"Okay, Little Friend Zhao Yu," Gao Rang said, smiling.
"What about you?" Zhao Yu asked, a dissatisfied frown appearing on his face. However, no matter how displeased he felt, he wasn't about to argue with a stranger over a simple form of address.
"Call me Big Brother," Gao Rang responded.
"I'm serious," Zhao Yu said solemnly, indicating that his anger was about to reach a tipping point.
Gao Rang chuckled when he saw Zhao Yu's reaction, finding it a great achievement to irritate a seemingly well-mannered child. Then, as requested, he answered in a serious manner, "I thought you already knew who I was. My name is Gao Rang. The 'Gao(高)' for tall and stalwart(高大), and the 'Rang' for refined and polite(礼让). But you can call me 'Big Brother.'"
"..." Zhao Yu did not respond to Gao Rang's suggestion. Instead, he looked down and collapsed his slender hands together.
"..." Gao Rang pursed his lips a little when he failed to get a response. Then, seemingly trying to emphasize something, he said, "I normally don't dine with others, even when invited."
Zhao Yu lifted his head and glanced at the person earnestly driving the car next to him. However, he still did not say a word.
Seeing that his attempt at striking up a conversation had failed, Gao Rang helplessly sighed and muttered, "So the generational gap does exist…"
…
"Li Beining cornered you at school?" Yin Zhao-an asked as she skewered a slice of apple and put it into her mouth. Then, while chewing, she said in a muffled voice, "C'mon, give me the details."
Holding his face in frustration, Wen Tao said, "I don't want to talk about it. In the first place, how did he even get into the school? Are the school's security guards sleeping on the job? Anyone can tell he's a delinquent with his hair dyed white."
Nodding thoughtfully, Yin Zhao-an casually asked, "Doesn't he have a little sister at school?"
"Right! He still has a little sister!" Wen Tao said as if in realization. "His little sister isn't some goodie-two-shoes like she appears to be. I spotted her smoking in a corner one day, and any skin she isn't showing is almost covered entirely in tattoos! She's your classical female delinquent!"
Yin Zhao-an tried to recall the girl she met on their school's enrollment day. However, the impression she had of Li Beiyu was that of a relatively innocent girl, so she couldn't help but doubt Wen Tao's description of the girl.
"Are you sure you're not just looking at her in a prejudiced light?"
"Absolutely not! Does it look like I have nothing better to do?" Wen Tao said, snorting in disgust. Then, he leaned back against his chair and continued, "Although that Tony hasn't done anything over the board, he keeps coming to harass me. I've already turned over a new leaf. Not to mention, I already have you as my big bro, so how could I let others win me over again?"
"I did not try to win you over."
A voice suddenly came from behind, nearly scaring Wen Tao out of his seat.
"Hello, I am Li Beining," Li Beining greeted. He was clad in black and wore a black baseball cap today, and he held a large fruit basket in his hand. Then, holding up the fruit basket, he asked, "Where should I put this?"
In response, Yin Zhao-an pointed at the coffee table next to the sofa and said, "Put it over there, thank you."
"Fuck! Why are you here?!" Wen Tao finally got over his initial shock, and he immediately exploded into fury. At the same time, he warily shifted his chair closer to Yin Zhao-an.
After giving Yin Zhao-an a polite smile, Li Beining turned to Wen Tao. Then, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"
"My phone's on silent," Wen Tao said with an annoyed look.
"Why didn't you reply to my messages?"
"I already said my phone's on silent! Also, why should I answer your calls? Don't think I'm scared of you just because you stopped me a few times! My Big Bro is very good at fighting, so you best show me some respect!" After saying a bunch of tough words, Wen Tao turned to Yin Zhao-an like a wolf pup turning to its pack leader, "Right, Big Bro?"
"..." The corners of Yin Zhao-an's mouth twitched in exasperation. She had nothing to say in response to Wen Tao's words.
Li Beining's expression softened a little. Then, after taking a seat on the sofa, he said, "Yin Zhao-an, I know you. You've become very famous."
"Haha, thanks." Yin Zhao-an never thought she would become famous to a point where even strangers would know her, so she couldn't help but find this situation hard to believe.
In the meantime, Wen Tao felt as if a venomous snake's gaze was scanning him, the feeling causing him to shudder and get goosebumps. When he secretly looked at the black-clad man on the sofa, sure enough, he found the other party's deep eyes staring at him.
Scared out of his wits, Wen Tao leaned against the bed and looked at Yin Zhao-an as if pleading for help.
"Li Beining, do you have a grudge against Wen Tao?" Yin Zhao-an asked. Although she didn't think Li Beining hated Wen Tao judging by how Li Beining behaved, it did look like there was some sort of problem surrounding the two. Meanwhile, it had already been several years since Wen Tao had become her underling, so she couldn't just stand by and watch as he got bullied.
Li Beining was evidently caught off guard by Yin Zhao-an's question as he started laughing, his deep laughter resonating across the room. Then, following his laughter, he said, "No, not at all. On the contrary, I like him very much, and I wish to be friends with him."
"Screw you! Who behaves like that when making friends?! Why would you snatch my things if you're trying to make friends?! You even threatened me!" Wen Tao promptly jumped out to refute Li Beining's words, venting the frustrations accumulated within him.
"I didn't snatch anything. I only borrowed your phone to save my number," Li Beining said as his eyes narrowed into smiles. As for the threatening part, he did not refute it.
Wen Tao was forced to the brink of tears by Li Beining's behavior. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about Li Beining since he could neither win against him in a fight nor hide from him…
"I hope it is as you said. Otherwise, I will seek justice for him," Yin Zhao-an said, the corners of her mouth slightly raised. However, even though she was smiling, there was a strong look of warning in her eyes. Despite her currently sickly state, the aura she exuded was not any less intimidating.
"I won't hurt him, so you can rest assured on this point," Li Beining said, nonchalantly accepting Yin Zhao-an's innocuous threat. Then, he got up from the sofa and looked at Wen Tao, asking, "Do you want to go back together, Little Prince? I'll drop you off."
"'Little Prince,' my ass!!"