At one o'clock in the morning, Li Zhenting hurried to Xi'an Street.
The iron shutter of the shop had been pulled down and was tightly shut. He fished the keys from his pocket, crouched down, and turned the lock.
*Screech—*
The harsh sound of the rolling door pierced the silence of the night.
Li Zhenting ducked under the door to enter and flipped the light switch.
Though there were signs that someone had tried to tidy up, the shop was still a complete shambles. He could almost see exactly what those people had done when they stormed in during the day.
First, they had smashed the cash register. He walked over and pushed the half-open drawer shut.
Then, when the shop staff reacted and tried to stop them, they had begun to vent their destruction ruthlessly with whatever they held in their hands—overturned toolboxes on the floor, tires that had been ripped from their wall mounts, a leaking car wash valve, and even the vehicles currently under repair.
Even the freezing trek back through the dead of winter could not cool the fury burning in Li Zhenting’s heart.
Who exactly was it?
*
"Who's there?"
A wary voice suddenly called out from the breakroom. A Beta, muscles tensed and holding a club, stepped out from the shadows.
Li Zhenting turned around. "It's me."
Seeing who it was, the Beta’s excitement was immediate. He tossed the club to the floor and ran over to throw his arms around Li Zhenting.
"Brother Li! You’re finally back!"
Li Zhenting gave him a reassuring pat on the back before pulling away to look him over. "Tang Jiu, why didn't you go home? Are you hurt?"
Tang Jiu looked as if he had finally found his pillar of support. His eyes reddened instantly, and he shook his head vigorously.
"I was afraid those people would come back tonight to cause more trouble, so I stayed. Xiao Zhang... the others are still in the hospital."
"Brother Li, I don't know where those people came from. They were all big, burly Alphas; I’ve never seen any of them on Xi'an Street before. They didn't say a word when they came in, they just started rioting. I didn't want them to wreck the customers' cars... Xiao Zhang got hit in the head trying to protect me. I called the police, but they ran off just as the cops were arriving. Those bastards..."
Tang Jiu wasn't very old—he had only recently reached adulthood and was still very much a youth. In truth, he had been terrified by the situation, but he had held his ground out of a desire to protect the shop's property. Now that the person he relied on had arrived, his younger, more vulnerable side showed through.
Li Zhenting listened in silence, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair.
"You did a great job. It’s too late now, so don't bother going back to your place. Go sleep at my house."
Tang Jiu was still worried. "But if those people..."
Li Zhenting signaled for him to stop. "Leave everything to me."
He took out his keys and handed them to Tang Jiu.
Tang Jiu looked around. Knowing he would only be a hindrance if he stayed, he gritted his teeth and took the keys.
"Then be careful, Brother Li. If—if those people come back, call me immediately!"
"I will. Go on," Li Zhenting replied.
Tang Jiu left the shop quickly, leaving Li Zhenting alone once more in the vast repair shop.
He found a chair that was still functional, sat down, and stared quietly at the mess on the floor. Then, he pulled out his phone.
"Hello?" Li Zi answered his call instantly.
"It's me. I've arrived," Li Zhenting said softly.
"Good. Are you at the shop now? How is the situation?"
In her hotel room, Li Zi held the phone to her ear as she walked to the window. She watched the crowds still bustling below while listening to the sound of the man’s breathing through the receiver.
"Not great..."
The man's voice was a bit raspy.
"Tang Jiu was guarding the shop; he isn't hurt. But Xiao Zhang is in the hospital. I don't know the specifics yet; I'll go see him at daybreak."
Li Zi knew him very well. The more upset he was, the more he liked to feign composure. Though Li Zhenting sounded normal over the phone, there was no telling how much self-reproach he was feeling.
"I'm going to stay and watch the shop tonight, just in case anything else happens."
"Alright. Then don't hang up. I'll stay here with you," Li Zi coaxed gently.
The tender companionship of his lover brought a surge of warmth to Li Zhenting’s chilled body, and his swelling heart found a measure of peace.
He curled his body slightly, leaning against the back of the chair. Pressing the phone close as if he were resting his head beside her, he gave a soft, obedient, "Mm."
*
Li Zhenting didn't know when he had fallen asleep. When his consciousness cleared again, the clock on the wall showed six in the morning. He unplugged his charging cable, and the phone screen lit up; his call with Li Zi was actually still connected.
"Li Zi?"
He called out in a low voice, afraid of disturbing her if she was resting.
"Hmm? I'm here."
To his surprise, Li Zi responded immediately.
Though he should have asked if she had slept at all, a wave of sweetness flooded Li Zhenting’s half-awake brain.
"You really stayed with me the whole time?"
He couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips no matter how hard he tried.
"Heh."
A soft chuckle came from the other end. Her pleasant voice traveled through the current and into his ear, making his ear canal itch.
"I just happened to catch up on some reading I didn't have time for before," Li Zi explained.
"Oh," Li Zhenting replied.
"You're probably getting ready to go to the hospital now, right? After you see Xiao Zhang, remember to go home and get some rest. Take a hot bath. This was definitely planned by someone behind the scenes; don't be impatient, we'll investigate it slowly."
The calm yet caring female voice provided a steady stream of comfort that Li Zhenting reached out to accept, piece by piece.
"No matter what, try not to resort to violence, and definitely don't get yourself hurt. Do you understand?" Li Zi said seriously.
Hearing this, Li Zhenting wanted to argue, but he didn't want to go against her good intentions at a moment like this.
"I understand."
"Good. Clean yourself up and head out. I'm going to get some sleep now."
Having said her piece, Li Zi let out a yawn on the other end of the line.
"Go to sleep, quickly!"
Hearing the fatigue in her voice, Li Zhenting frowned and urged her.
"I'm hanging up. Go to sleep right now."
He pressed the end-call button, then stood up to stretch his limbs, easing the stiffness from a night spent in an awkward position.
Next, he was going to find those disgusting rats hiding in the shadows.
The first ray of dawn light shone into the shop, casting a glow over Li Zhenting’s sharp features.
*
However, things rarely go as planned.
Li Zhenting took Tang Jiu to the hospital to visit the others. The information he gathered from them was largely the same as what Tang Jiu had told him the night before.
In all these years, Li Zhenting and his crew had stayed on Xi'an Street and rarely clashed with anyone. Consequently, they had no leads on who their enemies might be.
He had no choice but to comfort them first. "It's fine. I'll be staying at the shop from now on. You guys take shifts. Those who are injured should focus on recovering. The New Year is coming up; don't let this ruin your mood. I'll give you all a big red envelope when the time comes."
Perhaps the festive thought of a red envelope cheered everyone up, as they finally showed some smiles.
"We'll do as you say, Brother Li."
They trusted Li Zhenting implicitly. After all, the vast majority of them had known him since middle school and had watched him grow up.
Whether it was the youth who often charged at the front lines of a fight before his differentiation, or the young man Li Zhenting whose strength remained a match for any Alpha even after differentiating as a Beta, he had never let them down.
Therefore, when Li Zhenting decided to lead the remaining crew to go straight and open a small repair shop, no one had objected.
Perhaps it was true that no one would miss a life of thuggery that was neither honorable nor stable.
The New Year was only a few weeks away. Li Zhenting thought to himself that Li Zi should be coming home soon.
This would be their first New Year as a couple.
He had to resolve this matter before then.
