Electronic Nezha

Chapter 72 The Whistle
Qiao Yan was stunned. Although we hadn't met many times, he knew I was outspoken. If I had said yes when he asked me if Han Shiya and I were going to rekindle our old flame, he definitely wouldn't have taken it seriously.

My story with Han Shiya was a beautiful mistake from beginning to end.

We were both forced to meet by our parents, and we were both resistant but also felt a bit of sympathy for each other. She was a beautiful and elegant girl at the time, while I was a talkative and sarcastic young man. I could always come up with seven or eight witty remarks out of 100 sentences, which made Han Shiya laugh out loud. The first few meetings went surprisingly well.

At that time, Old Liu had already built a vast empire for Liu Xiao – namely two stalls. The conditions weren't bad. Han Shiya's family was much better off than mine, but they weren't exactly wealthy either. Both families had only one child, so marriage was a natural progression.

Then things changed.

A beautiful appearance is nothing more than average once makeup is removed; elegance is a false elegance cultivated in a nouveau riche family.

The true nature of this "humorous young man" was quickly revealed; he could make fun of anything and crack jokes, but in reality, he was indifferent to everything. Coupled with the carefree and petty nature cultivated by his family of fruit vendors, our passion actually ran out after two or three years of marriage.

As for her obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness, that wasn't the main reason for our divorce at all. We also had many differences in our values. Han Shiya always thought that being serious and unsmiling towards waiters in restaurants was elegant, while I thought that working people have it tough and sometimes like to chat with others, which Han Shiya considered a hooligan's habit.

Regarding Liu Zhenhua's studies, Han Shiya believed in enrolling him in indiscriminate classes, spending money to send him to top-performing students. As for me, I followed the theory of Liu Zhenhua's grandfather: boys have more stamina, they'll get the hang of things once they understand...

Eventually, we inevitably drifted apart, and even our differences in lifestyle became insignificant. Fortunately, we both remained relatively calm and parted ways amicably, without any disagreements over the division of assets. This is the main reason we can still remain friends.

But getting back together is absolutely out of the question. We're both the kind of people who, once we've made a decision about something important, find it very difficult to turn back. In short: two stubborn donkeys can't be led to the same trough to eat grass...

Qiao Yan doesn't know much about me, but at least he knows Han Shiya.

"There are some things we shouldn't joke about!" Qiao Yan was already very unhappy.

Would I joke about something like this?

"I, as her father, didn't see it, but you figured it out after just one meal with her?" Qiao Yan said unhappily. "What's your basis for that?"

"Her music was filled with pain..." I never thought I would say such words; it made my teeth ache.

"Is it possible that it's because Yu Chen plays well?"

"I have a friend whose daughter is in a similar situation to Yu Chen. She was later diagnosed with depression, which is already quite severe—" I don't know who invented the "I have a friend" series, but people subconsciously say this when they feel particularly helpless.

Qiao Yan, holding her coffee cup, stared at me and said, "You don't even have a friend like that, do you?"

I think if I say anything offensive, he'll probably throw coffee at me. On my way to the coffee shop, besides thinking about how to tell him about his daughter's illness, my biggest worry was what to do if he hit me. Qiao Yan looks refined but is also tall and strong. Now it seems that throwing coffee at me is more in line with his character.

It's not that I'm afraid of being hit. For the sake of this young girl's future, I'd accept being hit a couple of times. What if he hits me or splashes me and then just walks away?
Just then, someone in the coffee shop's kitchen said, "This is such a big deal. If it were me, I would take my daughter to the hospital to get checked out no matter what. It would be best if she's okay, but if she is, we shouldn't delay."

It was that not-so-enthusiastic boss who actually listened to everything we said.

I rubbed my face and said, "Old Qiao, stop arguing. Take Yu Chen to see a doctor."

Qiao Yan frowned and remained silent for a long time before saying, "How am I supposed to tell Yu Chen? She has such a strong sense of self-esteem, how can I suddenly take her to get tested for depression?"

