Help at the alley entrance
As soon as the school bell rang on Monday afternoon, a crowd surged at the school gate. Xu Yanchi, carrying her schoolbag, walked side by side with Xue Su on the sidewalk, chatting about their afternoon English class—Xue Su was imitating the teacher's intonation when pronouncing words, making Xu Yanchi laugh. Sunlight filtered obliquely through the dense foliage, and a chilly wind stung Xu Yanchi's face.
Reaching the fork in the road next to the bus stop, Xue Su glanced at her watch and waved her bus card: "My mom told me to go home early. This bus is coming soon. I'll bring you strawberry-flavored milk for morning self-study tomorrow!" As soon as she finished speaking, the bus lights came on in the distance. She waved and ran up to it, sticking her head out of the window and making a face at Xu Yanchi.
Xu Yanchi smiled and waved in response, then turned and walked towards home. She didn't choose the main road she usually took, thinking she would take a shortcut through the old alley so she could get home earlier to do her homework. The alley wasn't wide, and mottled moss climbed the walls. The evening sun slanted in, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and it was quite quiet.
As soon as Xu Yanchi reached the convenience store at the alley entrance, she felt several piercing gazes fixed on her. She looked up and saw three boys sitting on the steps not far away. Their hair was dyed a deep blue, like it was mixed with ink. Their school uniform jackets were loosely tied around their waists, and they weren't wearing any school clothes at all, instead wearing several brightly colored T-shirts. Some had exaggerated prints, and others had crooked collars with awkward captions like, "Why did you reject me back then?" It was really jarring. The boys held cheap cigarettes between their fingers, the ash blowing in the wind, the acrid smell of smoke making her frown.
Judging from their clothes, they were clearly from a nearby vocational high school. They glanced at her sideways, a smirk playing on their lips. One of the taller boys whispered something to his companion, and the other two immediately burst into laughter. They slapped their legs as they stood up from the steps and swaggered toward her, their school uniform jackets swaying with each step, making them look even more awkward.
Xu Yanchi's heart tightened, she gripped her backpack strap tightly, and quickened her pace, trying to hide in the alley. But after only two steps, the tall man cut in from the side, bracing his elbow against the wall, blocking her way.
"Little sister, where are you in such a hurry to go?" He blew a smoke ring, his eyes scanning her up and down, his tone greasy. "You're quite pretty. Which school do you go to? Want to chat with us for a bit?"
The blond-haired guy next to her joined in the jeering, spouting some vulgar, obscene remarks that made Xu Yanchi both angry and scared, her cheeks burning. She took a half step back, clenching her fists: "Get out of the way, I want to go home."
"Oh, you're pretty cocky." The tall guy sneered and reached out to grab her backpack strap. "Don't push your luck. I love making people do things they don't want to do. What's wrong with you playing with us for a bit, you little brat?"
Xu Yanchi jerked back, but the boy grabbed her backpack strap tightly. She struggled fiercely, but the boy was tall and strong, and she was no match for him. There were few pedestrians in the alley. She wanted to scream for help, but was afraid of angering them, so she could only bite her lip hard, her nails digging into her palm until it ached. She bit her lip hard and bit the arm of the tall leader with all her might: "Ouch, you little bastard, you're not happy about it, are you?" Soon, there were several red teeth marks on the tall leader's arm. He howled and swung his arm, shouting furiously: "What are you bastards standing there for? Beat him up!"
As their hands were about to touch her arm, Xu Yanchi closed her eyes tightly, her heart pounding as if it would explode. Just then, a cold male voice suddenly rang out: "Let go."
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an inexplicable sense of oppression. The tall man paused, turned around, and cursed, "Who the hell meddled in other people's business—"
Before he could finish speaking, his wrist was gripped tightly, so forcefully that he hissed and dropped his cigarette. Xu Yanchi opened her eyes and saw Xiao Fuzhou standing in front of her, his back to her, his figure tall and straight. The cuffs of his white shirt were rolled up to his forearms, and the veins on his wrists were faintly bulging as he firmly held the tall man's hand.
"Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am? I'm the boss here." The blond-haired guy and another boy surrounded them, their tone arrogant. "You'd better get lost, or we'll beat you up too!"
Xiao Fuzhou ignored them and stared coldly at the tall man: "I'll say it again, let go."
The tall boy tried to break free, but his wrist felt like it was being clamped by iron clamps, causing him to turn pale with pain. He had no choice but to let go of the backpack strap. Xiao Fuzhou released him and then pulled Xu Yanchi behind him, shielding him completely.
"You wait! You're fucking unlucky!" The tall guy rubbed his wrist, said a harsh word, glared at them fiercely, and walked away cursing with his two companions, his school uniform jacket still dangling from his waist.
Only after those people disappeared did Xu Yanchi breathe a sigh of relief, her back already soaked with cold sweat. Clutching her backpack strap, her voice trembled, "Xiao Fuzhou... thank you."
Xiao Fuzhou turned to look at her, his brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping over her reddened eyes and pale fingertips: "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Xu Yanchi shook his head, his nose a little sore: "No... I was so scared just now. What are you doing here?"
"My house is around here, I just got out of school and am walking home." Xiao Fuzhou pointed to the alley entrance. "You go this way too? I'll walk you home."
Xu Yanchi looked up and met his worried gaze. Her heart warmed, and she nodded gently. The two walked side by side into the alley, the setting sun casting long, overlapping shadows. Xu Yanchi stole glances at him; his profile was cold and hard, but the way he had shielded her earlier was more reassuring than the setting sun.
"Don't walk this alley alone anymore, there are too few people there," Xiao Fuzhou suddenly said, his tone admonishing. "Either take the main road or have a classmate accompany you."
"Okay, I got it." Xu Yanchi replied, then, recalling how he had grabbed the tall guy earlier, whispered, "Just now... you were really good."
Xiao Fuzhou paused, his ears turning slightly red. He didn't say anything, but slowed his pace and accompanied her step by step towards home.
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