### Chapter Seventy-Six
Smack!
The yellow-haired youth was knocked dizzy by a punch from Lu Liangting. Honestly, he hadn’t expected Lu Liangting to be this brave, throwing a punch right off the bat.
His face burned; he couldn’t tell if it was from being hit or from the shame of looking foolish in front of the ladies.
“Please show some respect and keep your cigarette b*tt to yourself.”
Lu Liangting pulled back his fist but didn’t finish his words before raising his leg and delivering a kick right to the yellow-haired youth’s gut. Just then, angered by humiliation, the yellow-haired guy was about to kick Lu Liangting back, but as soon as he raised his foot, he got kicked first. He lost his balance and toppled over the chair, crashing into the back row.
“d*mn you!” Seeing his buddy getting hit, another yellow-haired guy stood up and charged in with a punch.
Lu Liangting was still in the zone and was quick to block the punch, countering with a punch to the guy’s gut. Just when he was about to swing again, the other green-haired youth joined the fray with a hard punch to Lu Liangting’s nose while yanking at Lu’s collar.
With all the training Lu had from numerous missions, he had quite a solid constitution. That punch was nothing to him, and it was the green-haired guy who found himself at a disadvantage when Lu took advantage of the moment, landing two more punches to the yellow-haired guy’s stomach. The yellow-haired youth curled up like a cooked shrimp.
The green-haired guy yanked Lu Liangting’s collar and shoved him hard, sending him stumbling a few steps toward the middle of the bus.
Neither of them had any real fighting skills; it was basically a wild tussle with punches and kicks. But Lu was stronger and more enduring, which meant he pretty much dominated the fight. After two punches, he sent the green-haired guy crashing to the ground.
At that moment, the first yellow-haired guy to be knocked over sprang back to his feet, brandishing a spring kn*fe and cursing up a storm, determined to show that he was not out of the game yet.
Meanwhile, Lu Liangting had been busy hurling jabs at the green-haired guy’s midsection and only realized what was happening when he heard the commotion. The yellow-haired youth had charged right at him, kn*fe in hand.
Fueled by rage and not thinking straight, the yellow-haired youth lunged with the kn*fe, aiming squarely at Lu Liangting’s face.
But just as the kn*fe was within ten centimeters of Lu’s face, a small hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the blade.
The yellow-haired guy froze in shock. He turned his head and found a pretty girl in sunglasses standing next to him, who had somehow appeared without him noticing.
Bai Yu raised her hand, made a fist, and delivered a solid punch right to the yellow-haired guy’s Adam’s apple. The moment he flew backward, she followed up with another punch right to his solar plexus.
Crack! The yellow-haired dude collapsed to the ground, kn*fe clattering away.
Bai Yu withdrew her hand, stepped over the yellow-haired guy’s body, and took her seat back.
Previously, Zhao Mingyue was sitting outside, but now it was Bai Yu who took the outer spot.
Shen Shuyun paused for a moment; she had intended to jump in and save the day, but how could she compete with Bai Yu’s speed?
Lu Liangting was facing away from Bai Yu, so he didn’t see her sudden entrance. All he noticed was how efficiently she had taken down the guy.
Compared to her, he felt a bit inadequate, especially having struggled against three petty delinquents.
He got up and touched the corner of his mouth, feeling a slight bruise there from when the green-haired guy had tried to swing at him.
“Looking cool!” Shen Shuyun gave Lu Liangting a thumbs-up from her seat. “Hero saves the beauty, but it turns out the beauty saved the hero instead.”
“It’s not about heroics; I just couldn’t stand it,” Lu Liangting scratched his head. Sure, he looked good when he fought, but his smile gave off a bit of a goofy vibe.
It wasn’t just because Zhao Mingyue was being picked on that he stepped in. He had been doing this kind of labor-intensive, thankless stuff all his life. Before, he was nowhere near as strong as he was now and often got beaten badly. Falling down didn’t bother him much; it was just a matter of resting up. What really got to him was when he’d helped someone only to be scammed in return, leaving him out of sorts for days.
But today, helping the weaker only to be saved by that same “weakness” was a first for him.
