Chapter 1464: Nothing Happened

"Xiaobai, Xiaobai, something terrible has happened!"

On Monday afternoon, Luo Yun rushed frantically to Zhou Xiaobai's home.

Zhou Xiaobai was at home reading a book: "Why such haste? Drink some water, calm down, and speak properly."

"Wang Yan, Wang Yan has been arrested by the police!"

"What?"

Zhou Xiaobai instantly threw down the book in her hands and jumped up, "What happened?"

"Let me drink some water first to catch my breath."

"Oh, just tell me already!"

Luo Yun, speechless at Zhou Xiaobai's double standards, poured water while saying, "Do you remember when we first met Wang Yan? Didn't he beat up that Li Yuanchang? I heard he fractured both of Li Yuanchang's arms."

"This Li Yuanchang holds great influence among us children of the courtyard compounds; after suffering such a huge loss, he certainly wouldn't accept it. So he waited a week, and last night over at Fuxing Gate, he led people to ambush Wang Yan."

"Ah? Is Wang Yan alright?" Zhou Xiaobai's eyes widened, filled entirely with worry.

"Oh, just listen to me!" Luo Yun took a sip of water and continued, "Didn't we see Wang Yan beating people up that day? He is exceptionally good at fighting. I heard yesterday he displayed immense prowess; that Li Yuanchang was nearly beaten to death by him, someone had their leg broken by him, and the hospital's orthopedic department couldn't even fit everyone in. I even heard guns were used, and someone was shot."

"What about Wang Yan? I'm asking about Wang Yan!"

Luo Yun rolled her eyes: "Xiaobai, think about it; if Wang Yan were injured, he would definitely be in the hospital, not at the Gongan Bureau, right? He must be perfectly fine."

Zhou Xiaobai realized this made sense, and couldn't help but sit back down on the sofa.

"Do you think he's in trouble this time?"

"It's hard to say." Luo Yun shook her head, "The trouble he caused is too big; that Li Yuanchang's family is even more powerful than your father's, and those people whose legs were broken are no ordinary folks either. It's really precarious, Xiaobai. How dare he be so bold?"

"When others bully him, he protects himself; isn't that only right?"

Zhou Xiaobai argued back, and having said that, she picked up the phone nearby and began dialing.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Secretary Liu to have him investigate the situation."

Luo Yun stepped forward to stop her: "You must think this through carefully, Xiaobai; once you make this call..."

"I have truly set my sights on Wang Yan; don't interfere." Zhou Xiaobai brushed Luo Yun's hand away, called her father's secretary, and explained the situation...

Soon, Zhou Xiaobai received a reply from Secretary Liu, who only said the impact was significant but Wang Yan should have no major issues, then hung up the phone.

"Ah?"

Hearing Zhou Xiaobai's words, Luo Yun said in surprise, "Causing such a huge incident involving so many children of important figures, yet Wang Yan is actually fine?"

Zhou Xiaobai had already put her mind at ease, saying: "Anyway, that's what Secretary Liu said; my father says Secretary Liu is reliable in his work and told me to rest assured, so he wouldn't lie to me; if he says there's no issue, then there certainly is no issue."

"What a blessed fate." Luo Yun clicked her tongue in wonder, "I wonder what the scene was like yesterday? I'm too curious."

"What's so curious about a fight?"

"The fight itself isn't curious; what I'm curious about is how Wang Yan managed to fight so many people alone. You don't know, but I heard that the people surrounding Wang Yan were all carrying knives, while Wang Yan was all by himself... wait, no, Li Kuiyong was there too, right?"

Luo Yun's eyes spun with an idea: "Xiaobai, why don't we go ask Li Kuiyong? He went back with Wang Yan yesterday, so he must know the situation."

"Let's go! We can also visit their home while we're at it."

Zhou Xiaobai didn't hesitate much, stood up, put on her clothes, and left...

Wang Yan had once mentioned his home address, which Zhou Xiaobai remembered clearly; the two rode their bicycles to Nanheng Street, searching alley by alley, and before long arrived at Wang Yan's doorstep.

"Is this the courtyard?" Luo Yun asked uncertainly.

Zhou Xiaobai leaned closer to look at the plaque beside the door, nodded, and said: "This is the one!"

Immediately, the two parked their bicycles at the entrance and cautiously walked into the courtyard.

"Li Kuiyong?"

"Li Kuiyong?"

Calling out as they turned past the spirit screen and stepped through the floral-pendant gate, they saw Li Kuiyong running out.

"Why have you two come?" Li Kuiyong looked at the two women in surprise, then called out, "Brother Yan, Brother Yan, Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun are here."

Afterwards, Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun saw Wang Yan walking out of the west wing room holding a large ladle.

