Beauty and the Bodyguard

Lin Yi didn’t know who his mother was, but this guy was too much- ‘fucking his mom tonight’? Who says that? Lin Yi had always been sensitive to his status as an orphan, and he wasn’t planning on letting this fatty go easily after he went and brought up his mother.

His hand smacked against Fatty’s face as he launched the big body some distance away. The guy’s mass was great, but Lin Yi’s strength was far greater- the fatty went spinning like a top for a bit as he crashed head first onto the ground, a clear red palm mark on his cheek.

“Whose mom are you fucking?” Lin Yi said coldly as he looked down coldly at the groaning fatty.

“Who the hell do you think you are? That guy’s under me!!” Lin Yi was facing away from Ruoming at the moment, and Ruoming had no idea it was Lin Yi he was dealing with here. The slap was a little terrifying, but Fatty _was_ unprepared- Zou Ruoming brushed it off as a surprise attack, also assuming that the new guy was under Zhong Pinliang, as well. With that, he reached his hand out at Lin Yi.

“Your face all healed up?” Lin Yi said, turning his head to Ruoming.

“Lin… Yi?” Zou Ruoming understood instantly how Fatty got blown off his feet with a slap- it was fucking Lin Yi!!!

“Didn’t you hear me? I’m asking if your face’s healed.” Lin Yi asked.

“Yeah… All… It’s all healed up…” Ruoming was on high alert- the guy in front of him was a monstrous lunatic, fucking even Heibao Bro up with no effort at all!! He was in no position to be pissing someone like this off!! Lin Yi was also asking about the injury from the basketball a while back, and Ruoming wasn’t about to ignore the question.

“Oh.” Lin Yi nodded, sending a slap across Ruoming’s face as well, pushing blood out of his nostrils as his cheek swelled up. It was a different slap Lin Yi employed this time, however, and Zuo Ruoming wasn’t sent flying the way Fatty was. “There, screw off and go heal that one up.”

Ruoming held a hand to his cheek, feeling very wronged and unlucky- he was just trying to ask a girl out, what did he do to deserve this fucking monster falling on top of his pleasant plans? He hadn’t pissed the guy off, had he..? Fatty’s remark about fucking his mom tonight, then..? He wasn’t even talking about Lin Yi’s mom- who the hell still threw themselves at insults not even directed at them in the first place nowadays?

One glance at Xiaobo’s smug smile put a realization in Ruoming’s mind- could the guy be talking about Lin Yi when he mentioned the Third..? It seemed to be the case, Ruoming did remember some gossip about Lin Yi replacing Zhong Pinliang in the Big Four!

Fuck! Zou Ruoming couldn’t believe this- couldn’t the fucking shit have made things clearer?!! Just say you’re Lin Yi’s man, who the fuck would fuck with you after that?!! I’d be getting my ass out of here long ago! Although, this was all in hindsight- Ruoming probably wouldn’t have believed Xiaobo even if he _had_ put Lin Yi’s name on the table.

“We’re leaving.” Zou Ruoming said as he gestured for some of the lackeys to hoist Fatty up. With that, the group disappeared from the barbeque stand.

The vendors around the stand were all staring at Lin Yi, completely stunned and curious. They didn’t know who Lin Yi was, but they understood well what kind of a guy Zou Ruoming was… It was insane- Zou Ruoming only ran off without uttering even a word to the guy, right after getting slapped!! They all regarded Lin Yi with a newfound fear- this man was more dangerous a character than even Zou Ruoming.

“T-Tang Yin, you okay?” Xiaobo asked enthusiastically- it was his first time interacting with his goddess. He knew that it was impossible between the two of them, but only having a conversation with her wasn’t bad! He didn’t want to waste the opportunity, but his nervousness did make him stutter sometimes.

Tang Yin frowned in response, immediately on alert as she observed the two. So this was the guy she’d heard about, the one who’d just replaced Zhong Pinliang as the Big Four’s Third, and this other guy was his lackey.

Lin Yi’s feats had long been spread throughout the whole school, and everyone knew how he’d taken care of Zhong Pinliang days after transferring. Was he targeting Zou Ruoming next? Tang Yin, however, was afraid- she didn’t think that Lin Yi beat Zou Ruoming off with any good intentions. Chances were, the guy was after her with the same motives that Ruoming had had.

As for Kang Xiaobo… Tang Yin instinctively treated him as just a lackey of Lin Yi’s- not a very good impression, put simply. She only replied dully to Xiaobo’s concern. “I’m fine.”

She then made her way to Mrs. Tang in quick steps. “Mom!”

Mrs. Tang only sighed, understanding everything. She was relieved that Zou Ruoming was gone, but feared the guy coming back for revenge later, though he did seem particularly fearful of Lin Yi. She glanced at Lin Yi for a better look- the guy _was_ a lot better than Zou Ruoming in terms of looks and character- she wouldn’t mind Tang Yin getting herself a boyfriend like this, if she wanted.

Xiaobo recognized Tang Yin’s disinterest in him, feeling down but understanding at the same time. The gap between them was too great after all- it was practically impossible. He decided to not dwell on the matter any longer.

“Aunty, twenty mutton skewers please! Also two skewers of mutton steak, chicken neck, tofu curls, and two cans of beer!” Xiaobo put himself in a joyful mood again as he seated himself at a table.

He didn’t manage to impress Tang Yin, but he did manage to be a bit of a badass in front of Zou Ruoming! _Heh heh, think you’re so tough… Not much you can do other than get slapped in the face when my boss is around._

“Coming right up!” Mrs. Tang called back in response. These two were a even bigger deal than Zou Ruoming- she had to be careful around them as well.

“Wait, Zou Ruoming!” Lin Yi called out suddenly to Ruoming, who hadn’t gotten too far away.

Zou Ruoming jumped at the voice- he didn’t know what Lin Yi wanted from him, but didn’t he let him go already?

He didn’t want to go back to that monster, but he didn’t have much of a choice here! He could run, but he couldn’t hide forever from Lin Yi! He’d be in an even worse position if he decided to piss Lin Yi off like this.

“L-Lin Yi, anything else you need..?” Ruoming asked, his face bitter as he turned back.

“You haven’t paid yet.” Lin Yi answered dully. He saw how rough Mrs. Tang had it, and decided to help her out a bit- managing a stand on your own was no easy feat, after all, and it was nothing more than a simple gesture from his side.

“Oh……” Ruoming exhaled in relief, wondering if Tang Yin had caught Lin Yi’s eye. Why was he so protective over her family, anyway? _Fuck. I’d have no chance then..._ Ruoming was helpless, but he wasn’t so eager for death as to fight over women with Lin Yi. _I’ll remember this, Lin Yi!_

_Vote here please :D (This was how I did it before I got so vocal)_

*[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

*[12.47 to 13.07]: don't ask me about the tree sap