Chapter 1463: A Sleepless Night

The Red Detachment of Women is a revolutionary modern ballet, first successfully performed by the China National Xiao Balei Company in 1964.

Its story takes place on Hainan Island in the 1930s, set against the backdrop of China's revolutionary history; the ballet recounts how Qionghua, a maid who escaped from the tyrant Nan Batian's mansion, with the help of Hong Changqing, the Red Army Party representative, gradually transforms from a rural girl filled with bitter hatred into a soldier of the Women's Detachment with firm communist beliefs.

Today's performance at the theater is by the Central Dance Troupe, currently undertaking a new round of touring.

Like spoken drama, such ballets stage their classic productions in touring rounds at intervals; this both enriches the spiritual and cultural life of the masses and continuously cultivates and hones excellent young actors.

As the performance unfolded on stage, the audience below felt their emotions surge in tandem with the plot; watching the villain commit every evil, they burned with rage; watching the protagonist suffer oppression, they despised her inability to fight back; and when the final reversal came, they finally let out a long sigh of relief.

For over two hours, the audience was completely absorbed; even Zhou Xiaobai, who had seen it before, was immersed in it.

Wang Yan, however, felt nothing special; he merely appreciated and critiqued it purely, entirely unaffected by the love, hate, sorrow, and joy within, for to a certain extent, he was a man with a heart of iron and stone...

"What do you think?" Zhou Xiaobai turned and asked.

"Good to watch; a classic," Wang Yan offered this evaluation.

"You needn't say it; this play has been running for ages, and every time it draws such a huge crowd."

"Then why did you ask me?"

Zhou Xiaobai gave a delicate snort, pulled her hand away, and said, "That's enough."

"Not nearly enough; a lifetime wouldn't be too much."

Zhou Xiaobai let out another delicate snort, though it revealed great satisfaction, yet her words were full of disgust: "So cheesy!"

"If you love hearing it, I'll say more in the future."

"I don't love hearing it at all. Let's go!"

The performance ended, the audience dispersed, and people crowded toward the exit.

"No rush; there are too many people," Wang Yan said, reaching out to put his arm around Zhou Xiaobai. "It will take a while to get out; let us communicate our feelings a bit more."

"Hey, Wang Yan, acting like a hooligan!" Luo Yun pointed exaggeratedly from the side.

Wang Yan paid it no mind, pulling Zhou Xiaobai close against him: "What do you say?"

"I say you're a hooligan too," Zhou Xiaobai said, pinching Wang Yan's thigh.

"But you didn't object, did you? We two have become hooligans together."

Zhou Xiaobai glared at Wang Yan, then noticed everyone around them staring; immediately embarrassed, she said, "Alright, everyone is watching."

Wang Yan laughed heartily and did not insist further; Zhou Xiaobai was only seventeen now, so putting anything in writing would naturally be improper...

After a while, most of the people inside had finally dispersed; the four of them finally rose from their seats and, at the very back, moved step by step with the crowd toward the exit.

Outside, the sky was now completely dark; emerging from the bright interior before their eyes had adjusted, the night seemed even darker.

In truth, it was not much brighter anywhere; at this time there were not many streetlights, and even where they existed, their brightness was not high, nor did households have much lighting; after all, electricity was scarce then, electricity fees were expensive, and there was still a long road ahead.

Feeling the cold air, Li Kuiyong exclaimed, "Brother Yan, do you think our bicycles might get stolen again today?"

"Wait, why do I detect a hint of anticipation in that? Li Kuiyong, the bicycles were hard enough to recover; do you actually want them stolen again?" Luo Yun asked, her face full of suspicion.

It was not that Luo Yun was overly sensitive; Li Kuiyong's thoughts were simply not hidden at all, making no attempt at concealment.

Zhou Xiaobai, of course, also caught the implication; she knew that what Wang Yan made sound easy was certainly not so simple to resolve, and she couldn't help but look at Wang Yan again, her eyes clearly saying, "Can't you learn to be good?"

Wang Yan said with amusement, "How could bicycles be stolen every day? Dayong, hope for something better. Even if they are stolen, it might be by some greedy person, not necessarily by a 'Buddha'."

Li Kuiyong gave an honest smile and said nothing.

Zhou Xiaobai asked, "But what if they are stolen by greedy people?"

"Then they certainly won't be found; trying to locate someone with no roots in this city of Four-Nine is truly like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"Then what will you do?" Zhou Xiaobai pressed further. "Just accept the loss?"

"What a foolish question; if they can't be found, can we not accept it?" Wang Yan affectionately ruffled Zhou Xiaobai's hair. "But by then, I'll just go have a chat with those thieves; they will surely have a change of heart and return my bicycle."

"I knew it," Zhou Xiaobai snorted. "Fight less!"

"Oh my, Xiaobai, already taking charge?" Luo Yun teased from the side.

"Let's go, let's go; it's so late, we should hurry back."