“Oh right.” Lu Liangting suddenly remembered something and hurried over to Bai Yu.
“Thanks for helping me earlier. How’s your hand? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
He had seen her grip the kn*fe bare-handed and wondered if that delicate little hand was okay.
Bai Yu didn’t say anything; she just raised both of her slightly pale hands. Sure, they were delicate, but thankfully, no wounds marred them.
Relieved, Lu Liangting exhaled. “Great! That’s a relief.”
Zhao Mingyue decided to step in. “This is Lu Liangting, my classmate, and the one next to him is my cousin, Zhao Ruoxi. She’s dabbled in some martial arts, which is why she could disarm and take down that guy.”
Lu Liangting scratched his head, unsure what to say, offering a slight nod and a “thank you.”
“By the way, I can handle this myself; you two should go have fun and not waste time here,” Zhao Mingyue said.
Because of the fight, the bus had pulled over to the side of the road and the driver kept looking back.
“Uh, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Zhao Mingyue held Bai Yu’s hand, urging her to speak up.
“It’s okay. I often go to the police station, I know my way around,” Bai Yu replied coolly.
Lu Liangting’s family was quite wealthy—super rich, in fact—and he had connections at the police station. Handling such trivial matters was a breeze for him. He had seen the carnation in Zhao Mingyue’s hand and guessed the true purpose of her visit, enough to know it was best to let her go without bringing it up.
“Driver, please open the back door. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve already called the cops.”
As soon as Lu Liangting shouted, the back door of the bus opened.
“You guys go have fun; I’ll take care of this,” he said, glancing down at the three sprawled-out guys.
Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. If he went to the police station, he wouldn’t have to go shopping with Shen Shuyun!
“Ahahaha, well, we’ll head out first then. I really do have some things to do,” Zhao Mingyue said, tugging Bai Yu to get off the bus.
If they ended up at the police station, what if Bai Yu’s true identity was revealed?
Silently giving Lu Liangting a thumbs-up in her mind, Zhao Mingyue sighed in relief after stepping off the bus.
“Those guys are really annoying. Every time I run into them, I know something bad is about to happen.”
She turned to Bai Yu and asked, “Hey, you didn’t actually k*ll anyone, did you?”
“No.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
She had clearly seen that guy’s legs stiffen!
“Uh, it shouldn’t be the case.”
“Should… shouldn’t? Well, that guy did seem intent on m*rder; isn’t this technically self-defense?”
Zhao Mingyue felt drained. Dealing with those little punks had caused her to get off the bus five kilometers early. That was exhausting, especially considering even the closest bus stop was still three or four kilometers from her parents’ graves.
You see, her parents’ resting place wasn’t in a city cemetery but out in the countryside.
Cemeteries charged for plots, and she couldn’t afford it. The burial site was chosen by her relatives, not her.
After all, she had originated from the countryside, with her ancestral home in a village. They moved to the city when family finances improved, but deep down, she was still a country girl.
So her parents’ burial site was just a simple mound and a tombstone.
They were buried together, saving space and money—it made perfect sense for a married couple.
To Zhao Mingyue, being buried in the countryside wasn’t a bad thing.
In a crowded cemetery, you’re surrounded by neighbors, and who knows what kinds of rowdy folks they might be— noisy and unreasonable, perhaps.
But out in the fields, none of that hassle existed. The mountains were beautiful, the waters clear, and nobody to disturb the peace.
Walking those five kilometers was something Zhao Mingyue truly dreaded.
Thankfully, the bus stop was still within the city limits, so there were shared bikes available. She figured she could ride one and park it in a convenient spot.
Only to face a rather rude reality.
“Hey, Bai Yu, you… you don’t know how to ride a bike, do you?”
Seeing a bike toppled on the ground while Bai Yu squinted at it, Zhao Mingyue was shocked.
To her, Bai Yu was unstoppable—capable of everything from cooking to martial arts, yet she couldn’t ride a bike?
“I can learn.”
Bai Yu spoke coldly, righting the bike and trying again without hesitation.
