Nanya Secondary School
The group took the elevator downstairs, but Wu Shi rushed out from the stairs first, hoping to meet them just as the elevator doors opened. Yu Huan had lost count of how many times he had helped his daughter with school troubles, but for the Xu family, anything that could be solved with money was a minor matter. However, Xu Man was still detained at the police station for a few days to reflect on her actions, and he took over the mess. He had delivered the money without taking a penny, so why force it if the other party didn't appreciate it?
Inside the elevator, Yu Huan stood in the middle, his tall figure appearing composed in the crowded space. He addressed the men in black who practically filled the remaining space around him, giving a solemn command: "Stay in the hospital for a few more days and keep a close eye on this woman."
One of the men in black tilted his head slightly, his voice tinged with confusion: "An old woman, is it necessary for the boss to do that?"
Yu Huan's gaze remained fixed on the smooth elevator door in front of him, where a blur of figures were reflected. "Avoid unnecessary trouble." His voice was low, yet it carried an undeniable coldness.
"Ding——" A crisp prompt sound rang out, and the elevator door slowly slid open to both sides on the first floor.
At that moment, a figure, panting rapidly, rushed to the door like an arrow from a bow! Wu Shi had arrived. She practically lunged forward. Just as the elevator door was about to open and the man in black was about to step out, she thrust her left hand forward, her five fingers snapping against the cold door frame, abruptly stopping the door from closing. The immense inertia caused her body to lean forward slightly, her chest heaving violently, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead, visible above the mask.
She squeezed into the narrow elevator entrance, her toes precisely placed where the elevator met the floor. Leaning back slightly, she used the strength of her back and shoulders to firmly occupy the last sliver of space at the elevator door, like a wedge driven in. She raised her head, her gaze piercing over the shoulder of the man in black before her, piercing directly at Yu Huan, who was in the center of the elevator.
"Don't go! Let's talk." Her voice was trembling with panting, but it was filled with a reckless determination that penetrated the silence inside and outside the elevator.
Yu Huan's gaze finally settled on her, but it was like passing over an insignificant obstacle, a gaze filled with condescending scrutiny and a subtle hint of annoyance. He saw clearly: a short, pretty girl in a school uniform, her backpack strap dangling askew from her shoulder. The corner of his mouth seemed to curl downward, a tiny, fleeting arc.
"Little girl, come home after school," he said, his voice flat and even, as if stating a simple fact. "You have nothing to discuss with us." Before he finished speaking, he had already started walking. He walked directly towards Wu Shi, his movements smooth and carrying an irresistible sense of oppression.
Yu Huan and Wu Shi barely brushed past each other, but Wu Shi wasn't about to miss such a golden opportunity. She first smashed the elevator camera with her water bottle, the shattering sound signaling to everyone that she was in for a hostile reception. With a lightning-fast flick of her right hand, Wu Shi yanked the canvas backpack off her shoulder. With a full swing of her arm, using all her centrifugal force, she smashed the heavy bag like a meteor hammer onto the back of Yu Huan's head, who was closest to her and about to turn away.
"Bang!"
A dull thud! Yu Huan had underestimated his opponent, so he had no time to react. His head was hit and he was thrown forward. Stars flashed before his eyes, and his huge body instantly lost its balance. Like a heavy sandbag, he stumbled into the inner wall of the elevator, making a loud "bang" sound, and slid softly to the ground.
This sudden change left the other men in black stunned! They subconsciously stopped and turned back in shock.
But Wu Shi didn't give them any time to react!
The moment her backpack slipped out of her hand, her body shrunk, her center of gravity lowered, like a nimble cheetah charging into a flock of sheep. The narrow space of the elevator became her most advantageous battlefield—the enemies were huddled together, making it impossible to escape!
Her left foot precisely stepped on the toe of the other man in black's shiny leather shoe, crushing it hard! The excruciating pain made the man instinctively scream and double over. Wu Shi used the momentum to leap up, and her right knee thrust upward like a battering ram, hitting his lowered chin firmly!
