Chapter 15 Narrow Path for Enemies_1

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Qin Fang was chatting with Boss Fang in a casual and disconnected manner, yet his mind never left Chen Pangzi.

Maybe it was because Chen Pangzi felt guilty, or perhaps Qin Fang sitting there put a lot of pressure on him, but Chen Pangzi wasn't very at ease while conducting his business. As it approached ten o'clock and business started to dwindle, he eagerly began packing up, ready to head home.

"Uncle Fang, give me two more baskets of soup buns to take away..."

Seeing Chen Pangzi packing up to go home, Qin Fang sat for a short while longer, then cheerfully asked Boss Fang for two more baskets of buns. After paying and picking them up, he turned and left, seemingly heading home.

However, after dodging the crowd, Qin Fang changed direction, heading toward Chen Pangzi's route home and quickly catching up to him.

Though Ninghai was a bustling metropolis, the university town was a bit more secluded. Considering the time, there were not many students left on campus, and the streets were fairly empty late at night except for a few nearby residents out to enjoy the cool air—and nobody noticed Qin Fang acting suspicious.

On the other hand, Chen Pangzi was acting paranoid, constantly looking back as he walked. His expression was one of utmost caution.

Normally, Qin Fang didn't interact much with Chen Pangzi. Competitors were natural enemies, and Chen Pangzi was so resentful that he might've wanted to hire thugs to smash Qin Fang's stall. But Qin Fang knew that Chen Pangzi could be arrogant and act superior—completely unlike his current, overly cautious demeanor.

Such a significant change in behavior could only mean one thing—he was feeling the guilt of a thief.

It was a hot summer night, with only an occasional breeze that felt quite refreshing. The starry sky flickered, and the moon hung high—a rather pleasant weather overall.

Qin Fang walked easily, still carrying the two baskets of now slightly cooled soup buns; they definitely wouldn't burn his mouth if he ate one now.

Chen Pangzi, in contrast, was not walking so comfortably. With a thieving look, he was extremely cautious of everyone around him and chose to walk through secluded paths or dark areas whenever possible. If Qin Fang wasn't keeping a close eye on him, Chen Pangzi might have actually slipped away.

In no time, Qin Fang had been following for nearly twenty minutes, but Chen Pangzi hadn't reached home yet. Qin Fang looked at the direction; they'd already entered the university town and were nearing Ninghai University, where Qin Fang was due to attend in the not-so-distant future.

Just as Qin Fang was wondering about this, he saw Chen Pangzi suddenly turn into a narrow alley next to Ninghai University.

The alley was so narrow it could just accommodate pedestrians and, at a push, motorcycles and electric bikes, but definitely not cars.

Moreover, the alley was relatively secluded and, unlike the main road, lacked street lights. The only light was a dim one at the mouth of the alley and a few weak lights from the surrounding walls of Ninghai University.

Overall, it was just about as good as walking down a pitch-black path.

Seeing Chen Pangzi enter the alley, Qin Fang followed. He looked down the dark alley—no people, quite the perfect spot for a sneak attack.

"Wonder if Chen Pangzi did this deliberately or unconsciously, he's practically forcing me to make a move!"

Qin Fang couldn't help but think, his mind racing as he flipped his wrist, and suddenly, an ordinary-looking brick appeared in his hand, "Attack +1, with a high chance of causing a stun effect." That was exactly what Qin Fang needed.

After making up his mind, Qin Fang was about to walk into the alley when reality often presents twists at critical moments.

Just as Qin Fang was about to seize the chance to give Chen Pangzi a good beating and teach him a lesson, several figures suddenly sprang out from the darkness, thoroughly blocking Chen Pangzi's escape route.

Chen Pangzi, already on high alert as if wary of encountering someone, was startled to see his path blocked. Without even making out who it was, Chen Pangzi instinctively turned and ran the other way.

"Damn it, chase!"

The blockers hadn't expected Chen Pangzi to be so slippery. They hadn't even had the chance to speak before they took off running. The leader cursed loudly and signaled to two of his underlings to pursue.

Seeing this scene, Qin Fang was stunned for a moment, but he wasn't about to wade into this mess. He didn't enter the alley and instead turned around, sat down across the street, and waited for the show.

Although Chen Pangzi had a head start, he was not only old but also very fat. Even with this advantage, he couldn't lead for long and was already panting heavily. The two underlings chasing him picked up the pace slightly and easily caught up with him.

Ouch~~

The two underlings showed no mercy, giving Chen Pangzi a kick each as soon as they caught up to him, targeting him where it hurt the most. With a cry of pain, Chen Pangzi's rotund body crashed to the ground, his face a mask of terror.

The boss among the three who had cornered Chen Pangzi had caught up by now as well. Though he was panting, he was faring much better than Chen Pangzi. Seeing Chen Pangzi sitting on the ground gasping for air, the boss couldn't contain his anger and gave Chen Pangzi's large belly two vicious kicks.

These kicks were even more brutal; Chen Pangzi couldn't even cry out and instead clutched his stomach, trembling violently and his body started to shake.

"Boss Chen, don't play dead with me..."

After kicking him, the boss seemed to have vented much of his anger. He then squatted down, grabbed Chen Pangzi by the collar, and hauled him up. Perhaps because Chen Pangzi was too heavy and the boss too skinny, it seemed a strenuous effort.

But to showcase his dominance in front of his followers, he expressed himself fiercely, his face revealing a ferocious sneer, which frightened Chen Pangzi even more. Unable to keep up the pretense, Chen Pangzi turned his quivering face towards him.

"Brother Qiang!"

Chen Pangzi called out fearfully.

Watching from a distance, Qin Fang couldn't see very clearly until Chen Pangzi called out. Then, under the slanting light of the streetlamp, he realized that the one cornering Chen Pangzi was none other than Mouse Qiang, whom he had beaten up earlier.

"Talk about a small world..."

Looking at Mouse Qiang, who had two new underlings but was still the same old self, Qin Fang couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

Qin Fang hadn't expected that just two or three hours after he and Mouse Qiang had fought, they would now share the same goal: to teach Chen Pangzi a lesson.

However, judging by how things were shaping up, Qin Fang saw no need to intervene. Mouse Qiang was obviously much more ruthless than him, which served Qin Fang's anger well without him having to lift a finger; a win-win situation. All he had to do was watch the drama unfold from the sidelines.