Wang Yan said with a smile: "You've arrived; you've come at just the right time, I'm cooking. Dayong, go cut some more meat and buy some vegetables."

"Got it." Li Kuiyong ran out without another word.

"Come inside; let me get this stew going." Having said that, Wang Yan turned and went back into the room.

Zhou Xiaobai followed closely behind, looking Wang Yan up and down: "Are you alright?"

Luo Yun said: "Right, Wang Yan, didn't they say you were locked up?"

"I am the victim here; with knives and guns involved, how could I be 'locked up'? I was assisting with the investigation and explaining the situation to the police." As he spoke, Wang Yan put green onions, ginger, and garlic into the pot to stir-fry until fragrant; beside his hand lay a cutlassfish and a block of tofu.

Watching Wang Yan's skilled movements, Zhou Xiaobai asked: "Did you just get back?"

"Less than twenty minutes ago; since I didn't eat well at the Gongan Bureau, I bought a fish to have a proper meal; just in time for you to taste my cooking skills and see my ability to manage a household."

"Stop joking around at a time like this." Zhou Xiaobai gave him an annoyed slap, "What exactly happened?"

"Don't you know? I was surrounded by children from the courtyard compounds; I fought back fiercely, broke two of Li Yuanchang's legs and one arm, additionally someone tried to shoot me with a gun, so I broke all four of their limbs, and besides these two, there was another person whose leg I broke."

Luo Yun let out an "Ah": "But I heard there were over a hundred people?"

"Exaggeration; rumors distort the truth until it ends up looking nothing like reality." Wang Yan said amusingly, "How could I have such great ability?"

"Then how exactly were you released? You don't know, Wang Yan, earlier Xiaobai even called her father's secretary; hearing you had no major issues is one thing, but they couldn't have let you out this quickly, could they?"

Wang Yan placed the fish into the pot and poured in hot water: "As an ordinary citizen, how would I know the specifics? Anyway, I just heard this incident caused quite a stir; a leader stated the facts were clear, that I acted in self-defense, so they let me return. They even guaranteed me that absolutely no one would use power to retaliate against me, telling me to behave honestly and not cause trouble again in the future."

"That's it?" Luo Yun was incredulous.

"Ah, otherwise what else could happen? Did they expect to execute me? I am not like those courtyard compound kids who engage in brawling; I am a good young man. All the neighbors say good things about me, and the furniture factory side also says my professional skills are solid and I work diligently; I never actively seek trouble with others, but am diligent and steadfast."

"It is they who, for the sake of some damn face, bully others everywhere yet forbid me from bullying them. Furthermore, I did not actively provoke trouble; it was they who looked down on me first, acting arrogantly and bossily; I was merely defending myself, so what fault is mine?"

Zhou Xiaobai's teeth ached just listening to this; these words were somewhat shameless.

"You're acting like you got the better end of the deal while pretending otherwise."

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "It's not that I got the better end; in truth, I gained nothing at all. Instead, I fought with them, was exhausted to the point of collapse, and lived in constant fear. If you must say something, I simply didn't lose. Otherwise, I would have either been hacked to death by Li Yuanzhao and his gang or dragged off to be executed. Enough of that; come sit inside, and I'll brew some tea for you."

"Wang Yan, your home is ridiculously small." Luo Yun walked in, looking at the tiny room with a hint of disdain.

"Oh, this is quite good already. Dayong's family has eight people crammed into fourteen square meters! I have over seven square meters all to myself, so I'm more than content; at least I have a nest."

"Then Xiao Bai has suffered greatly following you."

"I don't care." Zhou Xiaobai glanced at Luo Yun, disliking how harsh her best friend's words were.

"Xiao Bai, you are too good." Wang Yan put his arm around Zhou Xiaobai and sat her on the bed's edge. "I knew you were a good wife, not someone with low ideological awareness like Luo Yun."

"Hey, hey, hey! You two can be lovey-dovey, but don't drag me into it." Luo Yun glared unhappily.

Zhou Xiaobai said nothing, clearly having already accepted her relationship as Wang Yan's girlfriend. She said, "How big does a house need to be to count as big? As long as it's enough to live in, that's fine. The main thing is being with the person you love. Besides, if there's a need in the future, they will definitely allocate a bigger house."

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "Xiao Bai, you are too good, so considerate."

Luo Yun rolled her eyes and changed the subject: "You have quite a few books here? Wow, even a pair of embroidered shoes? You just leave them out like this? Are you crazy?"

"What else can I do?" Wang Yan shrugged indifferently. "At worst, they'll confiscate them, or maybe scold me again. It's no big deal. When that happens, I'll just go to their warehouse and pick out a few more."

"So you stole them all?"

