504: Chapter 504: A Dog Falling into Water 504: Chapter 504: A Dog Falling into Water Long Fei and two others put on life jackets and boarded their raft, which was just big enough for three people.
It was equipped with hand guards and paddles.
Long Fei took the stern, paddle in hand, steering the boat; Li Wenwen sat in the middle, while Lin Shanshan and Bald Dog sat at the front.
The water was calm at the start, with Polytechnic University’s two larger rafts paddling slowly on purpose.
They were waiting for Lin Shanshan and Li Wenwen to come down so they could have some fun at their expense.
Long Fei’s previous show of timidity had left the others feeling like there was an opportunity to exploit.
After Long Fei’s group slid down, they circled around and shouted at Lin Shanshan and Li Wenwen, “Beauties, join our raft!
Ours is big.”
“Yeah, definitely bigger than your guy’s.”
“Come on, beauties, give us some face!
We’re pretty famous at Polytechnic University, even the provincial teams are no match for us.”
Long Fei ignored them, paddling steadily forward.
Lin Shanshan and Li Wenwen also ignored them, paddling lightly, treating them as if they were air.
The group of boys, feeling insulted, deliberately steered their rafts to crash into Long Fei’s.
They were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
No matter how they came at him, Long Fei’s kayak remained as steady as ever.
Li Wenwen was irritated and didn’t know what Long Fei was planning to do; she thought he didn’t want to stir up trouble.
Protectively, she snapped at the boys on both sides, “Do you guys find this amusing or what?”
The boys, successful in their scheme, would lose interest if ignored and stop their antics.
The more attention you paid them, the more excited they became.
A bunch of boys howled, “It’s fun, how can it not be?
Give us your WeChat, and we’ll leave you alone.”
“Yeah, beautiful.
The guy with you is such a wimp, what’s the fun in following him!”
“Beauty, pick one of us.
Brother’s solid muscles can definitely protect you.”
Their brazen behavior turned Li Wenwen’s face beet red.
From behind, Long Fei reminded, “Hold tight, the game is about to start!”
Lin Shanshan gave a mischievous smile at the people on both sides and immediately grabbed the hand guard.
Li Wenwen also held on, unsure of what Long Fei was about to do.
As she was pondering, the river ahead narrowed, the drop increased, and the current suddenly picked up.
The boys behind intentionally sped up, ramming into the back of Long Fei’s boat with a strong push.
As a result, Long Fei’s boat was unscathed, but theirs was squeezed forward.
Long Fei’s mouth curled up slightly, his hand lifting.
A stream of air burst forth, flipping the raft ahead, launching it two to three meters into the air.
The boys inside screamed in terror, plunging into the water as they flipped over.
Long Fei’s raft glided over their heads, leaving Lin Shanshan laughing excitedly.
The raft ahead tried to stop to rescue them, but the current was too strong, and they were swept away.
At a bend in the river, Long Fei lifted his hand again.
A stream of air struck from beneath their raft, propelling it with a thud against the rocky mountain walls on both sides.
The group of boys cried out in fear, bouncing back and forth until they were flung into the water after the bend.
Long Fei kept a steady hand on his raft, sweeping over their heads once more.
Although the river wasn’t very deep, the current was swift.
Struggling within, it took the boys a good while to stand up, bloodied and battered, cursing at Long Fei’s raft, “Fuck, we won’t let you off!”
Both Lin Shanshan and Li Wenwen laughed so hard on the raft they had stomach aches, especially when Lin Shanshan had slapped a few of the boys on the head as they passed over.
Long Fei remained calm, having barely used any effort.
Had he wished, those boys would have undoubtedly smashed to death against the rocks.
When their raft reached the calmer waters, the area was fenced, and upon arrival, the staff pulled their raft ashore, one by one.
As Lin Shanshan had said, the place was indeed crowded.
The riverbanks housed a service area for the scenic spot, with cobbled pathways and traditional grey-tiled houses, reminiscent of South Yangtze courtyards.
Tents filled the lawns, with everyone doing their own thing.
There were artistic boys strumming guitars, buff men playing basketball, and others catching fish with girls, all finding ways to attract the ladies’ attention.
Long Fei and his two companions didn’t mix with the crowd, finding a secluded spot along the riverbank to pitch their tent.
