Chapter 38: The Price of Arrogance

“Stop! Prefect!”

That was Su Yingning’s voice, and only Su Yingning would shout with such vibrant energy and righteous indignation, utterly devoid of shame.

Indeed, the sounds of violence in the alley ceased.

This was followed by the derisive laughter of three individuals: one girl and two boys.

“Well, look who it is. If it isn’t you, you fool… What? Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong again?” a rather petulant voice, tinged with arrogance, cut in.

It was Xiang Ling, a girl from our class; she and Su Yingning were old rivals.

“Xiang Ling! You’re bullying a classmate again! A classmate… Wu Ming?! Is that you? Are you alright? Xiang Ling… you’ve truly gone too far! You wouldn’t even spare a classmate! Wu Ming is the least troublesome student in our class; don’t you dare claim he started by bullying your friend this time!” Su Yingning exclaimed indignantly.

“Why don’t you ask him what he did? During self-study the night before last, he kept staring at me! Tsk, tsk, just look at his pathetic demeanor. Does a toad really dream of eating swan meat? He should take a look in the mirror! Truly disgusting!” The overbearing female voice, belonging to Xiang Ling, sneered contemptuously.

“My heavens… just for looking at you, you’re going to hit someone? If you’re so good-looking, why can’t people look at you?” Su Yingning’s voice was filled with disbelief. “Don’t think that just because you’re the daughter of the school board director, you can act so recklessly! This is a school! A place for education and nurturing! It’s not your personal toilet!”

“Oh, oh, oh~ Look at you. Am I to understand that you’re jealous? A low-born stray like you, without a mother or father… perhaps you’ll never understand how fortunate it is to be the director’s daughter, hmm? School? Heh… this school *is* my personal toilet! What can you do about it? Tell the teachers? Go ahead and tell them! Go on!”

Su Yingning seemed unprepared for such malicious words of attack, and after a moment of stunned silence, she finally spoke in a trembling, subdued voice: “I will go, I definitely will. You will certainly pay the price for your actions…”

“Pay the price?” Xiang Ling sounded as if she had heard the most monumental joke. “Hahahahaha… How naive. In this world, there’s never any retribution; that’s merely self-consolation for the weak. Whoever holds power and influence is the ultimate victor! Look, I took the members of Sword Wielding the World to wipe out your wild hen guild, and I’m still living quite comfortably, aren’t I?”

“It… it was you!!!” Su Yingning froze.

“That’s right, it was me. Go tell the teachers~ Go on~ Ah hahahahaha… Why aren’t you going? See if the teachers can help you get those who left your guild back~” Xiang Ling laughed with cruel satisfaction, her tone cutting.

“Why… why?! Why would you do this!” I thought to myself, ‘This is bad,’ as Su Yingning’s voice was already laced with a sob.

“Because…” Xiang Ling deliberately drew out her words, slowly piercing Su Yingning’s emotional defenses like a whispered incantation, “I… hate… you.”

Su Yingning remained silent, likely having collapsed on the spot.

“What? Still going to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong? You low-born stray? Hm?” Xiang Ling continued to provoke Su Yingning.

“Don’t… bully… classmates…” Su Yingning’s voice was dry and weak; she seemed utterly drained, yet despite its feebleness, her voice conveyed absolute resolve and determination.

“Hmph… you low-born stray, I see you’re refusing a toast only to drink a penalty! Beat her!”

“Enough! Xiaoling! That’s too far!” Just as I was about to rush out and teach that woman a profound lesson, a male voice intervened, halting her abusive actions.

“Let’s end things here today, Xiaoling… we’re leaving.”

This was the sixth person to suddenly appear, apart from Su Yingning, the original victim in the alley, and the three assailants.

I recognized this person’s voice as well. The owner of the voice was Xiang Renhe, Xiang Ling’s older brother, and like Xiang Ling, he was a classmate of both Su Yingning and me.

“Hmph… just two commoners, one a toad, the other a street rat, yet they can’t seem to grasp their place… Pfft!” Xiang Ling spat disdainfully. “Brother, let’s go.”

“Go?”

No longer heeding the little girl’s prohibition against my involvement, I gently pulled her into my embrace, patting her back comfortingly. Instantly, the tears welling in her eyes could no longer be held back; she buried her face in my shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, tears flowing freely as if they cost nothing.

This time, she was truly wronged. Even if she had been cornered and ‘killed’ hundreds of times yesterday, she hadn’t cried so heartbrokenly as she did today.

One doesn’t hit someone’s face, nor expose their shortcomings when scolding them. Even if a child is ignorant, this woman named Xiang Ling had truly gone too far!

“Thinking of leaving? Has my sister agreed to that?”