I grabbed Linda's hand and ran without stopping, but Zhang Zheguan and his gang chased us relentlessly. Linda, being a woman and wearing high heels, couldn't run fast at all. Not far from the milk tea shop, she suddenly cried out—the heel of her shoe had snapped, and she nearly fell.
Linda looked at me with a pitiful expression. "Andrew, I can't run anymore. What do we do?"
It was already 11 p.m., and the streets were nearly empty. Seeing Zhang Zheguan and his gang closing in, I immediately pointed to a nearby alley and said decisively, "Teacher, escape through this alley first. I'll hold them off."
Linda clenched her teeth and shook her head. "No, a teacher can't abandon her student and run away alone."
Zhang Zheguan and his gang were almost upon us. This mess was my fault, and if Linda stayed, I feared these violent, lecherous vocational school thugs might do something outrageous. When I saw Linda stubbornly refusing to leave, I turned and shouted at her angrily, "What the hell are you standing there for? Go!"
Linda had never been yelled at like that by me before. Her eyes reddened as she limped away step by step. Watching her retreating figure, I felt both relieved and inexplicably sad. Humans are strange creatures—like me right now. I desperately wanted Linda to escape safely, but when she actually left me behind, I felt an indescribable sorrow.
"You little bastard, keep running! Let's see where you go now!" Zhang Zheguan stopped in front of me, his eyes filled with malice as he glanced past me at Linda's fading figure in the alley. He cursed under his breath, "Damn it, that bitch got away."
Fury surged through me. These guys were definitely scum. Thank goodness Linda had escaped—otherwise, in the dead of night, who knew what might happen if they dragged her into some alley?
A pimply-faced thug spoke up, "Brother Guan, since the girl's gone, let's deal with this little punk first. We'll settle the score."
Afraid Linda hadn't gotten far, I didn't dare run. Hearing their threats, I quickly bent down and picked up half a brick from the ground, steeling myself as I said, "Stay back, or don't blame me for what happens."
Zhang Zheguan and his gang looked at the brick in my hand, exchanged glances, and then burst into laughter. Zhang Zheguan sneered, "You dare pick up a brick to fight back? Know what this is?" He pulled out a switchblade, its sharp edge glinting coldly under the streetlight.
My heart clenched. The other three thugs also reached into their pockets, each pulling out a small knife—some switchblades, one a butterfly knife. Unbeknownst to me, after the beating they'd taken from me and Shaoya a few nights ago, they'd gone out and bought these knives specifically for fights. And tonight, they'd run into me—just my luck.
Zhang Zheguan glared at me coldly. "Still holding onto that piece of trash brick?"
Truth be told, I'd been in plenty of fights recently, but facing several guys with knives, my courage faltered. Even if I took one down with the brick, the others would stab me to death. But with Linda still nearby, I couldn't run—they might chase after her. After a moment's thought, I dropped the brick and shrugged. "You win. Do whatever you want."
"Little bastard, you've got it coming today!" Zhang Zheguan punched me hard in the face, right on the bridge of my nose. Blood spurted out instantly, and my eyes watered from the pain.
I crouched down, covering my face with my hands, but Zhang Zheguan immediately grabbed my collar and yanked me up, dragging me deeper into the alley. "Let's take this punk further in and teach him a proper lesson," he said.
In the depths of the alley, Zhang Zheguan gripped my shirt and snarled, "You little shit, hitting me with a beer bottle—do it again now! Come on!" He slapped me across the face.
Gritting my teeth, I met his gaze defiantly.
"What, glaring at me like that? Still not submitting?" Infuriated by my expression, Zhang Zheguan slapped me again. I kept my teeth clenched, staring back at him.
"Still stubborn, huh?" Enraged, Zhang Zheguan grabbed my head and slammed it into a nearby lamppost. With a loud thud, my vision went black, my ears rang, and my body crumpled to the ground.
Zhang Zheguan showed no mercy, stepping on my head with his Nike sneaker and looking down at me. "Say it—do you submit?"
"Submit to your mother!"
I spat out the curse with difficulty. I knew even if I surrendered, they wouldn't let me go. Just like how Shaoya had endured Wei Shengjin's beatings without fighting back, only to be humiliated further.
Zhang Zheguan's face twisted in anger at my defiance. "Beat this bastard to death!" he ordered his lackeys.
