Part 2
Hu Lao Er cursed.
As soon as he spoke, his underlings began to hit the black mermaid even harder. The mermaid cried and howled, gradually becoming barely conscious, his face a bloody mess.
Xia Yi stared blankly.
He couldn’t recover for a long time.
His mind was a mess.
The black mermaid was crying so miserably.
So, this was what Brother Ke Da had talked about? Brother Ke Da said the underground city was very dangerous and mermaids were easily bullied.
Last time, he had secretly overheard Tang Si say that all mermaids were ill-tempered except for him. And when he saw this black mermaid at the Starstone market, the mermaid was acting spoiled towards Hu Lao Er, which made him doubt Tang Si’s point of view. Until now.
Not every mermaid was ill-tempered, unless they were being threatened and harmed!
Xia Yi was furious.
Even though he didn’t like this black mermaid, seeing so many grown men bully him still made him angry.
Even though these mermaids were artificial, they were still his kind. Why were they always being bullied by others?
Xia Yi’s small hands gripped the top of the wall.
Below him, Xiao Ya was frantic. He had also heard Hu Lao Er’s voice from the other side of the wall and could probably guess what was happening.
He was afraid the little mermaid would do something reckless.
He didn’t dare to pull the little mermaid too hard, afraid of making a noise and getting discovered. Then they’d both be done for.
A minute later, Xia Yi slowly came down. The men on the other side of the wall were still beating up the mermaid, and their vulgar curses still lingered in the air.
“Let’s go now!”
Xiao Ya lowered his voice.
Xia Yi pursed his lips and glanced at the wall. The next second, he was pulled away by Xiao Ya. “Don’t go and save him. I know you feel bad, but you have to know your limits. Don’t get yourself killed!”
“Do you know who’s next door?” Xiao Ya told the little mermaid earnestly. “They’re not just random thugs you can find anywhere, that’s Boss Beicheng, Hu Lao Er! He’s especially vicious and vengeful. If he finds out you’re a natural mermaid, you’ll be in big trouble!”
Xiao Ya was terrified that he would do something reckless.
Xia Yi let him pull him away.
Xiao Ya felt a pang of pity and added, “Even if you saved that black mermaid just now, he wouldn’t be grateful. After this is over, he’d still curry favor with Hu Lao Er and not hate him.”
“A lot of mermaids are like that.”
“Little Yu, you shouldn’t stay with Boss Dongcheng either. He’s a man, he definitely has ulterior motives for you, it’s very dangerous.”
Xia Yi was stunned. He recalled his time with Ouyang and retorted, “Ouyang isn’t a bad guy like them. He’s very nice to me, and I like him a lot. Those other mermaids are unhappy and have their own reasons, but I’m very happy when I’m with Ouyang!”
He emphasized this repeatedly.
Besides, Ouyang hadn’t even asked him to have a child for him. It was him who had been the one constantly bothering Ouyang.
Ouyang was not a bad guy!
With that stubborn streak coming over him, Xia Yi didn’t care about anything else and released a mental power attack on Hu Lao Er and his underlings behind the wall!
He already disliked that Hu Lao Er. He looked so ugly and fat!
Hu Lao Er’s cold sweat streamed down his back, his knees slowly bending and nearly touching the ground. He gritted his teeth, holding on with his last ounce of strength.
What, what is this?
Meanwhile, Xiao Ya was in a state of panic. He didn’t know where he got the courage, but he immediately grabbed the little mermaid and ran, terrified that Hu Lao Er would jump over the wall. Then they would both be finished!
Xia Yi was interrupted halfway through and was reluctantly pulled away. He hadn’t properly taught that fat pig a lesson yet.
“Something’s not right, something’s very wrong.” Xiao Ya muttered to himself while running, seemingly unable to figure it out. “Why are so many people abusing mermaids all of a sudden? Even if this kind of thing happens a lot, they’re usually isolated incidents. But today we’ve encountered two.”
“It’s too strange.”
Xiao Ya felt very uneasy.
Xia Yi, however, knew why. “Those thugs just now mentioned Boss Beicheng. They must be people who just recently joined him.”
Xiao Ya suddenly understood.
So both groups were working together!
But why would Hu Lao Er be bullying a black mermaid? He used to bully them, but not this often. He felt like something was off.
What was Hu Lao Er up to?
—
On the other side, Xiudi looked at the gorgeous woman in front of him with a cold expression. “What do you mean?”
