After instructing Officer Zhao on the matter of Li Tan, Lan Penghao's phone suddenly rang.
He cupped his hand over the phone and quickly walked to the corridor outside.
Officer Zhao watched as his superior left. He smiled and said to Chen Yeliang, "He is still getting calls at this hour. The deputy chief is really busy."
Chen Yeliang piped in. "Indeed, no wonder he neglected Lan Sixi."
After ten minutes, Lan Penghao re-entered the ward.
"I'm sorry, Chen. I have something to attend to at the station. I have to go back."
He walked over to Lan Sixi's side and took a long look at the girl sleeping soundly. His feet wavered between staying put and leaving.
"Uncle Lan, don't worry. When Sixi wakes up, I will let her know." Chen Yeliang said considerately.
"I'll have to trouble you then, Chen. Remember to get my dear Sixi to finish her meal."
With that, he nodded to Officer Zhao, picked up his police uniform, and left in a flourish.
When his superior had finally left, Officer Zhao heaved a long sigh of relief. He pulled up the guest chairs between the two beds and built a simple bed.
He laid down and removed his coat to cover himself.
"Officer Zhao, are you staying back to accompany us?" Chen Yeliang asked, puzzled.
Officer Zhao placed his hands behind his head. "Yes, I am staying back to protect you guys."
"Protect?"
This word sounded a little too serious. Was someone planning to take revenge on them?
When Officer Zhao saw Chen Yeliang's puzzled expression, he turned to lay on his side, using his elbow to prop up his head. He asked softly, "You still don't know who Li Tan is, right?"
Chen Yeliang shook his head and said, "No, I don't. Is he such a big deal?"
At the mention of Li Tan's name, Officer Zhao became secretive. He turned around to look at Lan Sixi to make sure that she was not awake.
Then, he lowered his voice and said to Chen Yeliang, "Brotherhood, have you heard of it?"
Chen Yeliang found this name somewhat familiar. He seemed to have heard of it before somewhere.
He had teleported here. The Host's original memories were still in this body. If he tried recalling, he would remember the information about the Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood was a street gang that originated from a place called the "Brotherhood Bar".
He had heard that the owner of the bar, Qian Shan, was a man of honor and was good at dealing with interpersonal relationships.
If there was any fighting or brawling, or territorial disputes in the nearby nightlife district, they would seek him to mediate before calling the police.
As time went by, he became an authoritative father figure in that district.
Thereafter, many people who had heard of his reputation gathered to follow him. Qian Shan was forthright and did not reject anyone. He provided food, accommodation, and jobs. Gradually, a gang formed around him.
However, the Brotherhood was different from other gangs in the usual sense. On the surface, the businesses they operate all appeared legitimate.
Otherwise, Officer Zhao wouldn't be hanging around in the ward gossiping.
"I've heard of it, why?" Chen Yeliang asked curiously.
"Li Tan is a member of the Brotherhood. In fact I heard that he is related to Qian Shan!" Officer Zhao said conspiratorially.
Chen Yeliang said in all seriousness, "Li Tan only has himself to blame for this! Are you telling me he really intends to get back at us?"
Officer Zhao said, "It's hard to say. Miss Lan is the daughter of the deputy police chief, they might think twice about laying a finger on her. But it's difficult to say the same for you, Student Chen…"
He seemed very serious, there was perhaps even a hint of warning in his tone.
Chen Yeliang did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Officer Zhao, you're a police officer. You just told me that the Brotherhood might take revenge on me. Can't you put in place some preventive measures?"
Upon hearing that, Officer Zhao patted the seat under his butt indignantly. What he meant was, "I am the preventive measure!"
Officer Zhao examined Chen Yeliang's calm demeanor. He felt that Chen Yeliang had not realized the gravity of the problem.
He then got up and walked to the door of the ward. He peered out and checked that no one was in the corridors, before returning to his seat.
In a stern tone, he said to Chen Yeliang,
"Student Chen, since you are on good terms with the Deputy Chief and you are not an outsider, I'll tell you the truth."
"On the surface, the accounts at Qian Shan's Brotherhood Bar are all legitimate, and they are one of the city's largest taxpayers. We have only heard about their clandestine operations, but have never managed to get any evidence!"
Chen Yeliang said in surprise, "Not even you police?"
"Nope," Officer Zhao shook his head furiously like a rattle-drum.
Although it sounded like exaggeration, Chen Yeliang was certain that Officer Zhao would not lie just to scare him.
If it was really as he said, that meant the Brotherhood could cover their tracks so well that they could even evade the police's scrutiny. Qian Shan was indeed someone not to be trifled with!
Chen Yeliang thought about how he had thwarted Li Tan's' plans and even personally delivered him to the police.
If Li Tan did not take revenge on him, he wouldn't be able to live up to his reputation as a gangster!