The three thugs rushed forward, kicking me wildly. Just as I felt myself on the verge of passing out, a sharp female voice cut through the chaos: "Stop! Don't hit him anymore!"
My whole body jolted at the sound. Struggling to lift my head, I saw Linda—this big-breasted, airheaded woman—had actually come back. I was so furious I could've screamed. I'd stayed behind to ensure her escape, and here she was, throwing it all away!
Linda pushed Zhang Zheguan and his gang aside, helping me up as she glared at them. "Enough! What do you want?"
The thugs exchanged surprised glances. The pimply-faced one spoke first, "Brother Guan, she might've called the cops. What do we do?"
Zhang Zheguan's expression darkened. "Damn it, break this kid's legs first, then we run. I won't rest easy until I've vented my anger."
Linda immediately cried out, "I didn't call the police! I didn't!"
I looked at her like she was an idiot. I'd always thought she was sharp, but now she was being unbelievably stupid. She'd had the chance to call for help but didn't—fine, maybe she'd panicked and forgotten. But why the hell would she admit it? Now these thugs knew no one was coming, and things were about to get much worse.
Sure enough, Zhang Zheguan narrowed his eyes. "You really didn't call the cops?"
Linda nodded. "No!"
Zhang Zheguan and his gang exchanged glances, their eyes lingering on Linda. She was half-crouched, holding my injured body, and under the dim streetlight, they could catch a glimpse of her exposed cleavage from their vantage point.
A bad feeling settled in my gut. Zhang Zheguan leered at Linda's pretty face. "You wanna save this kid?"
Linda lifted her chin defiantly. "What do you want?"
Before Zhang Zheguan could answer, the pimply thug whispered in his ear, "Brother Guan, she's not bad, huh?"
My face paled. Linda began to panic, raising her voice. "You're students, right? I'm a teacher from No. 2 High School. I'm warning you—don't do anything reckless."
The thugs looked at each other, then grinned. "Wow, a female teacher!"
Invoking her teacher status didn't intimidate them—it only excited them further. Their eyes gleamed like wolves spotting prey. Linda grew more frantic as I struggled to my feet, shielding her behind me. I glared at Zhang Zheguan. "Your grudge is with me, not her. Do whatever you want to me, but let her go."
Zhang Zheguan smirked. "You were so tough earlier. Why the sudden change?"
I took a deep breath. "Fine, I give up. Just let her leave."
Zhang Zheguan burst into triumphant laughter. There was nothing more satisfying than breaking someone's spirit. Seeing me, who'd been so defiant, now submitting filled him with arrogance. "You want me to let her go?"
"Yes."
He grinned. "Then beg me. Maybe if you make me happy, I'll let her leave."
I had no choice. Gritting my teeth, I said, "Brother Guan, I'm begging you—let her go."
The thugs roared with laughter. To them, beating someone up was nothing compared to humiliating them. After a few moments, Zhang Zheguan's expression turned vicious. "Want me to let her go? Then get on your knees and beg!"
On my knees?
Rage burned in my chest. Zhang Zheguan leered at Linda before turning back to me with a threatening glare. "Not willing to kneel? Then we'll just take our anger out on your girlfriend."
"Wait—I'll kneel!"
Zhang Zheguan and his gang were capable of anything. Last time they'd met a female网友, they'd tried to kidnap her. If I refused, there was no telling what they might do to Linda. Swallowing my pride, I agreed through clenched teeth.
"No!"
Linda cried out, grabbing my arm from behind.
I turned to her, shaking my head bitterly. "Teacher, you know I don't have a choice."
Tears welled in Linda's eyes as she clung to me. "No! I won't let you kneel!"
Zhang Zheguan's mocking voice cut in. "Make up your minds. My patience is running thin."
With a final resolve, I pushed Linda away and turned, dropping heavily to my knees before Zhang Zheguan. In all my life, I'd never kneeled to heaven or earth—not even to my parents. Yet today, I was forced to kneel before a vocational school thug.
The gang burst into laughter, reveling in their victory. Linda sobbed, trying to pull me up.
I stared blankly at Zhang Zheguan. "Now will you let her go?"
He leaned down, whispering in my ear with a sinister grin, "Heh, forgot to tell you—I've got a habit of never keeping my word. That pretty teacher of yours? I'm having her tonight."