Chapter 0175: Fighting for a Girl

Zhao Fusheng never expected to see Han Meimei again so soon. That morning, Wen Yu had mentioned that she was now hanging out with a bunch of hooligans and bad students, but Zhao Fusheng didn't take it seriously—after all, it had nothing to do with him.

Besides, she was an adult who had already started college. In Zhao Fusheng's view, if a person couldn't even make the most basic judgments of right and wrong, then if they fell, they had only themselves to blame.

He had no interest in playing the savior, especially for a girl he didn't even know.

To Zhao Fusheng, the world was full of strangers. The only people he could look after were those close to him; as for the rest, he couldn't afford to care too much.

But he never imagined that he would end up entangled with this girl after all.

When the classmate named Shi Nan said that Wen Yu was being beaten up near the small gate of Zone Three, Zhao Fusheng knew he had no choice but to get involved.

He kicked the dormitory mop in two, grabbed the handle, and led the way, with Tan Kaixuan and Wang Zhen behind him, each carrying a stool leg.

Just as they reached the ground floor, Qin Wentao and two other roommates caught up. Clearly, Shi Nan had not only called Zhao Fusheng and the others but also Qin Wentao.

Zhao Fusheng shot a grateful glance at Shi Nan and the others, then nodded at Qin Wentao, who smiled and said, "Let's go. If we're late, it'll be trouble."

It had to be said: when Shi Nan saw Wen Yu and Han Meimei surrounded, he made the right decision. Instead of rushing in, he turned back to the dorm to get help. From their dorm to the small gate of Zone Three was only a minute or two away, which was far more useful than charging in and getting beaten alongside Wen Yu.

When a girl decides to hang out with a bunch of thugs, unless she's tough enough herself, she has to be prepared to play along, at least to put on an act. It's simple—that's the whole point of them taking her along.

But Han Meimei was clearly not that kind of girl. She wasn't tough, nor did she have that awareness. She was just a simple, innocent, ordinary girl. Rejected by Wen Yu, whom she had admired since childhood, she chose to let loose with two local girls from her dorm.

But her idea of "letting loose" was just hanging out at internet cafes and chatting online. She never imagined she'd end up in a situation with these thugs.

Unfortunately, some things don't go the way you want them to.

After class that afternoon, Han Meimei was heading back to the dorm when she ran into a group of thugs coming out of a restaurant. They were clearly drunk. Spotting Han Meimei, maybe emboldened by alcohol or maybe it was premeditated, they started spewing obscenities and reaching out for her.

Han Meimei was terrified. She dodged frantically, cursing, hitting, and kicking, trying to break free, but they pushed her back into the circle.

To be honest, these thugs were truly despicable. They loved watching "Young and Dangerous," thinking that being in a gang meant loyalty and being cool. But as they hung out, they turned into the movie's villain, Liang Kun—with that sinister laugh, arrogant tone, and sleazy moves...

If Wen Yu hadn't charged in, Han Meimei might have really been in trouble today.

But his intervention didn't help much. He was alone, and one man can't fight a crowd. All he could do was divert the thugs' attention. They surrounded him and started beating him. All Wen Yu could do was cover his head and protect his vital spots.

As for Han Meimei, she could only cry in the corner, helpless.

The place was secluded, with few passersby. Besides, the attackers were a notorious gang near the school. No one dared to help. The braver ones went to find a teacher; the more timid simply took a detour.

That's human nature—seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster is instinct.

This was the scene before Zhao Fusheng and the others when they arrived.

To be honest, even if the person being beaten wasn't Wen Yu, even if the victim wasn't Han Meimei, even if it was just an ordinary stranger surrounded, Zhao Fusheng couldn't have stood by and done nothing.

He wasn't one of those keyboard warriors online, nor those media reporters who would grandly argue that a woman falling from the eleventh floor was falling too fast and should be left to die rather than trying to catch her with their arms.

Zhao Fusheng was just an ordinary person with a conscience.

Most of the local thugs in this era became hoodlums after watching a few Hong Kong movies in video parlors. They mimicked the code of brotherhood and ruthlessness, acting cocky and self-important. In a way, they were even more dangerous than seasoned criminals because they were unpredictable, had no sense of boundaries, and didn't know their own strength. They would harass girls, pull knives—they were capable of anything.

In contrast, the old-timers who had been in the underworld since the 1980s were already starting to go straight and clean up their act.

"Go!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhao Fusheng charged forward and swung the mop handle down at the leader.

Of course, he aimed for the guy's back.

"Bang!"

The mop handle, as thick as a bowl, struck the back. It wasn't winter, and the guy wasn't wearing much. He stumbled forward from the blow. Before he could recover, Qin Wentao kicked him in the leg.

The others rushed in and started kicking him fiercely.

This was the tactic they had discussed on the way over. After all, they were students. If it turned into a full-on brawl, they might not be able to outfight the thugs.

So, they decided to focus on one person and beat him relentlessly.

Zhao Fusheng came up with this tactic. He remembered an anime where one of the main characters, when surrounded by enemies, grabbed one of them and beat him within an inch of his life.

Even though he ended up in the hospital himself, his opponent was hospitalized too.

Using this move now was meant to intimidate the thugs.

Sure enough, before the other thugs could react, the seven of them had beaten the ringleader black and blue, leaving him just as battered as Wen Yu, who was lying on the ground supported by Han Meimei.

"How are you?"

When they stopped, Zhao Fusheng and the others formed a circle, shielding Han Meimei and Wen Yu behind them. Zhao Fusheng asked Wen Yu in a low voice.

"Don't worry, I'm not dying," Wen Yu struggled to his feet, glanced at his equally battered opponent, and chuckled. "Damn, at least we didn't lose."

At that moment, the thug also stood up with the help of his companions. The two groups faced off, standing there in a standoff!