Furiously beating up a group of troublesome fellows

Xiao stood by the pond, cheeks puffed with anger, her mood shrouded in gloom. Dawn was slowly breaking, and several dark figures gradually surrounded her.

She frowned and turned, staring coldly at the group blocking her light. The boy in front, with a roguish air, sneered and said, “Hey! Little girl, who said you could step onto my turf?”

As he spoke, he reached out to shove her. Xiao staggered back a step from the push, her expression growing even darker as she glared at the group before her.

The temper of a spoiled heiress flared instantly! She felt as if a fire had blazed up in her eyes in a single burst.

“Get lost! Or don’t blame me for being rude!” she spat, her gaze icy as it swept over them.

The group burst out laughing as if they’d heard the world’s funniest joke. “Ha! Ha! You think a little brat like you can do anything?”

They looked her up and down with undisguised contempt. Xiao, incensed, grabbed the boy’s shoulder in a flash and flung him over with a hard throw.

With a thud, the boy crashed to the ground in a most undignified heap, his backside sticking up high. Xiao gave him a swift kick, sending him sprawling so badly he couldn’t even get up.

A high schooler, beaten so thoroughly by a grade-school girl that he couldn’t even fight back—his friends could only stare in stunned silence.

The boy on the ground glared at them angrily and shouted, “Well, aren’t you going to help me up?”

His friends finally snapped out of their daze and rushed over to help him. Yet the boy, still ungrateful, barked, “If you’re so desperate to die, I’ll grant your wish! Get her—all of you!”

With a wave of his hand, the others charged at Xiao. Already furious, Xiao’s rage only intensified at the provocation. She lashed out with a fierce kick at the nearest boy; none of them were any match for her. In no time, they were all sprawled on the ground, wailing in pain.

When Yu arrived, this was the scene he saw. Several large boys lay battered and bruised, wailing and crying for their mothers.

And the chief culprit, Xiao Shangguan, stood over them, face still burning with anger. Seeing this, Yu pressed a hand to his forehead, sighed helplessly, and walked over to take Xiao’s hand.

He said coolly, “Come with me! If you don’t, you’ll be late for school.”

His words doused Xiao’s fury like a bucket of cold water. She glared at him, fists clenched tight.

The last thing she wanted right now was to go to school—she wanted nothing more than to beat this stone-faced boy to a pulp! Infuriated by his maddening words, she flung his hand away.

“Get lost! Even if I’m late, it’s none of your business!” she shouted, then turned to storm off in another direction.

Yu frowned—this was the first time in his life he’d ever felt powerless before someone else. He quickly caught up, reaching out to grab her hand.

His tone unchanged, he said coldly, “If you don’t want to go to school, I’ll take you home.”

At these words, Xiao snapped, “If you want to go home, go by yourself!” She tried to shake off his hand, but before she could, Yu let go on his own.

Xiao looked at him, puzzled, and stopped to observe him. The usually aloof boy now hung his head, looking utterly defeated.

Seeing him like this, Xiao grumbled, “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

Yu didn’t answer. He only stuffed his hands into his pockets and said coldly, “I don’t have a home.” The words were tossed out carelessly, yet they tugged at the heart.

It was midsummer, and already the morning sun was blindingly bright.