Chapter 31: Too Savage
Startled, Luo Xue quickly stepped back. Seeing this, Sun Lei immediately jumped in front of her, his eyes fixed on the man. The man waved his hand, reassuring her that he wasn't a bad guy and simply wanted to speak to the young girl. Luo Xue clutched the strap of her schoolbag tightly, eyeing him warily. She then surveyed her surroundings, realizing they were on the side of the road, with pedestrians occasionally passing by. The situation wasn't dangerous, and the man in front of her wouldn't be a threat. "I don't know you," Luo Xue flatly declined, motioning for Sun Lei to leave. Seeing Luo Xue's lack of cooperation, the man didn't give up. Instead, he showed a look of anxiety and even raised his hand to grab Luo Xue's arm. "Bad guy, bad guy..." Luo Xue quickly slammed the man's arm with her schoolbag. Sun Lei watched as the man grabbed Luo Xue's arm, grabbed his hand, and bit it. "Ah..." The man screamed, swung Sun Lei's hand, and threw him to the ground. Looking at his hand again, he saw a row of teeth marks and blood. The man glared at Sun Lei and cursed, "You bastard, are you born in the year of the dog?" "Sun Lei!" Luo Xue hurriedly squatted down to help him, but Sun Lei had already stood up, pushing himself up. Sun Lei's palms were scraped and bleeding, but he seemed to feel no pain. He stared at the man's back, his eyes as sinister as an enraged beast. His mouth was still stained with blood, and he spat forcefully, leaving a drop of crimson on the snow. The man had already stepped back, but he remained steadfast, his gaze glued to Luo Xue's face. "Don't be afraid, little girl. I'm just asking..." "Get out! Get out!" Luo Xue's voice trembled, but she straightened her back. She grabbed Sun Lei's wrist and pulled him behind her. Passersby looked sideways, some stopping to look. The man's face changed at this. He lowered his voice and spoke rapidly: "Is your mother's name Luo Xin? Who is your father?" "You're sick," Sun Lei said coldly. "What are you calling me?" The man frowned, looking at Sun Lei in disbelief. Suddenly, he raised his hand to grab Sun Lei's arm, but Sun Lei dodged. Luo Xue screamed in fear, "Help! Help! There's a pervert! There's a hooligan!" Several passers-by immediately surrounded him, shouting, "What are you doing?" "Bullying a child?" "Shame on you!" A tall man even stepped between him and Luo Xue and began to shove him. The man's face turned pale, and he showed resentment, but he could only step back...
Luo Xue was startled and quickly took a few steps back. Seeing this, Sun Lei immediately stood in front of her, staring at the man.
The man waved his hands, indicating that he was not a bad person, he just wanted to say a few words to the girl.
Luo Xue's hand tightly grasped the strap of her schoolbag, and she looked at the other person warily. She then observed the surroundings and found that they were next to the road, with pedestrians occasionally passing by. The environment was not dangerous, and the person in front of her was unlikely to do anything reckless.
"I don't know you." Luo Xue refused decisively and signaled Sun Lei to leave together.
Seeing that Luo Xue was not cooperating, the man did not give up. Instead, he looked anxious and even raised his hand to grab Luo Xue's arm.
"Bad guy, bad guy..." Luo Xue quickly hit the man's arm with her schoolbag. Sun Lei saw that the man grabbed Luo Xue's arm, hugged the man's hand and bit it.
"Ah..." The man screamed and threw Sun Lei to the ground with force. When he looked at his hand again, there was a row of teeth marks clearly on it and blood was flowing.
The man glared at Sun Lei and cursed, "You bastard, are you a dog?"
"Sun Lei!" Luo Xue hurriedly squatted down to help him, but Sun Lei had already stood up by himself.
Sun Lei's palm was scratched and bleeding, but he seemed to feel no pain. He just stared at the man's back, his eyes as sinister as an angry little beast.
There was still blood in his mouth, and he spat out forcefully, leaving a drop of blood on the snow.
The man had already taken a few steps back, but he still didn't give up, his eyes glued to Luo Xue's face: "Little girl, don't be afraid, I'm just asking..."
"Get out! Get out!" Luo Xue's voice trembled, but she straightened her back.
She grabbed Sun Lei's wrist and pulled him behind her. At this moment, the pedestrians around looked sideways, and some stopped to look over here.
The man's face changed when he saw this. He lowered his voice and spoke quickly: "Is your mother's name Luo Xin? Who is your father?"
"You are sick." Sun Lei said coldly.
"What are you scolding me for?" The man frowned and looked at Sun Lei in disbelief. Suddenly, he raised his hand to grab Sun Lei's arm, but Sun Lei dodged.
Luo Xue screamed in fear, "Help! Help! There's a pervert! There's a hooligan!"
