* * * Continued from Part 1 * * *
A deafening hit!
The girls shrieked!
The 100 digs that could initially have been accomplished went down the drain!
Cheng Yuan kneeled down in pain, her hand pressing on her forehead. She breathed in lightly, as a few repressed moans slipped out of her lips.
All the girls gathered around her, and anxiously bombarded her with questions of concern.
“Are you injured?”
“Hurry, send her to the sick bay!”
“Who’s the idiot who threw the ball over?! Are you blind?!”
……
Xiao Mi squeezed to the front, and frantically retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket, lightly wiping the dirt off Cheng Yuan’s forehead. Aiya, she sucked in her breath. Cheng Yuan had been badly hit by the ball. A large part of her forehead was red from swelling, as blood strands slowly seeped out.
Xiao Mi helped her up carefully. “I’ll accompany you to the sick bay to apply some medicine first.”
The female PE teacher also scrutinized Cheng Yuan’s wound. “Go quickly, don’t let the wound get infected.” It would be troublesome for a girl’s looks to get marred.
“No need.”
Cheng Yuan silently pulled away from Xiao Mi’s hand, which had been supporting her all this while.
“I can go by myself.”
“Oh.” Xiao Mi shot a glance at her, and smiled. “Then, be careful on your own.” Cheng Yuan doesn’t seem to like getting close to her cla.s.smates. She had always appeared indifferent, giving off a distant feel about her.
“Ah—“
A shadow appeared in the air once more, followed by shrieks from the girls in unison!
“Be—careful--!”
There was actually yet another basketball thrown, tearing through the air towards them.
Frightened, Xiao Mi could only draw back her head and shut her eyes tight. Her arms also pulled Cheng Yuan, who was beside her, to the side unconditionally. The two girls crashed into each other. Xiao Mi seemed to hear a shrill whistle as the ball ripped through the air, nearly sc.r.a.ping their ears. At that split second, her heart was so tense it was paralysed!
The girls were all frightened out of their souls, their faces pale.
How dangerous!
Cheng Yuan patted Xiao Mi’s shoulder, her brows knit together, as she looked in the direction where the ball flew from.
“Hey! People over there! What the h.e.l.l are you guys doing?!”
Even the female teacher was infuriated, and yelled deafeningly towards the adjacent court.
The basketball court was permeated with the explosive smell of dynamite!
Dozens of basketb.a.l.l.s were scattered across the floor in disarray.
There were three to four b.a.l.l.s still bouncing, rolling in their respective directions.
A boy stood under a basketball stand, bearing a sordid appearance. His shirt, face and hair were completely stained with dirt from the basketb.a.l.l.s that had hit him. A few guys restrained him, attempting to dissuade him against further action. He roared, his expression enraged.
“Yi Tang Yao! Other people may fear you, but I don’t! You think you can throw your weight about, banking on your family’s status and authority? I’ll be standing here, kill me if you can!
The girls who had rushed over to the commotion were dumbfounded.
This guy was Wei Tao, who had been known to have a usually good temper and grades. G.o.d knows what has happened to have aggravated him to this state, to actually use his fists against a person.
On the other end, Yi Tang Yao stood with one side tilted towards him.
His expression was cold, his lips arched into a mocking sneer. Under the sunlight, his slender body emanated a chilling cold that could set off palpitations in anyone’s heart.
An orange basketball spun on his fingertip, its speed accelerating!
Yi Tang Yao’s eyes were grim, his voice cold.
“Good. You’ve got integrity.”
As he said this, his palm gripped the ball, his wrist ama.s.sing immense strength. The ball was powerfully shot at Wei Tao, at a speed of lightning.
Wei Tao’s tenacious temper started to arise. He stiffened his neck, body frozen, bent on not evading the ball!
The guys beside him frantically pushed him to the side, as the ball landed heavily on the basketball stand. “Weng” a dull sound resounded. The girls immediately understood now. The “b.a.l.l.s that flew out from nowhere” earlier on had all originally been thrown by Yi Tang Yao.
Him again……
Ever since Yi Tang Yao had entered Sheng Yu, he’s gotten into dozens of fights, big and small. According to rules, he should have been expelled or at least have his conduct recorded. However, he could still act as if nothing had happened, sauntering into the cla.s.s as he pleased.
That’s how it works when your family is rich.
Moreover, the Yi family isn’t just ordinarily wealthy and authoritative. It’s been said that even high-ranking officials from provinces dared not easily offend his mother. The reason is, should the Yi family leave, their provinces would lose extensive financial sources.
The guys held onto the impulsive, infuriated Wei Tao, as if their lives depended on it.
They were not trying to side Yi Tang Yao. It was because they knew, should Wei Tao lose control and hurt Yi Tang Yao, only dire consequences would await him.
The girls also went silent.
The atmosphere of the basketball court was stifling, deadly silent.
Only Wei Tao was struggling and hollering amongst his dissuading cla.s.smates. “Other than beat people up, what can you do? Yi Tang Yao! Remember this! You’re trash! Even if you kill me, you’re still trash! You can’t throw a ball into the basket; you can’t even run long distances, you’re the biggest trash in this world!”
Yi Tang Yao’s hands hung by his sides, his fists clenched.
He stood alone.
Amidst the sunlight.
