Chapter 23: Alleyway Ambush Incident

poison thing earlier Ettu Poison... What does it mean Your knowledge has become so profound now that we can't even understand the English terms..." Father smiled awkwardly but handsomely.“Do_it_for_yo...Chapter 23: The Alley Ambush Incident

During this period, several girls made jokes about Chen Lingshan and Su Can. Chen Lingshan was blushing from everyone's teasing, making her and Su Can feel extremely awkward. Usually calm and composed, Chen Lingshan still had a certain flair among the girls. She immediately grabbed Su Can's hand and pretended to leave, saying, "Let’s not listen to them!"

Chen Lingshan held onto Su Can at his wrist joint on his arm, although their palms didn’t touch directly, but by pulling him like this, the scene became romantic. It even made the surrounding girls stop talking for a moment, though they still maintained smiles from earlier jokes; however, this action had a significant impact on everyone's hearts.

Chen Lingshan was also startled by her own actions. She acted out of impulse and wanted to retract it when she realized what she did, but that only made the situation more obvious. So, she pretended to be casual and walked with Su Can across a wooden bridge over a small lake, separated from others by trees before letting go and smiling, "Li Lumei and the others like causing trouble; you'll get used to them if you interact with them often, don’t take it to heart."

The topics of conversation among girls in this era were undoubtedly rumors and gossip. Su Can didn't pay much attention and scratched his head, saying, "No worries, I’ll just get used to it."

Chen Lingshan heard a different meaning in Su Can's words. ‘Getting used to it’ implied that they had already unconsciously blended into the same circle Recalling the warmth and male scent she felt when holding his wrist earlier, there was an inexplicable stirring in her heart.

"Mid-term exams are coming up soon, so I won’t have much time. After mid-terms, we’re planning a small gathering; will you be joining us" Chen Lingshan smiled slightly.

“Oh, the mid-term exams…” Su Can seemed lost in thought. Recently, he had been busy with intense self-study and accumulating knowledge. He often felt that time passed like an arrow, quickly from morning to night. Reading under the light at night and taking notes, then sleeping—this cycle repeated daily without him having much leisure time. This relentless pursuit was due to past shadows; he dared not slack off during these fleeting moments.

So Su Can felt somewhat exhausted. Chen Lingshan’s suggestion of a get-together after mid-terms intrigued him.

"Xue Yiyang has already agreed," Chen Lingshan added, seeing Su Can lost in thought.

"Hmm. Alright, definitely!" Su Cen thought to himself about Xue Yiyang, who had been hinting at something and being deliberately vague with him, which was really infuriating.

"Well then, let's agree on that," Chen Linsan felt it wasn't a big deal to be here in this little lake, considered by everyone as the perfect spot for dating. She turned around gracefully and walked down the wooden bridge, waving goodbye to Su Cen. Her pink sports shirt and short pants froze her entire figure amidst the slanting light filtering through the trees, like an oil painting.

On the other side of the playground, a group of girls who had just snapped out of their trance from seeing Su Cen and Chen Linsan leave started chattering again. "Do you think they're really going to be together"

"No way! What's so special about this Su Cen It’s said he has been secretly admiring Ling Shan since his days at No. 3 High School. With all the admirers vying for her, it wouldn’t make sense for him to succeed!"

"Didn't Linsan reject his confession before Sometimes a person's mind can change when they feel compassionate. Look, she even held hands with him today! Although Su Cen doesn’t seem like much, he’s actually quite sought after... Sigh, what exactly is their relationship between him and Tang Wu"

"Stop talking nonsense! There’s no evidence of that at all. If you have time, why not use it to study The mid-term exams are coming up, and the whole school will be ranking us; if you don’t want me to leave you far behind, then better start studying hard!" Li Lumei interrupted everyone's rambling.

Everyone expressed their dissatisfaction with her arrogance in various playful ways.

Apart from Chen Linsan, Li Lumei was the center of this group. Her excellent academic performance made her naturally authoritative; she had always been among the top eight or nine students before high school and served as the cultural affairs commissioner, all of which solidified her status in terms of話語權 (voice). Although the girls often teased her verbally, they still held a deep admiration for her inside.

Li Lumei was worried for the first time. Being on the same side as Chen Linsan, she felt like looking up to a tower in the clouds when considering Tang Wu's top-class academic performance. Such girls could make someone who had been at No. 1 High School deeply rooted with strong caution and vigilance. If Su Cen liked Chen Linsan, this would be a significant shake-up for the lofty Tang Wu; however, Li Lumei couldn’t help but wonder whether having such close interactions between Chen Linsan and Su Cen was ultimately beneficial or detrimental.

