Chapter 115: Somehow Became the Villain

“I’ll take you on!” he shouted, neck stiff with rage.

Zhang Yang looked down at the guy, red-faced and straining, and couldn’t help feeling a bit exasperated.

Could he really be blamed for this? The guy’s mistake was opening his mouth to insult someone first.

Nearby, at the club entrance, a group of guys were streaming out in threes and fives. One of them was the messenger.

“Holy crap, he even dared to touch Brother Peng!”

The group got fired up, cracking their knuckles, running over, each thinking the guy on the ground had suffered some grave injustice.

Wang Luyao, the instigator, stood to the side, pale and genuinely panicked.

“What, coming for a gang fight?” Zhang Yang asked, standing in place and looking around.

Five or six tall guys glared at him, as if ready to surround him any second.

“Flirting with girls and hitting their boyfriends?”

“What’s your problem? Think you’re so cool? Today, you’ll learn!”

The messenger ran ahead to help Wang Luyao’s boyfriend up.

“Brother Peng, you okay?”

“Ahem! Yeah, yeah… just a little unlucky,” he said, waving his hands, anger trembling in his fingers as he looked at his girlfriend a short distance away, unmoved.

“Wang Luyao, you’re just going to watch me get beaten?”

But Wang Luyao didn’t even look at him; she jogged over to Zhang Yang.

“Zhang Yang, I’m really sorry for causing you trouble.”

“No problem,” Zhang Yang said lightly, without any extra words.

Honestly, if he were in Brother Peng’s position, he’d be pissed too. Any normal guy would think the same.

But there was no helping it-somehow, Zhang Yang had been cast as the villain, the spoiled rich kid.

People fend for themselves, or perish; sometimes you just have to bend morals a little and go all in.

“Brother Peng, we’ve been warning you-Wang Luyao is trouble, but you wouldn’t listen. Look at this now, believe it?”

“Better break up now. A woman like this isn’t worth it.”

“Yeah, big man, you can find someone else!”

Brother Peng’s expression flickered, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud; part of him still held hope.

“Wang Luyao, come over now, and we’ll let this go!”

“Sun Peng, we’re done,” Wang Luyao said, biting her lip, her expression cold and unyielding.

Upon hearing this, Sun Peng’s face went pale.

“Done?”

His lips trembled as he murmured to himself, eyes locked on Zhang Yang.

“It’s all your fault! You stole my girlfriend!”

“Step aside, don’t be blind,” Zhang Yang said. Though practically invincible, he wasn’t a troublemaker. He had no interest in bullying weaklings.

“You gonna do something, Brother Peng? Might as well vent, but your girlfriend… sand you can’t hold, let it slip,” the other guys suggested.

Zhang Yang smiled and stepped forward.

Two guys blocked his path.

“Annoying,” Zhang Yang said, extending his arms, effortlessly shoving one on each side aside.

They froze, stumbling, nearly falling.

“You still dare to fight?”

His casual move only poured fuel on the fire.

The remaining guys glared, some ripped off shirts and threw them down, others pointed fingers and cursed, and a few charged.

Young men were impulsive.

Zhang Yang, fueled by alcohol and irritation, kicked.

Bang!

Air sliced in an arc.

In an instant, a few guys were flying back. Zhang Yang remained standing as if he hadn’t moved at all.

“Youngsters, don’t look for trouble,” he said casually to the few hesitant onlookers.

What loyalty? Just alcohol-fueled thrill-seeking.

He approached Sun Peng, noticing the panic in his eyes.

“I’ll give you a chance. Tell me what I did wrong. If it makes sense, I can apologize,” he asked with a smile.

Sun Peng was too flustered to speak.

Ignoring sides, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Can’t answer, huh? So, we’ll assume I’m right?” Zhang Yang asked.

Sun Peng nodded stupidly, though he sensed something off.

“Good. Now, let’s settle the rest. Tell me what you did wrong.” Zhang Yang’s tone shifted, eyes on the guy.

“I… I did what wrong?” Sun Peng almost felt like vomiting blood.

Wrong? The guy had his girlfriend stolen and thought he was in the wrong?

“Come on, step aside and speak.” Zhang Yang casually grabbed his collar with one hand like lifting a chicken, walking him to the side.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

Sun Peng, 1.8 meters (~5 ft 11 in) tall and 73 kg (~160 lbs), was carried like a feather, walking seven or eight meters (~23–26 ft).

What kind of strength is this?

Everyone felt powerless.

Sun Peng especially.

“Alright, you can talk now.” Zhang Yang released him, insisting on getting answers.

“I… I shouldn’t have accused blindly…” Sun Peng stammered, tongue dry.

“Yes, that’s one. Anything else?” Zhang Yang nodded.

“Also… I shouldn’t have acted impulsively, shouldn’t have cursed.”

“One more,” Zhang Yang thought, realizing something was missing.

“Another?” Sun Peng stared blankly.

“Forget it, I’ll say it. You shouldn’t have interfered in your girlfriend’s normal social life, right?”

Sun Peng nodded miserably.

“Good. Now that you admit your mistakes, you should apologize to me and your girlfriend,” Zhang Yang continued.

Sun Peng froze, fists clenched, humiliated. He wanted to resist but saw Zhang Yang’s towering strength and the fallen guys-it intimidated him.

“Brother, I’m sorry,” he muttered, feeling drained.

“Wang Luyao,” Zhang Yang called.

She obediently came over, eyes still gleaming with surprise.

“Go apologize to your girlfriend.”

“Zhang Yang, correction-it’s my ex,” Wang Luyao suddenly interjected.