Zuo Yinwan lowered her head to admire her freshly done nails, saying languidly, “Xiudi, you heard me right. Ouyang’s little mermaid ran away.”
Xiudi paused. “Little mermaid?”
“Don’t tell me.” Zuo Yinwan was a little surprised, sizing Xiudi up. “You don’t actually believe that Ouyang is a golden mermaid, do you? Ha, I thought hardly anyone would fall for such a ridiculous rumor.”
She crossed her arms. “That young boy who has been with Ouyang recently is the golden mermaid. Ouyang found him in the ocean.”
Xiudi stared at her. “Impossible.”
His heart was pounding. A thought he had once had seemed to be confirmed. If Xia Yi was a mermaid, then Xia Ni…
Xiudi couldn’t even imagine it.
“It’s the absolute truth.” Zuo Yinwan twirled a strand of her brown hair around her index finger, giving the man a sidelong glance. “Because I was on that boat too.”
Xiudi’s chest was pounding like a drum. It took a lot of self-control to calm down.
“What does that have to do with me?”
His mind was racing with all kinds of chaotic, jumbled thoughts.
Zuo Yinwan could see right through Xiudi, but she didn’t expose him. She just found it amusing. “The underground city is so dangerous, and Ouyang has gone to the Silver Sea Empire. Are you sure you’re not going to be a hero and save the beauty?”
“What do you want to do?” Xiudi was impatient. He didn’t believe this woman was so kind.
Zuo Yinwan stopped playing games. “I don’t want to do these boring things either, but he’s a total eyesore. He keeps clinging to Ouyang and even wants to be his wife.” Saying this, her eyes went cold. She sneered, “As long as I’m here, the wife of Dongcheng will never be him.”
She said leisurely, “As long as he leaves Dongcheng, Ouyang will always be mine.”
Xiudi scoffed. “I can’t believe you would be insecure. You’ve been with Ouyang Xiaoli for years and you haven’t even touched his hand.”
Zuo Yinwan’s face fell. “Just tell me if you want to make this deal or not!”
Xiudi lifted his chin. “A deal is supposed to benefit both parties. I don’t get anything out of approaching Xia Yi.”
Zuo Yinwan suddenly smiled. “Oh?”
Seeing that Xiudi remained apathetic, Zuo Yinwan spoke slowly, almost mockingly. “If I’m not mistaken, you used to have a partner with a very cold temperament. How come I haven’t seen him around?”
Xiudi’s heart skipped a beat.
“What are you trying to say?”
Zuo Yinwan’s smile was gentle, but her words were razor-sharp. “I’ve seen him before. I found out he looks exactly like Xia Yi.”
Xiudi’s face remained flawless.
“You’re mistaken.”
Zuo Yinwan scoffed. “My eyes don’t lie. It’s you, Xiudi, who’s too afraid to admit that person is Xia Yi’s brother, isn’t he?”
Xiudi denied it. “He’s not.”
“I also know that you liked his brother, but his brother abandoned you and went to the Silver Sea Empire, leaving you alone to suffer.”
“Tsk, how devoted of a person.”
“That’s the brother of the person you like. As long as you save him, his brother will surely be grateful to you. Maybe you’ll even be able to rekindle your old feelings.”
“What a great opportunity.”
Xiudi said sharply, “Stop talking nonsense! I’m not in a relationship with Xia Ni, let alone rekindling anything. If I hear these words from anyone else’s mouth, I’ll rip yours off in three days!”
Zuo Yinwan was flustered by the threat, but she still sneered. “We’ll see about that!”
Just a few minutes after Zuo Yinwan left, Xiudi’s figure disappeared. Regardless of whether Zuo Yinwan was lying, he had to check it out. That was Xia Ni’s brother, and nothing could happen to him. Otherwise, Xia Ni would surely blame him when he returned.
Xiudi quickly arrived at Dongcheng.
When he heard a sound coming from an alley, his heart sank. Without thinking, he rushed in and his eyes met Hu Lao Er’s.
Hu Lao Er was smoking a cigarette. He glanced at the rushing Xiudi. “Oh, what a coincidence.”
Xiudi gave him a look of disgust.
He left without saying a word.
Hu Lao Er squinted, squatted down, and pinched the chin of the black mermaid on the ground. “What do you think he’s looking for?”
The black mermaid whimpered.
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