"Ah, it's fine. Those books are piled up like mountains; they can't burn them all in a day or two. I just took a handful, and that's enough to read for a while. Actually, there's no need for others to confiscate them; after I finish reading, I'll tear them up myself to start fires."

Wang Yan looked at Zhou Xiaobai. "Take whatever you like to read back with you when you leave."

"I have quite a few yellow-covered books myself, and I've finished reading them all. When you walk me home today, I'll bring them over for you to read too."

"Alright." Wang Yan nodded with a smile.

Yellow-covered books, or more precisely, internal circulation books, came not only with yellow covers but also gray ones, marked with phrases like 'For Criticism,' 'For Internal Reference,' or 'Internal Distribution.'

These items were just like the movies shown in the courtyard or in certain unit cinemas; everyone would casually watch various foreign films under the guise of criticism when they had nothing else to do.

"Did you make this cabinet?" Luo Yun pointed at the Ban Cheng Pin cabinet on the floor.

"Isn't that stating the obvious?" Wang Yan said. "I am a carpenter, and this is my home; if I didn't make it, who else would have?"

Luo Yun pursed her lips: "It looks just average."

"That's because it's not finished yet. Look at this large writing desk of mine, and look at that standing wardrobe over there; I made those too." Wang Yan lifted his chin to indicate them.

This time, Zhou Xiaobai also became interested; she stood up, touched the furniture, and examined it carefully from every angle.

Wang Yan's furniture was far from ordinary; his technical skill was displayed to perfection. Especially on the exteriors, various auspicious patterns and mythical beasts were carved, including on that large writing desk. A landscape painting was engraved on the desktop, and to make it usable, a piece of glass was laid over it.

Previously, neither of the two women had paid attention to these details, but now, looking closely, they finally realized just how amazing Wang Yan was.

Zhou Xiaobai asked curiously, "Wang Yan, if you can paint on a table, you surely know how to use a brush as well? I see those carved characters are also very well done; your calligraphy with a brush must be equally good, right?"

"You have an eye for quality." Wang Yan nodded appreciatively, then pointed to the horizontal long scroll hanging on the wall. "This piece, 'The Great Leader Returns to Jinggangshan,' was painted by me. Take a look and appreciate it."

Thus, the two women moved closer, unable to stop exclaiming in wonder.

Of course, they couldn't really discern anything profound; they only knew the portrait looked lifelike, possessed an imposing aura, and the calligraphy was beautiful. Beyond that, they saw nothing else.

But in reality, this was Wang Yan's masterpiece, also his recent work. It was painted in his previous world, which was only a few decades ago from now.

After so many years of practice, needless to say his calligraphy was supreme, but even his previously unskilled painting abilities had long since reached the realm of a grandmaster, and had arguably advanced another ten li beyond that.

Luo Yun looked Wang Yan up and down as if discovering a new continent: "I really didn't see it coming; you are so multi-talented. I'm truly curious, what else can you do?"

Zhou Xiaobai also looked at Wang Yan in amazement and chimed in, "Tell us; I want to hear too."

"Carpentry, wood carving, calligraphy and painting, cooking, martial arts—aren't those enough? I know a bit about clothing, food, shelter, and travel; I know some things related to spiritual culture; I also have some skills in engineering, like repairing electrical appliances. Anyway, just spend time with me; the longer we are together, the more you will know."

The three chatted and laughed for a while until Li Kuiyong, who had gone out to buy meat, ran back. Wang Yan prepared four dishes, all in generous portions, and the four of them ate dinner together.

Naturally, there was no lack of praise for Wang Yan's cooking skills; the evaluation was unanimous. They all said Wang Yan could work as a chef in a state-run restaurant, and with such ability, he could go anywhere in the world without fear.

After dinner and a brief period of idle chat and rest, Wang Yan packed over a dozen books and walked Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun home.

By this time, it was dark again.

Wang Yan waited outside the courtyard for Zhou Xiaobai to go back and retrieve the books. After quite a while, Zhou Xiaobai finally came out, bringing over a dozen famous foreign literary works.

"This seems to be the first time we've been alone together, right?"

In the darkness outside the courtyard, Zhou Xiaobai hugged Wang Yan, her face pressed against his chest.

"Yes, which is why I told you we should go ice skating next time without Luo Yun." Wang Yan cupped Zhou Xiaobai's face with his hands. "Shouldn't we share a kiss now?"

"Mm..."

Zhou Xiaobai's response was very quiet, but her action was decisive; she actively leaned in and kissed him.

In the darkness, the two rustled about for quite a while, only stopping because Zhou Xiaobai could no longer bear the cold. Reluctantly, they made a promise to meet again next time.

Zhou Xiaobai skipped and hopped, happily returning home, but as soon as she entered the door, she saw her parents sitting on the sofa in the living room...

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