Which way to go is the road?

Four-Eyes Ah Wen never appeared again, not because he had given up, but because the mission was complete!

Everyone put a lot of effort into directing this scene, aiming to ignite Zhang Fang's feelings and bring them together as soon as possible. However, Dong Lu had reservations, fearing that this would force Zhang Fang to comply or make things difficult for him. Therefore, the only deviation from the script was that Dong Lu confessed at the end.

"So I was tricked and fooled, is that right?"

"If you change your mind now, I won't blame you! After all, we used tricks and schemes!"

After Dong Lu finished speaking, she turned her back and waited anxiously for Zhang Fang's final verdict, but what she received was a warm hug.

The confirmation of Zhang Fang and Dong Lu's relationship did not surprise anyone. In Lao You's words, Zhang Fang's actions were a case of a prodigal son returning home, and things were bound to develop this way.

Recently, something has really caught the attention of their social circle, eliciting frequent exclamations of surprise: "Lao You has started dieting!"

In the past, Lao You was always the first to say he was hungry at mealtimes, and everyone would only get off the plane and eat after his constant urging. Over time, waiting for Lao You to call them to eat became a habit, so many people jokingly called Lao You "Lao You's Mom".

But one night, after waiting and waiting for Lao You to come, they were so hungry that they couldn't stand it anymore, so they took the initiative to get off the plane and go find Lao You.

Du Xinpeng looked at Lao You, who was still sitting calmly at this hour, and was very puzzled.

"Old You, time for dinner! Look, it's already eight o'clock!"

"You guys go ahead, I'm not eating!"

Why?

"lose weight!"

"Stop kidding, you're on a diet? Who would believe that? Let's go! How can you have the energy to diet if you don't eat!"

"I'm really not going!"

"Aren't you hungry?"

Just then, Lao You's stomach seemed to hear the conversation, and it rumbled a few times. Lao You gritted his teeth and patted his uncooperative stomach.

"I'm not hungry!"

"Stop arguing, your stomach is protesting! Let's go! Let's go!"

"I said I'm not going, and I'm not going. Don't bother trying to persuade me; I'll argue with anyone who tries!"

Seeing that Lao You was so angry, everyone had no choice but to stop talking and walk away silently.

Everyone had left. Old You tightened his belt even more, his stomach growling in protest. He looked away from the computer, glanced at the front desk, and clenched his fist to encourage himself.

"What's wrong with Lao You? Why did you suddenly decide to lose weight?" Du Xinpeng and Tian Hai were already sitting in the restaurant, waiting for their food to be served, still very puzzled.

"Let me tell you, quitting smoking or losing weight are things only ruthless people do. When are people most ruthless to themselves?" Tian Hai seemed to have a deep understanding of this.

"When you're completely despondent and can't think straight!" Du Xinpeng widened his eyes, his performance exaggerated.

"Get lost, I have nothing to say to you!"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood. Look at Xiang Fei and Bai Xue, they're a couple, Zhang Fang and Dong Lu are a couple, but Lao You is a bit off now, it's just the two of us left to rely on each other! If I get out of here, you'll be all alone!"

"I'd rather be alone. Get out!"

"Second brother, don't be angry, have some water! When are people most ruthless to themselves?"

"Of course, it's when you're in love! A woman dresses up for the man she loves!"

"But Lao You is a man!"

"That's why he's losing weight; let's see if it's true love."

"So what if it's true love?"

"If it's true love, his weight loss isn't just talk; he might actually succeed. Besides that, he's probably doing more than just dieting. Just watch! He'll definitely buy new clothes in the next couple of days!"

On Saturday morning, with no classes scheduled, the university campus was empty and quiet. Most students were sleeping in their dormitories, with the curtains drawn tightly, afraid that even a little light would disturb their sleep.

It was winter, and the school's artificial lake was covered with a thick layer of ice. The water birds kept there had been moved to other places to spend the winter because it was out of season. Only a bare ring of weeping willows stood stubbornly in the cold wind, waiting for spring to arrive and flowers to bloom.

In the frigid environment, a figure approached from afar, breathing rapidly, steam constantly billowing from his mouth. His obese body swayed as he ran. Lao You had already run three laps around the artificial lake, having only persisted for three days. His body hadn't yet adapted to this kind of exercise, and his movements were very uncoordinated.

After finishing his run, Lao You dragged his tired body past the girls' dormitory building when he suddenly called out from upstairs, "Lao You, don't go yet, wait for me to come down!"

Lao You put his hands on his hips and looked up. It turned out to be Dong Lu. He walked to the dormitory exit and waited, wondering what Dong Lu wanted to call him for! But before he could figure it out, Dong Lu had already run out of the exit.

"What's wrong? Lulu, look at me, I'm all sweaty, and I'm waiting to go back and wash up!" Lao You wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, panting heavily.

"Is washing up more important, or is your life's most important event?"

"What's with this 'life-long event' thing? Are you trying to set me up with someone again? Forget it! I'm not in the mood for that lately!"

Dong Lu spoke simply and directly, not wanting to beat around the bush: "I think you're not lacking in interest, you're just overthinking it! So, when are you going to confess?"

"Confess what? Confess to whom?" Old You pretended to be confused even though he knew the answer.

"Zhang Chu! Isn't it?" Dong Lu put her hands behind her back and took small, measured steps. "You haven't been seeing any other girls lately, and you're so obsessed with dieting. Even a fool could see that!"

"Is it that obvious?"

"You're just burying your head in the sand, but I actually have high hopes for you. I've seen you pursue girls before, but never with this much effort, and you're even dieting!"

"Alright, since you all know, then you know! This time, no matter what happens, I won't give up on pursuing Zhang Chu, unless she gets a new boyfriend!" The fat old man raised his fist in a show of determination, which made everyone laugh.

