Chapter 2231 - 2432: Barbecue Banquet!!!

To Hao Jian, all this was just a casual stroke of the pen, nothing more, but what he didn't know was that this very casual stroke had stirred up stormy waves in the heart of the cigarette man, Liu Qiangdong.

In a situation like this, first being betrayed by his own woman, then immediately afterward by his own brother—this double betrayal from woman and brother not only crushed his confidence, it also made him suffer terribly. One part of him felt it was his failure as a person, another part felt it showed his lack of strength.

Only because his own strength was so weak and cowardly would he suffer a double blow in just a few minutes. He was in so much pain that he lowered his head and stopped talking, feeling like he had suddenly fallen to the lowest point of his life and could no longer get back up.

And yet, at that moment, Hao Jian suddenly made his move. Yu Li had just viciously slapped him in the face, not only taking away his woman but also his brother, yet once Hao Jian stepped in, he beat Yu Li so hard that the guy couldn't even get a word out and fled in panic. In the end, Shasha also ran off in a hurry.

That was, in a way, slapping Yu Li and Shasha in the face for him, and avenging him. Even if he were stupid, he could still see that clearly. Hao Jian might have done it without any particular intention, but for him it was the greatest help he'd ever received. He was moved by Hao Jian's actions and was filled with gratitude, so he made that gesture.

Hao Jian didn't say a word, just brushed him off casually, but his gratitude toward Hao Jian did not lessen in the slightest—if anything, it only grew stronger.

"Bro! You're like my second set of parents! In this life I'll never be able to repay you. As long as you say the word, I'll go through fire and water for you without a second thought…" As he spoke, the cigarette man actually knelt on the ground and started kowtowing loudly, enough to show how sincere his feelings for Hao Jian were.

Hao Jian felt his scalp tighten when he saw this, not quite sure how to deal with it. He really hated seeing scenes like this, so he immediately walked over, grabbed Li Weiwei by the hand, and dragged the group to leave. The cigarette man, who had just been loudly declaring that no one could leave without handing over three thousand yuan, now didn't dare utter a single word as he watched Hao Jian leading Ma Susu, Zhang Wei, Cheng Wen and the others away, his eyes full of admiration and respect as he stared at Hao Jian's back.

Only after Hao Jian left did he finally take his people and go. But after a commotion like that, it was likely he wouldn't be catching his breath again anytime soon.

As for Hao Jian, he left with Ma Susu, Zhang Wei, and Cheng Wen. Only when they had walked a bit farther did the three of them finally come back to their senses, their pounding fear easing just a little.

Hao Jian's sudden appearance had given them a huge scare. They'd originally thought this matter couldn't be so easily resolved, but once Hao Jian stepped in, he instantly shattered their expectations. The moment they saw him, it felt like they'd grabbed onto a life-saving straw. And in reality, that's exactly what it was. As things unfolded and one event followed another, everything turned out far beyond what they'd imagined; they hadn't expected the situation to develop in this direction at all.

In the end, the cigarette man actually kneeled on the ground and kowtowed to Hao Jian. Watching that, they were dumbfounded. Just moments ago he'd been so arrogant and overbearing, and in the blink of an eye he was calling Hao Jian "big bro" and kneeling down to kowtow to him. It was truly shocking, completely unexpected.

Even after they walked out of there, the way the three of them looked at Hao Jian had changed. This was what a true powerhouse looked like. What most people didn't notice was that, among the crowd, the previously trembling and terrified Cheng Wen, as she walked, kept sneaking glances at Hao Jian. The look in her eyes was different from the others—distinctly unique.

As they walked, Li Weiwei, being a homeroom teacher, couldn't help lecturing Ma Susu, Zhang Wei, and Cheng Wen again, scolding the three of them for not going to the meeting point on time and causing such a mess. Luckily nothing serious happened; if something had gone wrong, what then? The three of them could only lower their heads as they listened, admitting their mistakes without daring to say a word, while Li Weiwei continued to lecture them earnestly without stopping.

During the day they were free to wander the Ancient Town on their own; in the evening there would be a group self-service barbecue. The barbecue area wasn't far away—after all, the Ancient Town wasn't that big. After rescuing Ma Susu and the other two, Hao Jian sent a message to Zhang Danlin, telling her they had found the three and that they shouldn't worry and should keep barbecuing; they would be there soon.

Zhang Danlin replied with an "okay," then sent a few photos over. The two of them ended the conversation there, crisp and to the point.

After that, Hao Jian led the group toward the self-service barbecue area.

