125 At the time, it felt fine.

The next day was still reserved for exams, and Zhang Pa stayed home alone, lost in thought.

Work comes in a daze and goes in even more of a daze; a grand and sacred profession had slipped through his fingers. He hadn't cared much about teaching before he started, but after being fired just two and a half days in, he felt a strange, lingering ache.

Remembering that Liu Xiaomei was also threatening to resign, he sighed and called Miao Zili: "I want to have a word with you."

Miao Zili was arrogant: "You want to talk to me? Fine. Delete those photos, and I'll keep you company for a day and a night."

Zhang Pa smiled faintly: "I never had the chance before, but I’d like to formally introduce myself to you."

"Introduce yourself?" Miao Zili sneered. "Say it over the phone. I'm listening."

"Better if you come over," Zhang Pa replied. "I'm staying in Happiness Neighborhood."

"You live in Happiness Neighborhood?" Miao Zili hesitated. "What’s wrong with that place?"

"Stop with the nonsense," Zhang Pa said. "Do you dare to come or not?"

Persuasion is rarely as effective as a challenge. At those words, Miao Zili immediately told him to wait and hung up.

He arrived quickly in a black two-door sports car. He called from the entrance of the neighborhood, and Zhang Pa told him to wait there. Five minutes later, the two met. Zhang Pa sat on the curb, looking left and right with the air of a street thug. Miao Zili sat in the passenger seat with the door open, eyeing Zhang Pa askance.

Zhang Pa patted the spot beside him: "Come sit?"

"Spit it out," Miao Zili said coldly. "I make hundreds of thousands a minute; I don't have time to shoot the breeze with you."

"You're sitting too far away," Zhang Pa said. "You won't be able to hear me."

Miao Zili hesitated, then stepped out of the car and stood in front of Zhang Pa: "Speak."

Zhang Pa smiled: "Let me introduce myself. I'm an outsider. I came to Happiness Neighborhood four years ago. You should know this place; it’s a breeding ground for all sorts of trash and scum."

Miao Zili sneered: "What? Trying to scare me?"

Zhang Pa glanced at him: "Yes, I am indeed trying to scare you." He continued, "It was actually four and a half years ago. When I arrived, there were four gangs here, and all of them were my enemies."

He chuckled softly, as if reminiscing, before continuing: "I was one man against over a hundred people, all of them out for my blood. I fought every single day. At my worst, I was in the hospital six times in one month, four of which required admission. The most severe injury... well, let's not talk about that. They didn't get off easy either. I was constantly at the police station back then... am I rambling?"

Miao Zili remained cold: "Not at all. You’re just bragging about your 'glorious' history. I'm terrified."

Zhang Pa smiled: "I really am trying to scare you. Maybe you aren't afraid, and that's fine. I'll keep it brief; just listen." He tilted his head up and asked, "Can you squat down? Sitting is fine, too."

Miao Zili stepped back: "I'll just stand here and listen to your tall tales."

Zhang Pa smiled: "Listen well. When I first came to Happiness Neighborhood, I had ten days of peace. From the eleventh day on, I fought. Every single day. I fought when it was one man against a whole street, and I fought when it was one man against four gangs."

Miao Zili sneered: "That doesn't mean you're strong; it means they were idiots."

"True," Zhang Pa said. "People in Happiness Neighborhood are pretty stupid. If you're so tough, go out into the street and yell that."

Miao Zili fell silent.

Zhang Pa continued: "After fighting for a while, I made a name for myself. Now, if I claim to be a low-level lackey in Happiness Neighborhood, no one dares to be my boss."

"Maybe you have power and money, and you don't care about a bunch of trash in this neighborhood. As long as you hold the power, the police are like dogs, right? You can just order them to arrest whoever you want." Zhang Pa rubbed his nose. "But you're overlooking one thing. I'm just an outsider with no money and no influence. I dared to beat you up in public, along with your friend from the capital. Do you think I'm stupid? Couldn't I see that you have money and connections? And yet, I still hit you. Why don't you think about why that is?"

Miao Zili's eyes turned cold, but he didn't reply.

Zhang Pa went on: "There's an old saying: the one wearing no shoes isn't afraid of the one wearing them. I truly am not afraid of you. If I dared to take on the whole of Happiness Neighborhood alone, why would I be afraid of a few spoiled rich kids?" He let out a cold laugh: "Sure, you have money, you could hire a hitman to kill me. You have power, you could have me arrested. But have you thought about the fact that you're offending me? If the hitman fails to kill me—and I’m not bragging, but the success rate isn't high—four years ago, at least ten people in this neighborhood wanted me dead. They aren't here anymore. Some moved away, some went to prison, and I’m still doing fine."

Hearing this, Miao Zili finally wavered. What kind of beast was this man?

Zhang Pa continued: "This history isn't something to be proud of, but many people know it. You can check with the local police station; the older officers should know. Let’s put ourselves in each other’s shoes. If I had the power to throw you in prison, would I dare to kill you? Generally, no, because there's no need. Am I right?"

Miao Zili stayed silent.

