As Gong Chen cracked his whip, snowflakes sprinkled down through the night sky.
There was a whimper, as if someone was in sorrow, in the instant the snowflakes swirled in the air.
Lin Zhiyi collapsed to the ground upon hearing it, blood seeping from her back and staining her sweater red.
A moment of numbness, as if physically extracting her senses from her body, left her breathless.
Only when she felt suffocated did the pain begin to shudder through her entire body.
The flesh on her back felt as if it were being torn apart by someone, hurting so much she could only lie face down on the ground, clenching a handful of snow.
Even so, she did not cry or beg for mercy.
Slowly, she moved her arms, slowly pushing herself up.
"One," her lips trembled as she counted, "continue."
Her voice carried defiance and stubbornness, shocking even those in the Gong Family who usually looked down on her.