Finally, when the lights-out whistle blew, Ye Huohuo felt utterly exhausted from the day. Her injuries hadn't fully healed either, so as she lay on her bed, despite the musty smell of the bedding, she felt as if she were floating on clouds, finally able to relax her whole body.
Darkness was the best cover. In the dark, no one could see her expression. She no longer had to deliberately hide her feelings, control her expressions, or pretend to be a weakling.
The bed was hard and cold. Being next to the restroom, even after washing thoroughly before bed, a foul odor still wafted over.
The smell from the restroom mingled with the mustiness of the blankets, fermenting into an indescribable stench.
Even so, as soon as her mind relaxed, sleepiness washed over her like a tide. Although she had only had half a bowl of soup for dinner and hadn't eaten a single bite of dry food, her stomach growling so intensely her back was stuck to her front, sleepiness still conquered hunger. Soon, Ye Huohuo fell into a deep dream.
In the middle of the night, she dreamt a mountain was pressing down on her, suffocating her. Countless venomous snakes coiled around her body, and the snake around her neck flicked its tongue, its slimy tongue brushing back and forth against her neck, making her feel so nauseated she wanted to vomit.
After struggling for a long time, she finally woke up.
As her consciousness cleared, she suddenly realized this was no dream. Someone was pressing down on her, a person as heavy as a mountain.
Lao Hu was currently on top of her. The zipper of her clothes had been pulled down, revealing the camisole underneath. The camisole had a wide neckline, exposing a expanse of snow-white skin. Lao Hu was greedily licking her neck and collarbone, the dream's snake tongue actually being the tiger's tongue.
Lao Hu's hands were not idle either, reaching inside her clothes and greedily caressing her smooth skin. The entwining snakes in her dream were, in fact, Lao Hu's hands!
One of her hands was about to reach her chest.
Ye Huohuo, startled awake from her dream, suddenly opened her eyes. In the pitch-black night, her eyes, illuminated by the moonlight filtering in from the window, were dark and bright, with a chilling glint.
Lao Hu, who was on top of her, felt a jolt at this cold gaze. But then, a greedy smile contorted her fleshy face. "The little girl's eyes are beautiful, and she's so tender. She feels like a pool of water when you touch her. Have you had experience before? Your body is so soft. Let me cherish you properly tonight!"
As Lao Hu spoke, her two large hands moved, one reaching inside Ye Huohuo's top, heading straight for her chest, while the other slipped into her pants, reaching to caress her buttocks.
Ye Huohuo could endure other things, be it tiredness or hunger, she could bear it repeatedly. But this, she absolutely could not tolerate. She didn't want to become another Xiao Hua, a plaything for this tiger.
At this point, she could no longer hide her strength. She grabbed both of Lao Hu's wrists with her hands, her eyes flashing with a cold light, all her strength focused on her hands. The force in her hands was now easily a thousand jin.
Lao Hu was initially reveling in the soft flesh and warm embrace. In the blink of an eye, her hands felt as if they were clamped by iron vises, completely immobile. Moreover, the bones at the points of contact felt as if they were being crushed, emitting creaking sounds.
The other people in the room were all awake. Some felt pity for Ye Huohuo, lamenting that another girl had fallen victim to Lao Hu's vicious clutches. Some were schadenfreude, while others were excited to watch the spectacle. After all, life here was too dull and uninteresting, and such a live performance was far more stimulating than watching a movie.
Lao Hu clearly knew that those people were awake. She even deliberately made some noise every time she abused Xiao Hua. Firstly, Xiao Hua's cries of unbearable pain excited her, and secondly, it was to assert her status. She was the empress of dorm 304; she could do anything a man could do.
But now, things had become awkward. Ye Huohuo was not Xiao Hua. Lao Hu realized she had kicked a steel plate. This little girl looked thin and weak, like a delicate beauty.
She hadn't expected her to be so difficult to handle. Her hands, currently held by Ye Huohuo, were completely stuck.
Now, she was in a predicament, unable to advance or retreat. If this stalemate continued, everyone would discover she couldn't handle a little girl. But if she continued, she couldn't even move her hands now, and the situation might become even more embarrassing.
Lao Hu remained pressed on top of Ye Huohuo, frozen in a stalemate for over a minute.