Zhou Xiaobai did not respond, stepping down the stairs, while Luo Yun chased after her, continuing to tease...

Wang Yan glanced at the four or five people in the opposite corner; they were all wearing woolen overcoats, clearly veteran soldiers.

Seeing this, Li Kuiyong also noticed: "Brother Yan?"

"They aren't necessarily Li Yuan Yuan's people; there are many veterans around here," Wang Yan waved his hand. "Let's go; first we'll send these two home."

Li Kuiyong acknowledged with a sound, shot a fierce glare at the veteran soldiers who were staring at them, then followed Wang Yan to find their bicycles, which had not been stolen, and departed chatting and laughing with Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun...

The Military Compound extends westward from Gongzhufen, passing Yuquan Road to the Western Hills; the Air Force, Navy, Signal Corps, General Logistics Department, General Staff Department, and other command headquarters are all located here, and around these headquarters, living zones have been demarcated for the families of relevant personnel; here there are schools, hospitals, and cinemas, with complete living facilities, so it can be said to form a world of its own.

Additionally, the famous 301 Hospital is also located here, and it is this hospital that provides medical support for the leaders.

After delivering Zhou Xiaobai to her destination, under the gaze of the sentries, Wang Yan and Zhou Xiaobai shared an embrace before bidding farewell.

Li Kuiyong said, "Brother Yan, you have excellent taste; Zhou Xiaobai is a good Miss, well-matched with you."

"What makes you say that?" Wang Yan asked, pedaling the bicycle and childishly wobbling the handlebars left and right.

"Zhou Xiaobai doesn't look down on people, unlike that Luo Yun, who acts a bit high and mighty; she makes me uncomfortable. Brother Yan, since you and Zhou Xiaobai have reached the stage of hugging and embracing, and you've already arranged to go ice skating with her next week, you should go alone; definitely don't bring me along."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Alright."

In fact, he had already told Zhou Xiaobai that he wouldn't bring Luo Yun next time either...

At this moment, Li Kuiyong glanced back and saw five people following behind, keeping a moderate distance.

"Brother Yan, I'm afraid things won't end peacefully today."

"Then let them not end peacefully," Wang Yan said, planting his long legs on the ground to stop the bicycle, then waving at the five people behind who dared not approach.

The five exchanged glances and finally walked over.

Wang Yan said, "Tell your people not to intercept me on my way home; Fuxingmen is not far ahead, and I will wait for you there. Go."

The five looked at one another; ultimately, they sent two to report the message while the remaining three politely retreated to a greater distance.

"Cowards!" Li Kuiyong spat.

Wang Yan shook his head and said, "Go back."

"Brother Yan, I won't drag you down. But I won't go too far either; I'll find a place to hide and come out after the fighting is done."

"Go then."

Li Kui pedaled his bicycle away decisively, without any hesitation or dragging of feet.

Having experienced the previous incident, Li Kui now deeply understood Wang Yan's ferocious combat prowess; he truly knew he was a burden who would hinder Wang Yan's performance, so he left without a moment's hesitation.

Wang Yan was very satisfied with Li Kui's decisiveness; this was someone who saved him worry.

And so, Wang Yan rode his bicycle along the road at a leisurely pace. The road was very empty at this time, with almost no one around, so he simply wandered back and forth on the wide asphalt.

However, no matter how slow his speed, there was always a time when he would arrive.

There was a square near Fuxing Gate; he rode his bike to the spot, lit a cigarette, and waited patiently for the revenge to arrive...

In the time that followed, this place began to grow lively.

Wang Yan had barely finished one cigarette when people started arriving one after another on bicycles; they were extremely arrogant, giggling and laughing from a distance while pointing and commenting at Wang Yan.

Just like that, after about half an hour had passed, the rest of those on foot and on bikes finally arrived. By this time, more than three hundred people had gathered here. They had all taken kitchen knives and daggers out of their bags; some even carried military bayonets, while others wielded long blades made by welding steel pipes themselves.

It was also at this moment that Wang Yan saw Li Yuanhong once again. He had arrived sitting on a tricycle, and both of his hands were still not healed.

At the same time, Wang Yan vaguely spotted Zhong Yuemin, Zhang Haiyang, and others on the periphery, but they were clearly keeping their distance, seemingly there just to watch the spectacle.

"Wang Yan, long time no see," Li Yuanhong said as he jumped off the tricycle and walked up to Wang Yan, wearing a deliberately maintained smile on his face as if he had already won.

Wang Yan looked at him with a chuckle: "Li Yuanhong, you really don't learn your lesson."

"It seems you still haven't recognized the current situation; don't think that just because you beat up a bunch of small thugs, you're so formidable. I'll give you a chance: kneel down right now, kowtow to me, and today's matter will be over."

Wang Yan sneered: "To tell you the truth, Li Yuanhong, your family has considerable influence, and I'm unwilling to push things to the extreme, otherwise the aftermath will be difficult to clean up. If you kowtow to me now, we can each go our separate ways from here on out."

