, swaying dangerously as if he might collapse to the ground.

If it were someone else, after being beaten like this, they would already be begging for mercy—after all, what’s pride compared to life?

But he did not.

Zhousheng Yi was a tough nut to crack.

A group of local rascals loitered around—some with classic dyed yellow hair, some with their arms tattooed with intricate designs, and others smoking cheap cigarettes that filled the alley with a choking haze. They were all dropouts from middle school, doing nothing but causing trouble, completely blocking the way.

The person in front of him, seeing his unyielding demeanor, felt his temples throbbing with anger, his teeth clenched as he said in a low voice, “Why are you more stubborn than the donkey tied up at my village entrance? After beating you for so long, my own hands hurt. Why don’t you just apologize to our boss? What’s the harm in that?”

Zhousheng Yi bowed his head in silence, his chest heaving violently, breathing heavily as if the effort of even breathing was painfully overwhelming. He struggled to prop his battered body against the wall, not responding to anything the other person said.

That punch felt like it hit cotton; he could barely stand, yet Zhousheng Yi’s expression was unbothered.

The guy stared at him for a few seconds, perhaps realizing it was pointless, looked elsewhere with a mix of rage and mockery, then suddenly, without warning, turned back around and grabbed his hair, forcing Zhousheng Yi to lift his bloodied face that had been bowed the entire time.

“Look at you, you useless coward. Do you think your old man knows what kind of shameless things you’ve done?”

Zhousheng Yi slowly lifted his eyelids.

The pain from his nearly shattered bones didn’t make him frown, but a few words felt like poisoned daggers piercing through his skin. Hatred brewed deeply in his bloodshot eyes, leaving a chilling impression.

“You…”

Realizing he was being intimidated by a fifteen-year-old brat, the guy jerked back in anger: “What the hell is that look? Are you daring to glare at me? Do you believe that I—”

“What’s going on? It’s so lively today?”

At that moment, an obviously out-of-place voice interrupted, sounding casual and somewhat annoyingly arrogant, as if it had a familiar disregard for boundaries.

This voice…

Everyone turned around, momentarily startled.

Zhousheng Yi also sluggishly glanced over.

In the distance at the alley entrance stood a tall figure backlit by the sun, broad-shouldered and long-legged, holding a bag of something, walking in leisurely as if taking a stroll outside his own building.

As he approached, the shadows fell back, and everyone could finally see what he looked like.

He was still very young, at most eighteen or nineteen, but he already seemed to have lost some of the naivety of youth, standing on the threshold between a boy and a man. His features were handsome and profound, with clear, defined eyebrows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and naturally curved lips.

He had an air about him that seemed out of place here; one might think he was the lead actor in a film shooting in the area.

The guy smoking half a pack of cigarettes froze, forgetting to shake the yellowed fingers holding the cigarette, and two hot ashes fell, landing on the exposed toes of his companion wearing flip-flops, who screamed, “Damn, what are you doing!”

The companion was the one who had just beaten up Zhousheng Yi, presumably the second-in-command of the group with a significant position. Seeing this, the smoker hurriedly tossed the cigarette butt away and meekly apologized.

The second-in-command kicked him, cursed a few times, then cautiously glanced at the newcomer, sensing he was a tough character, fearing to offend someone they couldn’t afford to.

He turned to the tattooed guy and asked, “Who is this? A guy from the underworld?”

“Never seen him before, Zhao Ge,” the tattooed guy said, perplexed, “He doesn’t look it, but he has the demeanor of someone from the streets.”

After confirming several times with his subordinates that he was no one significant, the second-in-command immediately regained his arrogance, impatiently waved his hand toward the newcomer and said, “What’s it to you? I’m just taking care of a dog, and you come over here. Are you his master? If you know what’s good for you, just get lost and don’t interfere; otherwise, I’ll deal with you too.”

The young man raised an eyebrow, and at the same time, his eyes slightly narrowed in observation. Zhousheng Yi noticed a faint scar cutting across the right brow of this stranger; it wasn’t very apparent but added a wild, fierce quality, simultaneously intimidating and domineering.

Zhousheng Yi suddenly felt nervous, a subtle emotion spreading within him. His gaze towards the young man showed a longing for something he hadn’t realized he wanted—a hope that he might do something.

With that thought, his heart began to race uncontrollably, and Zhousheng Yi fixated on the stranger’s every move.

Unfortunately, the young man suddenly shrugged nonchalantly, casually saying, “Alright, I’m leaving right now.”

Zhousheng Yi’s breath hitched, seeming unbelievable yet self-mockingly understandable. He fell silent, quietly averting his gaze, gently closing his eyes, desperately awaiting the consequences he was about to endure.

