Just as I was wrestling with that guy, An Lisi suddenly ran away on her own. The young man tried to catch her but I held onto him tightly. I didn't care about anything else as long as An Lisi didn't escape. However, I found myself in trouble.

"Damn it, you...bastard..." This guy went crazy and relentlessly elbowed my chest. Feeling the intense pain, I let go of him. I'm not good at fighting. I always end up getting beaten up, so my ability to withstand attacks is quite strong. But no matter how strong I am, I'm not made of steel. With this relentless assault, it was impossible for me not to be defeated. Soon, he kicked me down, and of course, his face was all bruised up.

I felt like I won, even though I was clearly more seriously injured. After being kicked down, I didn't have the strength to get up. Then, he grabbed my collar and lifted me up. My body was completely powerless, and I had no strength to resist. I could only be at his mercy, like a piece of meat on a chopping board. Just as he was about to punch me in the face, a middle-aged man came over with a casual tone and said, "Hey, A Yu, not only did you fail to have a good time, but you also let that girl escape. How embarrassing."

"What the hell do you know? If it weren't for this kid suddenly appearing and blocking me, I would have had a great time by now! Today, I have to cripple him."

"Hey, beating someone up here, aren't you afraid of going to jail?"

"I don't care about that. Right now, I have lost both my wife and my soldiers. I gave that girl two thousand yuan. If I don't cripple him, how can I vent my anger?"

As he said that, he raised his fist. I instinctively squinted my eyes.

"Hey, don't cause any fatalities," the middle-aged man advised.

"Are you in cahoots with him?"

"I'm not in cahoots with anyone. I only value money. Only money can make me feel real."

"Then mind your own business and go find your money."

"The money is right here, isn't it?" The middle-aged man looked at me. Besides feeling pain on my face, I was also confused. What does he mean?

"Have you gone crazy thinking about money? He is a person, not money."

"A Yu, you're really stupid."

"What did you say?" The young man became unhappy when he heard that.

"Doesn't he have any money on him?"

"What money does he have?" While saying so, the guy searched my pockets and took out my wallet.

"Just a few hundred yuan and a card. What's the PIN number of your card, kid?" The young man asked me, but of course, I refused to say anything.

"Do you think your life is more important or your money is more important?" Actually, both are very important to me, but I didn't want to let this guy get what he wanted. So, I resisted to the end.

"Looks like you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Then I'll...cripple you."

"Over there...I saw someone fighting," a sudden voice came.

"Damn it, the police came."

"Whenever I encounter you, nothing good happens," the middle-aged man complained.

"I don't want to see you either. Every time I see you, something bad happens. Now what should we do?"

"Of course, we run. Do you want to be caught by the police and go to jail for a while?"

"Only an idiot would go..." The young man let go of me and took the cash from my wallet. "Consider yourself lucky, kid. Don't let me run into you again, or I'll cripple you for sure."

My body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. One police officer ran over to ask me about the situation, while another chased after them.

"Are you okay, young man?"

"I...I'm fine." I struggled to prop up my upper body. The police officer picked up my wallet and handed it to me. "This is your wallet, right? Did you lose anything?"

"They robbed me of a few hundred yuan. It's not a big loss." I answered.

"They robbed you of your money?" The police officer continued to ask.

"More or less."

"Damn it, those two guys got away." Another police officer who had been chasing after them came back, looking unhappy.

"They won't be arrogant for long. Young man, do you remember what those two guys looked like? Come to the police station with me to make a statement."

As soon as I heard that I had to make a statement, I became reluctant, and I definitely didn't want to go to the police station. So, I lied, "One of those two guys suddenly attacked me, and I was scared at the time, so I didn't remember what he looked like. Also, I have something urgent to attend to and can't stay here."

"Ah, I see. Then leave me your contact number. If they catch those two guys, I'll ask you to come and identify them."

"Okay..." I wrote down a mobile phone number. Of course, the number was fake. I didn't want the police to cause me trouble in the future. After hastily writing it down, I quickly left. I felt a bit of distance from the place and found a place to sit down and catch my breath. My legs were still shaking uncontrollably. Although I didn't think much about what happened just now, I felt a bit scared afterwards. It was a relief that An Lisi had run away. As for whether it was worth it or why I ended up in such a sorry state, I couldn't understand myself.

