Chapter 16: Oh, so that’s how you want to play it, is it?

As the man rushed down, Tian Xiang just happened to turn her bike around.

Just as a collision seemed inevitable, Tian Xiang suddenly pressed hard on the pedal, and both she and the bike shot swiftly into the middle of the road.

Fortunately, it was nighttime and the streets were mostly empty; otherwise...

Tian Xiang turned her head to scold the man who had crashed into the concrete utility pole. “What are you doing? In such a hurry to drink or to be reborn?”

The man had fallen off his bike and landed sprawling, but luckily he was mostly uninjured and still conscious.

“Comrade, I’m sorry! I don’t know what happened to my bike, but the brakes just suddenly failed going downhill.”

Why does it always fail at the worst possible moment—just as she was turning!

Seeing the man groveling with apologies, a chill ran down Tian Xiang’s spine, and cold sweat broke out all over her back.

The flowerpot she accidentally knocked over earlier, now the inexplicably broken brakes—Tian Xiang felt as if something was circling around her, warning her.

There’s no way the world is this coincidental. How unlucky must she be to encounter two accidents within ten minutes!

“I get it, I get it! It’s all set up just for me here!!”

Tian Xiang laughed out loud. This must be the force of fate trying to stop her, forbidding her from exposing Lu Scoundrel’s true nature.

If that’s the case, then it must mean Lu Scoundrel is at Widow Jiang’s place, and they might be up to some unspeakable deeds.

Good, very good!

Today, Tian Xiang is definitely going to see this through.

So, fate, use whatever tricks you want!!!

With a loud “Ah!” she shouted, pedaling her bike forward.

By the roadside, a middle-aged man nursing a large bump on his head watched Tian Xiang mutter to herself before frantically accelerating the bike like a whirlwind. Rubbing his forehead, he was somewhat dazed.

“What’s this girl up to, talking to herself like that...”

Ahead, Tian Xiang dodged two fighting cats, removed the frog from her shoulder, caught a falling branch with one hand, and finally, after more than ten minutes, safely arrived at the Hongwu Street Resettlement Area.

“Heh, is that all you’ve got?”

Tian Xiang looked up at the sky with disdain, then got off her bike and, just as she was about to push it toward Widow Jiang’s house, a small, grayish creature sniffed around a nearby wall corner and started inching toward her.

Seeing that disgusting thing clearly, Tian Xiang gasped for air.

Alright, alright.

So this is how it is!

What you fear comes to you.

Tian Xiang wasn’t afraid of hardship or fatigue, nor was she scared of ghosts or demons, but rats—rats terrified her!!!

Suppressing the urge to scream at the top of her lungs as her scalp tingled, Tian Xiang sped forward on her bike, not even looking at the road, only thinking about escaping.

She turned four corners, rode through three alleys, and finally stopped under a streetlamp.

That damn rat shouldn’t be able to catch up now.

Tian Xiang clutched her chest, gasping for breath. Just as she was about to leave, she realized she didn’t know where she was and had somehow gotten lost.

She hadn’t walked far, had she? Could she really get lost like this?

Or was fate once again playing tricks to trap her?

Impossible!

She’d come this far; no way she’d be stuck. At worst, she’d knock on a door and ask for directions.

Tian Xiang quickly devised a plan: first try to find her way, if that failed, find someone to help.

It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet—not too late.

She retraced her steps, but the further she went, the darker the alley became. Eventually, only two tall walls flanked the pitch-black path.

Had she walked this alley before?

She couldn’t remember.

The rat had muddled her mind; she’d given up thinking at the time.

The Hongwu Street Resettlement Area was much like Sanli Alley—both full of single-story houses and cluttered courtyards with winding alleys. A stranger could easily get lost inside.

Tian Xiang didn’t want to go forward anymore; she planned to turn back and find someone.

Just as she thought this, voices came from the mouth of the alley ahead.

“Hey, girl, what are you doing here?”

“Girl?”

Tian Xiang squinted and saw two men, each with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, approaching.

As they emerged from the dim light, she made out the labels above their heads:

Hoodlum 2, Gangster 3.

Hoodlums and gangsters:

Locals known for their low morals and bad behavior.

Tian Xiang froze.

Hoodlums and gangsters were different from street ruffians.

Street ruffians were just idle troublemakers who sometimes bullied or flirted with girls.

But hoodlums and gangsters actually committed crimes.

Earlier in the auditorium, Tian Xiang had dared to confront street ruffians, but facing these guys, she knew better than to provoke them alone.

Judging by their numbered labels, there might also be a Gangster 1 and a Hoodlum 4 around.

Tian Xiang lowered the brim of her hat. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

She then got back on her bike, ready to leave, but as she turned, another alleyway was blocked by someone else.

The man labeled Gangster 1 said, “Hey girl, it’s so dark. Can you see the road with that hat on? Take it off.”

The girl’s voice was pleasant, soft, and clear, though her appearance was unknown.

Gangster 1 took a drag from his cigarette and stepped closer.

Tian Xiang got off her bike, her voice icy cold. “What? You planning to visit the police station again?”

Gangster 1 replied, “What are you talking about? We just want to make friends. If things go well, we could be more than friends—I’ll marry you!”

Tian Xiang chuckled, pulled a mirror from her pocket, checked her forehead, smiled lightly, then tossed aside her bike and bent down to pick up a broken brick.

The three gangsters were surprised to see Tian Xiang stand her ground so boldly and instinctively stopped.

“Girl, what’re you doing? I just wanted to take you to a movie! Why you got a brick ready?”

“You’re just one of us three. Think you can take us all on?”

The gangster sneered.

Tian Xiang sneered back. “Wanna know why I’m so bold?”

Gangster 1 laughed, “Don’t play games with us. This is an abandoned factory district. No matter how loud you shout, no one will hear.”

An abandoned factory district!

Tian Xiang roughly knew where she was.

She smiled and said, “I know I can’t beat all three of you alone. But I’m the heroine of this world, and you’re just lousy gangsters—not even worthy of being extras. How could you hurt me?”

With that, Tian Xiang raised the brick and charged at Gangster 1.

She no longer cared whether her bad luck had brought her these three thugs or if fate was playing tricks.

Either way, she was going all out!

Not even the King of Heaven himself could stop her from exposing Lu Feng, the ultimate scoundrel.

Harem male lead?

Surrounded on all sides?

This is a new society—who in their right mind writes novels like that?

The angrier she got, the less mercy she showed. She slammed the brick down toward the man’s face.

The three thugs, used to girls either screaming or running away when harassed, were caught off guard by her ferocity and had no time to react but to raise their hands to block.

Tian Xiang gave it her all, but her strength was still a bit lacking. What she had hoped would crack his skull only left a swollen bump.