Wearing a skirt made it awkward enough, and with no clue how to ride, the bike tipped over again.
With her agility, she managed to avoid a nasty spill. If it were anyone else, they’d have been eating dirt by now.
Up she went, only to have the bike fall over again after just sixteen seconds.
Once more, she propped the bike up, and a mere eighteen seconds later, the basket cracked upon hitting the ground.
Before Zhao Mingyue could even say a word, Bai Yu was right back at it, and this time, the basket flew off entirely.
“Bai Yu… how about we stop learning for now?”
Zhao Mingyue had realized that Bai Yu had no talent when it came to bicycles.
It was like God opened many windows for you but had to close one door for no good reason.
At that moment, Zhao Mingyue thought, if Bai Yu had a rage meter, she’d have to be at least eighty or ninety by now!
Noticing the serious expression on Bai Yu’s face made Zhou Mingyue find her adorable, compelling her to resist the urge to hug her and pinch those cute cheeks.
But for the poor bike’s sake, she figured it was better to let it go.
At this rate, it might just meet its end.
“Let’s try something else! There are electric bikes over there. They’re a bit pricier, but we can squeeze in together.”
Bai Yu stared intently at the bike for two seconds before nodding. “Okay.”
Zhao Mingyue switched to the electric bike, placing Bai Yu behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist.
The seat cushion was short, and with both of them sitting, it was quite cramped, forcing them to squish together.
In the outskirts, not many cars were on the road. Zhao Mingyue focused intently on the handlebars, with a bouquet of carnations in the basket.
Bai Yu clutched Zhao Mingyue’s waist tightly. To avoid falling off, she pressed her upper body against Zhao Mingyue’s back, her face on her shoulder.
A gentle breeze stirred the girls’ hair. The road was quiet, not a trace of sunlight to brake their serene ride, and they could even glimpse fields far off.
Zhao Mingyue felt Bai Yu’s icy hands on her waist, an odd sense of chill running deep into her soul.
She could also feel Bai Yu’s little face resting on her shoulder, gazing off into the distance, entranced by the scenery.
Suddenly, there was a peacefulness surrounding them, as if time had slowed down.
Zhao Mingyue couldn’t help but smile.
This smile was heartfelt and natural.
She thought to herself, how wonderful it would be if time could just linger here forever.
Deliberately, she slowed down, wishing to stretch the moment a little longer. This was one of the few times she felt happy after losing her parents and sister.
Why did she adore Bai Yu so much?
That was a question she couldn’t quite answer.
Until this very moment, she felt she began to find her answer.
Perhaps it was simply companionship.
Bai Yu didn’t speak, quietly observing the scenery ahead.
What she hadn’t mentioned was that ever since becoming a ghost, she noticed a significant change in her emotions.
She had killed many people, regarded by outsiders as a cold-blooded lunatic.
Yet she had once been alive, filled with emotional highs and lows, able to control them well.
After becoming a ghost, she found it increasingly hard to feel or display emotions.
Like a stagnant pond, even the biggest stimulus only caused the faintest ripple.
She knew this wasn’t good, but there was nothing she could do about it.
And just a moment ago, she had surprisingly found herself experiencing emotions akin to being alive.
For instance, when she kept falling while trying to ride the bike, she felt genuinely angry—quite furious at that.
Logically, such a vivid change in emotions was something no ghost should exhibit.
Being able to feel so much should have evoked resentment rather than anger.
Resentment was a ghost’s primary emotion.
So, why was that?
She was just pretending to be alive; her essence remained that of a ghost.
Before she could find the answer, their lovely, quiet journey reached its destination.
“If we ride any further in, the bike will auto-lock, so let’s get off here,” Zhao Mingyue said, pulling the bike to a stop.
Bai Yu snapped back to reality and stood up.
Once Zhao Mingyue parked the bike and picked up the carnations from the basket, she headed towards the countryside path, glancing back at the shared bike.
After all, she’d have another opportunity to ride it later—this wouldn’t be the only chance.
She firmly believed that Bai Yu would always be by her side.
This time, Zhao Mingyue was taking Bai Yu along to meet her parents, so they could see her too.
