Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I stood outside for a while until the heat in my face finally began to fade.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, preparing to head back and find my classmates.

I hadn’t even taken two steps when someone blocked my path.

A man with dyed yellow hair had one arm draped over his companion’s shoulder while the other hand held a cigarette. He looked at me with a predatory grin.

Three of them stood in my way. The stench of tobacco and alcohol clinging to them was nauseating.

“Hey, little sister. You’re a pretty one. Why don’t you have a few drinks with us?”

Yellow Hair arched an eyebrow, the light glinting off his brow piercing.

“Sorry, my friends are waiting for me.”

I gripped the phone in my pocket tightly, keeping my head down as I tried to sidestep them.

But they blocked me again.

Another man, with a crooked sneer, looked down at me. “Little sister, we just want to be friends. Don’t be in such a hurry to leave.”

“You’re so beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?”

Yellow Hair crushed his cigarette and leaned in close, his face twisted into a mocking smirk.

I took several steps back until my back hit a wall.

They exchanged looks and immediately closed in.

The area was deserted.

I began pressing the side button on my phone through the fabric of my pocket. On the fifth press, it would trigger an emergency call.

They drew closer and closer.

I pressed it for the fourth time.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

Then, I suddenly heard the blunt thud of a heavy object striking flesh.

In the next second, the thugs’ roars of pain collided with the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

I let go of my phone. A dark figure had appeared out of nowhere and was already locked in a struggle with the three men.

His movements were clean and efficient.

In less than two minutes, he had taken them all down.

Yellow Hair was face-down on the pavement. I couldn’t see his expression, but he looked like he had passed out.

The cursing and the sounds of the brawl stopped abruptly, leaving nothing but the whistling wind in my ears.

He stood there, motionless.

The brim of his cap was pulled low.

I couldn’t see his face.

But I knew who he was.

The moonlight tonight wasn’t bright at all.

The streetlights cast a dim, sickly yellow glow.

We stood there in silence, neither of us speaking.

Though we were barely a meter apart, it felt like a vast, insurmountable chasm.

I didn’t dare look away.

I was terrified that if I did, he would vanish in the next heartbeat.

I had imagined this moment countless times.

If I ever saw him again…

I would throw myself into his arms, hold him tight, and cry for a long time before finally scolding him.

I would ask him where he went.

Ask him why he didn’t come to see us.

Ask him why he disappeared for so long without saying a single word.

Ask him if… he didn’t want me anymore.

And then I’d wait for him to do what he used to do.

As long as he patted me on the head, I wouldn’t be angry anymore.

But I did nothing.

I just stood there, my feet rooted to the spot.

I knew I shouldn’t cry.

So I bit my lip hard, forcing the tears back with everything I had.

But in the next moment, a hat was placed on my head. Someone pulled the brim down, shielding my eyes.

I lowered my gaze, seeing nothing but the silent ground.

I rarely saw Zhou Yanzhi angry.

He had been sensible since he was a child, gentle toward everyone.

The only other time was when I was in middle school.

I had been cornered by some punks then, too.

That usually gentle person had lost his temper for the first time.

He had pulled his cap over my head to block my view.

“Don’t look.”

Then, the sound of fists hitting flesh filled my ears.

I had stared at the ground back then, too.

I waited until all the noise stopped.

Zhou Yanzhi had come over to take my hand, his voice as clear and calm as usual.

“Let’s go, Ningning.”

I hadn’t asked anything; I just gripped his hand tighter.

At that time, I truly believed that Zhou Yanzhi would protect me for the rest of my life.