Which way to go is the road?

Wang Haoming pushed Xiang Fei one after another, his eyes filled with a menacing gaze, from the small bar counter all the way into the stairwell, and Xiang Fei mechanically backed away.

It felt like I was back in my childhood, being bullied by a classmate with a bad temper. I felt angry but couldn't feel my hands and feet. My mind was blank. The other person's shouts and punches and kicks played out like a slideshow in front of me, seemingly real yet unreal. I just hoped that this humiliating moment would pass quickly.

He retreated to a wall behind him, with nowhere else to go. His right hand, swaying with his body, struck the wall, causing a slight pain. He suddenly realized that he could actually have a fist, and that the younger version of himself had grown up and was now the manager of an internet cafe.

Xiang Fei propped himself up against the wall and slapped the other person. The other person did not expect that the cowardly and timid person would suddenly erupt. He was caught off guard and received a powerful slap, and his eyes saw stars!

Wang Haoming was completely enraged and slowly prepared to lash out, but Xiang Fei didn't give him that time. He kicked Wang Haoming, who fell to the ground with a thud. Like a wild beast controlled by rage, Xiang Fei ran over and continued to kick and hit him, leaving him powerless to fight back.

"Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him!" Xiangzi had just finished eating and came back. Seeing this scene, he rushed over and hugged Xiang Fei. "Xiang Fei, stop hitting him! Haoming is already lying on the ground. If you keep hitting him, he'll get seriously injured!"

Wang Haoming, enduring the pain, stood up and pulled a small knife from his pocket, threatening to stab Xiang Fei in the abdomen. Xiangzi quickly released his grip, and Xiang Fei turned to the side. The knife slid across his forearm, leaving a wound that began to bleed. But the other man showed no sign of stopping, turning back to stab him again.

"Stop! Stop!" Two piercing shouts stopped the crazed Wang Haoming!

Xiangzi cautiously walked over, took the bloodstained knife from Wang Haoming's hand, and quickly threw it into the trash can. Looking at the two still fuming men, he sighed to himself and turned back to Qian Luomei to explain, "Sister Luomei, thankfully nothing serious happened, please don't be angry!..."

Qian Luomei ignored Xiangzi, who was still speaking, walked over to Wang Haoming, and slapped him across the face: "You stole things from my internet cafe, and now you want to kill someone? Did I keep you here for the past three years just to raise an ungrateful wolf?"

"You only saw me stab him, but you didn't see him hit me? In your eyes, everything Xiang Fei does is right, and everything we do is wrong!" Wang Haoming shouted indignantly.

"I don't care who hits whom, or how you fight, but you can't use knives, understand? After a fight, we can discuss who's right and who's wrong, we can judge; but if someone's been killed, what's the point of talking about who's right and who's wrong? I took you in out of compassion, thinking you weren't a bad person, but now I see I was wrong! I'm not keeping you anymore, you can leave!"

Wang Haoming burst into tears without uttering a sound, letting the tears wash over his fair face. He remained silent for two minutes before saying, "I'm sorry, Sister Luomei! I'm leaving. Take care of yourself!"

There was no attempt to keep them, no goodbye, only mutual silence, followed by the crisp sound of someone descending the stairs.

"Xiangzi, you stay upstairs and take care of the business. Xiangfei, come with me upstairs to get your wound bandaged!" Whether it was shock, sadness, or heartache at the sight of the wound, Qian Luomei's eyes glistened.

Upon arriving at the attic, Qian Luomei retrieved the first-aid kit from the TV cabinet drawer, took out alcohol swabs, and wiped the wound. Seeing that the bleeding was not stopping, she applied a tourniquet to the blood vessel and wiped it for a while until the bleeding stopped. She then bandaged the wound with a bandage and adhesive bandage.

"How did you get into a conflict with Wang Haoming?" Qian Luomei asked while packing up the first-aid kit.

Xiang Fei recounted the whole story, then lowered his head apologetically: "Sister Luo Mei, I was wrong. Even if he pushed me, I shouldn't have hit him! If I hadn't hit him, he wouldn't have gone so crazy later, causing you to lose an employee!"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. His erratic personality ruined him, but I never expected it to erupt against you. As for hitting someone, I don't blame you! Someone like Wang Haoming won't listen to you, so a fight might have solved the problem. But conflicts between colleagues and friends shouldn't involve knives!"

"Anyway, nothing serious happened. Why don't we talk to Xiangzi and ask Wang Haoming to come back?"

"No, he has to learn his lesson. I don't want this to happen again. I went down in time and nothing bad happened, but if I had gone down later, who knows what might have happened?" Qian Luomei looked at Xiang Fei's wound and continued, "What if he had stabbed you in a vital area the first time, or severed an artery? Can you imagine how serious that would have been? The risk factors must be eliminated!"

"By the way, Sister Luomei, you just said he stole something in the internet cafe. What happened? Can I find out? If not, never mind!" Xiang Fei had been holding this question in for a while.

"I was afraid it would be bad for Wang Haoming if word got out, so I tried not to mention it to anyone. He used to be a net addict, much more addicted to games than you are. He was supposed to be in college, but all the tuition and living expenses his family gave him went to internet cafes!"

"Didn't the school notify the parents? Don't the family care about him?"

"You wouldn't believe how lax the management of students is in universities these days. Skipping classes, not participating in activities, or staying out all night aren't considered big deal. At most, they'll just issue a warning, but there aren't any concrete measures. They certainly don't care where you spend your money! Wang Haoming failed almost every subject except for PE, and we didn't even notify his parents!"

"Then what's the point of going to university? Will Wang Haoming even be able to graduate?"

"He dropped out of school later, but it didn't really matter whether he dropped out or not, since he spent every day in internet cafes anyway. He came in at the beginning of the semester with his tuition and living expenses, and spent two whole months online, eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping in internet cafes! His body was practically stinking!"

"In our 'Water and Cloud Pavilion'?"

"I wasn't here when I was in school. I only came here after I dropped out. It's close to his house! Besides, I don't take in those internet addicts who treat this place like a hotel. They play games day and night, their nerves are always on edge. If they suddenly die one day, wouldn't it all be my responsibility?"

"Yes! Sister Luomei, you did the right thing. So what happened later when Wang Haoming stole things?"

"When he dropped out of school, the school notified his parents, dumping all the blame for his failing grades and unpaid tuition onto them. They couldn't stand it, so they cut off all of Wang Haoming's expenses. Even without money, he still had to play games online, right? So he started stealing things, like phones and wallets—he'd steal anything that could be exchanged for money!"

"Why didn't you call the police after you caught me?"

"When I saw him, I knew he was a young man in his early twenties, quite fair-skinned. Sending him to the police station would have been easy, but it would have ruined his life! I couldn't bring myself to do that!"

"Not only did they not do that, they even let him work as a network administrator at the internet cafe! Sister Luomei, I must say your magnanimity is truly admirable. Don't look at me like that, I'm just telling the truth, no offense intended!"

"I'm kind-hearted, especially since I can't stand seeing others suffer in front of me. Luckily, this kid's spent his time in internet cafes and he learned some basic computer skills, which is enough to be a network administrator! So I took him in, but I never expected this to happen!"

"Who are the members of Wang Haoming's family?"

"I don't know, he won't say. I did ask twice, but he kept changing the subject, so I didn't ask again!"

"Do you have his home address?"

"Yes! I sign contracts with every full-time employee, it's written in the contracts!" Qian Luomei said, then asked suspiciously, "What, are you thinking of revenge?"

"Revenge isn't necessary? I'm a bit curious and want to explore this little tiger's den!"