"That's your problem then." It turns out this phrase is so useful; the moment you think of shifting blame, you suddenly feel like the world is your oyster.

The boss in the control room said, "Just say she'll take an IQ test, she'll definitely be happy to go."

Qiao Yan said, "My daughter is not a child who is so easily fooled."

"Then you should use some fancy terms, like AQEQSQ or something."

Qiao Yan hesitated for a long time before saying, "I need to discuss this with Han Shiya." What was there to discuss with a stepmother? He was clearly flustered. "We need to act quickly. People with severe depression may have suicidal thoughts. What floor do you live on?"

Without any warning, Qiao Yan got up and left without even saying goodbye to me.

Theoretically, only the owner and I were left in the coffee shop, and he still hadn't shown up. I was in a state of confusion, so I sat there and lit a cigarette.

A "snap" sound came from the operating room, the sound of a lighter striking. The boss had just paid for one.

After finishing my cigarette, the owner still showed no sign of appearing. I glanced at the counter and saw there wasn't even a payment code, so I said, "Boss, check please."

"Never mind, it's my treat."

"Thanks." I didn't think much of it. The small pot of coffee was barely touched, except for the cup I sprayed out. I'll definitely never come back to this place again.

After leaving the coffee shop, I was too lazy to zip up my down jacket, so I just wrapped it up and walked into the residential area. Even though it's a school district property, it still takes five or six minutes to walk from the entrance of No. 3 Middle School to my home, even if I walk quickly.

When I turned from the main road of the community towards my building, I could clearly sense that there were people in front of me. In our old community, apart from the main road near the gate which has streetlights, the rest of the area is dark and gloomy.

There were obviously other people at the fork in the road next to the person blocking the way. I looked back and saw two figures moving around at the intersection behind me.

I laughed: "Why are you guys putting on this show again?" I wasn't nervous. I thought I had already reached an agreement with these four guys, and even if they had bad intentions, what could three cripples plus Elvis Presley do?

The man in front said in a deep voice, "Good eyesight, you can tell at a glance that we're coming for you."

My heart sank: the speaker wasn't one of Sun Zhancheng or his group.

The man took a step forward, and by the light from the residential buildings on both sides, I could vaguely see that he was tall and straight, with a buzz cut, and was about 1.8 meters tall. Although I couldn't see his face clearly, he exuded an invisible sense of pressure.

The other three appeared together, each taking a step forward, and the encirclement suddenly closed. They all had identical buzz cuts. Except for one behind me who was slightly short and chubby, the rest were all tall, with broad shoulders, thick chests, and long legs, and each looked well-trained.

"Who are you looking for? You've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?" That's what I really thought. Sun Zhancheng had also threatened to find someone to deal with me, but his biggest trump card was that senior citizen card. I felt that with his current wealth and social standing, he couldn't find a thug with that kind of charisma.

The one in the lead said, "Mr. Liu, our boss wants to see you."

It's Chen Bing! It's the people Chen Bing found!
I sneered and said, "Only you guys treat him like a boss. Your boss doesn't have any money at all!"

The short, fat man behind him blurted out, "We know."

Damn it, they're still suicide squad members!
The leader said, "Don't worry, it's really just a meeting, we will never hurt you."

I don't believe you for a second! I snapped open the front of my down jacket and casually placed my right hand on the whistle on my lower back!

"There's a gun!" another person in front whispered alertly.

"No way?" The short, fat man seemed to be talking to himself, but also to his accomplice.

In the blink of an eye, two people rushed at me from the front and back, trying to control me. I waved my hand to block the arm of the person in front, and immediately felt something was wrong—this person's arm was as hard as iron, his movements were swift, and his strength was extraordinary. I was sure he was someone I couldn't handle.

Just as the person behind me was about to snatch the whistle from my mouth, I finally put it to my lips and blew it with all my might!
"beep--"

A deafening whistle rang out.

(End of this chapter)