Sun Peng’s face twisted in pain, but seeing her eyes devoid of emotion, he managed a dry, reluctant “I’m sorry.”

“Alright, nothing more.” Zhang Yang said and walked off, cool and unbothered.

Those left on the ground or standing were dumbfounded.

“Luyao, I-” Sun Peng tried to reach out, but all he got was cold indifference.

He watched helplessly as his girlfriend-no, ex-girlfriend-followed the guy’s retreating back.

“Zhang Yang, wait for me!” Wang Luyao jogged after him, out of breath.

“What’s up with you?” Zhang Yang smiled. “Quite the player, sneaking out to drink without your boyfriend. Look at you, causing chaos for everyone. Lucky I can handle myself; otherwise, tonight would have ended horribly for me.”

She clutched her skirt, legs brushing nervously.

“Sorry,” she murmured shyly.

“Forget it. Go rest early,” Zhang Yang said, walking ahead without looking back.

After a few steps, he felt her arm slip around his.

Turning, he saw Wang Luyao clinging to him, eyes shy. “Since you’re not mad, don’t forget to take me with you.”

“Still playful? That’s not great,” Zhang Yang said casually.

“I broke up with him. You have no psychological burden. Besides, you weren’t gentle just now-you really had your way with me,” Wang Luyao muttered.

Zhang Yang thought about it-indeed, things had gotten heated.

As for her character, whether good or bad, it was none of his concern; he was here to enjoy himself.

“Alright, then come with me,” Zhang Yang said, nodding.

Wang Luyao immediately brightened, stepping forward and linking her arm affectionately with his.

They got into the car together.

Late at night, in a nearby hotel, Zhang Yang and Wang Luyao talked about life.

Around midnight, Zhang Yang got up and glanced back at Wang Luyao, exhausted and still asleep. Thinking about how he had somehow become the arrogant spoiled kid in someone else’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel it was a little absurd.

As for Wang Luyao, thanks to the embellishments from a few guys earlier, she had been painted as a cheating woman.

Zhang Yang lit a cigarette, let himself drift back to sleep, and lay down. In her sleep, Wang Luyao murmured unconsciously, her fair arm curling around him like an octopus.

The next morning, Zhang Yang woke up, grabbed his phone, and checked in with his brother Li Kaiguang about the previous night.

“What happened last night? Smooth?”

After a short while, a reply came.

“I just sent her home after it ended. Nothing happened,” Li Kaiguang sent with a sigh emoji. “By the way, Zhang Yang, you last night?”

“Mm… going to check out in a bit,” Zhang Yang replied, leaving out details to avoid making his brother jealous.

But it was useless-the more he left blank, the more Li Kaiguang imagined.

Over WeChat, Li Kaiguang asked a long string of questions. In the end, he sighed.

“Zhang Yang, turns out you’re the real winner in life.”

Next to him, Wang Luyao peeked over curiously at Zhang Yang’s chat history.

“Do guys always like to brag afterward, share experiences, show off details?”

“That’s others, not me. No such bad habit,” Zhang Yang laughed, shaking his head, denying it outright. “Get up. Where do you work? Want me to take you?”

“Don’t forget, I have the day off today,” Wang Luyao said with a smile.

“Day off, oh, you mentioned last night.” Zhang Yang realized and looked at Wang Luyao, who was slipping on her stockings. “Want to go shopping?”

“Shopping?” Her eyes lit up immediately.

Shopping, of course, meant more than just strolling-it included looking around, maybe buying something.

After breakfast, Zhang Yang took Wang Luyao to a nearby mall.

The mall had no high-end luxury stores, so nothing extravagant happened. They just bought skincare products, ate, drank, and spent a few thousand in half a day.

While shopping, Wang Luyao’s phone kept buzzing.

Zhang Yang glanced over and saw her efficiently block and delete someone. She seemed instantly relieved.

“That guy’s so controlling, watching me all the time. I’ve wanted to break up for a while,” she said.

Zhang Yang wrapped his arm around her slim waist, saying nothing, just enjoying the moment.

Then his phone pinged with messages.

It was Bei Wei.

“A major client is signing three stores at once this afternoon. Including the two from yesterday, our branches in Shanghai are about to hit ten!”

Even through the screen, Zhang Yang felt Bei Wei’s overflowing joy.

He grinned-his task was nearly complete, and his random business venture was about to take off.

Though he didn’t know exactly what he’d gain, the system’s nature meant he was finally taking a solid step toward becoming a tycoon.

“Who’s that, your girlfriend?” Wang Luyao asked curiously, leaning over.

“Mm,” Zhang Yang nodded.

Wang Luyao’s eyes sparkled as she hugged his arm. “Then tell me, who’s prettier-me or your girlfriend?”

“You’re comparing with her?” Zhang Yang laughed but didn’t answer.

“What? You mean I’m not as good as your girlfriend? Not as good in looks or figure?” Wang Luyao’s competitive streak flared.

Zhang Yang remained unmoved.

She tugged his arm, shaking and pestering him.

“Alright, alright, stop shaking me. Here, take a look. But I’m not saying you’re worse than her, don’t get picky,” Zhang Yang said, pulling up a photo of Bei Wei without makeup.

Seeing it, Wang Luyao was speechless.

“Fine, she’s prettier,” she admitted reluctantly. “Unfair! You get all the benefits and still have such a beautiful girlfriend. I’m single again in one night.”

“Hey, you said you wanted to break up long ago, so it’s not my problem. Don’t pin it on me,” Zhang Yang said, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving a playful squeeze.