Chapter 16 Bullying Others
The chaos inside the booths was completely drowned out by the rap music that got the whole place buzzing.
Tears welled up in the girl's large eyes as she stared blankly at Lian Yi, as if her mind had stopped working for a moment.
Lian Yi nodded slightly, indicating, "Move over a bit."
After the girl moved aside a little, as if she were a robot and only obeying orders, she sat down leisurely, one hand supporting herself on the leather chair, watching the few people being beaten by the small trumpet without any ability to fight back.
The noise was too loud, and Lianyi was curious as to why the girl was there.
After admiring her own clean and efficient movements for a while, she took out her phone, opened the notes app, and typed a line.
Tell me why you're here. I'm sure you don't want to explain yourself to her disappointed eyes after she's resolved these issues, do you?
Lian Yi tossed her phone into the girl's arms, noticed that she was wearing a dress that seemed not revealing but had several deliberately designed openwork areas that were barely visible in key areas, and clicked her tongue almost imperceptibly.
He's only sixteen!
The girl instinctively covered her phone with her hand, but when she saw the words on the screen, she froze for a long time without moving.
Lian Yi ignored it; she was indeed angry.
The girl, named Bai Tian, came from the orphanage where Meng Er was abandoned.
She arrived several years later than Meng Er. When she was brought here, she was already four years old, covered in dirt, and her hair was all tangled.
She was a tiny, skinny girl, wearing a tattered coat that she'd picked up from who-knows-where, which was bigger than her whole body.
In the orphanage, she was like most of the other children, introverted, shy, and sensitive. She would fight for food, but if she was pushed aside, she would only watch longingly without saying a word.
Meng Er has always been indifferent to these children; in fact, she is like that to everyone, showing no concern for anything that is not important.
Yet, she is very popular with children. Even if you spend the whole day with Meng Er, you might not get a second glance from her, even if you have to stay in the dilapidated reading room with her and flip through books you can't understand.
Bai Tian is the most persevering child. She even secretly hid the candy that the volunteers gave her during the day and kept it in her bosom.
It wasn't until evening that she cautiously approached Meng Er, peeled back the candy wrapper, and revealed the sticky, shapeless candy that had melted from her body heat.
He blinked his big eyes at her without saying a word, and without the slightest reluctance, he offered her the candy.
Meng Er, of course, would not eat such a strange thing. She coldly refused the little girl, and when the girl insisted on offering it to her again, she simply grabbed her hand impatiently and fed the candy, which looked unappetizing, into her mouth.
The little girl, with a candy in her mouth, was inexplicably grinning foolishly.
Later, Meng Er stopped living in the welfare home and didn't even have time to go back to visit occasionally.
Her connection with the welfare home was through sending money to the welfare home in proportion to her earnings, one sum at a time.
At first, the money was only enough to give the children in the welfare home a little more meat in their meals.
Later, we were able to buy new clothes and quilts, and then air conditioning.
They can attend junior high school without worrying about how to pay for high school tuition.
Bai Tian was the only one among the twenty or so children who consistently wrote a letter to Meng Er every week. Not long ago, she even used the old dean's old cell phone, whose screen was completely malfunctioning, to record a blessing video and send it to her.
The girl, now a young woman, still has such big eyes and looks very thin, but her pointed chin and silly smile still give her a silly look.
From Lian Yi's perspective, she didn't really care what difficulties the girl might have.
People must take responsibility for their decisions and bear the consequences themselves. So, whether it's right or wrong is Bai Tian's own business.
But Meng Er ultimately couldn't remain indifferent.
These good-for-nothings, taking advantage of their size, still put Meng Er, who maintained regular training, at a disadvantage when facing them.
Meng Er let out a soft breath, casually pulled the black ribbon that was originally tied to the wine bottle from the table, and deftly tied her long hair up with the ribbon with her hands, which were slightly bluish-purple.
She twisted her neck, her icy gaze looking down at the group of people huddled in their leather chairs, gasping for breath and avoiding her eyes.
But that's all there is to it.
Meng Er walked through the aisle between the leather sofa and the amber glass table toward the man who had been knocked unconscious by Lian Yi with a bottle and was still not awake.
