It was no surprise that he was the most annoying one to Ye Qiao among all of the boys.
He used to be the one who addressed her as a bumpkin.
She also remembered that he was fond of Ye Zhenzhen.
Unsurprisingly, almost all the boys in the neighborhood were fond of Ye Zhenzhen, the sweet-looking girl. Cheng Dafei was only drawn to her because of her looks. He would probably talk with any girls that he found attractive.
"Cheng Dafei, aren't you disgusted by how unsophisticated and awkward I look?" Ye Qiao teased him.
Embarrassed, Cheng Dafei gave the back of his head a mindless scratch. "Am I to blame? You should not have been so badly dressed to hide your charm. Was it Shen Xichuan who asked you to dress so hideously? Have you two broken up? I'm telling you now that he's not the right guy for you! I once saw him and your best friend, Li Yun, kissing in the grove!"
That was a surprise. Ye Qiao did not know that the two cheaters had started dating already.
Ye Qiao could not help but feel contemptuous of her past self. Even Cheng Dafei was aware of their affair. She was the only one who was kept in the dark and foolishly believed that Shen Xichuan truly loved her.
Was she too naïve or too stupid?
Shen Xichuan was her classmate. When she first moved to J City at the age of 12, she was chubby, awkward, and introverted, but Shen Xichuan was the only boy who was willing to become her friend and help her in times of need.
Thinking back, she realized that he only befriended her because she was the granddaughter of the great Mister Ye. Just like Li Yun, they were only playing up to people of power and influence.
"Ye Qiao, you don't believe in me, do you? I swear to God that everything that I said is true. May lightning strike me dead if I'm not telling the truth!" Cheng Dafei grasped her by the wrist to reassure her as Ye Qiao had kept quiet the entire time, seemingly reluctant to accept his words.
"I believe what you said," Ye Qiao simply answered. There was a load on her mind.
"I'm glad that you do. You should stop getting on with the boys from the courtyard next door. Forget about Shen Xichuan. Get along with me! I shall protect you from now on!"
Did he really mean what he said? Would he protect her?
Ye Qiao's upper lip curled up in disdain, but before she could ridicule him, she caught the sight of someone walking towards them with a cigarette that glowed dimly in the dark.
"Brother Xiao!" Cheng Dafei was immediately tongue-tied at the sight of Lu Beixiao.
He was here!
Ye Qiao could smell a mixed scent of tobacco and alcohol as soon as he approached them.
"Brother Xiao!" She acknowledged him sweetly. Her mood was instantly lifted in his presence.
Under the faint streetlight, Lu Beixiao only answered her with a quick glance. He seemed impassive, and his gleaming eyes were fixed on Cheng Dafei with an unwavering glare.
"Dude, did you say that you were going to protect her?" Lu Beixiao was a head taller than Cheng Dafei, so his physical presence was very intimidating. With obvious superiority, he looked fiercely at the boy who just flirted with Ye Qiao.
It all suddenly made sense to Ye Qiao now. He was jealous!
There was a chance that Cheng Dafei would get trashed tonight.
"Brother Xiao, that… That was what I said." Cheng Dafei stammered but did not deny it. He felt like he had said something wrong, but could not figure out exactly what was wrong.
An enormous tension quickly built up amid the silence. Lu Beixiao flicked some of the ash off his cigarette before putting it back in his mouth. She had a feeling that Cheng Dafei was going to get beaten up so badly tonight.
Every guy who had ever flirted with her usually ended up getting thrashed.
"Did you just say that you were going to protect her, even in my presence? Am I dead to you?" Lu Beixiao did not strike him, but his voice echoed eerily in the dark.
Cheng Dafei still had not figured out why Lu Beixiao was offended, but he knew that he had to run, or he would surely suffer.
"Brother Xiao, Beichi is still waiting for me to get back to the game. I… I'm going now!" Cheng Dafei said while quickly walking away. His brisk walking soon turned into running. In fact, he almost lost his balance and slipped.
Ye Qiao could not help but giggle.. At that time, Lu Beixiao's unmoving stare was now fixed on her.