Chapter Ninety-Three: Rainmaking

I gripped the shard of glass in my hand, stepped in front of Shi Yu, and advanced toward the bald man one step at a time.

Seeing me like this, the bald man faltered and took a half-step back, only to bump into the pale wall behind him.

“Come on, man... I only touched your woman a little. Was that really necessary?” He gave a strained laugh and waved a hand, but I could see fear slowly rising in his eyes.

“She means more to me than I do to myself. If you dare lay a hand on her, I’ll make you pay for it.”

I smiled too, but my voice came out harsh, almost unhinged.

Just as I had driven the bald man into the corner and was about to strike, the shop door was suddenly pushed open. At that moment I knew I could not afford to be distracted. If I lost my chance and he seized the advantage, I did not matter, but what about Shi Yu behind me? Who could I count on to protect her?

For an instant, it was as if a slide show flickered before my eyes: the scene in the bar restroom with Luo Qing, and that final desperate look in her eyes, like a blade piercing straight through my heart...

I would never allow something like that to happen again.

“Stop!”

The sharp command cut in.

I hurriedly stepped back a few paces before turning to look at the newcomer: a middle-aged man around forty, with prematurely graying hair, dark and weathered skin, as though he had spent years under wind and sun.

“What happened?” The man saw the blood all over Shi Yu’s hands and was startled. He rushed over to her and asked what had happened.

Shi Yu glanced at him and gave a cold laugh. “What happened? I was about to ask you the same thing.”

I walked to Shi Yu’s side and shoved the middle-aged man away, keeping anyone who might harm her from getting close.

The man looked at the glass wrapped around my hand and took a few fearful steps back. “I... I’m the owner here, Zhou Chang. I really don’t know what happened. Miss Shi, could you please tell me what’s going on?”

“Who is he?” Shi Yu raised a trembling finger and pointed at the bald man who had remained silent with his head down in the corner, then asked sharply.

“This...” Zhou Chang looked at the bald man, who still had not said a word, and seemed somewhat troubled. “He’s my younger brother, Zhou Yan... what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” I gave a cold laugh and stepped up in front of Zhou Chang. Raising my hand, I pressed the glass against his shoulder and said furiously, “He claimed he was just keeping an eye on the place for this shop, and while I wasn’t paying attention, he laid hands on my sister. What are you going to do about it?”

“I really had no idea that beast would do something like this. I’ll give him a proper beating later, I promise!” Zhou Chang was so angry that he rushed over and slapped Zhou Yan hard across the face. But to me, all of it felt like a performance, meaningless from beginning to end.

“So that’s your solution?” Shi Yu took out her phone, apparently about to call the police.

Seeing her move, Zhou Chang hurried back and explained, “No, no, of course not. Whatever conditions you want, Miss Shi, just say them. We’ve met before, haven’t we? You know exactly what kind of person I am...”

“I say? Then listen carefully...” Shi Yu held the phone in her hand but made no move to put it away. She looked at Zhou Chang with cool eyes and said, “Your brother’s words and actions have caused harm to me, both physically and mentally. I want compensation. If you refuse, then we can settle this in court.”

When Zhou Chang heard her demand compensation, he hesitated. He looked at me, then at Shi Yu. I had nothing to say; if Shi Yu said it was fine, then it was fine.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Chang finally clenched his teeth and said, “All right. How much do you want?”

“The shop for free for six months. After six months, we’ll continue paying according to the agreement. What do you think?” Shi Yu said slowly and calmly.

“Six months?” Not only was Zhou Chang stunned into repeating it, even I was shocked that Shi Yu would make such a demand.

“You don’t agree?” Shi Yu lifted her phone again as if to call.

“No, no, I agree, I agree... but six months is really making this difficult for me. Could we discuss three months instead? Three months of free use?” Sweat dripped down Zhou Chang’s forehead.

“Six months. One sentence: do you agree or not?”

Shi Yu seemed determined to take Zhou Chang for a hard loss.

Zhou Chang looked extremely irritated. He stormed over and kicked Zhou Yan, who had not said a word the whole time, before huffing out a breath as if venting his anger. Then he forced a smile and said, “Fine. Six months it is!”

After that, Zhou Chang hypocritically handed Shi Yu several hundred yuan for medical expenses. Shi Yu did not refuse. She took the money, pulled me along, and walked out of the shop.

Once we had put enough distance between us and that place, my mind gradually cleared. Looking at Shi Yu beside me, I immediately wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused no matter what, insisting it was only a small cut and not worth the trouble.

“Sis, what if they turn around and deny everything?” I was still seething. Shi Yu, the person I treasured most, had been bullied. Could money really make up for that? But I also knew there was no better solution right then, so following Shi Yu’s lead was the safest course.

