Chapter 73 The Troublemaker
Back then, Jiang Yining was Xie Shiyan's inseparable little shadow. Hou Mingyu was a notorious troublemaker at school, arrogant and domineering because his family had some money and influence.
For some reason, he took a liking to Jiang Yining, who was always by Xie Shiyan's side. He thought the girl was fair-skinned and clean, like a little flower with dew on her skin.
He didn't dare to actually do anything to Xie Shiyan, but he would always find opportunities to hang around in front of Jiang Yining, saying cheesy pickup lines that he thought were cool, or trying to "bump into" her. Jiang Yining was annoyed to no end, and like a frightened little rabbit, she clung to Xie Shiyan even more tightly.
One day, during free time in PE class, Xie Shiyan was called by the teacher to help move equipment. Jiang Yining was left alone and was ambushed by Hou Mingyu and two of his followers on the tree-lined path back to the classroom.
“Jiang Yining,” Hou Mingyu tried to force what he thought was a handsome smile, but it actually looked a bit lewd, “Want to chat for a bit?” As he spoke, he reached out to grab her arm and lead her toward a secluded grove of trees.
Even the most "bully" high school boy would be wary of a genius like Xie Shiyan. Hou Mingyu's actions were actually tentative and cautious; he didn't even touch Jiang Yining's clothes.
But the instant he reached out, countless terrifying possibilities raced through Jiang Yining's mind: Would he slap her? Would he twist her arm? Would he push her to the ground? How painful would that be? What if she was disfigured? What if she broke a bone? Her vivid imagination overwhelmed her instantly.
"Waaah—" Without any preamble, large tears instantly welled up in Jiang Yining's eyes. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she suddenly squatted down, hugged her knees, and burst into loud sobs. Her cries were shrill and filled with endless grievances and fear, instantly shattering the tranquility of the campus.
Hou Mingyu and his two henchmen were completely dumbfounded. Their hands froze in mid-air, unsure whether to extend or retract them, utterly bewildered. What... what did they do? They only said one sentence!
"Ningning, what's wrong?" Xie Shiyan's deep, cold voice boomed behind Hou Mingyu! He had returned at some point, his face so gloomy it could drip water, and he strode over to Jiang Yining's side in a few steps.
“Brother Shi Yan… Waaah… He… They…” Jiang Yining raised her tear-streaked face, her nose red, and sobbed incoherently, pointing at Hou Mingyu, immersed in her own imagined fear, “He… He wanted to drag me to the woods… Waaah… He touched… touched my face… and… and wanted to hit my hand… It was so scary… Waaah…”
Xie Shiyan's gaze suddenly turned to Hou Mingyu, and a violent flame instantly ignited in his deep eyes, as if he wanted to devour the person in front of him alive!
"I didn't, Xie Shiyan, listen to me, I just..." Hou Mingyu was so frightened that he was scared out of his wits and hurriedly tried to explain.
"Bang--"
A powerful, furious punch slammed into Hou Mingyu's nose, causing blood to gush out instantly.
The scene descended into chaos. Hou Mingyu's two henchmen tried to help, but Xie Shiyan quickly subdued them, leaving them groaning in pain. When the dean of students and several teachers arrived, they found Hou Mingyu covered in blood, two more lying on the ground, and Jiang Yining crying so hard she was nearly fainting, muttering incoherently, "He touched my face...hit me..."
With eyewitness testimony (Jiang Yining's tearful account), physical evidence (the blood on Hou Mingyu's face and his clear intention to take the person away), plus Xie Shiyan's irrefutable testimony as a good student, Hou Mingyu was left speechless.
The head of student affairs was furious, his face turning ashen. He pointed at Hou Mingyu's nose and cursed, "You beast! You're so young and you're already behaving badly. You're being a hooligan and you even dared to hit a female classmate! I'll call your parents and give you a major demerit."
Hou Mingyu clutched his throbbing nose, staring at the sobbing Jiang Yining and Xie Shiyan's icy gaze. Injustice and fear made his vision blur. He hadn't even touched a single hair on Jiang Yining's head, so how could he be a pervert? And slapped her hand? When had he ever slapped her?
But nobody believed him. After that incident, Hou Mingyu was in a daze for a while, and it is said that he developed a strong psychological trauma towards girls. Not long after, he slunk away and transferred schools.
"Hahahaha!" Xiao Xiao laughed so hard she slapped the table after hearing Jiang Yining's vivid retelling, tears streaming down her face. "My God, Jiang Yining, you...you're a genius. You can even get someone expelled from school just by making things up in your head. If Hou Mingyu knew the truth, he'd probably cry himself to sleep in the bathroom."
Jiang Yining laughed so hard she almost fell over, her cheeks flushed, looking radiant and beautiful: "Right? I also think I had too much imagination back then, but..." She winked mischievously, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of smugness, "Later I found out that this trick was especially effective on Brother Shi Yan."
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