Well, well—you brought a friend this time. She's not as pretty as you, but still not bad," the bald guy said, rubbing his head and grinning.
As soon as he finished, the skinny guy next to him—who looked like a pencil—spoke up: "Brother Zhu, you know these two chicks?"
The bald guy pointed at me. "She's the one who kicked me in the bathroom earlier."
He snickered, wiggling his eyebrows like he was winking at me. "Babe, since we ran into each other here, why not come hang out with us? Is she your classmate? Friend? Doesn't matter. Come have some fun with us—don't worry, if we have a good time, big brother won't short you."
Dammit! He wants me to go with him, and now he's eyeing Luo Shiyu too?
Go to hell with you!
I cursed inwardly, gritting my teeth, ready to fight them. Even though I was in a woman's body, I'd be damned if I let these three animals take advantage of us.
I was about to make a move when Luo Shiyu stepped in front of me first.
She frowned, her face cold as ice, and said to the three men: "If you so much as lay a finger on us, I'll make sure you regret it."
She spoke with such conviction—it didn't sound like a joke at all.
Oh right! I remembered now—she had a cousin who was in the underworld, and he was supposedly doing pretty well for himself.
But the bald guy and his crew didn't care one bit. They snickered. "Oh, another stubborn one. I love stubborn chicks—just like strong liquor, they've got a kick."
As soon as he said that, Luo Shiyu suddenly delivered a kick to his crotch. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me away, running as fast as we could.
I glanced back to see the bald guy clutching his crotch, squawking like a rooster in pain, yelling for his two goons to chase us.
Being dragged along by Luo Shiyu, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
Logically, I was the guy—I should've been the one saving her. But now, it was reversed. She'd stepped in and saved me. And I never would've guessed she was so bold—daring to kick him right where it hurt.
The night market was packed, so we couldn't run properly. We could only push and squeeze our way through the crowd. A lot of people cursed at us as we roughly pushed past them.
The bald guy's two goons chased after us, while he lagged behind.
We squeezed forward until we reached an intersection up ahead. The road widened suddenly, and we were about to sprint—
But just then, an electric tricycle loaded with fruit pulled up, blocking our path.
We skidded to a halt, planning to go around the back of the tricycle. But to our surprise, there was a car parked behind it.
Dammit! Was this driver's brain a free gift with a phone bill? Who drives into a crowded night market like this?
Trapped between the two vehicles, by the time we tried to move again, the bald guy's goons had caught up, flanking us on both sides. Then the bald guy himself walked over.
He still had to squeeze his legs together as he walked—clearly, he was still in pain.
"Bitch, you don't know when to take a hint," the bald guy snarled. "I guess I gotta teach you a lesson—show you just how tough Brother Zhu is."
With that, he stepped toward me, raising his right hand like he was gonna slap me.
Gonna hit me? Go to hell!
I swung first, slapping him across the face. There was a crisp crack—
"Ouch!" I yelped, shaking my right hand. My palm stung and tingled. No wonder he was called "Brother Zhu" (Zhu meaning "pig")—his face was as thick and tough as pigskin, and it could take a hit.
The slap left a bright red mark on his cheek. Instantly, he flew into a rage—his eyes bulged, his lips twitched, and the muscles in his face trembled.
Shit. I definitely made him mad now.
Xu Ke'er's body was weak, with little strength—my hits didn't even hurt. But the bald guy, with his gourd-shaped build, was easily two and a half times my size. If he slapped me back, he'd probably break my bones.
Sure enough, just as panic set in, he lifted his hand to hit me.
I dodged quickly, then clenched my fist and punched him in the chest.
It felt like hitting a pile of meat. The bald guy didn't even budge, but my wrist ached. Dammit—we were on totally different levels. How could I fight this?
"Ha ha! Babe, that's like a massage—feels great!" the bald guy laughed, opening his arms to grab me. "Imagine you massaging me in bed—bet that'd be even better, heh heh."
Dammit! He doesn't even spare guys? What a pervert.
"Ke'er, I'm coming to save you!" Luo Shiyu shouted suddenly from behind me.
Save me? What about my pride as a guy?
I grit my teeth, reaching out to grab his shoulders. Then I lifted my right knee, slamming it forward with all my strength.
My knee crashed into his stomach. He let out a muffled groan, clutching his belly as he dropped to his knees.