He casually grabbed a bottle of wine from the table, and his companions' expressions changed drastically upon seeing this, thinking that Meng Er was about to take drastic measures.
"No, sister!"
"Let's talk this out. We guys were really drunk. If we've offended you, please say something, and we'll definitely apologize."
"If something really goes wrong, you'll be in trouble too!"
Passersby who had noticed the situation outside the booth were unable to move and stared in shock, with murmurs rising. Gradually, more and more people gathered around and took out their phones to take pictures.
Meng Er slid open the screw cap with one hand, ignoring the few people who were all talk and no action, and poured the icy liquor onto the face of the man who was half-slumped in the leather chair.
If one bottle isn't enough, open another.
The man was finally jolted awake by the icy coldness on his face. He opened his eyes, grimacing, only to find them terribly swollen.
With the pounding music still ringing in his ears, the man instinctively cursed, "That damn bitch—"
A foot slammed down on his chest with such force that he momentarily lost his breath. His eyes finally opened wide, allowing him to see his current predicament and his friends, who were inexplicably bruised and swollen with their arms hanging limply.
"Grass?" The word that came out was much weaker.
Meng Er leaned down slightly, increasing the pressure of her foot on the man's body. Seeing the man's increasingly unpleasant expression, she said coldly, "Come on, tell me, who do you want to sleep with?"
"I……"
The man was filled with resentment and venom, but cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His designer outfit was ruined beyond repair, and he couldn't care less about the heartache.
Most importantly, he really didn't hear what the girl said.
"...Is the old director sick?"
Lian Yi watched for a while as the expressions of those people in the booth changed—expressions of anger that she knew all too well—became finally able to get her hands on Bai Tian's phone, where he had made a long conversation.
She didn't even break it down into paragraphs.
Lian Yi clicked her tongue and quickly read through her explanation.
"The old dean told you not to tell Meng Er, so you really won't?" She glanced at Bai Tian, who was already crying her eyes out, and smiled faintly.
The long passage contained Bai Tian's apology and self-blame towards Meng Er.
The former director suddenly fell ill, but fortunately she was taken to the hospital in time. However, the subsequent news about the treatment costs for her cerebral vascular blockage left everyone at the welfare home speechless.
Some people wanted to contact Meng Er, but for some reason, no one could bring themselves to do it.
Bai Tian didn't know much; all she knew was that a lot of money was needed to save the old director.
I also know that I can't add any more burden to Sister Meng'er, and I can't drag her down.
So, while searching for a part-time job, Bai Tian went into a public restroom and saw a lot of high-paying job advertisements.
She has skipped evening self-study at school for two days, and is even more exhausted during the day because of this part-time job at night. All she has to do is sit next to customers and order drinks according to their needs. She can earn at least a thousand yuan a night.
Unbeknownst to her, on this third night, she was sold to the customer beside her for 20,000.
Lian Yi looked at her clumsy explanation with amusement.
Meng Er, separated by a long glass table, looked at the man who was still shouting with his mouth open, and her cold gaze swept back and forth between his left and right hands.
Twenty thousand yuan.
A sixteen-year-old girl.
Meng Er leaned closer to him, and a strong, unpleasant odor mixed with perfume wafted over. Her expression remained unchanged; she simply reached out, just as she had held the little girl's hand years ago.
The sound of bones being forcibly broken by external force is very crisp, but unfortunately it is drowned out by the music.
But the next second, the entire bar suddenly fell into complete silence.
It was clear that the person in charge had noticed the unusual situation, and a group of security guards quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed over.
The man suddenly came to his senses and let out a scream that seemed to pierce the ceiling.
…
Meng Er walked up to the two people sitting on the leather sofa. Bai Tian didn't dare to look at her and lowered her head guiltily. Guilt, grievance, and boundless panic filled her heart.
"What are you sitting there for?" Lian Yi nudged her. "Move over a bit, don't you want her to sit down?"
After she finished speaking, she leaned out and glanced to Bai Tian's right, then suddenly realized and said, "Oh, beautiful lady, could you please sit down to the side? My friend is here."
