As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Qin Qing swiftly swept the few books on her desk into her backpack, yanked the zipper closed, and slung it over her shoulder in one smooth motion.
Not a trace of hesitation.
The corridor was packed, people jostling shoulder to shoulder, and Qin Qing quickly melted into the crowd.
“Qin Qing!” Lin Wan’s anxious voice called out from behind, clearly unable to spot her in the throng.
Qin Qing paused for a brief moment, but did not look back.
She already knew what Lin Wan wanted to say. It was nothing more than the same old advice she’d heard countless times.
Tell the teacher, try to avoid trouble, that sort of thing.
But some problems couldn’t be avoided.
People like Li Shasha only got worse the more you gave in; today she dared to block the door with people from another class, tomorrow she’d try something even more outrageous.
Only if they were truly afraid—afraid down to their bones—could there be real peace.
Lin Wan was just too timid. All she knew was to keep making compromises, always at her own expense.
Qin Qing thought, this was something only she could handle.
She ignored Lin Wan’s call, turning off the main corridor into a relatively quiet emergency stairwell, taking the steps two at a time as she hurried down.
The emergency stairs were a bit rusty, and Qin Qing’s footsteps echoed “thud, thud, thud” against the metal.
She knew Lin Wan would definitely follow. That stubborn girl would never give up so easily, so she had to lose her fast.
Bursting out the rear exit of the teaching building, the evening’s chilly breeze rushed against her face. Qin Qing didn’t pause for a second, heading straight for the school’s main gate.
As she ran, she rolled her wrists and stretched her neck, her sharp gaze sweeping the area around the warehouse.
This was her first time at this warehouse, so she needed to get a head start—at least enough to familiarize herself with the surroundings.
At a corner, she stopped abruptly, pressing her back to the cold wall, breathing lightly as she carefully peeked around.
Once she confirmed that Lin Wan hadn’t followed, she finally let out a sigh of relief, though a twinge of guilt crept into her chest.
Sorry, Xiao Wan.
She said it quietly in her heart.
After all, she had made all these decisions alone, never asking for Lin Wan’s opinion.
Qin Qing pushed open the iron door, which looked like it might fall apart at any moment, and stepped inside.
This warehouse had originally been used for storing the school’s sports equipment, but after the new gym was built on the playground, everything was moved there and the warehouse was basically abandoned.
People hardly ever came here anymore.
But now, someone was already inside.
Unlike the three-on-one scenario she’d expected, there in the center of the warehouse were indeed the three boys in basketball jerseys from earlier, but they were all lounging against a battered gymnastics mat, grinning with disgusting smiles.
Standing in front of them, though, were five unfamiliar men.
They looked to be in their early twenties, dressed in cheap tight T-shirts and jeans, hair dyed all sorts of flashy colors, cigarettes dangling from their lips, radiating the kind of scummy vibe that comes from scraping along at the bottom of society.
In their hands, they held random broken sticks, sizing up Qin Qing with ill intentions as she walked in alone.
The air was thick not only with dust, but also with the stench of cheap cigarettes. Clearly, they’d been waiting here a while.
“Tch.” Qin Qing turned her head aside in disdain.
She’d guessed they might play dirty, but hadn’t expected them to be so shameless—too cowardly to fight themselves, so they’d actually called in thugs from outside the school.
“Yo, you really dared to come alone? Got guts, little sister.” The lead man, a Tattooed Thug with a tattoo on his neck, stepped forward, pointing his stick at Qin Qing, his tone mocking.
The buzz-cut sports boy sneered, “Qin Qing, don’t say we’re ganging up on you. You insisted on acting tough, who can you blame? Us brothers will just stand here and watch, so no one can say we’re breaking school rules by fighting.”
He made it sound so dignified, as if everything he did was justified.
Qin Qing clenched her fists.
She could maybe handle the three pampered boys with grit alone, but against five streetwise thugs who clearly fought often, her chances were slim to none.
She drew a deep breath of the musty air, forcing herself to stay calm, quickly scanning the area for any chance—anything that could be used as a weapon.