Several passers-by immediately surrounded him, shouting at him: "What are you doing?" "Bullying a child?" "Are you shameless?" A tall man even stood between the man and Luo Xue and started pushing him.
Seeing this, the man's face turned pale and he looked unwilling, but he could only take two steps back, glared at Luo Xue fiercely, turned around and squeezed into the crowd, and soon disappeared.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and someone asked Luo Xue with concern whether she wanted to call the police. She shook her head, forced a smile and thanked them.
When the surroundings finally quieted down, she realized that Sun Lei's wrist was still in her palm, as cold as a piece of iron.
"Are you okay?" She raised her hand and checked the wound on Sun Lei's hand.
Sun Lei pulled his hand back, shook his head, and bent down to brush the dust off his trouser legs, his movements mechanical. His eyes were still fixed on the direction where the man had disappeared, his lips pressed into a line.
"Does that person know your mother?" he asked suddenly, his voice was very soft, but with a hint of strange tension.
Luo Xue was startled, her heart skipping a beat: "...I don't know."
Sun Lei didn't ask any more questions. He bent down to pick up the schoolbag that had fallen on the ground, patted Xuemo, and handed it to Luo Xue: "Go home."
Luo Xue took the schoolbag and hesitated for a moment: "Do you want to go to the clinic to treat the wound on your palm first? There is one around the corner..."
"No need," Sun Lei interrupted her, his tone unusually firm. He looked down at his palms and suddenly said, "I'll take you home."
Luo Xue wanted to refuse, but Sun Lei had already stepped forward, his back as stubborn as a nail. She had no choice but to jog to keep up.
The two walked down the street in silence, the snow crunching under their feet.
Luo Xue secretly glanced at Sun Lei's profile - his brows were furrowed, and his eyes were always scanning the surroundings, as if he was on guard against something.
"That person..." Luo Xue said hesitantly, "Maybe he is my mother's old colleague."
Sun Lei said "hmm", but his eyes did not relax.
Turning a corner, Luo Xue saw the memorial archway of Nan'an Village from afar. She breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say goodbye to Sun Lei when he suddenly grabbed her sleeve.
"Don't move." Sun Lei lowered his voice very low, his fingers trembling slightly.
Luo Xue followed his gaze - next to the electric pole at the entrance of the village, the man was leaning against the wall smoking, his eyes scanning the pedestrians coming in and out.
The collar of his gray coat was turned up, covering half of his face, but Luo Xue recognized him at a glance.
Her breath hitched instantly. This person actually knew the location of her home.
Sun Lei's hand slid down and grasped her wrist with such force that it hurt: "Go to my house."
The two retreated quietly, skirting a narrow alley on the side of the village. At the end of the alley was a rusted iron fence with a few bars missing, just enough for a child to squeeze through. Sun Lei climbed over first and reached out to help Luo Xue.
Walking into the alley and around the open space, they arrived at the rental house. They went directly to Sun Lei's house and closed the door tightly.
After that person left, Sun Lei sent Luo Xue back home...
*
As dusk fell, the bus slowly stopped in front of the platform. Luo Xin mechanically stood up and followed the sparse number of passengers out of the bus.
The cold winter wind scraped across her cheeks like a knife, and she subconsciously wrapped her cotton coat tightly around her.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw a message from Luo Xue: "Mom, I'm home and have finished dinner. You can go back to work without worry." It was followed by a smiley face.
Luo Xin's fingertips gently stroked the screen, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of her mouth. This sensible daughter was always the warmest comfort in her tired life.
Thinking of Xiao Yan whom she met in the morning, the smile immediately disappeared.
The man's face lingered in her mind all day long, like a piece of mud stuck to the sole of her shoe that she couldn't get rid of.
She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs, trying to clear her mind.
Turning the corner, Luo Xin's steps suddenly stopped. The figure was standing under the streetlight, his cashmere coat gleaming softly in the dim light.
Xiao Yan had obviously been waiting for a while and was looking at his watch impatiently.
"The ghost is still lingering!" Luo Xin muttered with gritted teeth, turned around and was about to take a detour.
"Luo Xin!" Xiao Yan had already seen her and quickly caught up with her. "We need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about." Luo Xin quickened his pace without looking back, "Please stay away from me."
Xiao Yan grabbed her wrist and said, "I'm going abroad with my boss next week and may not be back for a year or two." His voice was filled with anxiety. "I have to know, is that girl my child?"
Luo Xin suddenly shook off his hand, turned around and glared at him: "What does this have to do with you?"
"She looks a lot like me." Xiao Yan said stubbornly, with a fanatical glint in his eyes, "Especially the shape of her eyes..."
"That's enough!" Luo Xin interrupted him, his voice trembling with anger. "Who do you think you are?"
