C15 Forget about Kowtowing Three Times

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Tian Chao sprang to his feet, eyes bulging in alarm. He still clutched a half-eaten chicken drumstick in his hand. Zhou Hengyu remained seated, but the commotion outside had caught his attention, and his face took on a grave expression.

Lin Dong furrowed his brow and said, "Something might have happened to Liu. Let's check it out!" With a nod of agreement, Tian Chao and Zhou Hengyu rose to join him. The meal had been plentiful, and though they were already full, their craving for more had kept them seated, indulging in the feast. But at Lin's prompt, they were quick to follow.

Discarding his drumstick, Tian Chao grabbed a couple of napkins and wiped his hands as they exited the private room. They were met with the sight of Liu Wenming being pinned against the wall by two boys, his chubby face squashed flat. Several other boys loomed nearby, a group of more than ten in total.

"Damn it, Liu!" "We've got to help him!" "Let him go!" Lin Dong's voice cut through the air as he charged forward with Tian Chao and Zhou Hengyu at his side. United in purpose, they couldn't stand by while their brother Liu Wenming was being manhandled.

With a resounding thud, Lin Dong landed a kick on the leg of the student holding Liu's head, and amidst the student's cries of pain, he yanked Liu to safety. Tian Chao and Zhou Hengyu flanked Liu, their eyes blazing with fury as they faced down the group.

"Are you okay? Where did they hit you?" Lin Dong asked, focusing solely on Liu Wenming's condition.

Liu Wenming, rubbing his sore jaw, pointed angrily at the group of students and said, "Lin, they snatched our roast chicken!" Lin Dong was momentarily taken aback. Even in the midst of chaos, Liu's concern was for the roast chicken.

Lin Dong's gaze followed Liu Wenming's pointing finger and landed on a stylishly coiffed boy. The boy's face was gaunt, and he was decked out in Adidas apparel and Nike sneakers, with a white jade Guanyin pendant hanging around his neck. It's said that men wear Guanyin and women wear Buddha. The quality of the jade pendant suggested wealth, and the boy exuded an air of authority.

The young man who had been knocked to the ground picked himself up, rubbing his legs as he glared at Lin Dong. "New brother, take him down!" he shouted angrily.

Lin Dong, in his haste, had been a little too forceful. Now he walked with a pronounced limp and harbored a deep resentment towards Lin Dong.

Had Tian Chao and Zhou Hengyu not been there to hold him back, he would have already charged forward to seek his revenge.

Seizing the moment, Lin Dong inquired about the situation from Liu Wenming.

Liu Wenming quickly summarized the events. He had just stepped outside when he saw the roast chicken being delivered. Thinking that everyone had been waiting for a while, he decided to personally carry it to the private room.

Unexpectedly, a student burst from the sidelines, yanked off a drumstick from the roast chicken, and brazenly bit into it. That student was the very one Lin Dong had kicked.

Liu Wenming, unable to tolerate such behavior, had started a scuffle, which brought Lin Dong and the others outside.

It was clear that this was a deliberate act of provocation and bullying. Why else would someone act so contemptuously?

Lin Dong and his companions were seething with anger.

"New brother" was the nickname of the young man sporting a Jade Guanyin pendant. He tilted his chin up, surveying Lin Dong and his group with a dismissive gaze.

He could tell they were poor students by their attire, likely here to savor the experience of dining in a modest kitchen. He had little regard for such people.

With an air of arrogance, he declared, "You lot, for hitting my brother Wang Chengxin today, kneel and bow your heads three times, and we'll call it even."

Liu Wenming glared back furiously, about to retort, but before he could finish, the lead student cut him off: "No kowtowing, no leaving!"

In an instant, more than ten male students stepped forward, encircling Lin Dong and his three friends in a semicircle. Their eyes were menacing and hostile, signaling that any refusal would be met with immediate violence.

Zhou Hengyu, the most timid of the group, felt his legs begin to shake uncontrollably.

Liu Wenming lost his nerve to yell out. After all, they were from a small town and this was their first time dining in such a place; they were unaccustomed to such confrontations.

Even Tian Chao was nervously swallowing hard.

Fear had gripped all of Lin Dong's friends.

Lin Dong's brow furrowed and his expression turned grim.

Lin Dong possessed a more resilient mindset than his three companions. He wasn't one to start conflicts, yet he never shied away from them!

Kowtowing was out of the question!

A man's knees are worth gold; Lin Dong would kneel only to the heavens, the earth, and his parents, never to the unworthy!

Besides, it was the other side that started the bullying!

Today, Lin Dong was determined not to let this grievance slide!