"Alright, I know you're determined, but you should at least get yourself a couple of new outfits. You need to change your style of dressing loosely and not trying to fit your body. It's a bit risky to chase after Zhang Chu like this!" Dong Lu frowned, as if she had seen a fly.

"You mean you want to buy two pieces of clothing?"

"And the shoes... never mind, I'm free today, Zhang Fang and I will go with you!"

……

Since Xiang Fei and Bai Xue confirmed their relationship, the front desk became Zhang Chu's exclusive domain. Aside from his competent internet cafe management job, Xiang Fei devoted himself entirely to his online romance with Bai Xue. Zhang Chu, however, was happy to oblige, as her job was indeed at the front desk, and Xiang Fei's happiness was something she, as a girl, had always hoped for.

Zhang Chu, tired of playing games, rested his chin on his hand and observed the customers entering and exiting the revolving door with great interest. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as a very cool-looking man walked out of the revolving door. He was wearing a jacket, sunglasses, and shiny leather shoes, just like a hacker from "The Matrix," which greatly piqued Zhang Chu's interest.

Looking further, Zhang Chu saw Zhang Fang and Dong Lu following behind. Upon closer inspection, Zhang Chu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Old You, what are you doing dressed like that?"

"The New Year is almost here, how about we buy a couple of new outfits? Do you think we look good?"

"It looks cool, but it looks so funny on you. Take off your sunglasses! It's really awkward!"

"Don't take it off! This is the complete set of equipment. Hey Zhang Chu, can you take a picture with your phone? Take a picture of this handsome guy!" Dong Lu said mischievously, glancing back at Zhang Fang. The two exchanged knowing smiles.

"Yes, wait a minute!"

Zhang Chu picked up his phone, turned on the camera, and asked Lao You to step back two steps so he could take a full-body photo of him!

"Okay, see!"

"Not bad, not bad, the resolution is pretty high. Let's take a group photo with Lao You!"

Dong Lu and Zhang Fang ran to Lao You like they'd seen a celebrity, one on each side, and took a photo together.

"Zhang Chu, why don't you take a picture with Lao You? It's rare to see Lao You dressed so cool!"

Zhang Chu was very obedient and ran over happily, standing next to Lao You and making a two-finger gesture.

"No, we can't fit two people in. You two move closer. Yes, Lao You, put your hand on Zhang Chu's shoulder, like that, 1, 2, 3, okay!"

After taking the photo, Zhang Chu sent it to the three people via Bluetooth. Lao You looked at the photo of himself and Zhang Chu and grinned foolishly.

Just then, three young men, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, entered from outside. Judging from their strange attire, they were no longer students.

"Beautiful lady, please board!"

"ID card!" Zhang Chu replied expressionlessly.

"I lost my ID card, beautiful. Could you please open one of two machines for me? Don't worry, we're both adults!"

"Without ID cards, how am I supposed to know if you're adults or not!"

"We're adults now! We're adults now! If you don't believe me, let's go to a hotel tonight and see how it goes. It's great, hotels don't require ID!" one of the guys with the buzz cut joked without any restraint.

"Go online if you want, but get lost if you don't have an ID. This isn't a place for you to run wild!"

Zhang Chu was furious and embarrassed. Just as he was about to retort, Lao You stepped forward and shoved them, his face hardening as he gritted his teeth and uttered these words.

"You dare push me, you're something else!" The short-haired guy turned around and pretended to leave, but before Lao You could react, he slapped him across the face!

Old You pounced on him, shoving the man with the buzz cut aside. Ignoring the punches and kicks from his two accomplices, he focused on beating the man with every punch! Zhang Fang also rushed over, but he could only hold one person back. Old You was caught in the crossfire and suffered a loss.

Dong Lu quickly ran to the internet area to call Xiang Fei, Tian Hai, and Du Xinpeng. Zhang Chu couldn't stand to see Lao You suffer, so he picked up the lucky cat figurine on the table and smashed it over the head of the person who was punching and kicking Lao You. The person fell to the ground with a thud!

Xiang Fei and his two companions rushed over and together subdued the other two. Qian Luomei, Xiangzi, and Wang Haoming, having received the news, also went down to the first floor.

"Xiang Fei, call 110 to report the crime! Xiangzi, call 120 for emergency medical services! These bastards dare to cause trouble here! Wait, Xiang Fei, stop calling, I'll do it! Xiangzi didn't say anything to you, keep calling 120."

Qian Luomei searched through her contacts for a long time before finally dialing a familiar number. The call connected after only a few rings!

"Luomei, it's been so long since you called me. What's up?" A deep voice came from the other end of the line.

"Brother Dazhi, I'm in trouble."

"What is it? Don't rush, tell me slowly!" The person on the other end realized the seriousness of the matter and became serious as well.

……

Qian Luomei briefly recounted the whole story, then hung up the phone and waited for the police to arrive.

"I hope the guy I hit isn't dead? He's still lying there motionless!" Zhang Chu was a little scared.

"It's alright, he won't die! These damn thugs are tough as nails!" Qian Luomei reassured Zhang Chu. The man lying on the ground seemed to hear the conversation and groaned in pain.

"Don't worry, no matter what happens, I'm here for you!" Old You, with a bruised and swollen face, held Zhang Chu's hand and said earnestly, which reassured Zhang Chu a lot.

This usually carefree group encountered trouble for the first time. They were all good students at school and law-abiding citizens in society, fearless in the face of petty thugs who were habitual fighters. But afterwards, however, they couldn't help feeling worried and anxious! There was no way around it; that's how the security was back then. Near every school, there was a group of petty thugs causing trouble.