Zhan Haoze narrowed his eyes slightly. His voice wasnât loud, but the coldness that came out of his voice revealed his current mood.
âNo,â Shi Mengwan quickly explained, âI didnât stalk you.â
âI just happened to pass by.â
âPass by?â Zhan Haozeâs gaze became sharper. âYou passed by here?â
Shi Mengwan was a little embarrassed. Indeed, she wasnât passing by here. She was just here to reminisce about the past.
She couldnât help but glance at Zhan Haoze. What about him? He should be considered a successful person now, right? Why did he appear here?
Realizing that she had asked that question out loud, Shi Mengwanâs expression became a little awkward.
Zhan Haoze didnât answer her question. He stared at her face and suddenly approached.
âDo you live near here, Miss Shi?â
âNo.â
âThen why did you appear here, Miss Shi?â
His slender legs took a step forward and successfully sandwiched Shi Mengwanâs body between him and the electric pole.
Facing such a predicament again, Shi Mengwan felt a little uncomfortable. She leaned back abut didnât try to push Zhan haoze away. She knew the difference in strength between the two of them.
âDoes this place belong to your family?â
They had faced such a situation twice, especially when they had such an unpleasant meeting last time. Shi Mengwanâs tone wasnât very polite.
She was a woman with a sharp edge to begin with, but because the other party was her Dear Brother, she had been supressing it in front of him.
âIf this place doesnât belong to your family, then what right do you have to question me like this?â
Zhan Haoze narrowed his eyes slightly because of her sharp retort, and his body quickly approached her. He lowered his body and confronted Shi Mengwan.
The malicious look in those eyes made Shi Mengwanâs back feel slightly cold, but she refused to admit defeat.
âSince you can come to this place, then naturally I can come too. Mr. Zhan, you arenât a police officer. Can you please let me go now? Let me leave?â
The alley was dark, and the howls of the group of people could still be heard from the corner not that far behind.
In front of her was Zhan Haozeâs body. No matter how one looked at it, the atmosphere was very strange.
Seeing that Zhan Haoze didnât intend to make way, Shi Mengwan didnât want to stay any longer. She bent down and wanted to leave from the side.
Zhan Haoze didnât move. When she retreated, she accidentally touched his arm. She heard a soft, muffled groan.
Shi Mengwan, who could have left, suddenly stopped.
She looked at Zhan Haoze, who was standing beside her, and her gaze fell on his arm. She saw the faint blood stains on his elbow.
âYou, youâre injured?â
Shi Mengwan lost her cool. She instinctively lifted Zhan Haozeâs arm.
âAre you okay?â
Zhan Haoze frowned slightly. He didnât even notice that he was injured.
âHow are you? Does it hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital?â
The three consecutive sentences of concern made Zhan Haozeâs brows furrow. Shi Mengwan wasnât short, but as she was holding his arm, he could only see the top of her head.
âShould I send you to the hospital?â
After saying this, Shi Mengwan raised her head to look at him. When she met his cold expression, she remembered that the man in front of her was no longer her Dear Brother.
As if her hand had received an electric shock, she quickly retracted it. She was annoyed that she had meddled in other peopleâs business. She turned around and was about to leave.
However, Zhan Haoze was following beside her at this moment.
After taking a few steps, Shi Mengwan suddenly stopped and looked at him. âYou...â
âDidnât you say you would send me to the hospital?â
She did say that, but that was what she thought â Shi Mengwanâs footsteps were getting faster and faster.
Zhan Haozeâs footsteps didnât have to be fast. His footsteps were much bigger than hers. Shi Mengwan sensed the footsteps behind her, and her emotions were very ambivalent.
It wasnât until she walked to her car and opened the car door that Zhan Haoze followed her into the car.
She sat in the driverâs seat and looked at Zhan Haoze.
âMr. Zhan, yesterday you said that I seduced you. If you get into my car now, arenât you afraid that even if I pester you, you wonât be able to escape?â
The night light was dim. The dim streetlights made her facial features look hazy, and her clear eyes looked a little provocative.
âDrive.â
Zhan Haoze retracted his gaze and didnât look at her anymore. He leaned back against the chair.