The self-service barbecue was a new tourism project the Ancient Town had developed in recent times. After all, besides that bit of cultural heritage, if they didn't appropriately develop something else, as time went on and the world changed by the day, this Ancient Town scenic spot would slowly get phased out. Just like in the past—once-prosperous ancient towns had become what they were now, with sparse population and nothing but passing tourists.

The self-service barbecue project was also meant to cater to the psychological needs of city folks visiting the Ancient Town. It was perfect for groups to come and play together. When Zhang Danlin saw this project, she immediately set the schedule and arranged everything.

The self-service barbecue was held in a courtyard. Once you booked it, the courtyard was yours, and they would provide the grilling tools and ingredients. All you had to do was pay the corresponding fee afterward.

Not long after, following the address Zhang Danlin gave them, Hao Jian arrived at the destination. As soon as they got there, seeing the leaping flames and the excited, happy expressions on their classmates' faces, their own hearts began to stir. Li Weiwei told the three of them to rejoin the group, and they walked inside.

After that, Hao Jian and Li Weiwei slowly walked in together. When Zhang Danlin saw Hao Jian return, she said, "You're back."

Hao Jian nodded, and Li Weiwei asked Zhang Danlin a few more questions. The two of them started chatting, and Hao Jian, knowing he'd be bored there, walked off to the side.

Right then, Liang Xiaohan spotted him, waved, and said, "Hao Jian, over here, come quick."

He happened to be free, so he went over. As soon as he came up, he saw that this little group had spread out around Liang Xiaohan as the center, forming a small circle.

Because of the grilling tools, it was impossible for the entire class to use just one grill, so they could only put about five or six people on one rack. They'd prepared six or seven grills, and each grill could handle enough food for five or six people, so the whole class naturally split into six or seven groups, each one like its own little circle.

On this side, Liang Xiaohan was the leader, and sitting around her were Hu Lai, Fatty, Zheng Jun… and a few others. All familiar faces. As soon as Hao Jian saw them, he sat down.

At that moment, Fatty handed over a grilled chicken wing and said, "Boss, this one's done."

Hao Jian casually took it. Liang Xiaohan then asked curiously, "So you found them, huh? Where did you find them? What were they doing?"

Faced with her barrage of questions, Hao Jian felt a bit overwhelmed and didn't want to answer them one by one. So he just ate the chicken wing while telling the story from beginning to end. By the time he finished, the chicken wing in his hand was also gone.

It wasn't until he started eating that he realized he was actually a bit hungry. He reached out and snatched the mid-wing Fatty had just finished grilling, then started eating it. Fatty didn't dare say a word. After listening to Hao Jian recount the whole thing, everyone was a bit indignant, while only Liang Xiaohan was bristling with anger as she said, "That's just too much. Those guys actually dared to pull that kind of stunt here. If Hao Jian hadn't gone today, wouldn't they have forced Ma Susu and the others to hand over three thousand yuan before they'd let them go? Outrageous! If they'd run into me, I'd have flayed them alive so they'd know what it means to offend Miss Liang."

Hao Jian rolled his eyes at her and said, "Alright, alright, who doesn't know how formidable Miss Liang Xiaohan is? Since it's already been resolved, just drop it. We're out here to have fun, why dwell on it?"

Seeing this, Liang Xiaohan stopped talking, and everyone switched topics, chatting about other things, all looking excited and cheerful again.

As they chatted, Liang Xiaohan suddenly burned her mouth on a freshly grilled skewer. She immediately started cooling her lips while passing the skewer to Hao Jian, saying, "Blow on this for me, cool it down."

Hao Jian shot her a look, but still took the skewer and blew on it. Only when it cooled down did he hand it back, and only then did Liang Xiaohan start eating. The people sitting nearby got goosebumps watching the two of them act so lovey-dovey, yet they couldn't help feeling a bit envious.

Just then, as Hao Jian was sitting there, he suddenly felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw the introverted Cheng Wen standing behind him, looking shy but with a dimpling smile on her face as she looked at him. He was stunned for a moment, staring at her.

When Cheng Wen saw him turn around, she shyly held out the grilled skewer in her hand to him and said, "Um… thank you for earlier. If it hadn't been for you, the three of us might not have gotten out of there. Really, thank you."

The three of them had already thanked him back on the road, and Hao Jian hadn't expected Cheng Wen to come over and thank him again, which left him a bit flattered. After staring blankly for a moment, he still reached out and took the skewer from her.

With the skewer in hand, he smiled and replied, "You're welcome. As classmates, this is what I should do. It was just a small effort."

Cheng Wen smiled, then walked away.