"Crack!" The sound of bone cracking was clearly audible. The man in black didn't even utter a sound. His eyes rolled back as he fell straight backward, just in time to pin down his companion who was trying to rush forward from behind.
Wu Shi landed without a pause. Instead of retreating, she advanced, practically sliding right alongside the opponent's fist! Her left hand shot out like a venomous snake, precisely catching the opponent's wrist where the fist was striking, and squeezing it hard! Simultaneously, her right elbow, carrying the force of her entire body's rotation, transformed into a sharp bolt of lightning, fiercely slamming into the opponent's unprotected solar plexus!
“Ah!” The man in black felt a sharp pain and numbness in his wrist, and then his temples seemed to be hit by a hammer. His eyes went dark, his consciousness blurred, and his huge body collapsed limply.
The men in black were all hired thugs from the Xu family, all retired soldiers. But the young woman before them, both in her reflexes and her power, was exceptional. Several grown men were beaten to the ground, unable to move. Wu Shi wasn't entirely sure she could handle them all on her own at first, but she had internal strength. How could internal strength compare to muscle strength?
"System, this is truly a thrilling battle."
"You've triggered a reminder of violence."
“There will be more violence in the future.”
"Then I have to ban the screen."
Inside the elevator, the alarm sound was replaced by deathly silence.
Wu Shi stood there, panting slightly. She raised her hand to straighten her slightly tilted mask, hiding her slightly hot cheeks and the sharp flash in her eyes. The air in the cramped elevator was filled with the faint smell of blood and sweat. The once smooth interior walls and floor were now covered with dents, shoe prints, and specks of blood.
She bent down, picked up her dented canvas backpack, casually dusted it off, and slung it back over her shoulder. "Nan Ya Middle School, Grade 12, Wu Shi, don't get the wrong person." Although Wu Shi had a minor supporting role, the added background music she'd created in her head made her look like the main character. Then, she calmly stepped over the groaning man in black and exited the elevator.
The scent of disinfectant mixed with sunlight pierced Yu Mian's consciousness. She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and when her blurry vision focused, she saw a strange yet vaguely familiar figure beside the bed, which made her heart skip a beat. Her chaotic thoughts were like turbid water, and it took a long time for her to slowly settle into a single outline - Xiao Qingqiu, the school bully from the next class who always exuded a sense of alienation and oppression. How could he be here? And... Yu Mian subconsciously pressed the tip of her tongue against the inside of her mouth, and a sharp, burning dull pain instantly spread, causing her temples to throb. As for the source of this pain and why he appeared at her hospital bed, her memory was like a page torn out of a book, leaving only an unsettling blank and a dizzying afterimage.
"Are you awake?" Xiao Qingqiu's voice was barely perceptible, a hint of tension in it. He quickly pulled a sloppily folded piece of paper from his pocket, his movements a bit stiff and calculated. He cleared his throat, his eyes darting across Yu Mian's pale face before quickly dropping back to stare at the scrap of paper. He spoke quickly, "Um... Yu Mian, this morning... at the entrance to the women's restroom, I mistook you for someone. I thought you were causing me trouble... so I... punched you. I'm so... so sorry!" Every word came out dry and heavy, as if squeezed through his teeth.
He took the initiative to take the false accusation, and his attitude was extremely humble. His sincerity seemed extremely genuine, completely different from his usual cold and hard appearance.
Yu Mian's throat seemed to be blocked, and she couldn't utter a single syllable. Only confusion and residual fear silently surged in her eyes. At this moment, her mother Fang Hua pushed the door open, holding a cup of water. She had obviously heard Xiao Qingqiu's apology, and her eyes quickly moved between Yu Mian and Xiao Qingqiu, finally landing on the corner of her daughter's mouth, which was still red and swollen. Her eyes instantly turned red. She walked quickly to the bedside, trying to force a soothing smile, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn down. Her frequently blinking eyes were ultimately unable to hold back the tears oozing from the corners of her eyes. "It's good that you woke up, it's good that you woke up..." Her voice choked, and the last syllable trembled and disappeared into the air.