The woman in the red halter dress, with her exquisite makeup, stiffened for a moment. Ignoring the unfortunate man next to her whose arm joint had been dislocated, she moved aside, making room for him.
They're stuck in a dilemma, unable to leave or stay. They can only hope that the security guards outside will quickly squeeze in and rescue them.
Pushed again by Lian Yi, Bai Tian subconsciously moved to the side.
Meng Er sat down next to Lian Yi. The two did not exchange any words. Lian Yi took Meng Er's hand with some tenderness and blew on the back of her hand.
When others fight, you're the one who suffers.
When she fights, it hurts both of them.
"Next time something happens, just go directly to your sister Meng'er." Lian Yi glanced at the security guards who had been cleared out and were struggling to squeeze in through a passage.
"If something really happens, even though she seems indifferent, she's actually very worried about you."
Upon hearing this, Bai Tian subconsciously looked up at Meng Er through her teary eyes, and finally couldn't help but sob, "Sister Meng Er, I'm sorry... I was wrong."
She was only vaguely aware of what was happening when that man forcefully held her in his arms and even groped her all over with disgusting hands—in her terror.
It seems I... made a decision that I can't regret now.
Meng Er closed her eyes, feeling the coolness from Lian Yi's gentle breath on her burning hand.
Taking her change in expression as a sign of utter disappointment, Bai Tian could no longer cry. At this moment, she seemed to have turned back into the little girl who dared not speak.
Facing Meng Er, despite the surrounding noise, astonishment, and overlapping discussions.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't utter a single word when he opened his mouth.
She was really wrong; she was immature. If it weren't for her, Meng Er wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.
Those people looked like they were not to be trifled with. Even though Bai Tian was naive, she knew perfectly well that Meng Er was in the wrong in this matter. If they pursued the matter aggressively...
What to do... It's all her fault, but she can't do anything about it.
"You did nothing wrong." The slightly cold tone was familiar and calm, just as gentle as when he used to tell her to go to bed early.
Completely forgetting the second half of the sentence, Bai Tian looked up in astonishment.
Meng Er looked at her, her expression indifferent. "You have no parents or elders to impart life experience and guidance; no one tells you what is right and what is wrong. Making this decision does seem foolish to me, but—"
She paused, then suddenly became too lazy to say anything more.
The money she has donated to the welfare home over the years is not because she is particularly kind-hearted.
It's just to make up for some regrets that I'll never have the chance to face again.
Lian Yi poked her head out with a half-smile, trying to ignore the shared moment with Xiao Hao. This was the cleanest emotional separation between the two in eighteen years.
"When no one tells you what to do, don't blame yourself for taking that first tentative, clueless step." She tried to force a smile, then gave up and tilted her head in resignation.
"Of course, I'm not telling you this to give you an excuse to shirk responsibility. You're a smart girl, you should be able to figure it out."
Bai Tian froze, and she subconsciously raised her hand to touch her face, unable to stop the tears from flowing.
She hated herself for this; all she did was cry, and she was completely useless.
However, Bai Tian sniffed hard, at a moment when even she couldn't help but list her own faults...
"Who did this?"
The security captain, a muscular man with broad shoulders and a thick waist, stood across the glass table, while his security guards questioned the injured young men about their condition.
They groaned and groaned for a long time, unable to speak clearly.
The security captain, with a stern face, said in a tone that was half threatening and half persuading, "We're all out here to have fun, so conflicts are not uncommon, but if it gets this serious, it's not something that can be taken lightly."
More importantly, among those who were injured, more or less all had some connection with the bar owner.
They might not be that close, but they should at least show some basic courtesy, especially since the other party is clearly the victim.
"I did it." Meng Er opened her eyes and looked at him, saying calmly.
Lian Yi, who was standing to the side, took the medical kit that the security guard had specially brought, took out iodine gauze, and carefully disinfected and applied medicine to the back of Meng Er's hand, which had been beaten so badly that it was broken and bruised.
The security captain looked over sharply, then frowned.
He immediately noticed that the three girls sitting side by side were all young and pretty, so his tone softened.