This place had no electricity; a generator supplied only a high lamp.
Elsewhere, bonfires were directly lit, casting a fairly bright light around.
Li Wenwen watched as Long Fei, like performing magic, brought out a copper hot pot, charcoal, and plate after plate of meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, and meatballs.
These were all Lin Shanshan’s masterpieces; she had sliced ten jin of mutton rolls alone.
As the bonfire rose, three people sat around the hot pot, devouring their food with dipping sauces.
Beer and beverages were chilled in the river water, naturally ice-cold.
Long Fei looked around and tapped Lin Shanshan’s head, saying, “Tell me, where are there wild animals around here?”
Lin Shanshan pouted and pointed towards the hills on both banks, saying, “Just look, with so many forests around here, there must be wild animals.”
Her eyes gleaming, she suggested excitedly to Long Fei, “Brother-in-law, why don’t we go up the mountain and hunt a tiger to shabu-shabu?”
“Scram!”
Long Fei scolded with a laugh; she really dared to think big—tigers were protected animals after all.
Besides, this valley wasn’t very deep.
Along the way, Long Fei had indeed seen a few spotted deer and goats, but no other animals.
Bald Dog had caught a fish in the river and was gnawing at it by itself.
Wild fish tasted quite delicious.
It didn’t like cooked fish, preferring it raw.
Lin Shanshan had thought about letting it catch a few for everyone, but fearing it might have rabies, she eventually decided against it.
Seeing her intent, Long Fei took off his shoes and went barefoot into the river.
With a sweep of his hand through the water, he soon scooped up more than a dozen big fish, pierced them with an iron fork, and started grilling them over the fire.
Li Wenwen smacked her lips in admiration, wondering if there was anything in the world Long Fei couldn’t do.
The fish flesh sizzled over the fire, soon filling the air with its savory aroma.
Not knowing whether the fish was fully cooked, Lin Shanshan was the first to pick up one and start eating.
When she came, she had prepared barbecue sauce and cumin powder.
Sprinkling it on the fish, she found it very refreshing, much more delicious than what was sold in restaurants.
Suddenly, Long Fei’s cellphone rang.
He frowned, not having expected to have a signal in this place.
There was no electricity in the scenic area, but a signal tower had been erected on the mountain top.
Almost any cellphone could find a signal here.
He answered and heard it was a call from Ding Xue.
The big sister had run into some troubles and was looking for Long Fei’s help.
Following Long Fei’s directions, she arrived and, smelling the hot pot and fish, couldn’t help but salivate and exclaim in frustration, “Damn it, I’m up there eating instant noodles, and you guys are down here eating hot pot?”
“Sister Xue?”
Lin Shanshan jumped up excitedly, not expecting Ding Xue to be here as well.
Long Fei greeted her with a smile, handed her a pair of chopsticks, and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Ding Xue first sampled a piece of lamb and then pointed upwards, saying, “Nothing much, the students from different schools were playing basketball in the court above.
Our art department’s boys got humiliated pretty badly, so I’ve come to you for reinforcements.”
“Playing basketball?”
Long Fei frowned, a glint in his eye.
Even when he was younger, before his “Dragon Blood” had activated, he was a fierce player on the high school basketball team.
He earned the nickname “Barbarian.”
Lin Shanshan curiously asked, “Who’s being so arrogant?
Have all the boys from our college died off or what?”
She knew that Ding Xue was now studying at Binhai College’s art department.
Ding Xue, cautious of revealing her undercover identity, had told Lin Shanshan about her police work, advising her not to bring it up should they meet.
Drinking a sip of beer, Ding Xue complained, “It started out alright, everyone putting friendship first and competition second.
Out of nowhere came this bunch of barbarians, with absolutely no manners.
They were like they had gunpowder for breakfast, barging around on the basketball court, defeating three of our college boys in a row, leaving us all unable to lift our heads.”
Lin Shanshan furrowed her brows and asked, “Is it Polytechnic University?”
“Exactly!”
Ding Xue nodded, eating some lamb as she asked, “How did you know?”
Lin Shanshan, Long Fei, and Li Wenwen all smiled; of course they knew, and they knew why they were angry.
Having just fallen into the water and looking like drowned rats, how could they not be furious?