What? You're a notorious bandit? What a coincidence, me too!

Dark as ink.

A minivan was parked in a small alley, and Xiao Bao and his friends were sitting inside.

He dialed a number and then gestured for the people next to him to be quiet.

"Brother Ming, I've found out the background of the kid who came to our door today!" Xiao Bao said cautiously.

"Speak," Ming said without wasting any words.

Xiao Bao didn't dare to delay and quickly said, "Let me tell you about that student first, Lin Hongbin, a ninth grader at Honggang Middle School, who lives in Pubei. His father's name is Lin Jianguo, and he's a sculptor..."

After listening for a while, Ming interrupted, "He's talking about that man, the one who rescued Lin Hongbin."

Xiao Bao's voice became more serious.

"That Lin Hongbin called that guy 'brother,' so I went to Lin Hongbin's neighborhood to inquire about him."

The neighbors said he had a cousin, from his uncle's family, named Lin Chang'an.

"Lin Chang'an?"

Ming kept repeating the name, "Go on..."

"In the afternoon, I had someone sneak into his house to take a look. There were photos in his house, so I can confirm that it was this kid."

This Lin Chang'an is twenty-five years old and works at the Second Machinery Factory. He's just a hoodlum, often hanging around the streets with a bunch of petty thugs.

Ming took a puff of his cigar, smoke billowing from his nostrils, his brow furrowed deeply. "Are you sure he's just a factory worker? A small-time thug? Nothing more?"

"no."

Xiao Bao quickly replied, "His parents died early, and he's been wandering around the world all these years. He doesn't have any connections; he's just a hoodlum."

Ming pinched his brow, pondering, "A mere thug... could he really take down all three of you so easily?"

"We were careless; we didn't dodge!"

Xiao Bao looked a little embarrassed, his tone urgent as he tried to explain, "I didn't expect him to act so quickly. I didn't have time to react, and that's how he got the upper hand!"

"Ming-ge, what do you think we should do now? Should we tie this guy up?"

"Don't rush to touch him," Ming said in a deep voice. Although Xiao Bao had made it very clear, he still felt something was off.

How could a small-time thug dare to cause trouble at his place?

Wenya also said that it only took the three of them, including Xiaobao, about ten seconds to beat him, which shows his skill is not simple.

"So, what do you mean, Ming-ge?" Xiao Bao quickly asked.

"Keep an eye on him." Ming's voice was very low.

"I understand, Ming-ge. I'm staying near his house right now." Xiao Bao nodded.

"Keep a close eye on things, don't let anything go wrong," Ming added. "If this gets messed up, you know the consequences."

"Don't worry, Ming-ge, I'll definitely handle this perfectly!" Xiao Bao patted his chest and assured him.

Ming didn't waste any more words and hung up the phone immediately. He then dialed another number and said, "Hey, help me look up someone..."

The night breeze was still hot and dry.

Lin Chang'an rode his motorcycle slowly on his way home.

Throughout the journey, his mind was filled with his original memories. Having lived two lives, his childhood memories had become very blurry and cold.

That happened back in high school.

Back then, he was a notorious troublemaker at school. He would sleep in class, fight after class, and was always accompanied by a few brothers who also disliked studying. He was a problem student in the eyes of teachers and a "bad boy" in the eyes of his classmates.

Wang Xinchen was a top student in the class. She was pretty, quiet, and always sat in the front row of the classroom, wearing a clean white shirt, like a pure white lotus flower.

He took a liking to Wang Xinchen at first sight, and would often go near her, either chatting with her with a grin or secretly hiding her textbooks in an attempt to get her attention.

But Wang Xinchen never paid any attention to him, always frowning and avoiding him, her eyes filled with aloofness and disgust.

He wasn't angry; instead, he found her even more interesting and continued to cling to her shamelessly.

Until one day, on his way home from school, Wang Xinchen was cornered in an alley by three bad boys from outside the school, who were hurling insults at him.

He happened to be passing by and rushed over without thinking.

Back then, he fought with sheer ruthlessness, grabbing a brick from the side and taking down those three thugs in no time.

He even broke several of their ribs.

Wang Xinchen was so frightened that her face turned pale and she stood there trembling.

He reached out and patted the other person's head, his tone deliberately relaxed: "It's alright now. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just say my name."

From then on, Wang Xinchen stopped avoiding him like before.

Although she never explicitly admitted to being his girlfriend, she was willing to go to and from school with him, lend him her notes to copy, and even secretly bring him iodine and band-aids after he got into a fight.

They spent all their time together, watching the sunset on the playground and listening to music on their way home. To outsiders, they already looked like a couple.

But this budding affection ultimately did not last.

Wang Xinchen comes from a well-off family; her parents own a sizable company and are quite wealthy.

Her brother found him alone and said bluntly, "Hey Lin, you and Xinchen are from different worlds. You can't give her any future. For her own good, stay away from her."

That conversation was like a hammer blow, jolting him awake.

Looking at the other person's designer suit and then at his own dusty sneakers, he suddenly felt ashamed of himself.

Yes, they are from completely different worlds. He is a nobody at the very bottom of society, and their futures are never on the same track.

Moreover, at that time, he had already become very close to the "big brothers" in society and could be considered a semi-"gangster".

Without hesitation, he made up an excuse and broke up with Wang Xinchen. He never appeared in front of her again.

Later, Wang Xinchen tried to find him several times to ask him why, but each time he was scolded and driven away.

He called her pretentious and ungrateful, and used all his ruthlessness on her, just to make her give up completely.

Having lived two lives, his youthful ignorance has been diluted by time.

But when he saw Wang Xinchen again today and saw the resentment deep in her eyes, a ripple still stirred in his heart.

He knew that the breakup back then might have been hurtful to Wang Xinchen, but it was also a form of protection.

If they continue to be together, given his later experiences, he will only cause her greater harm.

Just like the harm Fang Qingzhu suffered.

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of heartache. In his past life, he had made both of these women shed tears for him.

As for that relationship, he couldn't say whether it could be considered love.

Perhaps it was just a youthful impulse, or perhaps it was an instinctive yearning for beautiful things.

But just now he could tell that Wang Xinchen seemed to still be holding a grudge about what happened back then.

Yeah, but what can I do? I'm such a jerk!

When he got home, he parked his car, opened the door, and just as he turned on the light, his eyes fell on the floor, and he suddenly stopped.