Ye Huohuo's gaze was sharp as a knife, as if it could pierce Lao Hu's heart, making cold sweat break out on Lao Hu's back. However, only Lao Hu could see the coldness in Ye Huohuo's eyes. Everyone else could only see Lao Hu lying on top of Ye Huohuo, motionless.
Those people were all wondering internally, what was going on? If it were Xiao Hua, she would have been tormented into panting and begging for mercy by now. But this little girl hadn't made a sound, and Lao Hu, who had started off quite animatedly, had suddenly become still.
How could they know that the one suffering the most at this moment wasn't Ye Huohuo, but rather Lao Hu on top of her? Both her wrists were almost crushed, yet she gritted her teeth and dared not make a sound for the sake of her reputation.
The cold light in Ye Huohuo's eyes receded slightly. She slowly lifted her head and leaned close to Lao Hu's ear, speaking in a voice only Lao Hu could hear, "You eat meat, but I'm not a vegetarian. From now on, we'll mind our own business, and we can coexist peacefully. You can also maintain your status. How about it? If you don't agree, I can humiliate you right now and turn you into the paper tiger of dorm 304!
You'll become a laughingstock for everyone. Those you usually bully might even gang up on you. It's up to you to decide whether you want to be a big sister or a pitiful bug. Choose wisely."
Although Ye Huohuo's voice was low, every word struck Lao Hu's heart like a hammer. She gritted her teeth and replied in a similarly low voice, "Deal! You've saved me face, and I'll let you off the hook."
Ye Huohuo slowly released her grip on Lao Hu's wrists. Lao Hu then withdrew her hands, her wrists still throbbing with pain. She forced herself to suppress the pain and cursed, "Damn it, you're so skinny, all bones. There's no feeling when I touch you! Get fatter before I play with you!"
After saying that, she secretly clutched her red and swollen wrists, grumbling as she climbed back onto her own bed. That night, her wrists ached so much she couldn't sleep at all, tossing and turning in bed.
After the scare, Ye Huohuo didn't dare to sleep too soundly. At the same time, her wounds, which had been healing after a whole day of torment, now showed signs of worsening.
However, Ye Huohuo's mind wasn't on her injuries. Although she felt the pain, she paid no attention to it, only thinking about clearing her name as soon as possible. She passed the night in a state of half-sleep, half-wakefulness.
Waking up in the early morning, Ye Huohuo felt a slight headache. Breakfast was thin congee with a steamed bun filled with vegetable stuffing. The congee was truly thin, with only a few grains of rice per spoonful. The vegetable stuffing in the bun wasn't very oily either, but eating something was better than starving.
Ye Huohuo intended to break off half of her bun to offer to Lao Hu, as others did. But Lao Hu waved her hand, "Eat more and get fatter first. It's no fun for me if you're too skinny."
Ye Huohuo took a bite of the bun, chuckling inwardly. This tiger seemed to be nothing more than a paper tiger. Scared by her last night, she had learned her lesson today.
The other occupants of the dorm looked at the two of them with strange expressions, as if the sun had risen from the west.
"What are you looking at? Do you not want breakfast anymore?" Lao Hu snapped, her voice still imposing. Everyone, including the fox and the two wolves, quietly ate their own meals.
No one noticed that Lao Hu's tightly fastened sleeve cuffs concealed wrists that had turned red and purple.
After breakfast, around nine o'clock, it was time for the female dorms to have their recreation period. The hundred-odd women from the three floors gathered on the central sports field, strolling around in small groups.
Some preferred not to move, sitting on the prepared paving stones at the edge of the field, leaning back to bask in the sun.
Ye Huohuo stood alone in the most inconspicuous corner of the field, her gaze sweeping across the entire area, observing the diverse array of people, from the young to the middle-aged. They were all once women as beautiful as flowers, but unfortunately, due to various reasons, they had ended up here.
While some were there because they brought it upon themselves, others, like her, had been wrongly accused. For a moment, her heart was filled with a mix of emotions.
"Hey, the world is so small. I didn't expect to run into you here!"
As Ye Huohuo was lost in thought, a sharp voice reached her ears. Ye Huohuo looked up at the approaching figure, and her brows immediately furrowed tightly.