Chapter 8: The Engagement

Yu Qingman's accusations cut deep, her voice trembling with rage as she refused to hear me out. My anger, bottled up for too long, finally broke free. "Can you be reasonable for once? Nothing happened between me and Fu Xiaoya! Why would I frame her?"

I didn't say the rest: if Xiaoya got convicted, the stain of that night at the Xiangyang Inn would mark me for life, a shadow I'd carry into college, into my future. Would Qingman really destroy me just to get back at her?

"Really… nothing?" Her tone softened, her eyes searching mine for the truth.

"You should know this—Fu Xiaoya has always despised me. In her eyes, I'm worse than a dog." The words spilled out, raw and unstoppable. "Ever since she and her mother moved into our house, everything changed. She hits me whenever she wants, curses me like it's nothing—and my dad just lets it happen. They both treat me like crap. Every day, I'm walking on glass. It's hell. You have loving parents. You're the apple of their eye. You can't imagine how hard this is for me."

The pain, the humiliation, poured out, and before I knew it, tears rolled down my cheeks, hot and shameful. I hadn't meant to break like this, not in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Qingman whispered, her voice softening into a fragile thread. "I shouldn't have slapped you. And I definitely shouldn't have made you cry." She reached out, her delicate hand gently wiping my tears, her touch warm against my skin.

"My family isn't as perfect as you think," she said quietly. "Sometimes… it feels like a cage too."

I stayed silent, thinking she was just trying to comfort me. Then she took my hand, her fingers small but firm, and led me deeper into the grove, toward an old stone monument etched with "Yucai Forest." The fading sunlight filtered through the trees, casting her in a golden glow.

"Zhou Yan… I want to be with you," she said, her voice trembling but sure. "I can't fight this feeling anymore." Her arms slipped under mine, wrapping around me, her head resting against my neck. The scent of her hair—sweet, intoxicating—wrapped around me like a spell.

And yet, in that moment, I thought of Fu Xiaoya. Her hug was different—fiercer, hotter, like fire that burned and consumed. Qingman felt fragile, delicate, like she might break. Why the hell was I comparing them? I cursed myself, hating the part of me that couldn't let Xiaoya go, even now.

I hugged Qingman back, letting the joy of her words fill the hollow spaces in my chest. She tilted her head up, her breath warm against my skin. "Let's get into Pingchuan University together. Leave all this behind. Hold hands in a city far away."

"Yes," I said, nodding, lost in her bright eyes.

"But… why Pingchuan?"

"I'm not telling you," she teased, her smile playful as she let go.

And then—a figure darted out from behind the monument. A scrawny boy, grinning like a hyena, flipping us off before bolting. We knew him. Everyone did. Monkey—bottom of the class, a troublemaker who smoked, drank, and skipped school like it was a sport. Lately, he'd been running with Qin Shaohu, the school bully who strutted campus like a king, picking on anyone who followed the rules.

Getting caught by Monkey didn't faze me. Let him be jealous. But Qingman panicked, grabbing my arm. "Zhou Yan—we need to go. Now."

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, just walked faster, her face pale. We barely cleared the grove before Qin Shaohu appeared, three guys at his back, Monkey among them. Shaohu towered over everyone, his face hard, eyes glinting with malice. He was here for me.

My stomach dropped, my heart pounding so loud it echoed in my ears. Qingman threw her arms out, shielding me. "Qin Shaohu! What do you want?!"

"What do I want?" He sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Manman, you've got some nerve. Our families arranged our engagement when we were kids. We're supposed to make it official this summer. And you're sneaking around with this loser? You've disgraced the Qin family!"

His words hit like a lightning bolt. Engaged? Yu Qingman and Qin Shaohu? Why hadn't she told me? Then it clicked—her dad was old classmates with the police chief. Shaohu was the chief's son, the untouchable prince of this school, his power absolute.

"I don't like you!" Qingman shouted, her voice trembling but fierce. "That engagement means nothing! I will never marry you!"

"You think you have a choice?" Shaohu's face twisted with rage. He waved his hand. "Boys! Get her out of the way. Time to teach this bastard a lesson."

"No—!" Qingman screamed, struggling as they dragged her aside.

Shaohu lunged, his foot slamming into my stomach like a sledgehammer. Air exploded from my lungs, and I doubled over, clutching my gut. Then the fists came, blow after blow, kick after kick. Blood gushed from my nose and mouth, pain tearing through every inch of me. Minutes—or hours—later, I lay crumpled on the ground, my vision swimming, breathing a jagged effort.

Qingman sobbed, thrashing against the hands holding her, but she couldn't stop it. Couldn't stop them from beating me like a dog.

Finally, Shaohu had enough. He lit a cigarette, crouched, and sneered down at me. "Zhou Yan. You? And Manman? Dream on. A toad like you doesn't get to touch a swan. You won't even make it to the college entrance exam—I'll make sure of that." He blew smoke in my face, grinning. "I'm busy for now. But after finals? I'll find you. Beat you every time I see you. Until you crawl out of Dong'an County like the mangy stray you are. And that slut Fu Xiaoya—she dared to hit Manman? She's dead. If she thinks getting off this time means she's safe, she's dumber than I thought. I'll make sure she rots in prison."

Her name snapped something inside me. "Don't you f***ing touch my sister!" I roared, my voice raw, blood dripping onto the dirt.

"You?" He laughed, spat on me, and kicked me twice more for good measure. "I'll do more than touch her. I'll take her. And her mother too."

He spat again, then strolled off with his thugs, dragging Qingman with them, her tear-streaked face glancing back at me until she vanished into the dusk.

I lay there, staring at the burning clouds in the evening sky, pain pulsing through me. Why was it always me? Always crushed, always the punching bag. My broken family had made me weak, timid, a coward who never fought back.

No more.

Something stirred deep inside—a fire, small but growing. I would change.

I dragged myself to the water room, splashing cold water on my face, washing away the blood until I could think straight. Report it? Pointless. Shaohu's father was the police chief. They'd cover for him, maybe even lock me up for fun. And I still had to take the College entrance exam, my only way out.

I went back to class, slid into my seat at the back, and opened my workbook, pretending everything was normal. Evening self-study ticked by, the room quiet except for the scratch of pens. Qingman never came back. Good. Without her, my heart was calm.

But then I thought of Fu Xiaoya. The calm shattered. Shaohu was after her, his threats ringing in my ears. Should I warn her? After everything—her betrayal, her violence—did she deserve it? I hated her, but the memory of her hug, her scent, her fierce eyes, clawed at me. She was a storm, but she was also trapped, just like me.

I closed my book, my hands trembling. The fire in my chest burned hotter. I'd find her—not to save her, but to prove I wasn't the coward she thought I was. To prove I could face her, face Shaohu, face this whole damn town. The college entrance exam was coming, but so was a fight—one I couldn't run from anymore.