Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Nationwide Marathon

“No, don’t…” Su Tong was struck with terror. He had experienced Da Long’s strength firsthand—he was utterly defenseless before him. He still needed his fingers to play piano and earn money tonight; how could he afford to lose them? Even if he had to lose his manhood for a while, he couldn’t lose his fingers.

Da Long’s face remained expressionless, his eyes cold, his massive hand still reaching out.

Su Tong retreated desperately, pulling his arms close to his body, but no matter how he dodged, Da Long’s hand seemed inescapable, as if it were a shadow clinging to his bones.

Cold sweat streamed down Su Tong’s face. If his fingers were broken, his side job as a pianist would be lost. How would he pay his father’s medical bills? What would his two younger sisters, who depended on him, eat?

He thought of sweet little Yu, of Xiao Xiao who was growing up but rarely tasted anything good. Tears welled in Su Tong’s eyes.

It didn’t matter what happened to him, but his family couldn’t fall apart.

Just as Su Tong was overwhelmed with helplessness and despair, Da Long suddenly stopped.

At some point, a man had appeared beside them—a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man.

He had kind eyes and a gentle smile, saying nothing as he looked at Da Long, exuding a simple, approachable presence.

Su Tong felt Da Long’s entire body tense, bracing for a threat, his gaze wary.

But Su Tong barely noticed. Seeing Da Long withdraw his hand, he silently thanked his luck and fled at once.

His fingers were safe.

He needed to get out of here—damn this development zone, what sort of people did they develop here anyway?

Su Tong dashed away from the plaza, putting as much distance behind him as possible.

And then…

He got lost.

“Tongtong, come find me, I have no idea where I am,” Su Tong said helplessly, calling Gao Litong.

On the other end, Gao Litong lowered her voice to ask what buildings were nearby.

“Alright, I know where you are. Stay put and don’t go wandering. I’ll…” she was quietly reassuring him when Li Wen’s intermittent complaints sounded in the background: “Tongtong, who are you calling? That annoying Su Tong ran off faster than a rabbit—where did he go…”

Su Tong jumped. “Tongtong, don’t let Li Wen come. Just come by yourself. I’m hanging up, don’t let her follow you, okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Gao Litong put away her phone. I’m not stupid—no matter how much he begs, I won’t bring her. Drinking with a true friend is never too much; for a brother, you’d go through fire, but for a woman, you’d stab a brother twice. That truth applies to women, too.

But—

When Su Tong spotted Gao Litong stepping out of a taxi, he strode over with a grin, but his smile froze when he saw another taxi pull up behind hers.

From that cab stepped out another young, beautiful girl.

Seeing Su Tong’s expression and gaze, Gao Litong paused, then turned around.

Li Wen!

Gao Litong stamped her foot in anger at the sight of Li Wen.

Su Tong felt miserable. It made sense, though—how could naive Gao Litong possibly fool the shrewd Li Wen?

Enough said. Su Tong turned and ran.

If he couldn’t win, he’d escape.

He’d experienced Li Wen’s sharp tongue once before—he had no desire for a second round. He remembered Gao Litong comforting him yesterday, saying that what Li Wen said was nothing—her words had even put her own parents and the whole family in the hospital before.

“Su Tong, Tongtong, don’t run!” Li Wen was delighted, and when she saw Su Tong take off, she chased after him, her long legs nearly on par with Gao Litong’s, spinning quickly in pursuit.

“Hey, miss, you haven’t paid yet!” The taxi driver grumbled, driving after her.

Gao Litong was about to pay her own fare when she saw Li Wen skip out on hers.

If she can get away with not paying, why can’t I? I can’t be outdone by her.

So she pocketed her wallet and ran after them.

“Damn, hit the jackpot with fare dodgers,” Gao Litong’s taxi driver muttered angrily, slamming the accelerator to give chase.

Running, Su Tong glanced back—damn, he’d forgotten Li Wen had been the sprint champion back in high school. She’d left Gao Litong nearly a street behind and was about to catch up to him.

Su Tong’s chest heaved—he’d done nothing all day but run. He wasn’t a track athlete; did they want to run him to death?

Enough. He couldn’t run anymore.

Besides, a crowd had gathered behind, seeing two stunning girls sprinting and assuming something exciting was happening, so a whole swarm of curious bystanders joined the chase. It was like a city-wide marathon, the commotion enormous.

“Su… Su Tong…” Li Wen was panting, her face pale, struggling for breath.

“Don’t say a word—if you start, I’ll keep running,” Su Tong replied, breathless. Whoever said women were weaker than men? He was exhausted, but Li Wen was still holding up.

The two of them leaned on their knees at the roadside, gasping for air.

“Seriously? Turns out it was just a couple fooling around,” someone in the crowd muttered.

“Damn, I was such a fool to join in—how embarrassing.”

“What was the point of all that running?”

“….”

When the crowd realized what had really happened, some nearly coughed up blood in disbelief.

“Pay up!” At that moment, Li Wen’s taxi driver stomped over, face red with anger.

Li Wen hurriedly handed over the money.

The driver took it and stormed off, but halfway to his car, he suddenly howled, “Hey, buddy, no—don’t ticket me, I only stopped for a minute! The fare doesn’t even cover the fine!”

At this point, Gao Litong finally caught up. The three of them said nothing, leaning side by side on the curb, hands on their knees, catching their breath.

“Ah—” Suddenly, Gao Litong plopped down on the ground, her voice on the verge of tears. “My leg… I’ve got a cramp.”

She had never been as fit as Li Wen; whenever she ran, it was either a stomachache or a cramp.

“Where does it hurt?” Su Tong crouched down and started massaging the spot Gao Litong indicated.

It was her calf.

Li Wen’s eyes widened.

“Oh, my leg’s cramped too,” she cried, sitting down as well.

Su Tong looked annoyed. “Where?”

Li Wen pointed to her left thigh. “Here.”

Su Tong glanced at the spot—almost at the top of her thigh. “A cramp there? No way.” He pulled his hand back.

“Then…” Li Wen rolled her eyes, pointed at her calf, and said, “Here.”

Su Tong was exasperated—she could change her mind just like that?

Gao Litong’s skin was much fairer than Li Wen’s, which already made Li Wen jealous. Now, seeing Su Tong tending to Gao Litong again, her jealousy boiled over.

“Tongtong, are you still pretending? If you keep this up, I won’t let you drive my mom’s Maserati.”

Drive your Maserati? Give me a plane right now and I still wouldn’t take it. Gao Litong’s leg was truly cramped—she was in so much pain she could barely remember her own name, let alone think of anything else.

“Gao Litong, I can’t believe you—you’ve learned to lie. We’re done. From now on, we’re strangers, you hear?”

Su Tong was fed up. While massaging Gao Litong’s calf, he snapped at Li Wen, “Enough. Say another word and we’ll leave you here. Go wherever you want.”

Li Wen bristled, her jealousy mixing with annoyance. “Su Tong, you’re yelling at me? How dare you yell at me? Who do you think you—”

Before she could finish, she saw Su Tong pick up Gao Litong and walk away.

“I… I won’t say anything else. I promise I won’t.” Li Wen didn’t dare grab Su Tong, so she clung to Gao Litong instead.