No. 1 High School wasn't on one of the main bus routes but hidden away in some small streets and alleys, with a complex network of roads. In Su Cen’s memory, the way to No. 1 High School was like a maze; even passing through some quadrangle courtyard lanes would lead you onto shortcuts.

In Su Cen's childhood memory, this place was like a maze. He would always marvel at Xue Yiyang’s ability to find the exit accurately every time. Now that he was walking through it himself, he felt both familiar and unfamiliar, experiencing a unique sense of novelty that people living in big cities nowadays would rarely feel.

But then came the real problem: precisely because the situation here is complicated, it harbors much more dirt and filth than elsewhere. Many fights outside school often happen in these narrow alleyways. People getting blocked off or attacked are common occurrences here, posing lower risks compared to inside the school premises. Consequently, many grievances and conflicts were resolved here.

Mr. Jin Yong once said that where there are people, there’s a江湖 (jianghu).

The same can be said for Shiyan High School. Although it doesn’t have as many reported fights as No. 2 or No. 3 Middle Schools, the sheer number of students means that conflicts and disputes here would not be less than those in other schools.

Usually when such incidents occur, passersby tend to avoid getting involved. Su Cen certainly wouldn’t concern himself with these juvenile squabbles. But today was different; he had no choice but to intervene.

The moment he entered an alleyway, he saw two men raising a discarded chair leg and brutally beating up a boy on the ground. The heavy blows were not aimed at weak spots such as the back of the head or neck, but each strike landed with a dull thud, causing Su Cen's heart to race.

He could turn away if he saw people exchanging punches and kicks, but witnessing this scene filled him with unease and a sense of foreboding that he couldn’t ignore.

A vague anger began burning in his chest.

Su Cen wasn’t reckless. He wouldn't be foolish enough to believe he could single-handedly become a hero by intervening. However, seeing the person on the ground struggling and the sticks continuously falling down upon him, he knew that this was no ordinary student brawl. If left unchecked, the victim might suffer severe injuries like ruptured organs or fractured ribs at best. Furthermore, if Wang Haoran were to retaliate against himself in a similar manner for Yue Zijiang’s sake, would it not be another case of an innocent person suffering unjustly

In modern times, Su Cen believed he could shout and intimidate those two bullies into stopping with his presence alone. But now he was just a frail high school student, still physically underdeveloped at this age. What good would that do him

Su Cen turned around and leaned against the alley wall. Observing the empty environment without anyone around, he listened to the dull groans and cries coming from the other side of the alley. An idea began to form in his mind.

"Damn it! Block him! Keep dodging! You’re not so tough平時你不是挺牛的嗎，看老子怎麼把你腿給敲斷！

"F*ck you! Come and dodge, motherf*cker! Show us what you've got!" The two individuals continued their assault, completely ignoring the large amount of blood gushing out from the forehead of the person on the ground. Their feet left bloody tracks across the pavement due to the struggle. This situation only fueled their rage, and they continued their attack.

A series of footsteps were heard coming from the other end of the alley at this moment, indicating that someone was in a hurry and approaching. The two individuals wielding sticks immediately became alert and looked towards the entrance of the alley with suspicion.

Su Cen suddenly darted out and shouted loudly towards the alley’s entrance, "They're here! There are two of them! Block their way so they can't escape!"

The two men had been attacking from halfway through on a surprise raid. They were already anxious in their hearts but venting their anger against the person on the ground made them lose themselves for a moment. Until Su Cen emerged and shouted, they immediately felt like frightened birds, truly shocked.

Seeing Su Cen rush out with such momentum behind him, and seeing a trail of yellow sand whipped up by his speed from the ground, it seemed as if countless people were about to chase them down. The two men didn’t hesitate; without even attempting to threaten or intimidate Su Cen, they kicked the person on the ground once more before running out of the alley with their sticks.

Su Cen followed and shouted at them while they ran away from him, thus preventing any suspicion that might arise later if they had run far. The two men wouldn't dare to be suspicious and would have no choice but to continue running for their lives.

Turning back around, the person on the ground was a student wearing casual clothes, who seemed to come from a relatively well-off background. He was slightly taller than Su Cen, but surprisingly tough enough to roll over onto his side and lean against the wall, staring at Su Cen with shock. The blood on his forehead had already started to clot. After seeing that there was no one else around at the alley entrance for quite some time, he nodded towards Su Cen appreciatively and said in surprise, "You're amazing!"

=========t was only slight.Su Can watched this scene coldly and knew how great the difficulties his father was facing were now. His maternal uncle also appeared to be living in glory on the surface; having ris...