“Hey, you yellow-haired brat, why are you sticking your nose into other people’s business!”
The chubby boy in the lead, having just taken a blow from Ruan Zhixian’s stick, glared at her fiercely.
“Yeah, that’s right!” The group of boys behind him echoed in unison.
“Oh, I get it now! You’re protecting this weirdo—don’t tell me you actually like her? Hahaha, hahahahahaha!”
“Yellow-haired brat paired with a weirdo girl, hahahahaha!” The boys laughed along with the chubby leader.
“Mind your own business! You’re nothing but a bunch of bullies who pick on the weak!”
Ruan Zhixian raised the wooden stick in her hand, staring intently at the chubby boy, refusing to back down an inch.
“Only know how to bully girls—what are you even proud of!”
“Tch, you think you can play hero and save the damsel? And you pick a weirdo at that!”
The chubby boy was clearly unhappy with the golden-haired youth’s (girl’s) attitude, clenching his fists as he stepped forward.
“Today, I’ll show you—freaks aren’t worth saving!”
“Everyone, let’s beat him (her) up together!”
At the boy’s command, the kids around instantly swarmed forward with a clamor.
“Ha!”
Facing the charging boys, Ruan Zhixian skillfully ignored the others, withstanding a rain of punches as she swung her stick hard at the chubby boy’s head.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
The chubby boy fell to the ground in pain, blood trickling down his forehead.
“Ahhh, he’s bleeding!”
“He-he-he’s killed someone!”
“Is boss going to die?!”
“All of you, back off!”
Ruan Zhixian strode forward, stepping on the chubby boy, holding her wooden stick above his head.
“Anyone who dares take another step, I’ll smash this fatso’s skull!”
None of the boys had ever seen anything like this. They froze in place, too scared to move.
“Now, I’m going to count down—three, two, one. When I finish, you take your boss and get lost! If you’re even a second late, I’ll catch up and crack all your heads open!”
“Ahhh, help!”
“He—he’s really going to kill us!”
Before Ruan Zhixian had finished speaking, a few boys hurriedly dragged the chubby boy up and ran off bawling, quickly vanishing into the park.
“Tch, a bunch of cowards.”
The golden-haired girl curled her lip in disdain, tossed the bloodied stick aside, wiped her dirty hands carelessly on her clothes, then turned toward the black-haired girl still sitting dumbfounded on the ground, extending a hand.
“An Qing, are you okay? Sorry I got here late.”
The black-haired girl said nothing, just stared blankly at her, wide black eyes filled with disbelief.
“Uh, well, I’ve actually been helping Auntie Li with chores these past few days to make up for things, I didn’t mean to not come find you!”
Seeing An Qing unresponsive, Ruan Zhixian hurried to explain.
“Really, I didn’t expect you’d still be waiting here for me… I mean, maybe you just like coming here to play, haha…”
“Ah, and also, I wasn’t really going to smash that chubby guy’s head just now. I just wanted to scare those brats, I’d never really do something that scary, so don’t be afraid of me!”
“Um, do you have enough strength to stand up? Need me to give you a hand?”
The golden-haired tomboy bent down, reaching her small hand out even closer to the girl on the ground.
An Qing stared up in a daze at the golden-haired girl standing before her.
She wasn’t tall, but in this moment, little An Qing found her so reliable; her pretty face bore fresh scars from the fight, making her look a bit bedraggled, but to An Qing, she seemed dashing and brave.
Golden sunlight shone on the girl’s short blond hair, making her look dazzling.
She was like a knight descending from the sky to chase off the villains; or like a ray of light, brightening An Qing’s whole small world.
A strange warmth suddenly welled up in her chest, like the first crack in the ice at the beginning of spring. An Qing instinctively reached up and grabbed the small hand the golden-haired girl offered.
Her hand was small, soft, comfortable to hold, just as warm as the feeling the girl brought her.
Tears started to well up, and the golden-haired girl’s figure blurred before her eyes.
“Really, to bully such a little girl—what are they even thinking… H-hey, An Qing, why are you crying?”
Seeing the tears, Ruan Zhixian immediately stopped her rambling and hurriedly fished out the tissues Auntie Laila had stuffed in her pocket before she left, wiping An Qing’s tears away.
“Did they hurt you? Damn! I didn’t even notice, I shouldn’t have let them off so easy! Next time I see those jerks, I’ll teach them all another lesson!”
Hearing Ruan Zhixian’s angry words, the small black-haired girl tilted her head back and cried even harder.
“H-hey, why are you crying even more now… I, uh, I’m not good at comforting people…”
Watching the girl cry and cry, Ruan Zhixian was at a loss.
“How about… I make a funny face for you?”
“Wow!”
The golden-haired girl scrunched up her face into a silly ball, her green eyes wide and round, her mouth twisted off to the side, looking ridiculous and cute.
But it didn’t help at all; the girl before her cried so hard her whole body shook, tears rolling down like broken pearls, her little nose twitching with each sob.
“Uh… don’t like that, huh… then, want to hear a joke?”
“Ahem… An Qing, do you know which animal in the zoo is the scariest?”
“—It’s the gorilla, because it beats—its—chest~”
As she spoke, Ruan Zhixian mimicked a gorilla at the zoo, raising her fists to thump her own chest.
It was no use at all. An Qing opened her mouth and wailed, her whole face red and streaked with tears.
“Uh…”
Now Ruan Zhixian was completely out of ideas.
Geez, even though I was a girl in my past life, I’ve never really dealt with girls! Who can tell me how to cheer up a little girl?
Just as Ruan Zhixian was panicking, she suddenly remembered the promise she’d made to An Qing before she left a few days ago.
“Hey, An Qing, please don’t cry, okay? I’ll buy you ice cream! I-I promised, I’ll come see you here every single day from now on!”
The golden-haired girl said tentatively.
At those words, An Qing’s sobbing slowly quieted down, turning to soft, intermittent sniffling.
If she didn’t cry, would this girl really keep coming to see her?
She wouldn’t run off after a few visits like the other volunteer sisters, nor would she look down on her like the others in the orphanage?
The black-haired girl lifted her tear-soaked face, eyes misted with tears, staring unblinkingly at the golden-haired girl.
“Zhixian, are—are you telling the truth?”
Her voice trembled, full of cautious hope and longing.