Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

On a tree-lined path in front of a university in Yanghe, a group of hooligans dressed in black rode modified motorcycles, recklessly creating a high-decibel street bang. The noise was so loud that even students on campus could hear it clearly. For these troublemakers, this kind of noise stimulated their hormones to the maximum extent, thus soothing their inner emptiness and anxiety.

"Brother Xiong, look...look at that car over there!" Bald Jiang San'er shouted, pointing at the red van speeding towards them. "It...it looks like that kid Lao Chengdong's!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiong, at the head of the convoy, tensed up. He abruptly slowed down, cursing under his breath, "Damn it! It really is that jinx! I've never seen such a bright red bread truck in the entire city gate!"

Seeing that their leader had already moved to the side of the road, Jiang San'er and the others dared not confront him directly. They obediently followed behind, all looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters...

The red van braked suddenly, and then, with a daring drift, it blocked the convoy's path. The group of thugs broke out in a cold sweat, but the van driver calmly got out of the car. The man had a cold face and piercing eyes, and his leather jacket gleamed black. This man was none other than Lao Chengdong, who had come to settle scores with Zheng Xiong and the others!

"Lao Erdong! Don't you fucking go too far! You're just relying on your brother, aren't you? If you push me too far one day, I'll smash your bread truck!" Zheng Xiong cursed, pinching his red, pockmarked nose.

Cheng Dong didn't even reply. He lunged at Zheng Xiong and his bowl-shaped fist struck Zheng Xiong's face without warning.

"Ouch!" Zheng Xiong cried out in pain as he fell off the motorcycle. He grimaced in pain and touched his nose, his hands covered in blood.

Normally, "Zheng the Bear" bullies others; he's never suffered a loss. Now, he spits out a curse, sticks out his buttocks, twists his waist, and stands up, ready to fight back.

Zheng Xiong was fat and strong, and he pounced on him like a wild boar. Cheng Dong was not afraid at all. He first dodged to the side, and then suddenly turned around and delivered a whip kick that hit the back of Zheng Xiong's leg squarely.

Cheng Dong had trained in Sanda at Songyang Martial Arts School, and this move, "Jade Ring Mandarin Duck Kick," was his signature skill. Not to mention Zheng Xiong, even his father, Butcher Zheng, couldn't withstand this attack.

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Xiong was sprawled on the ground, and Cheng Dong seized the opportunity to straddle him, raising his fists and unleashing a torrent of punches. "I'll teach you to bully my brother! I'll teach you to sell dead pig meat, I'll beat you to death, you little piglet!"

Fists rained down on him like a storm. Zheng Xiong covered his head with his hands, begging for mercy repeatedly, and occasionally letting out pig-like screams.

Seeing that their boss had backed down, how could those cowardly thugs in black dare to cause trouble? Only Jiang San'er timidly advised, "Brother Dong... we're just doing this for money. The one causing trouble is the big boss. Just now, he called the police and had Zhao Sumei and your brother arrested!"

If Jiang San'er had simply begged for mercy, Zheng Xiong would probably have continued to be beaten. But when he mentioned his little brother who was being beaten, Cheng Dong had no choice but to stop.

"Where are the police now?" Cheng Dong asked, staring intently at Jiang San'er.

"Right...right at the school gate!" Jiang San'er glanced at Zheng Xiong, whose head was covered in bumps, and quickly replied.

Cheng Dong stopped wasting words with Jiang San'er, stood up, spat at Zheng Xiong, and cursed, "I'll let you off this time, but if I hear you causing them trouble again, I'll skin you alive!"

After saying that, Cheng Dong walked straight to the bread truck without looking back, started the engine, shifted gears, accelerated, and disappeared with the truck in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the "fierce star" leave, Jiang San'er and the others quickly helped their leader up. Zheng Xiong was beaten beyond recognition, but "Zheng the Bear" was still a tough guy who had been around the block. He stared at the red bread truck belching exhaust fumes and cursed viciously, "Just you wait, don't fall into my hands, or I'll kill you sooner or later!"

A few minutes later, Cheng Dong arrived at the gate of Yanghe No. 1 High School. He rolled down the car window and saw two police pickup trucks parked next to the guard post in the distance, while several policemen were standing next to the flower bed diagonally opposite the guard post.

The uniformed police officers surrounded Zhao Sumei. At this moment, the woman, with her hair disheveled, sat blankly on the stone platform, being questioned by the police officers.

"It's just a small vendor, why make such a big fuss?" Cheng Dong muttered under his breath, about to walk forward, when he was blocked by a dark-faced plainclothes police officer.

"What brings you here, kid?"

The dark-faced police officer looked Cheng Dong up and down suspiciously. He clearly recognized him, which was why he wasn't speaking too formally.

"Uncle Tuan!" Cheng Dong stared at the dark face, his face instantly breaking into a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, what are you talking about? I'm a police officer, why can't I be here? But you, now that you're a boss, you've got too big for your britches, huh? You even dare to question me?" the dark-faced police officer said irritably.

"Uncle Tuan, that's not what I meant. I meant that you've been transferred to the county public security bureau, so why are you still dealing with street vendors?"

The "Uncle Tuan" mentioned by Cheng Dong is actually named Zhang Tuanjie. He knew the two brothers, Cheng Dong and Cheng Xi, when he was a police officer at the Chengguan Police Station. Over time, he became an accomplice of the big boss Lao Chengxi. It is said that he was able to become the deputy captain of the county public security bureau through Cheng Dong's connections.

"Don't try to trick me, kid. Tell me, is this any of your business?" Zhang Tuanjie asked this for a reason. He was on assignment this time, and now that he had suddenly met Cheng Dong, he wanted to find out Cheng Dong's position as soon as possible.

"Uncle Tuan, I'm a law-abiding citizen now, so setting up a stall has nothing to do with me, but..."

At this point, Cheng Dong paused for a moment, then took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhang Tuanjie. After Zhang Tuanjie took the cigarette, Cheng Dong held a rotary lighter in both hands and brought it to Zhang Tuanjie's lips.

Zhang Tuanjie had already put the cigarette in his mouth. He tilted his head slightly and shielded the flame with his hand. The moment the cigarette touched the flame, he took a deep drag and exhaled the smoke. "Whenever you give me a cigarette, it's never anything good! Tell me, are you asking me to give you special treatment again?"

Cheng Dong smiled slightly and pointed to the tricycle on the pickup truck, saying, "Uncle Tuan, that auntie who runs the stall is my relative. She's divorced and has a child. She makes a living by selling snacks. If she makes a mistake, you can just criticize and teach her a lesson. But you can't take her tricycle away! That's..."

Before Cheng Dong could finish speaking, Zhang Tuanjie immediately interrupted him, "But what? Just because she's pitiful, she can operate without a license? There's a crackdown going on right now. If we don't arrest a few examples, how am I supposed to explain this when I get back?"

"Uncle, you took care of us when we were reselling movie tickets back then. Now you have to take care of them too! They're all laid-off workers! Life isn't easy for them!" Cheng Dong flattered him while also playing the emotional card, leaving the other man speechless.