Chapter 122: A Small Gathering of Martial Siblings
Chapter 122: Chapter 122: A Small Gathering of Martial Siblings
"Lin Yi, wait a second..."
In the afternoon.
Martial Arts class had just ended.
Lin Yi changed his clothes and walked out of the locker room, laughing and joking with Zhou Qi and Sun Tao.
Their training for the day was over.
Zhou Qi suggested they go out for a nice meal.
Just then, Shen Mengyi hurriedly chased after them.
"Uh, well, I’m going to the restroom..." Sun Tao said with a hasty smile.
Zhou Qi, Li Xuewen, and Hu Quan just stood there, looking on foolishly.
Sun Tao rushed forward and tugged at them. "Didn’t you say you had to piss? Come on, go to the restroom with me!"
"When did I say I had to piss?" Hu Quan replied, looking completely bewildered.
Sun Tao’s face darkened. "I’m saying you do now. Let’s go. To the restroom!"
"Zhou Qi? Aren’t you coming?"
A moment later, Zhou Qi finally realized what was happening.
"Oh, right, right! I suddenly have to use the restroom too. Lin Yi, we’ll wait for you outside!"
After saying their piece, the group scurried away.
Watching them leave with their clumsy excuses, Lin Yi couldn’t help but laugh.
Only after they had all gone did Shen Mengyi approach him.
"What’s up? Is something wrong?"
Looking at the girl in front of him, Lin Yi felt a bit sorry for her.
Shen Mengyi lowered her head slightly and murmured, "I’m here to apologize to you... on behalf of my brother."
"Apologize?"
"Yes. I’m so sorry about what happened today. I didn’t think my brother would come looking for you, and I never expected he would... get in the ring with you over Senior Qin Zhaoxue!"
"Honestly, that’s just how he is. He acts without thinking. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be controlling me all the time..."
Shen Mengyi’s voice was so soft you could barely make out what she was saying.
Lin Yi smiled. "Is that all? I’d already forgotten about it."
"Honestly, your brother just dotes on you. He’s only looking out for you."
"He’s also right. With your talent, you’ll have no problem with the martial arts exam, and you’re sure to get into a Martial Arts University. Getting a boyfriend here would definitely affect your progress."
"As for your brother and I sparring today, it was just a simple match."
"You don’t need to take it to heart..."
Lin Yi’s words made Shen Mengyi look up at him in surprise.
She hadn’t expected that after everything that had happened today, Lin Yi would be the one to comfort her and tend to her feelings.
At that moment, she felt a wave of countless grievances and wanted nothing more than to throw herself into Lin Yi’s arms and have a good cry.
But she suppressed the urge.
She swallowed her grievances back down.
Fighting to keep her tears from falling, she nodded lightly.
"Oh, by the way, Zhou Qi and the others were saying that since training ended early, they’re planning to go out for a bite. Why don’t you come with us? Think of it as a little get-together for our Martial Arts Arena?"
Lin Yi said to her with a smile.
Hearing this, Shen Mengyi lifted her head slightly, wanting to refuse his invitation.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, but her brother was very strict.
Before, she had to go home immediately after school.
She wasn’t even allowed to hang out with her female classmates.
Lin Yi seemed to see her worry and said with a smile, "If your brother gives you a hard time, just put the blame on me. Come on, think of it as a way to relax before the martial arts exam!"
With that, Lin Yi took the lead and walked toward the elevator.
As if having made a decision, Shen Mengyi followed him inside.
...
In the downstairs lobby.
Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and the others hadn’t left. They were all waiting there.
Zhou Qi sat on the sofa, reading a magazine.
Hu Quan and Li Xuewen were studying their own fist techniques.
Sun Tao, meanwhile, was at the front desk, chatting up the young woman there.
When they heard a soft DING.
The elevator doors opened, and Lin Yi and Shen Mengyi walked out.
Seeing the two of them, Sun Tao’s expression changed slightly, and he glanced back at Zhou Qi and the others.
"Let’s go. What are we eating?"
Lin Yi asked with a smile.
Seeing that Shen Mengyi had no intention of leaving, Zhou Qi and the others understood the situation.
"How about hot pot? I know a good hot pot place downtown!" Sun Tao said quickly.
Zhou Qi glanced at him. "Why don’t we get barbecue instead?"