I went to the restroom to wash my face. Although there were some bruises on my neck, they didn't seem too obvious on my face. If my face were bruised and swollen, I really didn't know how to explain it when I went back. But my whole body was throbbing in pain. However, these things couldn't be easily seen, so as long as I tried to conceal them, I should be able to get away with it.

I took out my phone and checked the time. It was already 4:30. Fiya should have been sent home by Su Yuqian, right? I wondered if Su Yuqian had successfully found the restaurant. Just as I was worried about this, Su Yuqian suddenly sent me a message: "I have safely sent her home, Fiya. What's wrong with you, as her brother, abandoning her like that and giving this matter to me for no reason? You're really irresponsible." I accepted Su Yuqian's reprimand. I was truly sorry for Fiya.

"Thank you for your hard work... I will properly thank you when I have time." I typed this line and clicked send. Soon, Su Yuqian replied, "Why are you saying such polite words? We... Oh, you have to properly thank me. I won't accept ordinary thanks." Su Yuqian seemed to suddenly change her attitude.

"Okay, okay, whatever you request, I will fulfill it." After typing this paragraph, I clicked send. After the message was successfully sent, I turned off my phone. While I still had some time, I decided to buy a birthday gift for Fiya. I got up from my chair and started walking while contemplating what birthday gift would be best for her.

As I passed by a bookstore, I had an idea. I should buy some books for Fiya as a birthday gift. I pushed open the door of the bookstore, where many people were reading and enjoying the pleasure that books brought. I wasn't someone who loved to read, but I occasionally flipped through a book. It was always a good habit.

I browsed the books on the bookshelf. The books I gave Fiya definitely couldn't be too profound. She wouldn't understand philosophy, atomic effects, black holes, and astrophysics. Even I didn't feel like reading those. As I scanned through, I didn't find any books that I thought were suitable. That was a bit of a headache.

Just as I was at a loss, the books placed in a prominent position caught my attention. I roughly glanced at them. The ones called children's books drew my attention. Children's books were the best for Fiya's age group. There were ten volumes in total, and they had various contents, such as fairy tales and fables. Most girls have a fairy tale-like dream, so giving her these seemed the most suitable. I picked up all ten volumes and walked to the cashier. Since it was a gift, I asked the cashier for a nice-looking paper bag. That solved the problem. Fortunately, my wallet and cards weren't taken, so I still had money to pay. It totaled nearly 150 yuan, which meant each book cost 15 yuan. It wasn't cheap, but considering that I bought ten books, it was understandable.

After leaving the bookstore, I walked in the direction of home, holding the paper bag and looking at the time on my phone. I didn't expect that choosing books would take more than half an hour. It was already 5:10.

Although I considered whether I would be punished for not returning on time, my mother specifically instructed that Fiya had to return on time, so I shouldn't be punished, I think. I wasn't very sure.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. I ran back home as fast as I could, even though the pain in my body seemed to be getting more sensitive. But I could only endure it and pretend that nothing had happened. I got home at 5:30 and knocked on the door. Someone immediately came to open it.

"You're back really late."

"Huh!?" I was surprised to see that it was Su Yuqian who opened the door.

"How... how come you're here?"

"Why, aren't you going to welcome me?"

"There... there is no such thing. It's just that your sudden appearance surprised me." I scratched my cheek.

"You...are..." A hint of happiness appeared on my face. Was Su Yuqian here to see me?

"It seems you've misunderstood something..." Su Yuqian suddenly interrupted me.

"Misunderstood what?"

"I came here to celebrate Feiya's birthday, not to see you."

"Ah..." I felt a bit disappointed. Although it was indeed Feiya's birthday and it was right to celebrate it for her, "What exactly was I expecting?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Su Yuqian looked at me with confusion.

I forced a smile. "It's nothing."

.....During this silence,

"Alright, come in quickly. Even though you are a member of this family, I still, as an outsider, have to invite you in." Su Yuqian grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. "Hurry up and change your shoes. Auntie, uncle, and Feiya are all waiting for you. The sumptuous dinner is ready, and the cake has already been prepared. If it weren't for Feiya insisting on waiting for you, I'm afraid they would have already finished cleaning up. Treat my sister's birthday seriously, at least." I could only accept Su Yuqian's scolding. After all, I did have faults, and the only way to make up for them was to do well in celebrating Feiya's birthday.