Shi Mengwan gritted her teeth and wanted to chase Zhan Haoze out of the car. In the end, she glanced at his side profile and started the car.
âDonât go to the hospital.â
His words sounded extremely faint. If it wasnât for the silence in the car, Shi Mengwan wouldnât have heard it.
She couldnât help but look at him again. She noticed that Zhan Haozeâs eyes were half-closed and he was leaning against the car seat, as if he was about to fall asleep.
Shi Mengwan retracted her gaze and stepped on the accelerator.
On the way, Shi Mengwan turned around and looked at Zhan Haoze. His arm was still bleeding.
Her heart trembled slightly as she thought of her Dear Brother.
More than ten years ago, Shi Mengwan, who was only twelve years old, got lost from her parents. Although she said she got lost, she actually ran away from home.
She was from Lin City, but she wasnât from Lin Cityâs downtown area. She was from a small county city under Lin City.
Shi Mengwanâs father was the eldest in the family. He had two younger brothers under him. The small county city where Shi Mengwan lived was very patriarchal and sexist.
Shi Mengwanâs two uncles both had sons. Only Shi Mengwanâs family didnât have one. Because of this, Shi Mengwanâs grandmother was very dissatisfied with Shi Mengwanâs mother.
Shi Mengwanâs mother didnât have an easy life in the Shi family, and because she hurt her body while giving birth to Shi Mengwan, it wasnât easy for her to get pregnant again.
Until Shi Mengwan was nine years old, she hadnât given birth to a second child.
Shi Mengwanâs father was the eldest of the three brothers in the Shi family, but he didnât have a son. As a result, Shi Mengwanâs grandmother disliked her eldest daughter-in-law more and more.
It wasnât until Shi Mengwan was eleven years old that her mother miraculously got pregnant. Shi Mengwan thought that her mother would definitely give birth to a younger brother. This way, her motherâs life would be better.
But who knew that Shi Mengwanâs motherâs second child was still a daughter.
Shi Mengwanâs grandmother became even more displeased, and even Shi Mengwanâs fatherâs mood was heavy. They had a newly born little girl in the house, but no one had a smile on their face.
Shi Mengwan was already sensible, and she didnât like the tension in the house. She hated her grandmother for criticizing her every day and saying that her mother was a hen that didnât lay eggs.
She hated her father for frowning because she was a daughter, and she hated her mother even more. It was clearly not her fault that she gave birth to a daughter, yet she had to bear all the responsibility herself.
No matter how much she hated that home and hated the tension in the house, she still tried her best to comfort her mother and help her take care of her little sister.
She comforted her mother and told her that giving birth to a boy or a girl wasnât a decision that she could make alone. She didnât need to blame herself, and she didnât need to feel guilty. Even if her mother didnât listen to her, she still had to say it.
She had learned all of this from her textbooks, and she had also seen it acted out on television. Also, equality between men and women had long been achieved. The teachers all said so, so her motherâs sexism was backward and stupid.
Regardless of whether her mother listened or not, she tried her best to maintain the peace and harmony in the family, until she heard her grandmother persuade her father to give her younger sister away. When the time came, she could have another child.
She said that if her mother didnât agree, she would let her father bring the children of second or third uncleâs family over.
Shi Mengwan finally became angry. Her little sister was so cute. Even if she was a girl, she was still her fatherâs child. How could her father think of giving her sister away?
Having taken care of her sister for a few months, Shi Mengwan, who already had affection for her, became furious on the spot.
âWhy are you giving her away? If you want to send someone away, then send me away. My sister is still so young. Havenât you thought about what will happen to my sister after you send her away?â
Grandma didnât expect her to hear that. She lost it and started cursing. After scolding Shi Mengwanâs mother, she started scolding Shi Mengwan. She said that it was all her fault that she didnât have a brother.
Shi Mengwan was furious. âIf thatâs the case, then Iâll leave this house. Iâd like to see if you can get what you want without me.â
Shi Mengwanâs father and Grandma both thought that she was simply saying things in a fit of anger, but Shi Mengwan was serious.
She really ran away from home. She took her new yearâs money and savings, then directly hailed a ride to the county town. That day, there was still the last bus to Lin City left.