Xiao Yan's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his condescending demeanor: "I just want to know the truth. If it's my child, I have the right..."
"You have no rights!" Luo Xin almost shouted, "You have nothing! Please disappear immediately!"
She turned to leave, but Xiao Yan stopped her again: "Luo Xin, don't be like this. We can talk about it..."
“Get out of the way!”
Just as the two were in a stalemate, a tall figure walked out of the darkness.
Luo Xin felt relieved, thinking it was Yu Hao. But when the man approached the circle of light of the street lamp, she saw that it was Sun Yong.
Before Luo Xin could speak, Sun Yong strode forward, grabbed Xiao Yan's wrist and pushed him, causing him to stagger.
"What do you do?" Sun Yong's voice was low and dangerous.
Xiao Yan stumbled a few steps before he stood firm, looking at the tall, shabby-dressed man in front of him in astonishment. He straightened his wrinkled cuffs, a hint of contempt on his lips: "Is this your man?" He turned to Luo Xin, his tone full of sarcasm.
Luo Xin looked at Sun Yong's rough hands and oil-stained collar, and suddenly felt an inexplicable courage.
She straightened her back, took Sun Yong's arm, and looked directly into Xiao Yan's eyes: "Yes, this is my man, what do you think?"
Sun Yong was obviously stunned, but he quickly reacted. He stood silently beside Luo Xin. Although there was no physical contact, he gave people an invisible sense of protection.
Xiao Yan scoffed and slowly adjusted his expensive cashmere scarf. "Your taste is really getting worse, Luo Xin." His eyes swept over Sun Yong as if he were looking at a piece of inferior merchandise. "But I understand. It's good enough that someone wants it."
Perhaps he realized that Luo Xue disliked him, so his attitude towards her became vicious, even though he had clearly said in the morning that he had not forgotten Luo Xue.
Luo Xin's fists were clenched white and he was shaking with anger.
"Listen," Xiao Yan suddenly lowered his voice, "as long as you tell me the truth, whether that girl is my child or not, I can give you money every month."
His eyes flickered between the two of them. "It's enough to save you from having to work at that kind of place. Even this..." He pointed at Sun Yong contemptuously, "...can benefit from it. How's it?"
A nauseating feeling surged up from his stomach. Luo Xin suppressed his nausea and said word by word, "Get lost."
Xiao Yan's expression twisted: "You..."
Before he could finish his words, Sun Yong's fist had already hit him hard in the face. Xiao Yan stumbled back a few steps and bumped into a streetlight pole. His glasses flew off and shattered on the concrete floor.
"Barbaric! Too barbaric!" Xiao Yan covered his bleeding nose, his voice shrill with fear, "You uncivilized animals!"
Sun Yong took a step forward and clenched his fists again.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan didn't even bother to pick up his glasses. He turned and ran, his leather shoes slipping on the snow and he almost fell. His embarrassed back quickly disappeared into the night.
Silence returned to the surroundings. Luo Xin then realized that her legs were shaking, and she had to hold on to the wall to keep her balance.
"Are you okay?" Sun Yong's voice suddenly became very soft, completely different from before.
Luo Xin shook her head, wanting to say thank you, but no sound came out. Tears welled up without warning, rolling down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed.
Sun Yong stood silently by, took out a crumpled tissue from his pocket and handed it to her. Luo Xin took it. The tissue still smelled of cooking fumes, but it made her feel inexplicably at ease.
"I'll take you home." Sun Yong said, not asking, but stating.
Luo Xin nodded. The two walked side by side in the dim alley, neither of them speaking.
The cold wind blew, and fine snowflakes danced in the halo of the street lamps.
When they reached downstairs, Luo Xin finally spoke: "Thank you for what you did just now."
Sun Yong shook his head: "It's okay."
"Why are you there today?" Luo Xin asked in confusion. If Sun Yong hadn't been there, the consequences would have been disastrous.
But when she said this, she suddenly realized that this man might have been guarding there silently for the past few days, but she just didn't notice it.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little moved, but it was just a feeling of being moved. This man who was not good at speaking in front of her might not be as rough as he seemed on the surface. On the contrary, he had a very delicate kindness towards others.
Sun Yong didn't answer, but simply said, "Then be careful." He turned to leave, then stopped and asked, "Will that person... come again?"
Luo Xin looked at the falling snowflakes and said, "He said he wanted to go abroad...I guess that's not the case."
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind them.
The two turned around and saw Sun Lei walking out of the darkness.
"Why are you here?" Sun Yong asked in surprise.
Sun Lei did not answer. He glanced at Luo Xin's door, then turned and walked into the darkness. Sun Yong hurriedly chased after him.
Watching them both disappear around the corner, she sighed softly and walked towards home...
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