A cold, distant voice suddenly rang out from behind.
A cold sweat immediately broke out on Jin Xianhui's forehead. His necklace was seized by Song Shi!
In the grip of that overwhelming force, his head was forced backward, his knees buckled to the ground, dragging him backward.
He raised both hands, desperately clutching at the necklace around his neck, managing to catch a brief breath.
Just as he attempted to retreat further, his back collided with a heavy object, shoving him forward. The forces of the necklace pulling back and the weight on his back pushing forward created a balance, cutting off any final chance for him to breathe.
The pressure around his neck intensified, each iron link of the chain digging deeper into his skin, threatening to crush his bones into dust.
His face flushed quickly, first red and then purple, resembling a ripe eggplant, with veins throbbing visibly on his forehead.
"Still want me to bring you breakfast?" Song Shi, holding the necklace in one hand, stood with one foot pressed on his back. She bent slightly, tilting her head close to his, whispering in his ear, "I haven't even eaten breakfast, yet I brought it for you."
With that, she tightened her grip even more.
Jin Xianhui was overwhelmed with pain, the shadow of death looming over him. He wanted to scream, but no sound escaped his throat.
The people who had just boarded the bus were petrified by the scene, standing frozen in place, with no intention of helping him.
No one could help him! Despair filled his mind, and the scene before him began to blur.
The driver! The driver!
He mustered his remaining strength, casting a glance toward the driver's seat, but the driver seemed oblivious to the commotion behind him, casually closing the door and starting the bus, heading to the next stop.
Memories flashed in his mind—how he had once caused a ruckus on this bus while bullying others. He had even threatened the driver not to interfere.
At that moment, he had never imagined that one day, the tables would turn, and he would be the "weakling" needing to ask the driver for help.
His consciousness was gradually slipping, and his struggles were weakening.
His two lackeys stood trembling in the back, repeatedly considering intervening but hesitating for fear that Song Shi might turn her wrath on them as well. After a brief exchange of looks, they finally decided to call the police.
[Anti-abuse progress: +4%]
As they were about to activate their light brains to dial the police, Song Shi swiftly released the necklace and took a few steps back.
Luo Xu quickly set down his light brain and cautiously slipped past Song Shi to approach Jin Xianhui.
Free from Song Shi's grip, Jin Xianhui collapsed to the ground, landing at her feet.
He clutched his neck, coughing violently, his body curled up like a shrimp.
Song Shi looked down at him. She only intended to teach him a lesson, not to kill him.
She controlled the duration—less than a minute of choking, with the real difficulty lasting only twenty seconds.
As expected, after half a minute of coughing, Jin Xianhui started to recover.
Luo Xu rushed forward to assist him, but was shoved roughly to the ground.
Jin Xianhui cursed, "Get lost!" and, shaking, pushed himself up.
The anger he displayed toward Luo Xu was more a reflection of his frustration with Song Shi, but he now knew he was no match for her. He dared not provoke her again, and could only vent his anger on Luo Xu.
The first thing he did after standing was to kick Luo Xu, then rip the necklace from his neck and slam it onto the floor.
Since the moment the bus started moving, there had been no sound except for its usual hum, creating an eerie silence that made the sound of the necklace hitting the floor all the more jarring.
Some of the more timid students hugged their bags tightly, shrinking further into the background.
At present, Song Shi stood in the middle of the bus, surrounded by a group of students who had just boarded near the front. The back of the bus was emptier.
Jin Xianhui stood between Song Shi and the group of students, very close to her.
He suppressed the anger in his eyes, his fists clenched by his sides, his head lowered. Without looking at Song Shi, he kept a distance of just a few inches from her, silently pushing past her and making his way toward the more spacious back of the bus.
Luo Xu hastily got up, cautiously maneuvering between Song Shi and the row of seats, then stood next to Jin Xianhui.
He quickly glanced at Jin Xianhui's expression but dared not speak further.
The bus continued on its route, as usual. With each stop, more students got on, gradually filling the previously empty bus.
The new passengers, still chatting and laughing before boarding, fell into silence once inside, immediately sensing the tense atmosphere.
They exchanged confused glances, unconsciously lowering their voices.
How was it that, on a regular school day when the bus was typically full of noisy chatter, today, everyone was suddenly so quiet?
The eerie silence made them grow cautious, mouths sealed, and they glanced around in bewilderment, unsure of what was going on.
The final stop was Renxi Middle School.
"Renxi Middle School stop. Passengers, please take your belongings and alight."
When the bus halted, no one seemed to notice anything amiss.
"Song Shi!" A loud shout came from the crowded rear door, and all eyes in the bus turned toward it.
Song Shi looked up as well, spotting Jin Xianhui just about to leap off the bus.
He rubbed his neck, waiting for her gaze to meet his.
When their eyes met, his face twisted with malice as he snarled, "Just wait!"
With that, he jumped off the bus and strode toward the school gates, followed by his two lackeys.
As Jin Xianhui left, the passengers on the bus naturally turned their attention to Song Shi, the one he had threatened.
Some of them understood the situation and sympathized with Song Shi. Jin Xianhui was likely going to fetch help. Though he was notorious, he was not particularly powerful in Renxi Middle School. The real threat was his leader, whom everyone tried to avoid.
Others, still in the dark, were puzzled. They knew Jin Xianhui and Song Shi, but it was unusual for Jin Xianhui to issue threats and leave so abruptly.
Something didn't add up.
They had surely missed something.
Since the bus had reached the terminal, both the front and back doors opened simultaneously, and students rushed to exit. Their curiosity burning with gossip, they hastened to get to a place where Song Shi was not present, eager to figure out what had really happened.
Song Shi, positioned in the middle of the bus, was among the last to get off.
She walked toward the rear door and noticed Tang You still sitting in her seat, clutching her bag, unmoving.
Song Shi had already guessed why Tang You had distanced herself.
The original person had been too weak, reduced to the target of others' bullying. In such a situation, anyone close to her would inevitably be dragged into it.
Tang You had made a wise decision.
As the last of the students exited, Song Shi paused by the rear door. "Can I borrow a hair tie?"
Tang You hesitated, then followed her gaze to her wrist where a spare hair tie rested. She took it off and walked over to Song Shi, silently handing it to her.
At the same time, she shoved a sealed carton of milk—part of the breakfast her father had prepared for her—into Song Shi's hand.
Then, without a word, she brushed past Song Shi.
Song Shi glanced at the milk carton, remembering her own words when she had pulled Jin Xianhui's necklace tight. She had told him she hadn't eaten breakfast either.
Tang You had heard her.
She was just like her father.
Tang You had already entered the school gate when Song Shi quickly finished the milk, tossing the empty carton into the trash can outside the school. She pulled out the hair tie and, as she walked, tied her hair into a low ponytail.
Her scalp still ached where Jin Xianhui had grabbed it, so she massaged it briefly before pulling the ponytail back into a casual bun.
There was certainly another battle ahead. She couldn't afford to let her hair hinder her performance.
After navigating through the school building, Song Shi finally found her way to Class 2 of Senior Year. She had wasted a lot of time, and as she stood at the door, the bell signaling the start of class rang.
The classroom door was closed, with a small window above. Song Shi peered inside, noting that the teacher was absent, but the first two rows of students were seated, appearing to study, though their eyes frequently darted outside.
Song Shi observed it all, her lips tight. Her fingers slowly curled into fists. She lifted her leg and kicked the door open.
The door slammed open with a loud "bang," causing the students pretending to study to look up in shock, and those who had been hiding behind the door sprang out.
(The End of This Chapter)