Zhang Pa spread his hands, looked down, and gave a bitter smile: "Actually, I'm just trash. Do you think it's worth it to be so serious with a piece of trash? Even if you put me in prison, what happens when I get out? I hold grudges—I hold them very deeply. If you insist on offending me, when I finally reach my limit, I will definitely kill you."

He smiled helplessly: "That was a threat." He stood up and said, "You cost me my job, and that's fine. I'll let it slide. But if you keep trying to mess with me, you won't even have the chance to regret it. If you don't believe me, feel free to try."

He took a step forward, stood directly in front of Miao Zili, and said softly, "A dog that bites doesn't bark. I'm barking today because I don't want it to come to a life-or-death confrontation. Goodbye."

With that, he walked into the neighborhood, leaving Miao Zili alone to ponder.

Zhang Pa had just spewed a lot of nonsense—the kind of talk people often heard during fights, bordering on bravado. But for some reason, coming from him, it sounded real—terrifyingly real.

Miao Zili hesitated, then got into his car and drove off. As for Zhang Pa, he would have to think it through carefully before deciding whether to keep pushing his luck.

Zhang Pa walked home slowly. Without even looking at his face, his silhouette alone conveyed a sense of sorrow and loneliness. At this moment, he was indeed unhappy. He never would have imagined he would do something like this—threatening someone with empty words? It was so low-class!

He had always subscribed to the philosophy of the fist, sticking to the idea that actions speak louder than words, but now he had changed. This change made him disappointed in himself. He felt lost, depressed, and even sorrowful.

In truth, sorrow had been his constant companion ever since the day he fell for the "Palace Mistress." His own sense of inferiority had forcibly pushed him outside her circle. Later, moving to the provincial capital, that loneliness had stayed with him.

It wasn't until Liu Xiaomei appeared that the spring began to bloom and the summer breeze began to blow.

Thinking of that beautiful woman, Zhang Pa felt a spark of joy. She wasn't just pretty; she was gentle and considerate. He thought again and again that she seemed to embody all the virtues of the heroines from the stories he loved—like A-Zhu or Xiao Zhao.

Because of her grace and goodness, a sense of uncertainty always lingered in his heart. Even if he were struck by lightning ten times in a row, he would still wonder how he could possibly have such good luck.

He slowly walked home, lay down for a while, then got up to turn on his computer, staring blankly at the article he had uploaded the day before.

Life had to go on, and the story had to continue; Zhang Pa had no other choice.

The meaning of life lies in perseverance. He posted his saved draft, then continued writing the story in his document, focusing intensely, trying to think of nothing else.

In fact, when one's mood is low, it is the perfect time to work. He just kept writing, casting everything else aside. Zhang Pa maintained this state of depression and sorrow all day long, writing until Old Pi and the others returned from their exams, until they fell asleep, and even into the small hours of the morning before he finally shut down the computer.

He had done nothing else that day, not even eaten. His life for that day consisted only of typing and sleeping.

The next day was more of the same, but at ten o'clock, Miao Zili returned. He called to say he was waiting at the street corner.

Zhang Pa changed clothes and went out. It was just Miao Zili again. He got straight to the point: "I don't want to get involved in your disputes with others, and I don't care how well you can fight or how little you fear death." He pulled out his wallet and produced a check: "Two million. You delete the photos related to me, and the money is yours."

Zhang Pa smiled: "Are you stupid? If I say I deleted them, would you believe me?"

Miao Zili said he would.

Zhang Pa shook his head: "Your intelligence really is questionable. I said I wouldn't post them online, and you didn't believe me. Now I say I'll delete them, and you do?"

Miao Zili froze, thought for a moment, and asked, "Then what do you propose?"

Zhang Pa replied: "I know what you're worried about. Rest assured, as long as your friend from the capital doesn't do anything reckless, you will always be safe."

Miao Zili stared at Zhang Pa intently for a long while before saying, "I believe you." He took back the check and got into his car.

Watching the young master drive away, Zhang Pa sat back down on the curb, tilting his head and staring, though it was unclear at what.

Dahu returned from the morning market with some meat, parked his van by the roadside, and asked, "Not working today?"

Zhang Pa smiled: "How's your training going?" He was referring to the martial arts.

"Not great," Dahu said. "I saw two experts. When they kicked, you could hear the wind—whoosh, whoosh."

Zhang Pa asked: "What about your advertising?"

"That can wait. I need to be able to get on TV first." Dahu thought a moment and asked, "Why are you so resistant to being on TV?"

"I'm not against being on TV," Zhang Pa said. "I'm just against being on TV for fighting."

"You really are stubborn," Dahu said. Then he asked, "When are you bringing your students over again? Let me know so I can buy the meat."

Zhang Pa smiled: "We'll see."

Dahu laughed: "Stop acting so world-weary. I've got work to do." He got into his van, and as he started the engine, he shouted, "Let me know when you're grilling meat! I'll buy the supplies."

Zhang Pa agreed. Dahu drove off to his barbecue shop. It wasn't far; he drove his van onto the sidewalk and parked in front of the restaurant.

Zhang Pa sat for a while longer, then got up and went home.