I let go of him, stepping back quickly to avoid any sudden retaliation. He knelt there, his face contorted in pain. Then, right in front of me, he banged his head on the ground, toppled over, and curled up like a fat worm, howling in agony.
When I took down the bald guy, the onlookers around us let out a collective gasp of "Wow!"
Looking at those rubberneckers, I flew into a rage. "Look at you all—acting like you're so high and mighty! You just stood there watching us get harassed and did nothing! Get the hell out of here—what are you staring at?"
After yelling at them, I turned back to see Luo Shiyu being held by the other two guys, her hands trapped. She couldn't break free.
Dammit! Two guys ganging up on one girl—what cowards.
I charged at them, leaping into the air and kicking the pencil-thin guy.
He was already skinny, and my hard kick sent him flying forward. He crashed to the ground, yelping in pain.
"Let her go!" I roared at the last guy.
Just then, I heard footsteps behind me, and a voice called out: "Xu Ke'er! Luo Shiyu! Are you okay?"
The voice sounded familiar. I spun around—and there were Zhou Jian and two other guys.
Seeing my buddies, my heart raced with excitement. But then I frowned—wait, why were there only three of them? Where was Zhang Qiang?
At that moment, a cry of pain came from behind me.
I whipped around to see Luo Shiyu—who'd been held captive a second ago—slap the last guy across the face.
The guy clutched his cheek, about to hit back. But one glare from me made him turn tail and run. He knew damn well we now had the numbers—if he stayed, he'd only get beaten up.
With the last goon gone, I didn't even bother asking Luo Shiyu if she was okay. I turned to Zhou Jian immediately. "Where's Zhang Qiang?"
I was desperate to know who was in my body right now.
Zhou Jian looked confused. "Zhang Qiang? He went to find you guys, didn't he?"
Went to find us?
Just then, Luo Shiyu walked over and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said. Then I told Zhou Jian, "Call Zhang Qiang right now. Tell him to get here fast—I need to talk to him."
He made the call. After hanging up, he said, "Zhang Qiang said he'll be here in five minutes."
A mischievous grin spread across his face. "That guy woke up acting all jumpy, then said he had to find you. And you're in such a hurry to find him too, Xu Ke'er. You two… up to something?"
Another buddy of mine joined in, teasing: "Xu Ke'er, if you and Qiangzi hook up, you gotta treat us to a meal!"
"Why Xu Ke'er? Zhang Qiang's the one who should treat us!" another said. "That bastard went behind our backs and got with the department beauty? Dammit, we're gonna make him splurge this time!"
You idiots.
I was left哭笑不得, with no way to respond.
Just as the mood lightened up, Luo Shiyu suddenly snapped, "What the hell are you talking about? Ke'er would never like a loser like Zhang Qiang! If you dare spout nonsense again, I'll get someone to beat you so bad you'll end up in the hospital!"
Zhou Jian and the others looked deflated. They pursed their lips, not daring to talk back.
Watching Luo Shiyu fly into a real rage, I was shocked. Zhou Jian and the others were just joking about me (in Xu Ke'er's body) and Zhang Qiang. It's not like they said anything about me and Luo Shiyu—why is she so mad? Does she hate guys that much? Or… is she scared I'll "steal" Xu Ke'er from her?
After chewing out Zhou Jian and the others, Luo Shiyu immediately hooked her arm through mine, fuming. "Ke'er, let's go."
I pulled her back. "Wait a minute. I still have something to take care of here."
Luo Shiyu frowned. "What else is there?"
I couldn't exactly tell her I needed to check who was in Zhang Qiang's body. So I said, "How about you wait somewhere else for me? I'll come find you once I'm done here."
Luo Shiyu didn't insist on leaving with me. "Fine. I'll wait here, then."
Honestly, I'd hoped she'd step away for a bit. But if she wasn't leaving, there was nothing I could do.
A few minutes later, I heard someone shouting: "Xu Ke'er! Xu Ke'er, where are you? Show yourself!"
At the sound of that voice, my heart raced. I ran to the middle of the road, looking toward where the voice came from. Then, through the crowd up ahead, a figure stepped out—one I knew better than anyone: Zhang Qiang.
Seeing myself from this perspective for the first time, I couldn't put the feeling into words. But I knew I had to face it eventually. Come on, I thought. Let me see—who are you, really?