Chapter 164: Xiao Bai, Can I Come In?
So everyone finally understood—this Yan Luo was the type who wouldn’t respond to either soft or hard approaches. He was deeply disgusted by that sort of thing, and there was no way he’d get involved in any messy business like that.
Which meant he truly regarded Su Mobai as a younger brother. If he was happy to keep a little brother, happy to have him by his side all the time, then others could only look on with envy.
Still, even with everyone saying so, there were always some who remained skeptical. After all, the two of them were just too inseparable. You tell me—one prison boss and one prison beauty, sticking together every day—what could they possibly be doing?
During recreation time, the two people at the center of all that gossip were strolling leisurely along a small path in the landscaped area.
“Bro, don’t you think we’ve been a little too close lately? The things people are saying are really nasty,” Nan Xun said, feeling a bit conflicted.
“Oh?” Yan Luo lazily lifted his right arm and, out of habit, draped it over the kid’s shoulder. “What are they saying?”
“They say… if the prison boss and the prison beauty are together, what else could they be doing?”
“What else could they be doing?” Yan Luo raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know,” Nan Xun said, refusing to answer the question out of sheer embarrassment.
Damn it. He really missed Little Eight—missed punching it flat with one blow. By now, he’d become numb enough that he could calmly face his own body when going to the bathroom, especially that part down there. All of this was the tragic aftermath of Little Eight’s one mistake, which had left him with massive psychological trauma.
Two months of prison life had exposed Nan Xun to more dirty jokes than the total of the previous N years combined, along with countless eye-burning scenes. Living every day among a bunch of rough men, he himself had become more and more manly—whether in speech or behavior, damn it, he was basically indistinguishable from a real tough guy now.
Nan Xun was especially worried that when he returned to being a woman in the next world, he wouldn’t be able to adjust back right away.
He was mentally poking Little Eight’s tiny villain when, at the turn of the path, someone suddenly rushed over. The man dropped to his knees with a thud in front of Nan Xun and Yan Luo, slamming his head hard against the ground again and again.
“Lord Yan, save me! I beg you to help me! Lord Yan, please! I have elders to support and children to raise. I’ve endured all these years—I’m finally about to be released! Please, Lord Yan, save me!”
After a brief moment of confusion, Nan Xun couldn’t help but look at the man beside him.
After two months of “immersion” in prison life, Nan Xun was already well acquainted with prison rules and its darker side.
Those vicious criminals who were destined to rot in prison for life couldn’t stand seeing former brothers being released after serving their sentences. So whenever someone was close to getting out, chances were high that they’d be targeted for revenge.
If you were lucky, you’d lose an arm or break a leg. If you weren’t, you might just die in prison.
Nan Xun had already seen this kind of thing several times—once on the basketball court, once on a grassy slope in the landscaped area, and once even right in the main cafeteria.
The prisoner kneeling on the ground was over fifty, his hair already graying. He kept kowtowing, begging as he did so, until he finally broke down in tears.
Nan Xun didn’t know what crime this man had committed, but from his features he seemed like a kind person. Perhaps time had worn away the violence in him, or perhaps he’d never been truly evil to begin with.
Nan Xun tugged gently on Yan Luo’s sleeve and called out softly, “Bro, help him.”
Yan Luo looked at him, somewhat surprised. This kid was proud and strong-willed and had never asked him for anything before. He hadn’t expected him to break that rule for a stranger.
“Xiao Bai wants to save him?” Yan Luo asked.
Nan Xun nodded. “I’ve seen this older brother during reform classes. He’s sincerely repentant. Bro, please help him.”
The man on the ground slowed his kowtowing and looked up at Nan Xun, giving him a grateful smile.
Yan Luo asked when he was scheduled to be released.
The man immediately replied, “Lord Yan, it’s two months from now—July 10.”
Yan Luo nodded. “That’s still some time away. Starting next month, you’ll follow me and Xiao Bai.”
If someone was going to make a move, it was usually within the month before release.
When the man heard this, he was so excited that he kowtowed several more times. “Thank you, Lord Yan!”
With Yan Luo’s clear promise in hand, the man staggered away, clutching his forehead, afraid that if he was even a moment too slow, Lord Yan might change his mind.
“Bro, thank you. I know you don’t like getting involved in other people’s business, but just this once—this older brother has truly reformed,” Nan Xun said, pressing his lips together. He also knew that once this precedent was set, more people would surely come asking Yan Luo for help. But Yan Luo only had three or four months left before his own release—these people wouldn’t be able to cling to him for long.
“Xiao Bai, you can ask for more,” Yan Luo said, affectionately rubbing the kid’s head.
Nan Xun was already immune to Yan Luo touching his head at every turn. Touch it if you want—at worst he’d lose a couple of hairs. It wasn’t like a piece of flesh would fall off.
The two of them ate lunch together, sticking close as usual, then each returned to their own cell.
During the midday rest period, the burly men in Cell 242 lay sprawled on their bunks, chatting nonsense.
Old Four cursed loudly. “Damn it, how is it our turn again? Last time I nearly threw my back out.”
That afternoon, some of the prisoners were assigned to haul stones at the quarry, while the rest continued working in the factory. The prison operated on a rotation system, and this time it happened to be the inmates from the second floor of A Block.
Old Two rolled his eyes hard at Old Four. “If anyone should be complaining, it’s me and Little Six. Among all of us, besides me and Little Six, you guys are the ones who’re meant for hard labor anyway.”
Du Pan was a con artist by trade—definitely not cut out for heavy work. As for Su Mobai, it went without saying. In everyone’s eyes, he was just a kid. Even if he could fight, he was still just a ‘scholar’ who knew martial arts.
Nan Xun was curious and asked, “Is there a fixed quota? Does everyone have to do a certain amount of work?”
Old Three immediately replied, “Of course. We’ve done this before. Ten people per group, and each group has to haul a full cart of ore.”
“A full cart? Like, a truckload? Holy shit, how long would that take?” Nan Xun nearly cursed out loud.
Du Pan laughed loudly. “You idiot, Little Six. Not a truck—just a small cart, about the size of a tractor.”
Iron Brother, who had been asleep, was woken by the noise and roared, “All of you shut up and go to sleep! You’ve still got work this afternoon!”
The others reluctantly lay back down on their bunks.
Sleepiness crept up on Nan Xun as well. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The knocking was neither light nor heavy, neither fast nor slow. There was none of the impatience typical of ordinary knocks—it was calm and steady.
After three knocks, there was a pause, then another three knocks.
The rhythmic knocking didn’t provoke irritation at all. Even sleepy Old Two merely muttered a few words in response.
Nan Xun’s eyes flickered. He hurried over and opened the cell door.
Outside stood a tall man, hands tucked into his pockets, leaning casually against the wall, giving off an air of lazy ease.
When he saw Nan Xun, the man’s thin lips curved slightly upward.
“Xiao Bai, can I come in and sit for a bit?”
