Chapter 278: After you left, who do I call?

A short syllable came from behind.

Liang Yan stopped.

That was obviously a Chinese pronunciation; if I didn't mishear, it should be the 'jiù' in 'save me'.

And the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Liang Yan hesitated a moment, turned back, walked to the alley entrance, and shouted:

Tang Anna?

F**k!

The reply to Liang Yan was a clearly pronounced American curse.

And judging by the voice, it sounded like Hei Ge.

As the curse fell, the dark shadow that had been together split apart, and amidst a woman's violent coughing, a tall figure walked toward Liang Yan.

Liang Yan had already identified the person in the alley from the cough as Tang Anna, but he did not act rashly; instead, he stepped back two paces, stood under the streetlight, keeping distance from the alley entrance.

When the person finally stepped into the light, Liang Yan saw clearly that it was indeed a tall Hei Ge, wearing a black T-shirt with a brown leather jacket, and jeans.

His left hand pinched a wallet, presumably Tang Anna's.

His right hand gripped a folding knife that flashed with cold light.

Looking for death? Scram!

Hei Ge was a full head taller than Liang Yan, like a small hill, standing at the alley exit more than two meters in front of him, glaring ferociously and menacingly, lowering his voice to shout.

An ordinary person facing this situation would likely be too scared to speak.

Liang Yan likewise felt a strong threat, his heart tense, expression tight, yet his mind remained calm.

He did not respond to Hei Ge's words, merely shouting in Chinese toward the alley:

Are you okay?

The coughing paused, and Tang Anna's hoarse voice came:

"No……cough cough, no……problem……wallet……"

Liang Yan asked again:

"Anything important?"

"Cough……passport……"

That couldn't be helped.

Losing the passport is still quite troublesome.

Liang Yan sighed, reached out to Hei Ge, and said in English:

"Give me the passport; you can take the rest. Don't worry, I won't call the police."

Hei Ge froze a bit, hesitated, but his eyes remained wary:

"Are you sure?"

Liang Yan nodded.

Hei Ge thought for a moment, while staring at him, opened the wallet, took out all the cash inside, a thick stack.

Hei Ge revealed a satisfied smile:

"Godisgood!"

He exclaimed, stuffed the money into his pocket, then, with a teasing smile, held up the wallet toward Liang Yan as if to throw it:

"You want this?"

Liang Yan stared at him with a cold gaze, saying nothing.

He wasn't stupid either; he knew Hei Ge was likely trying to use the wallet to extort him again.

However, perhaps Liang Yan's aura made Hei Ge feel this Eastern youth was not to be provoked; finally, Hei Ge twitched the corner of his mouth, gave a cold laugh, and tossed the wallet to the ground.

Liang Yan glanced at the wallet on the ground, did not immediately go to pick it up, but waited until Hei Ge turned and walked a few steps forward before approaching.

Hei Ge walked away with his hands in his pockets, spitting out a rap, and finally added a frivolous-sounding:

"ChingChong……"

Liang Yan's motion to bend and pick up the wallet paused, then he suddenly exerted force.

He sprang like a fierce, agile leopard, his body exploding upward, swiftly sprinting toward the tall figure already several meters away.

Hei Ge heard the footsteps, instantly turned, and in his fright saw only a shoe sole bearing some brand's logo rapidly enlarging in his vision.

With a bang, the shoe sole struck Hei Ge's face.

Hei Ge staggered back a few steps, ultimately falling face-up on the ground, the knife in his hand also slipping free and dropping.

That person quickly followed up, kicking the knife far away with one foot, then stepping with the other onto his chest.

A young man with a handsome Eastern face stepped on his chest, gazed down at him with a cold, stern look, gripping his cheeks with the tiger's mouth, causing him pain.

The young man slowly spoke, his voice carrying a chilling cold:

"Say that again?"

Hei Ge's back of the head hit the concrete, his head dizzy, he struggled a few times but couldn't even roll over, and fear instantly rose in his heart:

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm very sorry!"

Liang Yan gave a cold snort, his right hand fiercely flicked twice, the leather wallet slapping against Hei Ge's dark skin with a crisp crack.

The foot pressing on his chest pressed down hard twice more, then Liang Yan moved his foot away.

"Scram."

Hei Ge, scared out of his wits, covered his chest and scrambled away, rolling and crawling.

Tang Anna had already come out of the alley; at that moment she stood behind Liang Yan, blankly staring at his back.

Liang Yan turned around, glanced her up and down.

The clothes are neat.

No bloodstains.

Apart from a bit of redness around the neck and mouth, probably from being choked and having the mouth covered, no other external injuries were visible.

Liang Yan let out a light sigh of relief, walked up to Tang Anna, and handed over the wallet.

"Are you okay?"

Tang Anna shook her head.

Liang Yan stepped forward, asking:

"What are you doing out so late at night?"

"The hotel's shampoo has an allergenic ingredient……"

Tang Anna's weak voice came from behind.

Liang Yan stopped and turned back, seeing Tang Anna standing in place, and also noticing her ponytail had been tied into a bun.

"I'll go with you to buy it."

"Thank you......"

The two walked toward the supermarket.

Liang Yan continued to educate the "little girl":

"If you encounter this kind of thing again, just take out the important stuff and hand over your wallet; usually, if they get the money they won't bother you. But it's not certain—you're not bad‑looking, so if you run into someone who acts on lust, it could be troublesome."

"So I suggest that if you need to go out late at night again, you carry something for self‑defense—a knife, a stun gun, pepper spray, anything like that—to be safer."

"Oh...... okay."

At this moment Tang Anna appeared especially obedient.

Liang Yan was a bit unaccustomed, fell silent for two seconds, then said:

"You've stayed in the U. S., so you should be more familiar with this environment—what were you thinking, daring to walk alone at night into such a pitch‑black, desolate place."

"He was hiding inside and dragged me in……"

"When you come out, you should bring a companion; if that's really impossible, next time just call me."

The girl suddenly stopped walking.

Liang Yan turned back, puzzled:

"What's wrong?"

The girl pressed her lips, looked at him, fell silent for a moment, then said:

"Then who should I call after you leave?"

……

After accompanying Tang Anna to finish buying the shampoo, Liang Yan returned to the hotel and told Lao Zhang:

"It seems someone nearby has taken an interest in us; be careful if you go out."

Lao Zhang let out an "Ah?":

"Taking an interest in us? Why?"

"They're interested in our wallets."

Liang Yan took his clothes, preparing to take a shower,

"I guess they know the hotel is full of foreigners, that we need cash to buy things here, and to some people that makes us fat sheep—so you should also be careful."

Lao Zhang immediately realized and asked in surprise:

"You were robbed?!"

"Not me, someone else."