When he noticed Chen Yeliang did not speak for a long time, Officer Zhao thought that his words were too disturbing and had frightened the kid.
He changed the topic. "But don't worry. I'll stay here with you guys tonight and send you back to university tomorrow."
"There are many people in the dormitory. He wouldn't dare to do anything to you in public."
"After this incident, the university will definitely beef up the campus security."
"I will come over to visit you when I am free. Li Tan will definitely not have any chance to strike!"
Officer Zhao said a lot and analyzed all the pros and cons to Chen Yeliang in great detail, hoping to put Chen Yeliang's mind at ease.
Chen Yeliang however, was not a timid person. He was not one to worry about things that have yet to happen.
He smiled. "I understand. Thank you, Officer Zhao."
Sensing his good mood, Officer Zhao then smiled and said, "Don't mention it. I'll leave my phone number with you. If you encounter any problems in future, just look for me!"
Chen Yeliang nodded gratefully.
Just then, Lan Sixi, who was sound asleep, stirred and slowly woke up. She called out in a daze, "Daddy?"
Officer Zhao quickly got up and helped her raise the bed headrest.
Chen Yeliang shuffled in his slippers over to Lan Sixi's side and said softly, "Sixi, Uncle Lan has gone back. We will keep you company tonight."
"Ye Liang?" Lan Sixi had just woken up and her mind was still groggy. It was a long while before Chen Yeliang's words sunk in.
When she heard that her father had left, she sulked and nodded in disappointment.
"Well, Miss Lan, you must be hungry. I'll go find a microwave to heat up the food." Officer Zhao didn't want to be a third wheel here, so he slipped out with the lunch box.
Lan Sixi lowered her head. Her straggly hair covered most of her face, making her look very disconsolate.
Chen Yeliang could sense her disappointment and said gently, "Uncle Lan was watching over you while you were sleeping. He only left two minutes ago."
Lan Sixi looked up in surprise. "Really?"
"It's true." Chen Yeliang smiled and said, "Uncle Lan has told me a lot of things. He knows that he has neglected your feelings and feels very guilty about it. He will definitely not let anyone bully you again in the future!"
"Really?" Lan Sixi asked, pleasantly surprised. A smile finally appeared on her face.
Chen Yeliang patted his chest and pledged, "Of course! If Uncle Lan doesn't have the time, come and look for me. I will protect you!"
His words were like a gentle arrow that shot straight into Lan Sixi's heart.
Lan Sixi pursed her lips and did not answer. She simply looked at Chen Yeliang and smiled. Her rosy cheeks were filled with the radiance of a young girl in love. Her eyes were filled with adoring admiration for Chen Yeliang!
The next morning, when Lan Sixi opened her eyes, the first thing she did was to look at Chen Yeliang's bed. However, she realized that it was empty.
Last night she kept thinking of Chen Yeliang's company and was so excited that she could not fall asleep. She only dozed after midnight.
She slept so soundly that she did not even notice when Chen Yeliang had left in the morning!
Lan Sixi sat by the edge of the bed and shook Officer Zhao awake. "Officer Zhao, where is Chen Yeliang?"
Officer Zhao had been keeping night vigil in the ward. Just when he thought he could catch a nap in the morning, he was rudely woken up by Lan Sixi.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, "Student Chen said that he wants to participate in a parkour competition. Today is the deadline for registration."
Lan Sixi thought she might have fallen sick. Unable to catch sight of Chen Yeliang, she felt unhappy.
She lifted the blanket and stood up. "Officer Zhao, please send me back to university."
Upon hearing this request, Officer Zhao no longer felt sleepy. He stood up as well. "But the deputy chief said to let you stay in the hospital for two more days for observation. The medical leave note has been sent over."
Both Lan Sixi and Chen Yeliang fell off the building in front of everyone. Their respective counselors had already helped to draft the leave slip and were even preparing to visit them this morning.
In the end, one of them disappeared early in the morning while the other was clamoring to be discharged.
Officer Zhao wanted to get the daughter of his superior to change her mind, but he didn't know how. He could only call Lan Penghao for advice.
Lan Sixi was left alone in the empty ward. She walked to the side of the bed and stared dejectedly at the towering Metropolis Building 1 in the distance. Her heart was filled with thoughts of Chen Yeliang.
"Achoo!"
Chen Yeliang was walking on the streets when he sneezed loudly. He rubbed his itchy nose, thinking that Li Tan might have been swearing at him.
Then, he looked at his phone and followed the GPS directions to the entrance of Metropolis Building 1.
This was the tallest building in Xilin City, at least 500 meters tall. A towering skyscraper that could be seen from anywhere in Xilin City!
Chen Yeliang looked up at the magnificent silver building and thought that it would definitely be very exhilarating to parkour on the rooftop.