There’s not one cla.s.smate beside him.
A distant, faint shadow was cast on the floor in a slant. Despite being the start of autumn, there was not a tinge of cold.
“Yi Tang Yao, apologise to Wei Tao!”
Cheng Yuan pushed aside the crowd of girls, striding upright towards Yi Tang Yao, whose lips pressed tightly together. “What rights do you have to just thoughtlessly hit people?!” The wound on her forehead was still pulsating in pain. She seriously hates the guts out of this nefarious, spoiled brat.
With her on the forefront, the morale of the cla.s.s was instantly boosted. In Sheng Yu, Cheng Yuan is the epitome of justice.
Yi Tang Yao slowly turned his head, his cold gaze directed towards Cheng Yuan.
“Like this is any of your f.u.c.king business.”
He actually swore!
The girls clasped their gaping mouths in shock.
Xiao Mi stood quietly amidst the crowd. Her heart was seized in knots, taut and tense. She could hear Wei Guo Guo’s loathful voice towards him; feel the gazes of detest from her cla.s.smates. She bit her lip, afraid of breathing heavily. A feeling of melancholy cascaded through her blood.
Yi,
Is he really an angel?
He resembles more of a demon, a bad tempered demon. He has a really foul temper, do you know that? He threw basketb.a.l.l.s at his cla.s.smates. Wei Tao had been beaten to a pathetic state, and Cheng Yuan’s forehead was bleeding from getting hit.
Yet, he did not apologise.
He didn’t say the reason as to why he would fly into a rage either.
But—
He looked really forsaken……
Just like that time, I threw a tantrum and quarreled with you before turning to leave. Even when you shouted my name behind me, I adamantly ignored you. Heehee, do you still remember? Actually, I didn’t walk far. I hid in a corner and peeked at you. I wanted to know if you would be really upset……
You remained standing on the original spot desolately.
The setting sun pulled at your shadow, extending it at an angle.
You stood there, and did not leave for a very very long time, as if you wanted to stand there waiting for me for ages and ages……
“Wei Tao was right.” Cheng Yuan stared at Yi Tang Yao. “You are trash!”
The entire cla.s.s fell into an uproar.
They had never heard Cheng Yuan speak to anyone with this kind of tone. She had always treated people with distance, and had never been overly close. Naturally, she would never use such harsh words on anyone.
Yi Tang Yao suddenly erupted in rage!
“What did you say?!”
“I said you’re trash! You can’t do anything, you let others take care of everything for you. You can’t even make it to 400m in running!” Cheng Yuan looked at him with disdain. “What are you staring at me for, did I say anything wrong? Can you only use a basketball to hit people? Can you actually shoot? Even if I let you fire ten shots, you probably can’t get any in!”
Yi Tang Yao swung his palm.
“Piack—“
A sonorous slap struck on Cheng Yuan’s cheek! Her face reeled from the hit, her hair scattered in a disheveled mess across her face. Wisps of blood budded from the corner of her lip.
Everyone was stupefied.
“You’ve really gone overboard!”
Xiao Mi couldn’t stop herself from rushing out to support Cheng Yuan. Her hands trembling, she wiped off the blood on her lip. Then, she spun around to yell at Yi Tang Yao. “Just now, the basketball you threw injured her to the point of bleeding, and now you hit her again. Don’t you know that you’ve gone too far like this?”
Yi Tang Yao laughed scornfully, snagging up a basketball to spin it on his fingertip. “Oh? Another swordswoman who can’t stand to see injustice? You must have all watched too many martial arts films.”
“Just apologise to Cheng Yuan and Wei Tao.” Xiao Mi bit her lip. If he would just apologise, he may still be forgiven.
Apologise……?
Yi Tang Yao threw back his head in laughter.
His laughter contained arrogance and extremity. G.o.d has never apologized to him, why must he do the same for others?! In his dictionary, these two words don’t exist.
“Unless I die.”
That unrestrained sneer returned to the corner of Yi Tang Yao’s lips.
Xiao Mi stared at him intently, and breathed out. “Would you only apologise upon dying?”
“You guys can start dreaming, when I die.”
Yi Tang Yao’s gaze was icily cold.
“Xiao Mi, talking to this sc.u.m, is akin preaching to deaf ears!” Cheng Yuan wiped her lip with the back of her hand, and raised her head towards Yi Tang Yao. “Someone like you, would surely be punished by G.o.d.”
Xiao Mi’s body shook.
She suddenly spun her head towards Cheng Yuan fearfully. “Don’t……” She glanced at the indifferent Yi Tang Yao, and then at the infuriated Cheng Yuan. She quietly clenched her fist, nails digging into her flesh. Then, this is the only thing to do.
“I’m sorry.”
The court during noon.
With its blue sky, ivory clouds and vibrant sunlight.
A breeze drifted past the lush field, as orange basketb.a.l.l.s rolled silently on the floor. A far distance away was the ebullient atmosphere of other cla.s.ses playing ball, running around during Physical Ed. At close proximity, the students of second cla.s.s World Commerce all let out startled gasps in disbelief.
In front of her cla.s.s.
Shrouded in her white sports tee, Xiao Mi bowed deeply towards Cheng Yuan. Her head was hung low; her threads of short hair unable to conceal her flaming cheeks.
* * * To Be Continued * * *