Shi Yaoguang twisted her wrist, making her knuckles crack.
Her gaze swept over the students in front of her, who, full of malice yet trembling with fear, were even more timid than quails, "You've cornered me here, what do you want to do to me?"
The question, in truth, didn't need to be asked.
Each time they cornered someone, there was only one purpose.
To bully her.
To bully her mercilessly!
To trample Shi Yaoguang underfoot, wantonly.
To say that these people bore a grudge against Shi Yaoguang, would that be the case?
Not really.
Perhaps they were instigated by Shi Yiqing, or directed by Nie Feng.
But deep in their hearts, they may have relished the thought of oppressing someone whose station was high enough to crush them, yet whose luck was pitifully poor.
Under normal circumstances, these people wouldn't even qualify to hold the shoes of the Shi Family's daughter, let alone befriend her.
Shi Yaoguang was an exception.
The true daughter of the Shi family, who had been relegated to the outside, had come back to "bully" the fake heiress at every turn.
These "Justice Enforcers" naturally had to stand up for the fake heiress.
Thereby, they had a reasonable excuse to strike at the true heiress.
A bunch of wretched worms, only fit to grovel, might one day turn the tables and become the masters.
To trample the esteemed daughter of the Shi family underfoot, what could be more exhilarating?
In the eyes of the mighty, this was nothing more than foolishness.
But to these vermin, it was an indescribably delightful experience.
Shi Yaoguang understood their thoughts, but she did not accept them.
Why should she accommodate the psychology of these weaklings?
Everyone must pay the price for their actions, no matter what that price may be.
After Shi Yaoguang had asked, not a single person dared to answer.
They had dared to bully her before, simply because she had been unable to fight back.
At that time, she was bound by the plot and could only be suppressed.
These people had no idea that to them, the Shi Yaoguang of that time was but a pushover, the true heiress of the Shi family who could only end up in such a plight, emboldening them to be even more brazen.
An Xu came from a decent family, not on par with the Shi family, but not lacking either.
Therefore, he remained relatively calm.
He didn't believe that someone who had been a coward for half a year would suddenly have an awakening.
Maybe she was just bitterly bullied to the point of a rebound.
He had seen such people before.
A beating followed by a sweet date would suffice.
An Xu's thoughts were wishful. He raised his hand to slick back his hair, which was neatly combed with gel, and squeezed out a smug smirk that he thought was charming, "Shi Yaoguang, what's in the past is in the past. We actually quite like you."
"If you're willing, we are ready to accept you, and you can become one of us."
"Join you?" Shi Yaoguang sneered, "Join you, to bully the weak and commit wrongdoing together?"
Although this indeed was what they did, having Shi Yaoguang say it in such a mocking tone made An Xu somewhat uncomfortable.
As he was about to make a few excuses, he heard her continue, "Don't try to say anything to move me."
Yu Zhenzhen, seeing her so ungrateful, rolled her eyes, "Who cares about moving you?"
"It's best if you don't hold such thoughts, it would save you the disappointment."
Shi Yaoguang finished speaking, then suddenly made a feint of lifting her foot.
Watching her move, An Xu subconsciously had people block her.
Yu Zhenzhen shouted sharply, "Do it!"
Shi Yaoguang had been waiting for this moment.
Since they had come, they had no intention of leaving empty-handed.
Seven or eight older teenagers swarmed up, adeptly—
An Xu watched them surround Shi Yaoguang so tightly that not even a corner of her clothing could be seen, feeling a pang of regret deep inside.
When Shi Yaoguang had first transferred to the school, her complexion had been somewhat sallow due to years of exposure to the scorching sun, her arms and legs a dark, tawny hue—she looked like a little country girl who'd toiled in the fields, and she was clearly mismatched amongst them.
Seeing her again today, the sight of her fair skin and delicately radiant face inexplicably made his heart itch.
It was then that he had the idea of wanting her to accompany him.
It had never occurred to him that Shi Yaoguang would actually reject him!
Thinking about his own rejection made An Xu especially irritable.
When he got irritated, naturally, he couldn't let Shi Yaoguang off easily.
There would be plenty of opportunities to sleep with her, but teaching her a lesson could not be skipped.
Hearing her whimpering sounds, An Xu felt even more exhilarated.
"Don't hit me anymore... let me go..."
"I beg you, it's so painful..."
"Whimper..."
Shi Yaoguang's pleading voice grew clearer and clearer.
Yu Zhenzhen, however, noticed something odd—it seemed...
That whenever they started beating someone, one of their companions would always be missing.
As if they were the ones being beaten.
But how could that be possible?
Before Yu Zhenzhen could react, she heard the agonized howls of Shi Yaoguang coming from behind her.
She turned stiffly around only to meet the smiling eyes of Shi Yaoguang.
At this moment, her face bore bruised and purple marks, with a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth that at first glance seemed like it was caused by someone else's fists.
Why does it appear as if it was caused by a beating at first glance, rather than certainly so?
Because Yu Zhenzhen clearly saw that she was holding a compact in her hand.
She was standing in front of a small mirror, applying makeup to her own face!
All those bruised and purple marks had been drawn on!
Locking eyes with her, Shi Yaoguang blinked and continued voicing her tormented cries, "Mmm... no, don't hit me anymore, I won't dare again..."
If it weren't for Yu Zhenzhen seeing with her own eyes that she was unharmed, the painful voice alone would have made one think Shi Yaoguang had been beaten into a terrible state.
An Xu also noticed her condition and was puzzled when he saw the gang of bootlickers who had never stopped their assault suddenly change direction.
They dragged An Xu and Yu Zhenzhen into the crowd, adding their fists and feet to the punishment.
Shi Yaoguang let the two of them experience the sensation of being punched flesh-to-flesh, and in front of their eyes, she openly applied makeup to herself.
Watching her paint herself into the image of a bloodied, pitiable figure, An Xu and the other felt as if their worldview had been overturned.
Naturally, what was brewing more fervently inside them was unease.
Only when Shi Yaoguang saw that they had been beaten until they were gasping more than breathing did she finally clap her hands together.
An Xu and Yu Zhenzhen were released.
They watched helplessly as Shi Yaoguang dusted off her sleeves and stepped leisurely into the circle of onlookers.
She collapsed onto the ground within a second, howling pitifully.
"Please... spare me... I beg..."
Her voice had a very theatrical sense of layering.
At first, her voice was loud and piercing.
Now, it came in intermittent whispers, barely louder than the mewling of a kitten.
Even though the voice was soft, it was distinctly audible.
An Xu and Yu Zhenzhen were still stunned, not having processed what exactly had just happened.
Then they heard a loud shout from not far away: "What are you doing?!"
This voice worked like a voice-activated switch.
The group that had been beating Shi Yaoguang scattered at the sound.
The "barely alive" Shi Yaoguang was thus exposed before everyone.