He pushed the door open and entered. The first thing he saw was a large billboard opposite the door. On it was written in bold, "Registration counter for the Third City Parkour Competition!"
Next to the billboard was a table that could seat two persons. A guy in hip-hop clothes was playing with his phone, head propped up by the other hand.
Chen Yeliang walked over and knocked on the table. "Hello, I'm here to register."
Without looking up, the hip-hop guy took out a registration form from under the table and gave him a capless pen.
Chen Yeliang completed the form and paid up the $50 registration fee.
After the registration was completed, he left the building and grabbed a cab to return to the university.
Due to his limited time, and also not to affect the next day's competition, Chen Yeliang kept a low profile after he returned to university. Other than his roommates, no one else knew that he was back on campus, not even Lan Sixi.
He hid in the dormitory and researched diligently various cool and awesome parkour moves to ensure that he could leave the other contenders in the dust, that he was invincible!
The next day, at the venue of the third season of the competition.
All the contestants were gathered at Metropolis Building 1.
Taking part in parkour required a high level of physical fitness. Unlike a marathon or a table tennis competition which were fairly commonplace, there were only a dozen or so parkour participants.
But Chen Yeliang still discovered quite a number of familiar faces in the midst of the crowd.
A few parkour video streamers were also taking part. Many of their fans could be seen outside the door, showing their support with banners.
Another streamer was holding a selfie stick and greeting his fans in the live-stream.
When Chen Yeliang saw the endless rockets and yachts flashing across his screen, a sure sign of tremendous support from his ardent fans, he knew that he had met his match today.
He looked around, his eyes glancing over the faces of familiar streamers.
At this moment, Chen Yeliang noticed two men staring at him from three to four meters away.
As their eyes met, the two men quickly looked away and pretended to chat casually.
They were clearly feigning indifference!
Chen Yeliang looked at them warily and was sure that he really did not recognize them.
At this moment, the host with a microphone walked up to the stage. He smiled brightly at the camera at the back of the crowd.
"Hello, viewers and friends. Welcome to the Third City Parkour Competition. I am your host for today, Wang Chunpu!"
Dressed in a decent suit, he stared at the contestants below the stage with a burning gaze, barely able to contain his excitement.
Four drones flew out from behind the camera, followed by the staff holding the remote controls.
Wang Chunpu said excitedly, "I believe the viewers who had watched the previous two competitions will be puzzled as to what these drones will be used for."
"In order to give everyone a better viewing experience, the production team had deliberately spent a big sum of money to procure these four drones, in order to bring you a thrilling parkour performance from all angles!"
He took a card from one side.
"Now, I will lay out the competition rules for everyone."
"The order of appearance in this competition will be determined by drawing lots. The performance venue will be chosen by the contestants themselves."
"After all the contestants have completed their gigs, there will be three hours for voting."
"We are doing a live broadcast from the television station. At any point, our program's public media account will also cut over to the contestants' personal video stream for you when available. The audience can have repeated viewing of the videos before deciding who to vote for."
The contestants below took a deep breath.
Freedom in choosing the venue meant that the production team had been serious in giving them a lot of room to show off their abilities.
As for updating in real time their public media account with contestants' personal videos, this would be more advantageous to the first few contestants since they would have more time to pull votes for themselves.
Hearing this, the contestants below the stage were eager to get started.
Carried away by the palpable excitement, Chen Yeliang's clenched fists started perspiring.
There were a few web streamers among the contestants. They had a big fan base, definitely in excess of 20,000 fans. All of a sudden, these contestants had the upper hand.
The host on stage continued to announce the rules.
"The champion of this competition will be rewarded with $100,000 in cash!"
"Contestants, are you raring to go?"
The contestants could not wait any longer. All eyes were focused on the bright red lottery box.
Wang Chunpu carried the box and went down the stage. The drone hovered above his head and broadcast the process of drawing lots to the audience.
He walked through the crowd and walked up to Chen Yeliang first.
"For the lucky first round, let us wish this contestant good luck!"
Along with the host's commentary, Chen Yeliang reached in with his hand, picked up a piece of paper at the top and unfolded it.
18!
Wang Chunpu smiled. "There are a total of 19 contestants. This contestant has drawn number 18. Looks like you will have a finale performance for everyone!"
Detecting the sarcasm in his words, the other contestants laughed privately.
Being the second last contestant, not only was it not easy to pull votes, the audience would also be suffering from video fatigue and wouldn't be watching the later videos anymore.
An ominous feeling welled up in Chen Yeliang's heart.
He stared fixedly at the lottery box and watched as the host walked straight to the two men who had been eying him.
"Number 1!"
"Number 2!"
"I hope the two of you can give us a good start!"
The two guys waved their number plates in their hands smugly, their faces almost bursting with laughter.
Although they were very cautious, Chen Yeliang could still sense their gaze boring into him!
Those two people were targeting him!
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