Xiao Qingqiu deftly arranged the slightly askew bouquet of condolence flowers on the windowsill, put the scattered cards back in their proper places, then picked up his fruit knife and selected a plump apple from the basket. The sharp blade scraped against the peel, making a subtle rustling sound as circles of rosy red skin drooped. His movements were focused and almost reverent, peeling, cored, and slicing into even pieces. The series of movements was smooth and silent, leaving only the soft clink of the blade against the flesh and the sound of his steady breathing in the ward.
Fang Hua silently took the plate of translucent apples handed to her by Xiao Qingqiu, her fingertips were cold. She looked at the tall boy in front of her, who was clumsily but hardworkingly doing all this, and she also clearly heard the white lie he just told. She caressed the back of her daughter's slightly cold hand with heartache, her voice full of fatigue and determination: "Mianmian," she paused, as if weighing her words, "How about... let's change schools? Go back to my hometown. Mom asked someone, and the high school next to my hometown has a good admission rate. You have good grades, so you can get into a good university no matter where you go. Let's... stay away from these bad things, okay?" Her words were filled with the panic of surviving a disaster and a mother's most instinctive choice - escape.
She didn't want to hurt any other woman, but she also disdained to take money from those who looked down on her. She could never get over the loss of her deceased husband.
Yu Mian's gaze slowly shifted from her mother's tearful eyes to the plate of sweet, fragrant apples, and finally back to Xiao Qingqiu's busy, silent, tense silhouette. She simply nodded ever so slightly, a gesture of acknowledgement to her mother's suggestion.
Wu Shi stayed home after school. The unexpected tranquility made her uneasy. There was no Xu family's expected revenge, nor any signs of provocation. This eerie peace, like the sticky silence before a storm, weighed heavily on her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She scratched her hair in frustration and sank into a chair.
"This is too much..." She cursed under her breath, her fingertips cold as she stared at the densely packed browser tabs on her screen. For the past few days, like an underground intelligence agent, she'd been frantically collecting every bit of information on this world, and specifically on the Xu and Xia families. The more she dug, the more alarmed she became, and the more desperate she became. The Xu and Xia families, two behemoths entwined at the top of the city, held a relationship like a centuries-old entanglement of poison ivy and thorns, a true feud. They infiltrated each other, yet they clashed against each other, and any spark could set off an unimaginable chain reaction.
And she, Wu Shi, a newcomer with no foundation in the book world, had not only stepped hard on the Xu family's heels, but she hadn't even had time to board the Xia family's seemingly life-saving ship! It felt like walking a tightrope on a precipice. After just two steps, she realized the path behind her was blocked, and the clouds ahead held a deadly trap. A chill ran down her spine—she felt like she might really be finished.
"Host, this is the result of your own provocation."
"If I don't beat them up, they'll target the heroine's baby."
"System!" Wu Shi's voice was filled with suppressed anxiety. His fingers slammed down on the keyboard in a rage, making a crackling noise. "Is this Xia family a pangolin? Or have they all gone into a black hole? I've almost pulled the network cable out and the keyboard is about to spark. I can't find any information about them, let alone their core members, or even a decent piece of information on the periphery! It's all just hearsay and old news from decades ago! Is this reasonable?!"
She leaned back suddenly, the chair groaning under the weight. The light from the screen flickered in her eyes, reflecting deep frustration and a subtle hint of panic. The Xia family was far more mysterious than she had imagined, as if shrouded in a thick, impenetrable cloud of lead.
A few seconds later, the familiar, flat electronic voice sounded in her mind: There is not much connection between the original world and the Xu and Xia families.
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