"What are the two options?" Ouyang Ning asked urgently.
"The first option: leave your big-boobed girl behind, let her drink and sing with us, and then the rest of you can leave..."
"You wish!" Xu Biling cursed angrily, her voice sharp as she was standing right behind Ouyang Ning and had heard everything clearly.
"Hey, student, your girl is quite feisty! I like her, hehe..." The bald-headed man chuckled, reaching out to touch Xu Biling's face, but she angrily slapped his hand away.
Ouyang Ning's face changed slightly. He stepped aside, positioning himself between Xu Biling and the bald man, forcing a smile as he said, "This big brother is joking, my girlfriend doesn't know better. I hope you'll let her go... What's the second option?"
"Hmph, you're not getting it..." The bald man grunted, rubbing his hand where Xu Biling had slapped it, then said coldly, "The second option: according to the rules of the underworld, we'll draw a line. If any of you can beat me in a one-on-one fight, you can take your girl and leave, and this whole incident will be as if it never happened. But if you lose, each time you lose, I'll take one of your girls, and you'll leave, just like that. How about it? I'm being reasonable, right?"
"This..."
Ouyang Ning sucked in a cold breath. This wasn't reasonable; it was practically an ultimatum. The first option didn't need explaining—he couldn't agree to it even if he wanted to, because the others would never allow it. Handing over Lin Yijing to these gangsters was like sending her to her doom. The second option seemed fair at first glance, but when you thought about it, the bald-headed man was a member of a gang that lived by violence, while they were just a group of students who couldn't even fight a chicken. Even if it were a group fight, they wouldn't have much of an advantage. A one-on-one? That was practically suicide.
Ouyang Ning was torn inside. If he chose the second option, he was the only one among his group who had any chance to fight the bald-headed man. And as the boyfriend of the event's organizer, Xu Biling, it was his responsibility to deal with this situation.
But once he agreed, not only would he be beaten senseless, but it would likely end with him losing the girls too. That would be a complete disaster.
"I..."
"We choose the second option," Xu Biling declared decisively before Ouyang Ning could speak. She stepped out from behind him, looking coldly at the bald-headed man. "I'll be the first bet."
"Linlin! Are you crazy?" Ouyang Ning shouted, grabbing Xu Biling to pull her back.
"I'm not crazy," Xu Biling replied softly, lightly holding Ouyang Ning's hand. Her voice was gentle, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "As your girlfriend, this is the first time I'm asking you for something. Let me be selfish for once... There are some things that, even if you do them and fail, it won't matter. But if you don't do them, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Hearing these words, Xu Biling's eyes locked on Ouyang Ning, and something in her gaze made Xu Mo's heart twist in surprise. He stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. If she wasn't looking at Ouyang Ning, he would have thought she was saying those words to him.
Could she possibly know about Ning Ning? No… that couldn't be…
"Hey! Little pretty boy, you're lucky. Your girl's a good woman, much smarter than you..." The bald-headed man crossed his arms, watching them with interest. In his mind, this kind of life-and-death drama was far more entertaining than any fight.
Ouyang Ning sighed helplessly. With Xu Biling making things so complicated, there was no way out for him now. He reluctantly nodded and said, "Fine, I'll accept your challenge. What are the rules? Are we fighting here?"
The bald-headed man scanned the surroundings and shook his head. "This place is too small for a proper fight. Since we can't fight with our fists, let's fight with our minds!"
"Fight with our minds?" Ouyang Ning was confused. Although this idea seemed safer, he didn't think the bald-headed man was going to compete in poetry or riddles with him. It was probably just as dangerous as a normal one-on-one fight.
"Yes, fight with our minds." The bald-headed man suddenly stripped off his shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles, which earned applause from the young men behind him.
He raised his fist and lightly hammered Ouyang Ning's chest, saying, "It's simple. We'll stand face to face. Each of us will land three punches on the other, taking turns, until one of us gives up."
"Does falling down count as losing?" Ouyang Ning was quick on his feet. If falling counted as losing, he might still have a chance. After all, there were many ways to throw off someone's balance.
The bald-headed man seemed to read his thoughts and shook his head, a sneer forming on his face.
"There are only two ways to win... either the opponent admits defeat, or they die!"
The cruel look on the bald-headed man's face made Ouyang Ning take a half step back in fear. Although he forced himself to keep up an appearance of bravado, deep down he was already terrified.
But he tried to console himself: at least he was the one throwing the first punch. The opponent wasn't made of iron, so having a three-punch advantage could still work in his favor.
However, Xu Mo, who had been silently watching from the sidelines, wasn't as optimistic. While his limited vision didn't allow him to fully judge the bald-headed man's capabilities, he noticed that the young men behind him were all wearing mocking expressions. It was clear they were extremely confident in their companion's strength.
It seemed that Ouyang Ning was in far more danger than he thought.
"Ouyang Ning! You can do it! We believe in you!"
The rare scene of a one-on-one battle stirred the blood of the young students. Even though they couldn't join the fight themselves, they cheered and shouted to rally behind their representative, Ouyang Ning. Their enthusiasm made it feel as though they had already won the fight.
The bald-headed man looked disdainfully at the students who didn't know their own limits. He didn't adopt any fighting stance, simply standing with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted slightly as he said, "Hurry up! Three punches!"
Ouyang Ning slowly calmed down. He knew the responsibility on his shoulders. He took one last look at Xu Biling, whose face was filled with concern. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and threw a powerful punch with all his might at the bald-headed man's chest and abdomen.
Bang! The dull sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the corridor. Even without seeing it, anyone could sense the force of Ouyang Ning's punch. After all, Ouyang Ning was the captain of the First High School basketball team, and his strength was not to be underestimated.
But the result left the students, who had been eagerly awaiting his success, utterly shocked. The bald-headed man only took two steps back before steadying himself, his expression unchanged, as if the punch had merely swatted away a fly.
Ouyang Ning couldn't believe it either, but he didn't hesitate. He took another step forward and threw another punch. This time, the bald-headed man simply met him head-on, using his rock-hard muscles to push Ouyang Ning's punch back with force.
"Little pretty boy is still a little pretty boy. Is that all you've got? How are you going to win over women with such weak punches?" The bald-headed man taunted, flexing his bulging chest muscles. He then picked up a chair, broke one of its legs with a single kick, and threw it to Ouyang Ning. "Don't say I'm bullying you. Take this. You've got one more punch. Hurry up!"
Xu Mo now understood why the bald-headed man's companions had those mocking expressions earlier. If he wasn't mistaken, this bald-headed man had probably trained in a form of hard qigong, like Iron Shirt or Golden Bell, which made him nearly impervious to physical damage. Whether it was punches or blunt objects, it seemed almost impossible to hurt him. This so-called "mental battle" was clearly a trap. No matter what Ouyang Ning chose, he would be powerless to resist.
As expected, the final strike with the wooden stick was easily deflected by the bald-headed man.
"This... this can't be..."
Looking at Ouyang Ning, who stood frozen in shock, the bald-headed man cracked his knuckles, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Your three punches are done. Now, it's my turn."