After saying that, the young man really did not linger, brushing past the gang of local toughs, heading toward the alley’s exit while politely saying, “Excuse me, let me pass.”

The smoker and the tattooed guy quietly breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances before loudly scoffing, “I thought he was someone, turns out he’s just another coward, scared off by a single word.”

“Right? Standing there posing like some righteous hero, what a joke!”

These people, having never studied well, readily hurled insults without a second thought, feeling quite triumphant about it. The second-in-command was satisfied with his previous show of strength and spat on the ground behind him, speaking derisively.

“Tch, want to be a hero? A deadbeat like Zhousheng Yi, raised with no mother to teach him, even if you save him, he’ll just be a disaster.”

The young man paused his steps, no longer moving forward.

A few seconds later, he turned around, the corners of his lips still curved upwards, but his expression had turned cold.

“—He doesn’t have a mother. Do you?”

The second-in-command didn’t expect him to turn back, momentarily stunned, unable to believe he was so insulted, angrily retorting, “You—”

Before he could finish, no one even saw his speed; a crisp, decisive punch sent the second-in-command flying backward, crashing into a trash bin left in front of someone’s home, foul liquids splashing everywhere, and then he lay still.

The others present were dumbfounded, awkwardly raising their eyes, while the young man shook his right hand and joked, “Oh, the young people nowadays are great, it’s not even dark yet, and they’re already passed out.”

Everyone: “……”

Sorry, no one could laugh.

Zhousheng Yi opened his eyes, his gaze fixed back on him, as if something inside was reignited, his heart began to lift.

The young man quickly noticed, turning his eyes toward Zhousheng Yi’s scarred face; but Zhousheng Yi, feeling uneasy, averted his gaze slightly. It was a very subtle movement; his last shred of pride didn’t want him to be seen in this bruised, battered state, especially not by this person.

To his surprise, the young man didn’t show any sign of sympathy; instead, he took a few steps closer, extending the red plastic bag he was holding from the supermarket, smiling as he said, “Hey, little buddy, could you help me hold this for a moment? It won’t take long.”

“……” Zhousheng Yi panted rapidly, seemingly gaining some strength suddenly, reaching out to catch the plastic bag.

He glanced inside and found a transparent box inside the red plastic bag, which contained—

A Barbie doll?

Zhousheng Yi’s mind went blank for a moment.

On the other side, the smoker, seeing the second-in-command down and out, panicked, exclaiming, “Where are you from? Do you know who you’re messing with? Aren’t you afraid…”

The young man didn’t give him a chance to threaten. He raised his long leg and kicked the smoker squarely in the chest; the smoker had barely enough time to scream before covering his ribs, rolling on the ground, crying, “Help! I’m dying!”

The tattooed guy looked around, thinking today he might as well make a scene, and in a moment of desperation, snatched a fruit knife from the scurrying subordinate behind him, intending to sneak up from behind.

However, the young man reacted swiftly, like a leopard, with a fluidity that made it look effortless, swiftly breaking the tattooed guy’s wrist, disarming him.

“Ah!!—”

These ruffians, lacking proper education, appeared fierce but were, in reality, all bark and no bite, bullying the weak because they were numerous; removing them from their gang, they’d be as soft as a ripe fruit.

Seeing their second and third in command had fallen, the remaining members sensed danger and wanted to flee but remembered that if they ran today, their boss would definitely hold it against them. They stood still, trembling, too frightened to move.

The young man easily took down several of the brave but foolish ones, stood there rubbing his wrist, and with a glance, still maintained a casual tone, “What’s wrong? Don’t you have mothers either?”

As soon as the subordinates heard this, they immediately scattered, those who could get up rolled and crawled away, while those who couldn’t close their eyes, wanting nothing more than to faint right there.

“Thank you.” The young man retrieved the red plastic bag, checking to ensure it wasn’t dirty or damaged.

Zhousheng Yi leaned against the wall, staring at him in shock.

“Scared? It’s okay; I won’t hit you.” The young man shrugged, smiling as if he were quite helpless, “I really didn’t want to come back, but I heard someone say I was handsome.”

Zhousheng Yi: “……”

“The sun isn’t setting yet; you should head home.”

The young man patted his shoulder, saying little else, doing a good deed without seeking recognition as he took the Barbie doll and walked away. Just as he reached the end of the alley, Zhousheng Yi finally gathered his courage and called out.

“Huo Ye!”

That tall figure stopped, looking back in surprise.

Huo Ye raised an eyebrow, “Do you know me?”

“I know you.” Zhousheng Yi’s throat felt dry, perhaps due to weakness, making his voice hoarse, “I’m from Thirteen Middle School, a couple of years below you.”