"Hahaha..."

Li Yuanhong burst into wild laughter, and everyone around who heard Wang Yan's words laughed as well, mocking Wang Yan's overestimation of his own abilities.

Wang Yan always kept his word; he had truly given Li Yuanhong a chance, yet obviously, Li Yuanhong had not cherished it.

Thus, Wang Yan acted decisively.

He stepped forward two paces and swiftly kicked out twice; with only two crisp cracking sounds, Li Yuanhong's two legs were broken. Immediately after, he grabbed Li Yuanhong's left arm and, with a very decisive palm strike, broke Li Yuanhong's forearm right through his thick clothes. Then, with one kick, he sent Li Yuanhong flying onto the cargo bed of the tricycle.

The veteran soldiers surrounding them and shouting provocations were stunned; they seemed to have lost their voices, falling silent in an instant, unsure of what to do.

They did not know, but Wang Yan did.

After breaking Li Yuanhong's arms and legs, he did not stop his actions; instead, he immediately began breaking legs among those nearby, one leg per person, fair and impartial.

He entered the crowd of veteran soldiers just like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, truly slaughtering in all directions; none of his opponents could withstand even a single exchange, and with every kick accompanied by a cracking sound, another leg was broken.

Wang Yan's frenzy terrified the veteran soldiers; even holding their knives, they dared not advance. At this point, there was no more talk of loyalty or brotherhood; they scattered in a swarm and fled, only wishing they had wind-fire wheels under their feet.

Of course, there were some ruthless individuals, but they all had their legs broken.

There were even more ruthless ones; while Wang Yan was slaughtering in all directions, one suddenly turned sideways, followed immediately by a loud bang of a gunshot. A veteran soldier standing in front of Wang Yan let out a cry of "Ah-ya!" as a bullet struck his shoulder.

Wang Yan quickly ran back, broke the remaining three limbs of that person, kicked the handgun aside, and absolutely refused to touch it with his hands.

It was at this moment that this battle could be considered over. Wang Yan took a rough glance around; he had only broken the legs of forty-odd people, while the rest had all fled.

Wang Yan lit a cigarette, waved to the stunned Zhong Yuemin on the side, and said: "Go find the police and a doctor; tell them a gun was fired and several dozen legs were broken."

"Okay," Zhong Yuemin replied dazedly, mounted his bicycle, and pedaled furiously away.

Wang Yan sat by the tricycle, looking at Li Yuanhong who was gasping heavily, and said with a chuckle: "Am I considerate or not? I specifically left your right arm intact so you can take care of yourself later, rather than becoming truly disabled."

Li Yuanhong said nothing, staring blankly at the night sky as tears continuously slid from his eyes.

"Oh my, now you're crying?"

Wang Yan clicked his tongue and shook his head: "I still prefer your previous arrogant and domineering appearance; you need to act wild, otherwise how can you live up to your status as the big boss? Yuanhong, don't lose the dignity of a child from the big compound. Otherwise, how will you mix in the world in the future? Who will still listen to your orders?

How do you think these brothers who trust you, and are even willing to kill for you by firing a gun, will view this? How will your parents and relatives view this? Your father and mother are meritorious heroes, all of them made of hard bone; you cannot be soft, you cannot lose your family's face."

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Li Yuanhong could no longer hold back; he finally burst into loud wails, his body and spirit both suffering heart-rending pain...

Wang Yan shook his head in disgust, then waved to Zhang Haiyang, Zheng Tong, Yuan Jun, and others who were still standing dazed in the distance.

"Come over here!"

Hearing his words, even though their hearts were filled with fear, this group still carefully navigated around the people writhing on the ground in agony and approached.

Wang Yan said: "Are you people who dare to act and take responsibility for your actions?"

Zhang Haiyang wore an expression of impending doom: "No, Brother Yan, we were just watching the spectacle; we didn't do anything at all. My hand still hasn't healed yet..."

He felt extremely aggrieved.

Wang Yan waved his hand in disgust: "You definitely won't be able to slip away; later, when we get to the station, just tell the truth, don't add oil to the fire, and don't favor anyone. Can you do that?"

"Yes, yes, yes," the crowd nodded hurriedly.

"This incident is a bit too big, but fortunately no lives were lost. Sigh, the fate of workers and peasants' children is bitter; clearly I was the one being bullied, yet I still have to tremble with fear."

Just as Wang Yan was sighing with emotion, Li Kui arrived on his bicycle.

"Everything okay, Brother Yan?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "Da Yong, my bicycle is over there; take it back for me. I went too hard this time; I'm afraid I won't be able to go home for a couple of days. Go ahead, don't worry about me; it's nothing major."

"Alright, be careful, Brother Yan."

Li Kui remained just as decisive; he fiercely kicked one of the people rolling on the ground, then took Wang Yan's bicycle and headed back.

Wang Yan yawned; tonight would be a sleepless one...

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