Chapter 047: An Opportunity

Taking advantage of the cover provided by Wang Yan, Lin Yu surreptitiously scanned the group of spoiled rich kids. He understood that not all of them necessarily came from powerful or wealthy backgrounds, but seven or eight out of ten surely did not lack for money or influence. The few exceptions were likely those who could fight or were skilled at currying favor. In any group, there must be someone who acts as the glue—someone eloquent and sociable. If everyone were the silent, cool type, the group would fall apart in no time.

The Soviet scholar Pavlov once divided human temperaments into four types: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholic. The sanguine are quick-witted and energetic. The choleric are passionate and excitable. The melancholic are reserved and shy. The phlegmatic are quiet and taciturn, able to maintain mental balance regardless of circumstance. They seek stability in all things, think deeply, rarely act without confidence, and possess remarkable self-control. Outwardly gentle but inwardly resolute, contemplative and rarely revealing their true feelings, they are steady in their interactions—neither arrogant nor servile, not fond of the limelight or empty pleasantries.

Lin Yu felt that, since his rebirth, he was gradually becoming more phlegmatic himself.

Among the group of spoiled youths, the one walking at the center of the front row, dressed in black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt, kept his gaze fixed straight ahead no matter what the others were saying. He clearly epitomized the pure phlegmatic type—someone never to be underestimated.

Excluding this one with the distinctive temperament, Lin Yu quickly considered the three others in the group to whom he was somewhat connected. He knew Lin Lie, but their relationship was neither close nor antagonistic—essentially neutral, if one were to use the alignment system from World of Warcraft. He had once been at odds with the wealthy and handsome Hu Bin, but after a dinner together, their relationship had improved somewhat, yet at most could be called neutral, far from friendly or admiring. As for Zhang Hongkai, their enmity was boundless; so by any reckoning, these were foes, not friends.

If he were the Monkey King, riding on auspicious clouds and wielding a golden staff, or Bruce Lee, the pride of the Chinese whose kung fu had entered the Oxford English Dictionary, nunchaku in hand, Lin Yu would have struck down these arrogant scions without a second thought.

But since he was neither an Ultraman nor capable of taming these little monsters, Lin Yu could only bury his head on Wang Yan’s shoulder, hoping to slip past the group unnoticed. If discovered, it would no doubt spell trouble. He could always run away, but Wang Yan might get beaten to death.

Just as they were about to pass by, Wang Yan—still in his drunken stupor—suddenly burst out laughing and shouted, “I love you! I love you! I love you…” and ended with a melodious flourish.

In that instant, the group of spoiled youths, who hadn’t been paying attention to the two ‘drunks,’ all turned their gaze to Lin Yu and Wang Yan.

At that moment, Lin Yu desperately wanted to smack the drunken Wang Yan. Among the group, three people recognized him. Although he had a shield, if they paid close attention, they might still see through his disguise.

“No choice! This is my only option…” At this critical juncture, Lin Yu suddenly had a wild idea. He imitated the eunuch’s tone he had once used to reply to Qi Yue and said to Wang Yan, “Darling! I love you too!” Then he pulled Wang Yan’s flushed, drunken face over and pretended to kiss him. Wang Yan’s broader shoulders and hips perfectly shielded him from view.

At that moment, Wang Yan happened to let out a drunken belch, the mixture of food and alcohol on his breath nearly making Lin Yu vomit. He managed to hold it back, but the group of spoiled youths was thoroughly disgusted, each looking as if they’d swallowed a fly.

Zhang Hongkai cursed, “You idiots, go get a room in a hotel if you want to be gay, don’t disgust people on the street. Otherwise, I’ll beat you up every time I see you!”

“Enough. Let’s go inside. Don’t forget, tonight’s target is Ye Ruoshui. I want to see how she escapes my grasp this time.” The phlegmatic young man, Zhang Yang, commented indifferently, and the group immediately responded, surging toward the entrance of Phoenix Bar.

Zhang Yang’s father, Zhang Kailai, was the director of the City Management Bureau in Bincheng, a hotshot in the local government. Thus, all these well-off youths naturally clustered around him. Even Hu Bin, whose father was the deputy chief of police, was considered part of the second tier, whereas Zhang Yang stood at the very pinnacle of Bincheng’s privileged class.

As the crowd turned away, Hu Bin seemed to recognize Lin Yu. He had wanted to greet him but changed his mind after witnessing the display, fearing for his own reputation among his peers. Mistakenly assuming Lin Yu liked men, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief—perhaps stemming from Yang Zhilin’s previous defense of Lin Yu.

Once the crowd had filed into Phoenix Bar, Lin Yu kicked Wang Yan in the rear, thoroughly annoyed.

With great effort, he dragged Wang Yan to the nearby Seven Days Holiday Hotel. Under the curious and slightly regretful gaze of the female receptionist, Lin Yu took out three hundred-yuan bills Qi Yue had left him and booked a twin room.

“The room is one hundred, deposit is two hundred, check out by noon tomorrow. If you’re even a minute late, you’ll be charged for another day,” the plain-looking but heavily made-up receptionist said impatiently as she handed over the room card.

“What a pair of weirdos…” she thought wickedly as she watched them head toward the elevator.

Arriving on the third floor at room 3003, Lin Yu tossed Wang Yan onto the bed nearest the bathroom and hurried into the bathroom to freshen up.

As the warm shower rained down, Lin Yu was suddenly struck by a memory—a sensational event from years past that had profoundly shaped Bincheng’s bar scene and its underground order.

When he had brushed past the group of spoiled youths earlier, Zhang Yang, the city management director’s son, had declared, “Enough. Let’s go inside. Don’t forget, tonight’s target is Ye Ruoshui. I want to see how she escapes my grasp this time.”

In his previous life, Zhang Yang had succeeded. At Phoenix Bar, in front of more than a hundred people, on the main stage, before Ye Ruoshui’s boyfriend and the bar’s bouncer, he forcibly took Ye Ruoshui’s virginity.

Afterward, the girl, unable to bear the humiliation, jumped to her death. Zhang Yang, shielded by power and wealth, remained untouched by the law. Her boyfriend, Lian Jin, deeply traumatized, had once been just a low-level thug with no means for revenge. But after that, he endured hardship and bided his time; within five years, he had taken control of Bincheng’s bar underworld, opening the city’s largest COCO Bar.

In the sixth year, he finally became Bincheng’s kingpin. That same year, Zhang Yang, in a nightclub brawl, suffered a crippling blow to his vital parts, becoming China’s last eunuch. His father, Zhang Tianlai, was assassinated.

Ye Yijing’s father, Ye Tian, the deputy director of the city management bureau, then rose to take the top post.

“Should I intervene?” After washing up, Lin Yu turned off the lights and stood by the hotel window, gazing out over the night, hesitating over what to do next.

Clearly, this was an opportunity!