"Young lady, if it was your boyfriend who did it, I advise you not to let it affect your rationality. You don't need to take the responsibility..."
"Damn it, it was this woman who did it!"
Before the security captain could finish his persuasion, a slightly overweight figure barged through the crowd, drawing a chorus of complaints and curses.
"What four?"
Pushing aside the security guards maintaining order, He Si rushed in and was almost dumbfounded by the scene before him.
Good grief, that explains why no one could get through; it turns out they were all wiped out here.
He Sixiao's eyes were filled with malice. He wasn't particularly righteous in standing up for his "friends." Instead, he glared at Lian Yi and the others in their seats as if he were stabbing them in the eye.
He then winked at the security captain, "You're the security captain here, right? I see there are too many unimportant people here, why don't you ask them to leave? Otherwise, this random taking and spreading of photos will damage Sx's reputation in the future."
"..."
The security captain was speechless at his arrogant attitude. His subordinates had been working on the evacuation and evacuation, but there were always curious onlookers who wanted to watch the drama unfold, so the evacuation was inevitably a bit slow.
“We will handle this matter.” He frowned and glanced at Lian Yi and the others.
Sure enough, He Si's expression changed, and he kicked the leather stool that had fallen to the ground with great force.
"My friends got beaten up like this in your bar, and you're telling me you'll handle it properly? I spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, a month in SX. Do you think I have less influence here than a girl?"
The security captain's lips twitched, and he said in a low voice, "Young Master He, don't worry. Let's wait for them to go to the hospital for a check-up first, and then we'll see what they decide. We'll do our best to cooperate."
"Not in a hurry?"
He Si squinted, narrowing his eyes into a slit, his gaze occasionally drifting to the figures beside him that made his heart itch with desire.
“I saw it clearly from upstairs just now, it was her!” He pointed at Meng Er, “and she did it.”
"How about this, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll have my brother send a few people over to keep an eye on these women. Once my buddies' test results are out, they'll make sure they pay compensation, and then I won't make things difficult for them at all."
The security captain said in a deep voice, "Calling the police can also solve the problem."
"What do you mean—" He Si decided to stop arguing with him and pressed the number he had prepared to dial on his phone.
Lian Yi crossed her legs, leaned against the backrest, and watched the man who had suddenly appeared put on a show. Beneath his exaggerated expressions, his thoughts, which were so obvious that they were greasy and filthy, were nauseating.
She curled the corners of her mouth, meeting He Si's lecherous gaze as he talked on the phone, and revealed a contemptuous smile.
Playing this trick on her?
Looks like he's a complete idiot who's never left Jiaxing to see the world.
Lian Yi glanced at the uneasy Bai Tian, then slowly took out her phone and dialed a number as well.
"Little sister, let me teach you another life lesson."
Bai Tian stared blankly at her, then cautiously glanced at Meng Er, who remained silent with a cold expression, and stammered, "Wh-what?"
Although it was the first time she had met this older sister who always seemed to be smiling but was subtly unapproachable, she felt an inexplicable sense of closeness. This trust came unexpectedly, yet it supported her desire to talk to her.
"If things get bad, call for reinforcements!"
Lian Yi smiled, and the call was quickly answered on the other end, where a familiar cursing voice came through.
"Chen Jingze, stop barking. I need to tell you two things."
She curved her lips into a sly smile.
"First thing, I've arrived in Hecheng, so please come and greet me immediately."
"The second thing I did was smash up a bar."
Lian Yi paused, then carefully revised her wording, "This time the incident was limited to just one booth. A few people passed away, but they were involved in [illegal activities], attempting to force underage girls to [sexual acts], tsk—"
"I'm not asking you to commit perjury."
"Get over here right now."
She hung up the phone, then looked at He Si with a gloomy and slightly suspicious expression, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Let's find a place to sit down and see whose people arrive faster."
He Si gripped his phone, and for a moment his aura was not as overly assertive as before.
"You...know Young Master Chen?"
He stared at Lian Yi, trying to discern a flaw from the changes in the other woman's expression.
