"Please, please... don't kick me out during the night."
Shu Xian held her dog's leash as the Samoyed dog barked at the landlady's son, getting her school things out of the apartment.
The landlady crossed her arms in front of her chest as she looked at Shu Xian with condescending eyes.
"I'm sorry, but you left me with no choice! I have already given you chances to pay your rent for three months! Today is the fourth month, and you still haven't paid the previous rents!"
"I know, I know..."
Shu Xian's eyes started to water as she looked at the landlady, begging to let her stay.
"But with my part-time job, I had to pay for my tuition fees at the university. I-I want to finish my education—I don't want to stop. I..."
With her voice breaking, the landlady felt bad for Shu Xian, but she had no choice but to kick her out.
The landlady was also earning for her children's tuition, and she already knew one who would take the apartment and had already paid for the first month.
Sighing as she felt pity for the 19-year-old girl, the landlady's eyes softened as she held both of Shu Xian's shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Shu Xian. But I have to pay for my children's tuition as the two of them are also in college."
Shu Xian had no choice but to nod. She wondered where she could stay. With her friend out of the country as of the moment, how could she sleep at her place? She doesn't have the keys to her place and she's shy with asking for a favor when she's on a vacation.
"Shu Xian…" The landlady gave her a small smile, "I pity you for living alone and for not being financially stable because you've been paying for your tuition. To make it up to you, I won't ask for payment from you anymore."
Shu Xian's eyes started to water when she heard what the landlady said. Her hands tightened on her dog's leash as tears escaped from her eyes, not expecting what she said.
"Oh, but Madame, that is too much! I would have to repay you and—"
"Go!" The landlady interrupted her, her eyebrows slightly furrowing. "You're already struggling on your own. It's rare to meet a kind landlady. You go now before I would ask for payment."
Shu Xian giggled a little, wiping her tears away.
"I'm sorry... you're too kind to me. You even lent me your old household items, but I couldn't even pay for the rent."
"Hush now."
The landlady looked at the items that her son brought out of the apartment.
"You only have your school belongings and clothes?"
Shu Xian nodded as she slightly chuckled, feeling embarrassed.
"How could I buy items for the apartment when I even struggled for my rent and tuition?"
"Haiya..."
The landlady sighed. She got her wallet from her pocket and had shoved money in her hand, Shu Xian's eyes widening with what she did.
"Use that." The landlady raised a brow at her, "Look for a cheap place to stay. I felt guilty about kicking you out tonight. If the tenants didn't come tonight, I would have let you stayed."
"But, Madame—"
"Ah, ah, ah!" The landlady carried two of her bags and went outside of the gate. "Leave. Now, look for a room to stay in for the night. That's the only thing I could do to help."
With Shu Xian and her dog, Wan Wan, finally out of the apartment building, the landlady closed the gate, making Shu Xian sigh as she wore her backpack, and carried the other luggage with her left hand.
Wan Wan wagged her tail as she waited for Shu Xian to walk, Shu Xian, sighing as she started to wade through the night, feeling hopeless about where to stay.
***
Shu Xian ended up in the park. It was dark, and she was alone, but she didn't mind it since she was with her dog, Wan Wan.
Shu Xian sat on the bench, her luggage at the side and her university backpack beside her as she stared at the sky, feeling unlucky with her life as she now had no place to stay.
"Oh, Wan Wan..." Shu Xian talked to her dog as she patted her head, "Where should we stay? Most of the places we found didn't allow dogs."
Wan Wan whimpered. They say animals could not understand what humans could say or feel, but Shu Xian disagreed.
Whenever she felt blue, Wan Wan would always feel and understand, making the dog feel worried and overprotective of their master.
As Shu Xian was busy patting the fluffy white fur of her dog, suddenly, they heard the chuckling of men nearby, making Wan Wan growl as both of them heard footsteps coming towards them.
Feeling cautious, Shu Xian started getting her backpack and her luggage, whispering to Wan Wan as she stood up from the bench.
"Let's go, Wan Wan."
"Well, well, well... what is a woman doing here in the park in the middle of the night? Hmm?"
Before they were about to leave, one man had blocked Shu Xian's way, stopping her and the dog in their tracks. Wan Wan started barking as the three men surrounded them, Shu Xian's eyes turning cold as she glared at them.
"You want money?" Shu Xian threw the money that was given to her by the landlady. "Let us go. There's your money. That's all I have."
Shu Xian didn't care if she now had no money left. What is important is her and Wan Wan's safety.
The three men laughed as one of them picked up the money on the ground. Their eyes still had not left the girl in front of them.
"Thank you for the money... but you think we only want money?"
Shu Xian gasped as she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Wan Wan barked as she started to charge, but Shu Xian panicked when she heard a yelp coming from behind her.
"Wan Wan! No! Don't you dare touch my dog!"
Shu Xian struggled in the man's hold. She started getting aggressive as her hands landed on the man's balls, squishing it with her hand as the man shouted in pain.
"Aaargh! You bitch!"
The man had let her go. The moment she got away, she rushed to Wan Wan, who was now lying on the ground.
Tears started escaping her eyes as she saw her staggered breathing, her eyes sharp as the edge of the dagger as she glared at the men.
Shu Xian grew up with her dog and had stayed with her for as long as she could remember. If one would lay a hand on her precious Wan Wan, Shu Xian would even risk her life for her dog even though she is just an animal to other people's eyes.
Seeing the anger on Shu Xian's face, the men laughed as she stood up, her hands at the sides turning into tight fists.
"Who dared kick my dog?"
Hearing the threat in her voice, the three men laughed at her. It was as if a small girl threatened them.
"Aw... you're going to punish us for kicking your dog?"
Shu Xian did not hesitate to fight back. She did not know how to fight, but she charged at the man who was mocking her, kicking his balls.
"You bitch!"
One man gritted his teeth. He attacked Shu Xian from behind, doing a rear-naked choke.
Shu Xian furrowed her brows as she struggled, her nails digging on the man's forearm, but due to his leather jacket, he was unaffected by it.
"Stop moving, or we'll attack you right here and then."
Shu Xian found it hard to breathe. Her grip on his arm loosened as the two men approached her, seemingly wanting to touch her.
'Don't touch me... don't come closer!'
"Hey!"
As the men were about to touch her, all of them were surprised to hear someone shout at them.
Soon after, the man who just came had attacked the two with his punches, immediately making their noses bleed.
Shocked, the man who got Shu Xian released her, making her cough as she fell to the ground.
"Who the hell are you!?"
With air not coming to her for almost a minute, Shu Xian started passing out as she saw a slight glimpse of the man who attacked the two men, now attacking the man who held her captive.