Chapter 115

Chapter 115

"Xiao Ci, where have you been lately? I haven't seen you for days," said the young man as soon as he spotted the slender figure approaching the alley entrance. His face carried a hint of grievance, but his tone was unmistakably accusatory.

Huang Xinci's mind was still full of the mismatched little program they'd just cobbled together. Though it could run, it was riddled with flaws. The slight twitch at the corner of Feng Xia's mouth told her as much, but when they tried to fix it, it wouldn't run at all, so they had to submit it as it was.

Startled by the male voice, Huang Xinci was admittedly a bit surprised. Once she recognized who it was, a deep, indescribable weariness washed over her.

Seeing that Huang Xinci didn't answer, the young man carried on talking anyway.

He was short, barely half a head shorter than Huang Xinci, and not good-looking—small eyes, a flat nose, and an acne-covered face that looked particularly greasy. This was Li Yangming, the son of Huang Xinci's neighbor.

He was a cunning and insidious man who'd joined the movement and was now a squad leader of the Red Guards in their neighborhood. He'd done evil deeds without end. Huang Xinci's father, who used to teach at a high school, had been reported by this very man. She wished she could skin him alive, so why would she pay him any attention?

But this fool was delusional. He always thought that he and Huang Xinci were childhood sweethearts and that she was his future wife. Reporting his future father-in-law was, in his twisted logic, for the old man's own good. The leaders said these people were the "Five Black Categories." He'd been a thug from an early age and had a particular fondness for refined, educated women like Huang Xinci, believing she was destined to be his wife.

Huang Xinci couldn't be bothered with him. She still had her elder sister and mother at home. Her father had been sent to the western countryside, and she received a letter from him once a year confirming he was safe. All things considered, compared to many families that had lost members or been torn apart, her situation was still decent.

Huang Xinci didn't want to get entangled with Li Yangming, but he pressed on shamelessly, persistently asking what she'd been up to lately. The more she ignored him, the more eagerly he asked. Huang Xinci had to quicken her pace, hoping to get home soon. Li Yangming's expression darkened with each question; he felt that Huang Xinci had betrayed him, having taken up with another man.

If Feng Xia had been there, she would have cursed him out: Dumbass, did the swan ever promise you, a toad? The hell with "betrayal"—that's just wishful thinking. Reporting her father and still wanting to marry her—since when does life work that way?

When Huang Xinci entered her own small courtyard, Li Yangming hadn't left. He crouched sullenly in a corner, his small eyes coveting the peace from the shadows. He made up his mind and laid out his plan.

Tomorrow, he would make that scumbag pay!

Early the next morning, it was still very cold. Huang Xinci got up at a little past five. The amount of knowledge Feng Xia imparted each day was enormous, so she had to spend extra time absorbing it all. But thinking of the rough, crude little program they'd managed to put together yesterday, Huang Xinci smiled gently. Who would dislike their own child? In her eyes, that program was her favorite.

By seven, she'd already studied for two hours. She stretched, and her mother had already prepared breakfast. Since the day her father was taken away, when she was pushed by the Red Guards, her mother had permanently lost her hearing. Now she worked as a street sweeper, and her greatest joy each day was preparing three meals for her younger daughter. But lately, her daughter had been too busy with work, typically leaving right after breakfast.

Yes, although they were studying every day, their wages were still paid normally, with an extra five yuan. Her mother could only make the breakfast as hearty as she could so that her younger daughter would eat well.

After breakfast, her mother saw her daughter off, locked the courtyard gate, and left with her broom. Huang Xinci was completely unaware that she was being followed.

She fluttered into the Peking University campus like a cheerful bird.

Li Yangming followed her into the campus, grinding his teeth in anger. But the building Huang Xinci entered was off-limits to him. Armed soldiers stood guard with live ammunition, so Li Yangming dared not challenge that.

He gritted his teeth, memorized the location, turned around, and left the campus to find his gang.

A man blinded by jealousy, Li Yangming didn't stop to think: if Huang Xinci were merely meeting a lover, would she be protected by soldiers carrying guns? He, a mere thug, would have no chance against them!

A full morning of hands-on practice hadn't only tired their fingers but also their long-sitting waists and their constantly overworked brains. By the time Feng Xia said they could stop, the group was staring blankly, too exhausted to move, sitting dumbly in their seats.

Feng Xia was in an unusually good mood and said, "Today, I'm treating you all to the cafeteria. Let's go. Order whatever you want."

Huang Xinci and the others felt too embarrassed to accept. In these times of frugality, Feng Xia was their teacher, and they should be the ones treating her. They repeatedly declined, but Feng Xia pretended to be angry, knitting her brows with a hint of spoiled young lady's petulance: "What? Don't want to eat in the cafeteria? Think it's too simple?"

Huang Xinci gave a wry smile and stepped forward to shield the scaredy-cats, braving Feng Xia's inscrutable expression. "Young Teacher, how could that be? We're just afraid we might eat you out of house and home. But since you're being so kind, we can't bear to say no. This time, it's your treat; next time, you must let us treat you, alright?" She even gave Feng Xia a playful wink, a rare display of girlish mischief.

Feng Xia raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hah, why would I refuse if you're treating me? Let's go to the cafeteria. This afternoon, we'll run the new program."

Feng Xia took the lead, and the group followed like a bunch of chicks following the mother hen. Hearing that they would be running a new program in the afternoon, they all exchanged wry, pained smiles. But the Demon Queen was at the front—what could they do but obey?

Outside, Li Yangming, who had waited all morning with a hungry, grumbling stomach, finally saw the person he had been waiting for.

"What the hell, Huang Xinci, you bitch! So this is where you've been hiding, fooling around? Screw your mother!" Li Yangming cursed loudly as he spotted the group emerging from the teaching building. The moment he saw Huang Xinci's figure and the male comrades beside her, he rushed up to grab her hair and throw punches.

Huang Xinci was stunned. She saw Li Yangming leading several Red Guards to block her way. She saw red. Scum like this—why weren't they dead?

The soldiers patrolling near the teaching building also noticed the scene. Seeing that the subject involved Comrade Feng Xia, whom their superiors had instructed them to protect, their hearts leapt into their throats as they ran over with their rifles.

Just then, many passersby heard Li Yangming's shouts and gathered around to watch. Several elderly professors frowned, clearly disapproving of his crude language.

Huang Xinci was right beside Feng Xia. Li Yangming, like a mad dog, charged forward with two Red Guards carrying clubs. Before the guards reached them, it seemed Huang Xinci and those nearby were about to get hurt, and the whole crowd screamed.

In that instant, Feng Xia spun and kicked. Her long, beautiful, straight leg flashed through the air, and Li Yangming along with the two Red Guards were sent flying backward. "Bang!" They hit the ground.

The entire scene fell silent.

Feng Xia's hair floated through the air in a brilliant arc. Haloed by light, she stood like a goddess.

"How dare you lay a hand on my people?"