"You brat, how dare you scold me when you're new here."
*Smack*, the sound of a loud slap echoed from a distant corner outside the courtyard.
"Are you in cahoots with that nameless piece of dog excrement?"
As soon as the words fell, two muffled thuds followed.
Xiao Zhu cornered Hu Lienna, his chubby, greasy face contorted with vicious anger.
This was a forest, rarely visited by anyone.
Even Xiao Zhu, who had been trailing Hu Lienna, hadn't expected her to run to such a place.
But since she was here, and the location was so perfect, how could he let this opportunity slip away?
"I'm asking you something! Why are you mute!"
"That day in the cafeteria, weren't you quite righteous then!"
"Ah, you little slut!"
Hu Lienna clutched her stomach, which had been suddenly kicked, and curled up on the ground. Her previously fair little face was now swollen high. Her beautiful eyes were also filled with tears from the pain.
"Say something! Speak!"
Xiao Zhu grabbed Hu Lienna's golden hair and yanked it back forcefully, roaring loudly.
Due to the pain, Hu Lienna couldn't utter a word. She bit her teeth hard, her tear-filled eyes fixed fiercely on Xiao Zhu.
Her gaze was like that of an untamed wolf cub.
"Don't you dare look at me like that!"
Such a look filled Xiao Zhu with a sense of trepidation. To dispel this fear, his expression grew even more ferocious.
With a sharp tug of her hair, a lock of golden hair, tinged with blood, was ripped out.
"Ah!"
The pain caused Hu Lienna to let out a wail, a piercing scream.
"Let me tell you, Hu Lienna, I am the strongest person here!"
"I've ordered everyone not to associate with that nameless trash, not even to speak to them."
"How dare you disobey me and speak up for him? Do you know what a grave mistake you've made!"
"Defying me is your consequence."
Xiao Zhu watched Hu Lienna, who was lying on the ground clutching her head and trembling in pain, with a twisted and sinister expression.
"I'll warn you one last time, from now on, stay away from that nameless trash. If there's a next time, it won't just be this."
Xiao Zhu spat out his threats and turned to leave.
But Hu Lienna, who had recovered slightly, suddenly lunged. A fierce look of ferocity crossed her still tender face.
She sprang up from the ground, leaped onto Xiao Zhu's back, and tightened her arms fiercely around his neck, locking him in a death grip.
"You brat!"
But Xiao Zhu was too fat. His bulk was not without strength, while Hu Lienna's body was too slender, and she was just a girl. Purely by strength, she was no match for him.
With a sudden bend and a forceful swing, Hu Lienna was thrown down, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Cough, cough, you're asking for death!"
Xiao Zhu's face turned red. He hadn't expected Hu Lienna to dare resist him.
He reached out his fat hand and grabbed Hu Lienna's hair again, yanking hard. Her slender body was instantly flung a short distance.
As expected, Xiao Zhu's hand ended up with another lock of bloody golden hair. Brushing the hair away, he approached Hu Lienna with a ferocious expression and began kicking and punching her.
"You're also a stubborn little bitch."
"Stinking dog shit, trash, idiot!"
He cursed and beat her, and after a while, Xiao Zhu started panting heavily.
But he was far from satisfied. He grinned sinisterly and said, "If I don't teach you a profound lesson, you won't take my words to heart."
He pulled out a thorny vine from his embrace. Xiao Zhu looked at Hu Lienna, who was curled up on the ground, his eyes filled with cruel delight.
*Crack!*
"Ah!"
A whistling sound split the air, followed by Hu Lienna's even more agonizing wail. The thorny vine easily tore through her clothes and flesh.
*Crack!*
"Ah! Ah!"
*Crack!*
"Ah!"
With three lashes, Hu Lienna's screams intensified. Flesh was torn, and blood quickly soaked her clothes. Tears and sweat streamed down her small face, almost to the point of unconsciousness from the pain.
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so tough, little girl!"
"You don't even beg for mercy, only scream."
"You've got guts! But today, I will hear your pleas for mercy!"
"I absolutely must hear you say you'll never associate with that trash again."
Xiao Zhu's ferocity deepened, and he raised the vine high, bringing it down with a powerful swing.
Hu Lienna tightly curled her body, gritting her teeth, bracing for the pain again. But the expected pain did not come.
A figure blocked the space between them.
That nameless little boy stood there, panting heavily. His forehead, temples, and face were covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked as if he had just been pulled from the water.
He clutched the incoming vine with his right hand, allowing its thorns to pierce his skin. Blood flowed down his palm.
"You nameless good-for-nothing, what do you think you're doing!"
Xiao Zhu yelled and tried to yank the vine back. But the vine seemed rooted in the boy's palm, unmoving no matter how hard he pulled.
"Didn't I warn you not to stay alone somewhere! Why are you still running to places like this!"
"Don't tell me he called you and you blindly followed!"
"Where is your brother Xie Yue! What is that idiot thinking! He's been here for so long, doesn't he know what kind of person this is!"
"How could he let you stay alone!"
The little boy roared sternly, but he wasn't yelling at the assailant in front of him, but at Hu Lienna, who was lying on the ground.
When he found that both Xiao Zhu and Hu Lienna were missing from the courtyard, a bad feeling had settled in his heart. After searching every place Hu Lienna might have gone in the courtyard and asking the aunties, he found no trace of her.
He knew then that something had happened!
He searched every corner inside and out of the courtyard, every hidden or rarely visited spot within a ten-mile radius, without stopping.
If he hadn't met an uncle chopping wood on the way, he would never have guessed that Hu Lienna would have run so far, into such a deep forest, away from the orphanage.
Hu Lienna pursed her lips, staring blankly at the boy's figure, letting tears flow without a sound.
"Zhuo Bufan!"
"You beast, you truly deserve to die!"
The little boy snatched the vine from Xiao Zhu's hand. The immense force caused Xiao Zhu's fat body to stumble a few steps towards him.
His blood-stained palm clenched into a fist. With a roar, his fist slammed into Zhuo Bufan's face.
Tremendous power was unleashed. Zhuo Bufan's chubby face caved in, his teeth shattered, and blood from his nose and gums sprayed out.
This punch sent Zhuo Bufan rolling several times on the ground. He lay there, clutching his face, kicking his legs and crawling backward.
Now, there was no brutality in his eyes, only deep fear and pain. He scrambled to his feet, and Zhuo Bufan cried out loudly and fled.