“I recorded it,” Shi Yu said with a smile, shaking her phone.

I stared at the phone in her hand and suddenly understood. She had never intended to call the police at all. She had simply started recording before Zhou Chang noticed.

“How did you know Zhou Chang would definitely cave? Six months’ rent is a lot of money. That’s several tens of thousands.” I looked worriedly at the red marks still lingering on Shi Yu’s palm.

“When I saw how anxious Zhou Chang looked earlier, I guessed that Zhou Yan probably had some other record on file. Maybe he’d even been pulled out of prison by some other means. And then Zhou Chang’s hesitation confirmed my suspicion. He had something to hold over him, so why wouldn’t he compromise obediently?” Shi Yu looked at me and smiled.

“Then why not demand years from him? That son of a bitch actually dared to lay hands on you!”

“That wouldn’t work. Zhou Chang clearly cares about his brother, but in the end he’s just a businessman. A desperate dog can still jump a wall. We can’t push him too far.” Shi Yu looked completely confident.

I could not help but silently marvel at her. In a confrontation like that, to be able to think so quickly through such complicated relationships while also reading the other person’s mind... I almost wondered whether she was some hidden agent from a government organization, merely posing as a little manager in a bar.

I hurried to a nearby pharmacy and bought a hemostatic spray, some antiseptic solution, and gauze. Then I led Shi Yu to sit on a roadside step and bandaged her up. Thanks to all the fights and injuries from my school days, I was quite practiced at treating wounds. In no time, I had wrapped her injured hands securely.

“Chen...” Shi Yu looked up at me and called softly.

I looked at her in surprise. She usually never called me that. Most of the time she called me “Chen Zi,” and sometimes directly “Yang Chen.” Even though we always addressed each other as sister and brother, she rarely called me “younger brother.”

“Sis, what is it?”

Shi Yu smiled, lifted her bandaged hand, and gently brushed through my slightly messy hair. “When you stood in front of me just now, you looked really handsome.”

“W-what... no way...” Being teased like that by Shi Yu, I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.

“My Chen... really has grown up. He can protect his sister now...” Shi Yu’s beautiful face was very close to mine. I could smell the faint, clean fragrance on her, and those tender eyes of hers looked at me with such softness that I did not even know where to put my hands.

“If Zhou Chang hadn’t shown up just now, what would you have done?” Shi Yu lightly stroked my cheek and asked in a whisper.

“I... I don’t know...” That really was the truth. I had no idea what I would have done next. Would I have fought Zhou Yan to the death?

“Fool...” Shi Yu leaned her body against mine and looked at me from close range. Only after a long moment did she sigh and say, “How can you be so foolish?”

“I...” I tried to explain, but suddenly my eyes widened, and I stood there dazed like an idiot.

My lips were suddenly met by something soft. A spellbinding breath drifted into my mind like a haze of smoke. In an instant my thoughts went completely blank. Shi Yu’s lips were against mine, and I felt as if I had lost myself in her world, unable to pull free for a very long time.

That moment seemed to stretch on and on. It was only when Shi Yu straightened up and pushed me away that I awakened as if from a dream.

“Sis...” I stammered for a long time but could not manage a single coherent word. Shi Yu, sitting beside me, had also turned red and looked away.

I scratched my head helplessly, even a little uneasily, not knowing how to break the awkward silence, much less how I should face Shi Yu in a moment.

“Chen...”

“Mm?”

“Don’t take it to heart. Just think of it as my reward to you...” By the time Shi Yu turned back toward me, the blush on her face had faded quite a bit. Perhaps to her, that kiss was only a sister’s affection for her younger brother, with nothing special mixed in.

Looking at her gentle and beautiful expression, I was still trapped in the aftermath of that fragrant, intoxicating moment and could not quite pull myself free. I only nodded dumbly.

Shi Yu stood up and then held out her hand to help me up. But when I saw the white gauze wrapped around her hand, I hurriedly stood on my own and did not dare touch her wound.

“All right then, the place has been settled. I’m going back to sleep a bit. I’ll probably have to ask for leave tonight,” Shi Yu said with a wry smile as she looked at her inconvenient hands. Then she walked to the roadside and prepared to hail a taxi.

“Sis... aren’t you afraid Zhou Yan might take revenge on you?” I still could not put this matter out of my mind. I was afraid the same story I had once lived through with Luo Qing would play out again.

Shi Yu was stunned for a moment when she heard me, then smiled. “You’re not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid?”

“Besides...” She waved and stopped a taxi, then turned back and smiled at me. “Don’t I still have my younger brother protecting me?”