I never expected Zhang Zheguan to be so utterly shameless. Furious, I struggled to my feet and lunged at him, but my injuries slowed me down, and he kicked me away effortlessly.
Linda screamed and tried to run to me, but Zhang Zheguan grabbed her wrist mid-step, grinning wickedly. "I've never had a high-and-mighty teacher before. Tonight's the perfect chance to try one out."
My vision turned red with rage. A guttural growl escaped my throat as I forced myself up again, charging at Zhang Zheguan. But two of his thugs were quicker, pinning me down instantly. Zhang Zheguan tightened his grip on Linda's wrist and sneered, "Hold him down nice and tight. Let him watch."
As Zhang Zheguan turned back to Linda, I shouted, "Zhang Zheguan, she's a teacher! If you force yourself on her, you'll be in prison tomorrow!"
His hand paused. Seeing that my words had some effect, I pressed on, "Do you know how many years you'll get for this? Twenty. Twenty years in prison for a moment of pleasure—is it worth it?" Truthfully, I had no idea how long the sentence would be, but I exaggerated, hoping to scare them into backing off.
Zhang Zheguan's face darkened with hesitation. His three lackeys—two holding me down and the pimpled one standing dumbly—looked uneasy. The pimpled thug muttered, "Brother Guan, if we really do this and get arrested, it's not worth it."
Hearing that, I thought Zhang Zheguan might reconsider. But once again, I underestimated his depravity. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smirked. "Don't worry, I've got a way to make sure they never report us."
Linda and I tensed. The thugs eagerly asked what his plan was. Zhang Zheguan pulled out his phone and handed it to the pimpled lackey. "Bitter Melon, turn on the video. Record everything we do to her. If she dares call the cops, we'll upload the video online. Mutual destruction."
The moment he finished, the thugs cheered in agreement.
My face paled. Linda let out a panicked scream, thrashing desperately, but she was no match for them.
"Bitter Melon, make sure the video's clear," Zhang Zheguan ordered, reaching for Linda's blouse with a vicious grin.
My eyes burned with fury. "Zhang Zheguan, I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"
He glanced back at me, sneering. "Ni Ba, just sit back and enjoy the show."
(Note: Earlier, during the fight at the food stall, Andrew and his friends had falsely claimed to be "Ni Ba" to avoid retaliation. Zhang Zheguan still believed that was Andrew's real name.)
Just as Zhang Zheguan was about to assault the sobbing Linda, a deep, booming voice echoed from the alley entrance:
"Which little bastard is calling my name?"
Everyone froze, turning toward the sound. Under the dim streetlight at the alley's mouth stood a group of young people—five guys and one girl. The leader was a burly eighteen or nineteen-year-old in a black tank top and blue jeans. It was none other than **Ni Ba**, one of the top fighters in our school's senior year.
Behind him were four lackeys and a strikingly beautiful, rebellious-looking girl with wine-red hair, a row of ear piercings, and a skimpy denim outfit. She was **Ni Anqi**, the girl we'd helped at the food stall last time.
Ni Ba and his group held skewers and drinks, clearly returning from a late-night snack. They must've heard someone shouting "Ni Ba" and wandered into the alley, stumbling upon this scene.
Zhang Zheguan's gang stiffened. He hadn't noticed Ni Anqi yet, glaring only at Ni Ba. "This isn't your business. Get lost if you know what's good for you."
Ni Ba scanned the alley, spotting me and Linda pinned down by the thugs. His initial curiosity faded, and he shrugged. "We didn't see anything. Carry on."
He turned to leave, but Ni Anqi suddenly grabbed his arm. "Wait, Ge (brother)—"
I stared at her in shock. So she really was related to Ni Ba—his sister! And here I'd framed him for our fight right in front of her.
Ni Anqi whispered urgently into Ni Ba's ear, pointing at me and Zhang Zheguan. No need to guess—she was telling him how Zhang Zheguan had harassed her that night and how I'd stepped in.
Zhang Zheguan's gang finally recognized Ni Anqi, their faces twisting with dread.
Ni Ba had no love for me, but after hearing his sister's words, his expression darkened. He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto Zhang Zheguan like an enraged lion.
"**You're** the bastard who messed with my sister last week?"
His friends immediately bristled, fists clenched.
Zhang Zheguan, eyeing Ni Ba's muscular frame, hesitated. "That… that was just a misunderstanding—"
"Misunderstand my ass!"
Ni Ba charged.
Zhang Zheguan yanked me up, pressing a knife to my throat. "Stay back, or I'll stab him!"
Ni Ba didn't even slow down. "The hell do I care? Stab him if you want!"
Seeing his threat fail, Zhang Zheguan shoved me aside and braced for a fight.
He slashed at Ni Ba's ribs, but Ni Ba—despite his brutish appearance—wasn't reckless. He sidestepped, grabbed Zhang Zheguan's wrist, and **slammed** it against a lamppost.
**Bang! Bang!**
The knife clattered to the ground.
Meanwhile, Ni Ba's friends grabbed bricks and trash can lids, brawling with the vocational school thugs.
I seized the chance to pull Linda away. "Teacher, are you okay?"
She steadied herself, nodding weakly. "I'm fine. What about your injuries?"
"Nothing serious."
My eyes flicked to Zhang Zheguan, now locked in a brutal fight with Ni Ba. Rage boiled in my chest.
"Andrew, what are you doing?!" Linda cried as I stood.
Ignoring her, I lowered my shoulder and **sprinted**, ramming into both Zhang Zheguan and Ni Ba like a mad bull. The impact sent us all crashing down.
Pain flared in my shoulder, but I knew they'd taken the worst of it—especially Zhang Zheguan. Before he could recover, I straddled him and **rained down punches**, my fists hammering his face like artillery.
He flailed weakly, but pinned beneath me, his blows had no power. Within seconds, his nose was broken, his eyes swollen, his face a bloody mess.
I was a wounded wolf, biting down and refusing to let go, unleashing every ounce of fury—
"ANDREW, STOP! YOU'LL KILL HIM!"
Linda's scream snapped me out of it. I blinked, realizing Zhang Zheguan was barely conscious beneath me. Around us, the fight had ended—Ni Ba's group stood victorious, the vocational school thugs groaning on the ground.
Ni Ba glanced at me and Linda, his expression conflicted. We had history, but I'd also saved his sister. In the end, he just grunted, "Let's go."
Ni Anqi, however, lingered. She grinned at me. "Hey, we meet again."
I wiped blood from my lip, embarrassed. "Ni Anqi… thanks for tonight."
She giggled, eyes twinkling. "So, gonna tell me your real name this time?"
I coughed. "Andrew."
From the alley entrance, Ni Ba barked, "Xiao Qi, quit dawdling!"
Ni Anqi stuck her tongue out at me. "Andrew, huh? I'll remember that. We'll meet again soon—bye!"
With that cryptic remark, she skipped after her brother, leaving me baffled.