Seizing Dreams

The South was humid in the first place, and the dormitory reeked of dampness and sweat, but the blankets were all folded very neatly. An enamel rice bowl was laid on the bed, and there were no pillows on the bed.

Fu Liqun said, “Will you guys go? Don’t you all want to go home? Let’s go ba.”

“Our documents are still with the boss.” A dark-skinned, skinny young man said, “Where do we go? No one will care about me even if I go home.”

“What you’re doing is illegal!” Someone said, “What’s the point?!”

“They’ve been brainwashed.” Yu Hao said, “Don’t mind the people who don’t want to go.”

Zhou Sheng had no time to talk to them any further, “Those who want to leave, come out!”

Yu Hao retreated out and looked sideways. Chen Yekai didn’t care after he opened the door. Only women filled the other dormitory, with ages varying from their twenties to their forties.

Fu Liqun looked at his roommates, and someone else said, “I want to go back, I can’t stand this anymore.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Hurry!”

Yu Hao, Chen Yekai, and Zhou Sheng took everyone downstairs. Yu Hao didn’t have the time to do a headcount, so he didn’t know how many had followed along. Chen Yekai had brought along more people than them, and some of them weren’t willing to leave after going downstairs and only planned to take a stroll nearby.

“Wait!” Fu Liqun said after passing through the second floor, “Do you have the keys for this room?”

Chen Yekai threw the keys to Fu Liqun. Fu Liqun opened the door to one of the rooms on the second floor, pushed the door open, and went in, then used the keys to open up a cabinet. It was filled with mobile phones.

Everyone crowded over to retrieve their phones. Their bags were all piled up on the bed in the corner, so each of them went to take their bags separately as well.

When they went down to the field in front of the dormitory building, Zhou Sheng pointed out the way and said, “Go southeast, leave from there, and you’ll reach the national highway!”

After arriving at the outskirts of the building, there was still a fifty-meter stretch of open space to the factory entrance. Fu Liqun walked a little unsteadily with sweat all over his forehead. Yu Hao said, “Gege?”

“I have a slight cold.” Fu Liqun said, “It’s not serious.”

Another dog started barking, and Yu Hao nearly blew up, “How many dogs does this place keep?!”

Fortunately, it was a mongrel this time. Nearly ten security guards rushed to the open space and blocked their way. Zhou Sheng said, “I’ll count to three, get ready to turn around and run.”

“Check the back.” Chen Yekai said.

Yu Hao looked back; five more people had come in from the entrance. Li Yangming hid behind the security guards and followed along, looking at them from afar.

“We’re surrounded.” Yu Hao said.

“Fifteen people, four mongrels.” Zhou Sheng said.

Yu Hao said, “Can we deal with them?”

Zhou Sheng answered, “Wait for an opportunity.”

Chen Yekai, “Don’t put on a brave front.”

Fu Liqun pulled himself together and threw his bag to Yu Hao. He gasped, “My battery’s running out, I can only turn on the light for five minutes at most.”

Zhou Sheng, “Retreat to the barbed wire fence and search for an opportunity.”

The four men slowly retreated. The security guards closed in on them, and Yu Hao took a picture of this scene of them getting surrounded. All of them looked fierce and malicious, and in the face of this imminent peril, everything was captured by the camera.

“You’re still in the mood to take pictures?” Zhou Sheng asked.

“It’s not like I’m the one going up to fight.” Yu Hao smiled. Ever since they found Fu Liqun, he has been in an excellent mood. It was as if having everyone together again meant that they didn’t need to fear any sort of difficulties, “You’re someone who could take on the entire volleyball team after all, I believe you can do it.”

Everyone recalled the legend of Zhou Sheng beating up all the guys in Sports Class 2 and the security guards in the gym until they were all left searching for their teeth on the ground in his first year, and they all started laughing.

“Wu.” Zhou Sheng cracked his fingers.

“Put down your weapons!” The security guards closed in until they were about ten meters away and all wielded their tonfas one by one to point it at them.

“What weapons?!” Fu Liqun asked, baffled, “Are you guys blind?!”

As soon as he said that, the four of them burst out laughing.

“I said! Hand the camera over!” The security guard demanded, “The police will be here soon! You guys can’t escape!”

Yu Hao, “Don’t worry, this is just a normal camera. The lens won’t shoot out any hidden weapons.”

Zhou Sheng, “Drop it ba, wait for the police? We’ll still fight even if they come! Stop nagging and just start!”

Li Yangming suddenly said, “Do you know what you guys are doing?”

Zhou Sheng, “We’re hitting people ah! What else can we be doing?”

Li Yangming said angrily, “Gege! Come back! It’s such a good opportunity! Are you going to run away again?”

Fu Liqun took a deep breath and didn’t answer, just staring at Li Yangming quietly.

“Yangming.” Fu Liqun said in disbelief, “Are you serious?”

With much resentment, Li Yangming was practically shouting madly, “When did they ever care about you? Or be concerned about you? Do you believe them or me?”

Yu Hao, “……”

Zhou Sheng, “……”

“Yangming.” Fu Liqun was trying to endure the sorrow he felt, “I……I don’t know what I should say to you. Forget it, we’ll meet again someday.”

Zhou Sheng said, “The matter between us isn’t resolved yet, Li Yangming. You actually fucking cheated my brother over to this pyramid scheme nest?!”