How could these two schoolgirls wearing random brand T-shirts from who-knows-where possibly be together?
Lian Yi wasn't surprised that he knew the name Chen Jingze, and his reaction was even less surprising.
If I had to use an analogy...
Therefore, Chen Jingze's reputation in Hecheng and Lian Yi's reputation in Yunhai are at roughly the same level.
When she called him, he was racing someone in a car. Only a madman would do something as outrageous as answering a phone call while racing.
"I'll give you a chance."
Lian Yi laughed and said, "Kneel down now and learn to bark like a dog, and I'll let you go."
"If he goes berserk when he arrives, I won't be able to stop him."
He Si, who had initially considered backing down, immediately sneered upon hearing this. "You all have to give me an explanation for what happened today, both morally and logically. Even if it was him, he wouldn't allow a dog by his side to be so arrogant."
He wanted to say something even more vulgar, but he held back because of that name.
"oh--"
Lian Yi showed no intention of letting him off the hook.
What a joke! She's seen plenty of people like this fat guy—arrogant when in power, and groveling when vulnerable.
Judging from his behavior just now, if she weren't the one present today, the outcome would have been obvious.
Lian Yi was simply afraid that the fat man would try to make an excuse to run away as soon as he heard Chen Jingze's name.
The large bar was brightly lit, and the onlookers had all been asked to leave.
The private rooms on the second floor were unaffected; they could be used as karaoke rooms by turning off the sound system. The bar staff had been knocking on each door to explain the situation, and those who wanted to leave were being escorted out with apologies.
Those who were unwilling to leave were assigned two more people to guard the stairwell, so that if trouble broke out downstairs later, someone might panic and run upstairs, disturbing the guests.
Lian Yi has never cared about other people's feelings. She is spoiled and cannot endure any hardship. After all that fuss, she's exhausted.
So he simply lay down to the side and nestled in the warm, soft embrace of the smaller woman.
The smell of iodine wasn't very pleasant, but the embrace was warm, soft, and comfortable.
"Hey? Xiaobai." Lian Yi suddenly spoke up.
"Uh-huh?"
Bai Tian was stunned by her performance just now... or rather, she was still a bit confused and couldn't quite process it, but she still responded quickly.
"Give me a shoulder massage, the sofa here is terrible, it's uncomfortable to sit on." Lian Yi said lazily with her eyes closed, each word seemingly drawn out.
"..."
The security captain had realized early on that this farce might be a dispute between the children of two families, so he went over with his men to take care of the dazed and injured.
The injuries these grown men sustained... are truly painful.
He Si, who seemed to be standing there dumbfounded, felt a surge of anger.
I didn't want to leave just now, but now I'm a little afraid to leave.
Suddenly remembering that Ji Ming upstairs must have seen everything that had just happened, He Si's face grew even uglier. He gritted his teeth and refused to believe that this woman could really get Chen Jingze to come with just one phone call.
You think you can just bluff? Anyone can do that!
"Lian Yi!"
"I'm here!"
He Si, who was about to confidently walk to the sofa and sit down with his legs spread apart, heard that familiar voice. Perhaps the leather surface of the sofa was waxed, making it too smooth.
He slipped under the glass table and fell hard on his backside.
Through the tinted glass, I saw that familiar face as it walked in through the door, grinning and looking around.
He Si clenched his fists, trying to push himself up from the ground, when just then the girl lying in the arms of the cold and beautiful young woman suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him.
Her slightly round eyes curved into a sweet smile that sent chills down his spine.
He Si's expression changed, and he dared not show any of the resentment in his heart. He even had a pleading look on his face.
Lian Yi smiled slightly and waved her hand upwards.
Meng Er turned slightly to the side and calmly reached out to cover Bai Tian's ears, who looked completely bewildered.
"Today I'll show you what it really means to bully others by abusing your power."
"Idiot—beep—"
Lian Yi's smile was wicked, her slightly round eyes filled with arrogance, just like the look in her eyes when she wrecked almost every bar in Yunhai.
Meng Er glanced at Bai Tian, who looked bewildered, and shook his head.
Children should not listen to or imitate this.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
