Chapter 4: On the Bus

The other party glanced at Ye Fan's suitcase and said: "Brother, have you just arrived here?"

Although A City Normal University is not a particularly impressive institution, A City itself is undoubtedly a genuine metropolis. As Ye Fan walked to the bus station, he had already seen four or five BMWs speeding by, which left him quite reflective.

Along the way, the countless vendors selling maps and the persistent hotel touts were even more bothersome than the two overweight individuals on the bus, prompting Ye Fan to impulsively consider eliminating them all. Ultimately, however, he managed to restrain himself.

As Ye Fan finally managed to get behind the pickpocket, the vehicle had already arrived at the station. When the vehicle came to a stop with a slight jolt, Ye Fan's right hand shot out like lightning, directly targeting the pickpocket. Although the pickpocket sensed something, his reaction was still a beat slower than Ye Fan's. By the time he realized what was happening, his wallet had already been snatched away by Ye Fan

In order to prevent the three of them from parting ways, Fu Xiaoqing and Xu Yang encouraged Ye Fan to take an additional year of study to retake the exam. However, Ye Fan had been instilled with the belief by his father since childhood that academic performance was entirely unimportant, and as he grew older, he increasingly felt that his father's words were indeed reasonable. Later, he further refined this theory, concluding that if academic performance is unimportant, then whether or not one attends university is also unimportant. Whether one goes or not is irrelevant, let alone which university one attends, so he nonchalantly arrived in City A.

Only after Ye Fan got into the car did he realize that there were not as many people as he had imagined; it was merely the atmosphere of competition that had created an illusion. At this moment, the fact that he could still move about freely while carrying a suitcase was the best proof of this.

The little thief was left dumbfounded, as the car had already started moving again, and the young lady was squeezing her way towards the door. Just as Ye Fan saw the opportunity, he casually swiped as the young lady passed by him, causing her wallet to fall back into her shoulder bag, and he even helped her zip up the bag.

At this moment, Ye Fan leaned against the pillow and fell asleep. When he awoke, it was already the conductor calling for him to disembark.

Suddenly, Ye Fan saw an evil black hand reaching for a young woman's handbag. The nimble fingers made Ye Fan admire them for a brief moment; in just five seconds, the wallet from the woman's bag was deftly extracted and slipped into the thief's own pocket. No one around reacted, not because the city was cold and indifferent, but because the skills of this little thief were truly exceptional

The place where the bus stops is the terminal station. Ye Fan was happily pondering which side was sunny and which side was shady, and how to choose a seat, when a bus slowly pulled into the station

Ye Fan felt a wave of dizziness and thought to himself, could it be a business card he handed over? Curiosity piqued, he reached out to take it, and indeed it was. However, apart from a name and a phone number, there was nothing else on it. He couldn't help but marvel at how different big cities are; even thieves are so fashionable.

Ye Fan glanced at the little thief with satisfaction, but just happened to catch sight of the bus stop sign outside the window. Although they were in motion, Ye Fan's eyesight was not something ordinary people could compare to; he immediately saw the four characters "Normal University" on it, and a wave of frustration washed over him, realizing that despite his good deeds, he had missed his stop.

Ye Fan was still marveling at how the thief had a business card, could speak English, and even had a taste for tea. It seemed that among the people he knew, there was no one of a higher caliber than him

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Fan glanced at the business card in his hand and ultimately tucked it into his pocket

The other party nodded slightly and said: "I usually hang around the area near A Normal University at https://m.hetushu.com. Today, let's be friends. If you need anything in the future, feel free to reach out to me"

The vehicle slowly started moving, and Ye Fan was, of course, diligently searching for the cityscape outside the window while calculating how many stops remained until his destination

At the next stop, Ye Fan jumped off the bus. After walking just a few steps, he felt someone following him from behind. Stealing a glance, he saw it was the little thief from the bus. Ye Fan couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Generally, he would just let things go after retrieving his belongings from thieves, but when it came to those who sought revenge, Ye Fan had never shown any mercy.

Ye Fan had completely understood what was going on, yet this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He curiously examined the young man in front of him, who appeared to be about the same age as himself

Ye Fan never expected that things would develop this way. Was he really going to inexplicably have several thief friends? In this moment of confusion, the other party had already handed over a thin piece of paper, saying, "You can call me Zhao Jianzhong, everyone calls me Xiao Zhong."

Upon hearing this, the little thief quickly put away the cigarette and said respectfully, "I did not know that young lady was your friend, and I apologize for any offense caused."

After searching for half a day, Ye Fan still did not come across any mention of Normal University in the books. Feeling helpless, he initially thought of taking a taxi directly, but he was concerned that the hospitable taxi driver might take him, a foreigner, on a sightseeing tour of the city for half a day. Therefore, he decided to take the more reliable bus instead. The accompanying letter finally mentioned the bus routes he could take, so Ye Fan inquired about the location of the bus stop and headed in that direction.

The accompanying letter sent with the admission notice stated that someone from the school would be specifically available to welcome new students in the coming days. As Ye Fan exited the station, he began to look around. Ye Fan's school is A City Normal University, and his major is inexplicably Chinese. In fact, neither the school nor the major was Ye Fan's choice; he had originally applied to a school in his hometown. However, due to the cruel allocation process, he inadvertently ended up hundreds of kilometers away.

The other party looked at Ye Fan and smiled, saying: "I have something to attend to today, so I will take my leave. Brother, whenever you are free, give me a call, and we can go out for tea." After saying this, he clasped his fists and turned to leave

In an instant, it was as if a group of assassins from a Gu Long novel had suddenly emerged, accompanied by a multitude of old and young villagers. Ye Fan, unable to showcase his superior strength and speed, was already cast out to the periphery. He could only lament the adage that many hands make light work, resigning himself to the role of a good citizen who respects the elderly and cherishes the young, standing in line at the very edge.

Ye Fan was momentarily taken aback when the little thief swiftly reached into his bosom and produced a pack of three to five. With a casual flick, he ejected one and handed it to Ye Fan, saying: "Brother, you have good skills."

The little thief stood in front of the car door, one hand gripping the railing while the other was tucked into his pants pocket, where the young lady's wallet was, perhaps even clutched in his hand. However, this was of no concern to Ye Fan; what he intended to do was not to steal, but to snatch, albeit in a manner that was completely undetected.

Hearing the other party quicken their pace, Ye Fan smiled slightly. Just as he caught up, the little thief also turned around. Upon raising his head, he saw Ye Fan's smiling face, and the little thief was momentarily taken aback. Ye Fan had already clenched his fist, ready to strike, but then he noticed the little thief nodding at him.

Ye Fan nodded

As soon as the petty thief succeeded, he immediately began to move towards the car door, and Ye hurriedly followed with the suitcase, receiving disdainful glances directed at him and his suitcase.

Ye Fan was momentarily taken aback again and then said: "No."

Ye Fan noticed a seemingly secluded alley by the roadside and intentionally walked in. The little thief indeed followed closely behind. After turning a corner, Ye Fan began to wait quietly for the other party.