“What do you want to do?” Li Yangming said ruthlessly, “Zhou Sheng! Do you think I’m afraid of you?!”

Instead of getting angry, Zhou Sheng laughed, “Of course you’re not afraid of me.”

“You’re a bunch of hypocritical trash.” Li Yangming’s facial features were almost distorted as he said fiercely, “Trash! You all can be the good guys, while I’ll be the bad one! Come! What can you do to me! Can you come and kill me? Get lost!”

“I have nothing,” Li Yangming grit his teeth, “So I’m not afraid of whatever you want to do. If you really push me to the brink, Laozi will fight you to death!”

Yu Hao caught a glimpse of Huang Zheng, who had already been rescued. He was making a call in the corner with a bloody face.

“If you’re going to do something, do it fast.” Yu Hao said.

Huang Zheng rushed to the periphery and shouted, “Catch those people! They’re all fraudsters! Catch the one with the camera!”

And sure enough, in the next moment, the dogs rushed forward first, followed by the security guards. Zhou Sheng rolled up his sleeves and took Chen Yekai and Fu Liqun along as they rushed forward! Yu Hao slung the camera over his shoulder, flew forward, and grabbed one of the dog’s legs. The dog was about to lunge towards Zhou Sheng, but it was dragged away by Yu Hao.

The scene broke out into a scuffle. It was Yu Hao’s first time personally participating in such a group fight. This time, Zhou Sheng had no iron rod to use as a weapon, so he could only use his fists. There were really too many people. Fu Liqun snatched a pair of tonfas and threw it at Zhou Sheng, then roared, “There’s too many people!”

“Grab Huang Zheng!” Zhou Sheng shouted.

Huang Zheng shivered at once, took a step back subconsciously, then turned around and ran. The four of them took the chance to separate from the security guards. Zhou Sheng had already knocked six of them down, then he rushed forward for the melee.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine could be heard. A jeep drove through the banana grove, across the ditch outside, and crashed harshly into the wire mesh! Yu Hao turned around and realised that it was a car that belonged to someone on their side!

“Huang Ting’s here!” Yu Hao shouted.

Chen Yekai, “Withdraw!”

Yu Hao had suffered two blows from the tonfas, but fortunately, his injuries weren’t serious. Zhou Sheng said angrily, “Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t fight?!”

Following which, the door of the jeep flew open. Ou Qihang and Huang Ting rushed out. Ou Qihang, wearing sportswear, wielded an iron rod and threw it to Zhou Sheng. Without saying anything, he rushed forward to wrench back a security guard who was clutching Yu Hao, flipped him over, and threw him onto the ground!

“Get in the car!” Huang Ting shouted.

Li Yangming, “……”

Li Yangming just stood there, trembling, and steadily retreated.

Zhou Sheng shouted, “You came just in time!”

As soon as Ou Qihang joined in, the situation immediately reversed. His fists and legs were like a whirlwind that flew against the current. Huang Ting grabbed Yu Hao’s arm and pulled him towards the jeep, then went forward to help Fu Liqun. Ou Qihang ran into the fray and threw someone over his shoulder.

“Uncle Kai!”

Ou Qihang threw the security guard at Chen Yekai. Chen Yekai shouldered the guard, and like they were in a shoulder throw relay, he threw the guard out.

“Fuck you…” Following which, Zhou Sheng dragged that person’s arm and actually lifted the 100-kilogram security guard up to use as a weapon. With a third shoulder throw, he crushed the people who had rushed up to him!

“I’ll give you my weapon! Bye!” Zhou Sheng waved his hand in a carefree manner, then along with Huang Ting, Fu Liqun, Chen Yekai, and Ou Qihang, they ran towards the jeep. Ou Qihang, Yu Hao, Zhou Sheng, and Fu Liqun sat at the back, Huang Ting sat in the driver’s seat, and Chen Yekai opened up the door to the passenger’s seat. He glanced at Li Yangming.

Security guards were strewn all over the ground. Li Yangming kept backing up.

Huang Ting started up the engine. Chen Yekai held the car window with one hand, but didn’t get in the car. He said to Li Yangming, “Yangming.”

Li Yangming’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Do you really think you have nothing?” Chen Yekai asked seriously.

Yu Hao remembered that day in the hospital, when he first met Chen Yekai and what Chen Yekai said to him.

That day, Chen Yekai said, “You’ve never had a single friend ever since you were a kid?” followed by “You can treat me as your friend.”

Yu Hao looked at Chen Yekai quietly through the window.

Chen Yekai and Li Yangming looked at each other from afar, and time seemed to stop. Fu Liqun’s gaze welled up with all sorts of emotions as well.

“You’re not someone who has nothing, Yangming.” Chen Yekai said calmly, but the next sentence he said was,

“You still have your graduation certificate and diploma.”

With that, Chen Yekai pointed at Li Yangming domineeringly, “But now your diploma is gone, because I’m going to fail you! Go back and reflect on yourself!”

Li Yangming, “……”

After saying that, Chen Yekai got in the car and everyone burst out laughing. Zhou Sheng clapped wildly and shouted, “Nice!”

Yu Hao shook his head helplessly and smiled sadly. Huang Ting reversed, then accelerated and ran into the other side of the wire mesh and rushed out of the industrial park.

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