Shi Mengwan was really brave. She got on the bus to Lin City just like that.
But when night fell and the bus stopped at Lin City Bus Station, she realized what she had done on impulse.
She, a 12-year-old girl, had run away from home just like that.
Shi Mengwan, who got off the car, had a moment of regret. She had never left home in her entire life.
The only thing she knew about this world was from school, books, and television. Holding the little amount of money she had left, Shi Mengwan didnât know where she could go or what she could do.
Sister Xiuxiu, who lived next door, said that if she worked outside, she could make a decent amount of money every year, but she was still too young at the moment.
At twelve years old, although she was almost 1.5 meters tall, she was still a child.
Moreover, she didnât have a degree, and she hadnât even finished junior high school. How could she find a job?
She walked along the streets of Lin City Bus Station, and the more she walked, the more she strayed. Later on, she arrived at this area.
This was the famous slum of Lin City. At that time, although this place wasnât dirty or messy, it definitely wasnât very clean.
Shi Mengwan felt hungry as she walked. She went into a small shop, then bought a loaf of bread and a bottle of water to fill her stomach.
However, she didnât know that she was being stalked by someone.
Although she was only twelve years old, her mother was a famous beauty in the area. Although father Shiâs personality wasnât dominering enough when compared to her Grandmaâs, he was still decent-looking.
Shi Mengwan inherited all her parentsâ physical strengths. She had almond-shaped eyes, willowy eyebrows, delicate skin, and shiny black hair.
From the twelve years old Shi Mengwan, one could already foresee what sort of beauty Shi Mengwan would be when she grew up.
What would a lone wolf, very beautiful little girl experience?
Shi Mengwan wasnât an idiot. Although she had lived in a small town, her teachers were good at educating them on safety.
When she was eating her bread, she realized that someone was watching her from not that far away.
At that moment, Shi Mengwan felt very flustered. She began to regret her impulsiveness again.
But if she were to go home now, not only would she be stuck in a helpless situation, but she was also unwilling to go back.
Her family wasnât poor, but they werenât rich either. She didnât have much money left after buying the bus ticket. She didnât have any money to buy a ticket to go home now. More importantly, there wasnât a bus she could go home on at the moment.
She looked at the two people, who looked like hooligans, who were staring at her in the distance. She gritted her teeth and entered the small shop again.
She seized the opportunity of buying another loaf of bread to take a risk. She told the store owner that she was being followed. She asked the store owner if there was a back door. She wanted to leave through the back door.
Fortunately, the store owner was a good person. She told Shi Mengwan that next to the bathroom, there was a small door behind her.
But she also told her that if she went out from there, there would be a small alley. It was convoluted there. People who didnât know the way would easily get lost in there.
Shi Mengwan wasnât afraid of getting lost at the moment. It would be better if it was convoluted. That way, if those two people stalked her, she could think of a way to escape.
She had already decided that if she left here, she would go to the police station. She would let the police send her home.
No matter how unpleasant her Grandma seemed and no matter how harshly she scolded her, she couldnât really do anything to her anyway. At most, she would just get a good beating.
She left through the back door and got lost in the convoluted alley.
it was already bad enough that she got lost, but the worst thing was that even the slightest sound would scare her.
She was afraid that the two men would catch up with her and do something to her.
It was also at this time that she heard some extremely chaotic sounds.
Even the dark night, the dim street lights, and the weather were similar to todayâs.
She heard many footsteps, and a few of them were very clear.
âBoss said that itâs fine if we donât kill him. We just have to cripple him.â
âDeal with him properly. Let him learn a lesson.â
Shi Mengwan had already forgotten that she was being stalked. She walked around the alley and saw that in the alley, a group of people surrounding a youth were punching and kicking him.
Under the dim light, she couldnât see the youthâs appearance clearly. However, the instant the youth raised his head, she met a pair of extremely gloomy and sharp eyes, like a wolfâs eyes in the dark.
Shi Mengwan was shocked by that gaze.
She heard the youth speak with an unpleasant voice that was unique to the voice changing stage.