“What’s wrong? Scared? Kneel down now and apologize to that Li Shasha girl, let us record a video, and maybe you’ll suffer a bit less.” Another thug spun his stick, grinning wickedly.
Qin Qing didn’t respond, just slowly adjusted her stance, lowering her center of gravity and raising her hands.
She knew, there was no way out of this today.
Running? No chance.
In that case, if she was going down, she’d make sure to drag a few with her!
Seeing Qin Qing wasn’t going to apologize, the thugs all cracked their knuckles.
“Good, I like girls with spirit—”
“Qin Qing!!”
A voice, choked with tears, suddenly shouted from the doorway.
Everyone froze, turning in unison to look.
Lin Wan stood there, one hand gripping the rusted door frame.
She was gasping for breath after her frantic dash, face pale, sweat streaming down her forehead.
Seeing the warehouse situation, terror instantly filled Lin Wan’s eyes; her whole body trembled. Yet she didn’t retreat.
“You… you let her go! I’ve already called the police!” Lin Wan shouted with the greatest courage she’d ever mustered.
She knew how feeble those words sounded, but she couldn’t just watch Qin Qing face this alone.
“Call the police? Just some students roughhousing, what’s there to call the police for?” The Tattooed Thug laughed, “Little sister, even jokes have limits. You think we’ll buy that?”
Lin Wan’s heart wavered—she hadn’t really called the police.
When Qin Qing saw Lin Wan, her heart stopped.
That idiot! What is she doing here?! Is she looking to get hurt?
“Xiao Wan! Go! Leave, now!!” Qin Qing shouted furiously.
She’d rather be beaten herself than let Lin Wan get involved in this danger!
The buzz-cut sports boy was stunned for a second, then grinned even more wildly: “Well, it’s a buy-one-get-one today? Lin Wan, since you came here yourself to die, don’t blame us!”
The thugs exchanged lecherous looks at the sight of another delicate-looking girl, then broke into malicious laughter.
“Not bad, this girl is even prettier.”
“Today’s our lucky day.”
The Tattooed Thug licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over Lin Wan, signaling to his companions.
Two of the thugs instantly got the message, leaving Qin Qing—who’d taken a defensive stance—and turning to close in on the isolated Lin Wan at the door.
“Don’t be scared, little sister. We just want to ‘talk’ to you.”
One of the thugs chuckled, reaching out to grab Lin Wan’s arm.
“Don’t touch her!!” Qin Qing tried to rush over, but the other three thugs blocked her, a stick whooshing past her forehead and forcing her back.
Staring at the two thugs closing in, Lin Wan’s legs went weak with terror, tears flooding her eyes.
The thug’s filthy hand inched toward Lin Wan, and Qin Qing could only watch, powerless.
She regretted it. She regretted acting alone, coming here unprepared, dragging both herself and Lin Wan into this.
She’d always thought she’d grown up, that she was an adult who could solve problems and take responsibility for others, but now she realized she was just a child.
All her so-called plans for solo heroics and making the bullies regret it—those were decisions made without thinking.
No, please… Someone… Someone help us. Where are the adults? Is there no one reliable—
Bang!!
A deep, explosive crash thundered from the warehouse entrance!
The rusted iron door twisted violently inward, tearing free of the frame and slamming to the ground with a crash.
Dust billowed everywhere.
The sudden commotion stunned everyone in the warehouse. Every movement froze on the spot.
Through the haze of dust, a tall, imposing figure stood where the door used to be, silhouetted against the dim light outside the warehouse.
He wore a dark gray suit, polished leather shoes standing atop the fallen door.
“Click, click.” The metal groaned beneath him.
The newcomer lifted his hand, waving away the dust, revealing a strikingly handsome face.
If he were smiling gently right now, someone might take a photo and use it for a pop star’s new album cover.
But right now, his face was filled only with killing intent.
Behind the suited man stood a gorgeously dressed, curly-haired girl, one hand on her hip as she leaned against the entrance, seemingly making a phone call.
Lin Luan’s gaze was as cold as a blade, not a hint of emotion as he stared at the two thugs reaching for Lin Wan, enunciating each word:
“You. Want. To. Die?”