Chapter Two: The Mentor Meets Misfortune

The lottery shop owner’s eyes widened as he stared at Xu Yi in utter disbelief.
“You, you, you… really won!?”

Xu Yi’s heart surged with emotions. Over the past three days, he had endured hardships that were impossible to share with others. His anger had been building up inside, longing to be unleashed. Winning the 200,000-yuan jackpot finally gave him a chance to vent some of that fury.

“Little brother! That’s amazing! Winning 200,000 all at once! I’ve run this shop for half my life, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone snag the jackpot! Congratulations!”

The lottery shop owner snapped back to reality, beaming with a smile at Xu Yi, no longer harboring the disdain he had shown earlier.

Xu Yi took several deep breaths, slowly calming his racing heart.
It was just 200,000 yuan—not a big deal. With his newfound clairvoyant ability, winning the lottery would be as simple as eating or drinking.

He smiled faintly and said, “Boss, how about a deal?”

“A deal?” The owner looked puzzled, watching Xu Yi intently.

Xu Yi tapped the winning scratch card lightly and said calmly, “This card is worth 200,000 yuan, but I have to go to the lottery center to redeem it. That’s too much hassle. Why don’t I sell it to you directly, and you pay me the money right away?”

Before the owner could respond, Xu Yi quickly added, “Of course, I won’t let you lose money. After taxes, I get 160,000 yuan. If you give me 150,000, how does that sound?”

The owner’s eyes lit up—this was a deal he could make!

Three minutes later, Xu Yi walked out of the lottery shop satisfied, with 150,000 yuan newly credited to his bank account.

He then hailed a cab and returned to his rented apartment.

He needed to retrace the path from the morning he was kidnapped.

His place wasn’t downtown but an old neighborhood, with a street below lined entirely with spice shops.

The spot where the incident occurred was right in front of a very ordinary spice shop. Xu Yi observed carefully; nothing seemed unusual.

At the time, he hadn’t sensed anything wrong, but now, looking back, the whole event had an eerie undertone from the start.

First, the kidnapping happened at 8 a.m. Who kidnaps someone in broad daylight on a busy street?

The mysterious men kept questioning him about his relationship with the Huo family. Was it the wealthy Huo family from Donghai? Was that middle school girl really one of theirs?

Second, the girl’s car was a BMW. Xu Yi wasn’t a car expert, but thinking back, it was definitely a luxury car—something no one living in this dilapidated neighborhood could afford.

So why would the wealthy Huo family’s daughter come to a suburban spice shop early in the morning?

Third, the two mysterious men were incredibly skilled. Xu Yi had trained in martial arts, yet he barely reacted to their close-range attacks and didn’t even realize how he was knocked unconscious.

If these two were so formidable, why did they allow the girl to scream for help? Wouldn’t it have been easier to strike swiftly and silently?

Standing outside the spice shop, Xu Yi frowned deeply, pondering.

Suddenly, a chilling shiver ran down his spine.

He imagined an absurd yet plausible possibility.

Those two mysterious men were after him!

Xu Yi was stunned by this realization.

But then, confusion engulfed him. He was just an orphan, raised in an orphanage, with no enemies—only a few conflicts during university.

He couldn’t believe anyone had the power to hire those two men.

So if someone truly wanted to kill him, who would it be? And why use such complicated methods?

While Xu Yi wrestled with these thoughts, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality.

It was Li Mengjing, the daughter of his mentor.

“Hello! What’s wrong, Jingjing?” Xu Yi asked anxiously.

“Xu Yi! Something bad happened! My dad… my dad was attacked.” Li Mengjing’s voice trembled with tears.

“What?”

Xu Yi’s face instantly darkened.

Li Zhengdong, his mentor, wasn’t just a teacher; he treated Xu Yi like a son, caring for him in every way. Now, shortly after Xu Yi’s own troubles, his mentor was in danger. Xu Yi’s worry deepened.

“Jingjing, what exactly happened?” Xu Yi forced himself to stay calm and asked quickly.

“I… I don’t know. I went to have lunch with Dad, and when I turned around, I saw a group of people surrounding him, beating him.”

“Xu Yi! We’re at the hospital now. The doctors say Dad’s condition is severe… they need surgery fees. I don’t have that kind of money… Xu Yi, where are you? What should I do?”

Li Mengjing’s voice was choked with tears, her words jumbled.

“Jingjing! Don’t worry, I’m on my way! I’ll handle the money.”

After hanging up, Xu Yi hurriedly grabbed a taxi to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at Donghai City Second Hospital.

From afar, he saw Li Mengjing in a blue dress, her face full of anxiety, speaking with a middle-aged man in a white coat.

“Jingjing!”

Xu Yi called out and rushed over.

“Xu Yi!” Li Mengjing looked like she had seen a savior and quickly stood up.

The doctor’s voice was grave when he saw Xu Yi approach: “Young man, you must be this young lady’s friend. Please help calm her down. Her father’s condition can’t be delayed. If we wait any longer, I can’t guarantee if his leg can be saved. It’s best to proceed with the surgery quickly. Decide soon—we need to prepare.”

Xu Yi frowned and glanced at Li Mengjing.

She spoke weakly, “The doctor said there are three options for my dad’s leg. The worst is conservative treatment, but he might end up with a limp. The best is surgery, but it costs 100,000 yuan, and I…”

Xu Yi cut her off immediately, “Jingjing, no hesitation. Choose the best option. Money’s no problem—I’ll take care of it. But the surgery can’t wait.”

The doctor sighed in relief, “Alright, since you’ve decided, please pay the fee quickly. I’ll prepare, and family members will need to sign the consent.”

The doctor hurried off.

Xu Yi turned to comfort Li Mengjing, “Jingjing, I’ll pay for the surgery right now. Don’t worry—as long as I’m here, your dad’s leg will be fine.”

At that moment, a loud, arrogant voice rang out nearby.

“Oh, Xu Yi! Haven’t seen you in days, and look at you! Do you really think you can cough up 100,000 yuan with your poor looks?”

Xu Yi turned sharply, his expression darkening. The speaker was someone he deeply despised.

Wu Zhiyong, a former teammate from the university martial arts team.

“Wu Zhiyong! What are you doing here? This is a hospital—please leave!” Li Mengjing’s face turned cold as she stepped in front of Xu Yi.

Wu Zhiyong glanced at Li Mengjing and said nonchalantly, “Your dad’s my teacher too. Why can’t I come?”

“Besides, don’t yell at me. I’m here to bring your dad the surgery fee—on one condition: he immediately resigns as the martial arts coach.”

Before Li Mengjing could respond, Wu Zhiyong sneered at Xu Yi behind her, “You know, I don’t even need to worry about money. I can easily pull out 100,000 yuan. Unlike some people who hide behind women.”

“No thanks! I don’t want your filthy money. Get lost!” Li Mengjing said fiercely.

Wu Zhiyong was stunned by her resolute refusal. His expression turned dark and menacing.

“Fine, fine! If you won’t take my money, then let your old man’s leg go limp! Then let’s see how he keeps his coaching job, huh!”

After threatening Li Mengjing, Wu Zhiyong turned to leave but suddenly paused, turning back with a mocking look at Xu Yi.

“Xu Yi, you may be a coward, but that’s your charm. I never thought you’d be with Zhao Yating for four years and never… you know.”

“Heh heh, I can tell you, in bed, Zhao Yating is…”

Xu Yi’s eyes snapped up, burning with fierce hostility as he stared down Wu Zhiyong, a deadly aura radiating from him.