"That stuff is so smoky, you’ll stink of it afterward. Why don’t we get iron pot stew..." Li Xuewen said, raising his eyebrows.
The group immediately started arguing over what to eat.
In the end, they couldn’t reach a conclusion.
So, they simply handed the decision over to Shen Mengyi.
"Everyone stop arguing. Let’s have Shen Mengyi decide. Whatever she wants to eat, we’ll eat!"
"Fine, ladies first. Let her choose!"
"No objections from me..."
The pressure was on Shen Mengyi.
She frowned slightly and looked at the group.
"Why don’t we just go to the mall and eat whatever we come across?"
Hearing this, Zhou Qi and Sun Tao both nodded.
"That’s exactly what I was thinking!"
"So, street food, then. Alright, let’s go!"
With no one objecting, the group headed outside.
Lin Yi hadn’t said a word the entire time.
For him, anything was fine to eat.
Barbecue, hot pot, even street food—it was all good.
They left the Martial Arts Hall and took a bus straight to the city center.
The center of Xinghai City was its most prosperous area.
Malls, bars, restaurants, a street food alley...
They were all located here.
During the day, the area was a sea of people, constantly bustling.
But at night, it would become deserted.
Today, however, was a little different from usual.
Lin Yi and the others took the bus all the way to the city center.
Along the way, they saw one police car after another parked on the side of the road.
Even after they got off the bus, they could see squads from the Martial Arts Police Station, armed with live ammunition, patrolling the streets.
"Have things gotten this strict?"
Sun Tao said in surprise, watching the police officers.
Hu Quan shot him a glance.
"Have you been living under a rock? Didn’t you see the news these past few days?
There have been several massacres of entire families. If they don’t start taking this seriously, all the Martial Arts practitioners in Xinghai City will be wiped out..."
Sun Tao frowned and said nothing.
His expression turned grave. ’These past few days, near his house, there had always been a few shady characters lurking around. Especially on his way home from the Martial Arts Hall after training... he always had the feeling he was being watched...’
Suddenly, Sun Tao seemed as if he’d lost his soul.
"Shall we go check out that mall up ahead?" Shen Mengyi said with a smile.
Zhou Qi and Lin Yi nodded.
The group headed straight for the mall.
Happy times always pass quickly.
The group played around, ate, and drank, and before they knew it, the sky began to darken.
Although it seemed like the demonic beasts had vanished these past few days, their figures no longer seen in the city, the people living in the Old District had long since developed the habit of not setting foot outside after dark.
"Lin Yi, you should walk Shen Mengyi home!"
"Of course!"
Lin Yi nodded with a smile.
"Alright, we’re all taking off then!"
"See you tomorrow..."
The group said their goodbyes and left in different directions.
However, Lin Yi’s gaze remained fixed on Sun Tao.
"Lin Yi? Lin Yi? What’s wrong?"
After a long moment, Shen Mengyi’s voice finally brought Lin Yi back to his senses.
Lin Yi was startled for a moment, then glanced at Shen Mengyi.
"Oh, it’s nothing. Let me walk you home!"
"No need! My brother just sent me a message. He’s coming to pick me up himself!" Shen Mengyi replied with a smile.
Apparently, Shen Mengyi’s mood had completely recovered.
The knot in her heart seemed to have been untied.
Lin Yi chuckled, nodded, and glanced again in the direction Sun Tao had gone.
「A dozen or so minutes later.」
Shen Yuzhe arrived to pick up Shen Mengyi.
The moment Lin Yi saw him, Shen Yuzhe actually seemed a little embarrassed.
"Senior Shen, I was the one who asked Shen Mengyi to hang out today, so don’t blame her!"
"Huh? I won’t. Why would I blame her?
"Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot these past two days. I was too strict with her before!
"She should have some friends... Lin Yi, I’m sorry about today!"
Shen Yuzhe was a very proud person.
After all, he had been admitted to a Martial Arts University with the third-highest score in the entire city.
He had every right to be proud.
But today, he had actually taken the initiative to apologize to Lin Yi.
This not only surprised Lin Yi but also left Shen Mengyi completely stunned.
After a long pause, Lin Yi just smiled and shook his head.
"It’s nothing. I’d already forgotten about it... Senior, Mengyi, I’ll be taking off then!"