A cold voice sounded from behind.
Jin Xianhui broke out in a cold sweat. His necklace had been grabbed by Song Shi!
Under the forceful grip, his head was yanked back, and he dropped to his knees, dragged backward across the floor.
He raised his hands to claw at the chain around his neck, managing a brief gasp of air.
Just as he tried to retreat further, his back slammed into something solid that pushed him forward. The opposing forces, the necklace pulling back and the object pushing forward, balanced out, robbing him of any chance to breathe.
The tightness around his throat doubled. Every link of the chain seemed to dig into his neck, crushing his bones into powder.
His face turned red in an instant, then purple, like an overripe eggplant. The veins on his temples throbbed violently.
"You still want me to bring you breakfast?" Song Shi gripped the necklace with one hand, planted her foot firmly on his back, leaned in slightly, and whispered coldly near his ear, "I haven’t even eaten yet, and you want me to bring you food."
As she spoke, her hand tightened its grip.
Jin Xianhui was in excruciating pain. The shadow of death loomed over him. He tried to cry for help, but no sound came out.
The students who had just boarded the bus were frozen in shock, standing like statues, too afraid to intervene.
No one could help him! he thought in despair as his vision began to blur.
The driver! There's still the driver!
He gathered his strength and turned toward the driver's seat, only to see the driver calmly shutting the doors and starting the bus, heading to the next stop as if nothing unusual were happening.
Images flashed through Jin Xianhui’s mind, times he had bullied others on this very bus, causing all sorts of disturbances. He had once threatened the driver not to meddle.
He never imagined that one day, the tables would turn, and he would be the one begging for help.
His consciousness faded, and his struggles weakened.
His two lackeys stood trembling at the back, wanting to help but too afraid Song Shi would turn her wrath on them. They exchanged glances and finally decided to call the police.
【Counter Abuse Progress: +4%】
Just as they raised their devices to make the call, Song Shi abruptly let go of the chain and stepped back.
Luo Xu quickly lowered his brainlight and carefully slipped past Song Shi to check on Jin Xianhui.
Freed from her grip, Jin Xianhui collapsed face-up at Song Shi's feet.
He clutched his neck, coughing violently, his body curled up like a shrimp.
Song Shi looked down at him. She had only meant to teach him a lesson, not kill him.
She had timed it precisely; the entire chokehold lasted less than a minute, with the suffocating part only about twenty seconds.
Sure enough, after half a minute of coughing, Jin Xianhui began to recover.
Luo Xu tried to help him up, only to be shoved aside.
“Get lost!” Jin Xianhui growled, pushing himself up with trembling arms.
His anger toward Luo Xu was really meant for Song Shi. But knowing he wasn’t her match, he dared not provoke her and could only vent his fury on Luo Xu instead.
The first thing he did after standing was kick Luo Xu, then yank the necklace from his neck and hurl it to the floor.
Aside from the hum of the moving bus, the vehicle had been silent for some time. The sound of the necklace hitting the floor rang out sharply in the tense air.
Several timid students instinctively hugged their backpacks tighter, trying to make themselves as small as possible.
Song Shi now stood alone in the middle of the bus. The front was packed with newly boarded students, while the rear remained relatively empty.
Jin Xianhui stood between her and the crowd, only a step away.
He suppressed the fury in his eyes, clenched his fists at his sides, lowered his head, and without meeting her gaze, squeezed past her and moved toward the back, away from her.
Luo Xu scrambled to his feet and carefully slipped through the narrow gap between Song Shi and the seat beside her, joining Jin Xianhui in the back.
He glanced quickly at Jin Xianhui's face but said nothing.
The bus continued onward, picking up more students at each stop. What was once a sparse bus now grew crowded.
The students who boarded later had been laughing and chatting before they stepped on. But the moment they entered, they sensed the heavy atmosphere.
They exchanged confused looks and instinctively quieted down.
It was strange. The bus ride to school was usually full of noise, loud enough to blow the roof off. Why was everyone so silent today?
The unsettling quiet made them even more cautious, and they scanned the bus, trying to figure out what had happened.
Finally, the last stop, Renxi High School.
“Renxi High School, stop. Please take all personal belongings when exiting.”
Even now, no one had figured out exactly what had occurred.
"Song Shi!" A shout rang from the rear exit, drawing every head in the bus toward the voice.
Song Shi looked toward it too, and through the crowd, she spotted Jin Xianhui stepping off the bus.
He was rubbing his neck and had clearly been waiting for her to look.
Their eyes met. His face twisted with rage as he spat out a threat: “Just you wait!”
Then he jumped off the bus and stalked toward the school gates, his two cronies trailing behind.
With Jin Xianhui gone, all eyes turned back to Song Shi.
Some students, aware of the backstory, looked at her with sympathy. Jin Xianhui must be going to fetch reinforcements. Though a thug, he wasn’t that notorious. But the boss he followed… he was someone everyone at Renxi High avoided.
Others had no clue what had happened, only recognizing the names. They knew Jin Xianhui was the type to use his fists first, especially with Song Shi. So why had he only thrown a threat and fled?
Something didn’t add up.
They must’ve missed something.
The bus had reached its final stop, and both doors swung open. The students poured out faster than usual, their burning curiosity driving them to find out what had really happened, somewhere out of Song Shi's earshot.
Song Shi, still standing in the middle of the bus, was among the last to exit.
As she headed for the rear door, she noticed Tang You still sitting quietly in her seat, hugging her backpack.
Song Shi had already guessed why Tang You was keeping her distance.
The original her had been too weak, a target for bullies. Anyone who got close risked getting dragged down too.
Tang You had made the smart choice.
Most of the students had already gotten off. Song Shi paused at the door. “Lend me a hair tie.”
Tang You hesitated, then followed her gaze to the spare hair tie on her wrist. She took it off, stood up, and walked over.
Without a word, she handed it to Song Shi.
At the same time, she stuffed a sealed carton of milk, prepared by her father Wang Ding into Song Shi’s hand.
Then she walked past her without saying a word.
Song Shi looked down at the milk, remembering what she’d said while pulling Jin Xianhui by the neck.
She’d said she hadn’t eaten breakfast either.
Tang You had heard that.
She and her father were so alike.
As Tang You walked through the school gates, Song Shi hopped off the bus. She stabbed the straw into the milk and finished it in a few gulps.
Her stomach, empty for more than a day, finally felt somewhat satisfied.
Tossing the empty carton into the trash bin at the school entrance, she pulled out the hair tie. As she walked, she gathered her loose hair into a low ponytail.
Her scalp still ached from being yanked by Jin Xianhui, and she massaged it gently. Then, twisting the ponytail up, she tied it into a loose bun.
There was sure to be another fight today—she couldn’t afford to let her hair get in the way.
It took her a while to find Class 2 of Senior Year 3. As she reached the classroom, the bell rang in the corridor.
The classroom door was closed, with a small window at the top. Song Shi peeked inside—no teacher on the podium.
The students in the first few rows were pretending to study, but their eyes kept flicking toward the door.
Song Shi took it all in. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers curling into a fist.
She raised her foot and kicked the door open with a bang.
The moment the door slammed open, the fake-studying students all looked up. Someone hiding behind the door leaped out and charge at her
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