âYouâd better kill me. Otherwise, I will definitely repay what you do to me today tenfold, a hundredfold, in the future.â
âYo, kid, youâre quite brazen.â The voice from earlier sounded again. âSince thatâs the case, if I donât give you some intimidation, I wouldnât live up to my reputation as Brother Qiang.â
âBrothers, beat him to death.â
That group of people attacked even harder. Shi Mengwan heard a muffled groan and the sound of fists landing on peopleâs bodies.
She felt pain just by watching the scene. However, that youth refused to beg for mercy. Not only did he refuse to beg for mercy, he even seized every opportunity to counterattack.
His eyes were exceptionally bright in the dark night. Shi Mengwan had never seen such a person before.
Despite being beaten up to such a state, he was able to make himself appear more calm and composed than the rest of them.
She looked left and right, but there was no one there. There were too many people, and she was only a little girl.
She herself was in a plight, so she didnât know how she could help the other party.
It wasnât until she saw the man who spoke pick up a steel pipe and was about to hit the young manâs hand.
âPolice!â Shi Mengwan shouted without thinking.
âPolice uncle, itâs over there. Thereâs a fight over there.â
As she spoke, she grabbed the stones on the ground and kept hitting the trash can next to her.
Her feet kept stomping on the ground. It sounded as if there were many people walking at the same time.
The man named Brother Qiang, who was holding the steel pipe, froze for a moment and spat. He threw the steel pipe away and kicked the youth again.
âBastard, consider yourself lucky.â
âBrothers, letâs go.â
Shi Mengwan kept stomping her feet and kept hitting the trash can with stones.
The sound became louder and louder. The group of people quickly dispersed. She didnât rush forward. Instead, she waited until the footsteps were completely gone and no one else appeared.
Wanting to see if everyone had really left, only then did she carefully stick her head out.
However, she met with that youthâs extremely malicious eyes. That wolf-like gaze stared fixedly at her in the darkness.
Shi Mengwan jumped in fright and took a big step back. She lost her balance and fell to the ground.
The bag she was holding just now fell to the ground. The bread inside also fell out. She didnât dare to pick it up. She simply propped her hands on the ground and stared at the youth in a daze.
He looked very disheveled, extremely disheveled. Saying his nose was bruised and his face was swollen were understatements.
His body was covered in blood, and his hands were also covered in blood. Even his clothes were covered in blood. The blood dripping from the corner of his mouth looked especially terrifying during such a night.
Shi Mengwan had saved him on a spur of the moment, but now that she had saved him, she started to feel conflicted again.
It couldnât be that the person she had saved was a bad person, right? Or could it be â
The youth didnât look at her. He bent down and picked up the bread that had fallen on the ground.
Shi Mengwan was getting more and more nervous. The young man tore the plastic paper off the bread and finished it in a few bites.
What kind of situation was this?
Shi Mengwan looked at the young man and swallowed her saliva. She wanted to say that he had eaten her bread. However, the young man also saw the bottle of water in the bag.
He glanced at her and took the bottle of water. Then, he drank the remaining half of the bottle of water.
He threw the bottle on the ground. The youth glanced at Shi Mengwan and turned to leave.
Shi Mengwan called out to him, âHey.â
The youth turned around and looked at Shi Mengwan again. Shi Mengwanâs lips moved. She wanted to say, âYou ate my food and youâre just going to leave like that?â
The words that came out of her mouth became, âYou threw the trash on the ground. That isnât right.â
A trace of mockery flashed across the youthâs face, which was filled with viciousness. He took two steps forward and stood in front of Shi Mengwan just like that.
She was still sitting on the ground while the youth stood there. The youth was nearly 1.7 meters tall. Shi Mengwan shrunk her neck, and for the first time, she felt fear.
The youth stared at her face. Just when she thought that the other party would attack her, he finally made a move.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He bent down, and Shi Mengwan was alarmed. She instinctively used her hand to cover her head.
The youth picked up the plastic bag and bottles on the ground. Then, he wrinkled them into a ball and accurately threw them into the trash can at the side.
After throwing them, he glanced at Shi Mengwan, turned around, and continued walking forward.
Shi Mengwan stood up and followed behind him. After taking a few steps, the youth suddenly turned around to look at her.
That pair of wolf-like eyes stared at her face with a fierce gaze.