CHAPTER 854: CHAPTER 858: BORN A REBEL (PART 8)

On the ground like a dead dog, Huang Mao struggled to open his heavy eyelids, painfully watching his beloved taxi abandon him and speed away into the dust.

After his body and mind suffered serious injuries, he also faced a major financial loss.

He lost himself in deep confusion: Who’s the real bad guy here?

Look at the skilled methods used to loot money, the fearless bandit-like demeanor, the fists punching relentlessly—how could he ever have thought the opponent was just a helpless little lamb?

This was clearly a vicious wolf with sharp teeth.

He was the one who was pathetic, weak, and helpless... a poor little thing. He hugged himself and wept wide streams of tears.

When the police arrived at the hugging location, there was nothing else apart from the lonely little helpless one lying there, shedding tears skyward.

Upon seeing the police, Huang Mao was overwhelmed with excitement.

Once helped up, he painfully but determinedly expressed his resolve to report the crime.

Not only was he beaten, but he also suffered a robbery... this would become a lifelong psychological trauma.

To the police station, Huang Mao was no stranger. After all, anyone who visits the station every now and then since his teenage years couldn’t remain unknown.

Lately, they hadn’t heard much about him. Turns out he changed careers to become a taxi driver.

Looking at his miserable state, he clearly hit a tough spot—his foot is not only swollen from kicking, but I bet his steel teeth have shattered too.

No one would have expected that the mischief who always got complaints would one day be seeking their help.

The officers who were called over couldn’t help but stifle their laughter.

Yet, they would still process the reasonable requests made by Little Huang Mao.

"Don’t worry. The other party kindly drove your taxi back—it’s parked right outside the police station. You can drive it away once you complete the report."

Huang Mao, relentless and unsatisfied, with a swollen face, mumbled, "What about my losses from the robbery and medical expenses... how should they be handled?"

The officer directly relayed Su Li’s words: "The other party said, feel free to negotiate face-to-face with them."

Instantly, Huang Mao wilted.

Grunting a few times, he could do nothing but swallow this enormous loss dryly.

Crying... the police don’t help him either, how frustrating.

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To Su Li, that previous incident was just a small interlude. Now she simply had a small tag-along.

"Why are you following me?"

Acting proud, Lan Chengying said arrogantly, "I go wherever I want."

Despite his bold words, his flickering, watery eyes still reflected his inner trepidation.

Being a creature with strong intuition, Lan Chengying’s sixth sense was strong. After meeting her, he always felt a compelling urge: Follow her, definitely follow her.

Though not particularly smart, he subconsciously followed her all the way to the hotel she was checking into.

Su Li’s discerning gaze swept Lan Chengying from top to bottom, scanning him thoroughly like an X-ray.

"Your thoughts were quite dangerous just now, I’ll give you a chance to rephrase what you said."

While her words sounded soft, Lan Chengying was all tense, blurting out without thinking, "I greatly admire the lady’s talent and beauty, thus wish to follow her. I hope the lady gives me a chance, seeing my sincerity."

Lan Chengying couldn’t believe such lackey-like words came out of his own mouth.

Su Li frowned, unimpressed, and merely "hmm"-ed in acknowledgment, reluctantly agreeing.

Lan Chengying: "...." What the hell? Why did he suddenly become so infatuated? Oddly, though he was mentally complaining, he felt no regret and even a strange relaxation.

Su Li, like the Old Buddha, pointed at the suitcase dispassionately. Lan Chengying immediately got the hint, nodding and bowing, accepting the job as a follower.

Su Li: Ah, this impromptu recruit as a follower isn’t bad, seems he can read people well. Hope he continues to excel.

Since the follower was reliable enough, Su Li should offer some benefits in return, so he would stay devoted.

A good follower is hard to come by; she didn’t want to bother searching for another one.

Eating ice cream offered by her newly appointed follower, Su Li lazily said, "You look dark, today there might be some bloodshed."

Lan *looks dark* Chengying *bloodshed*: "....."

Speechless, Lan Chengying could only dryly laugh a few times.

The phrase was so cliché, like an overused piece of street wisdom.

Stand under a random bridge near the antique market, among ten fortune-tellers, eight would spout this as a catchphrase.

Su Li, without lifting an eyelid, casually asked, "You don’t believe it?"

Lan Chengying sneaked a peek at the follower code drafted by Su Li. Then, lying through his teeth, said, "No, I do believe, absolutely."

To demonstrate conviction, Lan Chengying even directly poked into the Lan Family group chat and sent Su Li’s comments, quickly closing the chat afterward.

He didn’t want to see people calling him foolish and other heart-piercing words.

With a brazen face, Lan Chengying said, "See, I’ve already told my family about this..."

Su Li turned her head disdainfully, suddenly feeling concern about the intelligence level of her follower.

After handling hotel check-in procedures, they sought a reputable restaurant nearby to solve their hunger.

During this time, the bodyguards ditched by Lan Chengying managed to find them.

Upon seeing the earnest persuasion by the plainclothes four, Lan Chengying hesitated, subconsciously looking towards Su Li.

The leader, a black-faced brawny man, glanced silently at Su Li, then turned back to Lan Chengying, saying, "Young Master, you’d better not stray too far from us, otherwise it won’t be easy for us to protect you, especially with so many sinister people around."

Lan Chengying paid little heed to his implicit hints.

After all, he couldn’t believe his bodyguards would target someone they met for the first time.

The black-faced brawny man continued, "Madam is very concerned about you, she just spoke with me on the phone."

Upon hearing this, Lan Chengying sheepishly glanced at his phone, discovering a shocking 99+ unread messages before opening the family group.

His mother had always been delicate and sensitive. Saying something like he did earlier certainly would have intensified her worries.

Lan Chengying: "Then I..." he initially intended to agree to return with his bodyguards and persuade Su Li to join him.

Within a short time, he’d learned some basic information about Su Li, knowing she had nowhere to stay temporarily.

"Don’t go." Su Li abruptly intervened, wielding her soft but firm voice that brooked no argument.

"For the next few days, you’ll stay in the room next to mine and not go anywhere."

The black-faced brawny man wasn’t happy, this was the first time he directly looked at Su Li: "Miss...."

"That’s enough, I’m not going back with you for the time being. There are many places in Su City I haven’t explored yet, I’ll head back to the Capital once I’m done."

"But Madam..."

Lan Chengying’s face darkened, releasing an imposing aura impatiently, "Alright, I’ll explain it to my mom myself."