The three aggressive boys, who had been so fierce moments before, were now utterly confused. Why had the older boy suddenly apologized? Maybe he was scared of their toughness!

Convinced they’d scared him, the three boys chuckled coldly, completely ignoring Shen Ji’s apology.

“What did you apologize for?” Yu Yingze asked, perplexed. “We had the upper hand! Worst case, we could’ve just fought them-I’m not scared!”

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Shen Ji’s lips. “Sometimes, apologizing doesn’t actually mean you’re sorry.”

“Huh?” Yu Yingze was baffled. The meaning behind those words was too deep for him.

The three boys, no longer paying attention to Shen Ji or Yu Yingze, picked up more stones and resumed their cruel game of throwing rocks at butterflies. As they grew bored of that, their attention shifted to a large nearby tree.

It was a massive tree, with rough bark and thick, sprawling branches. The boys decided to see who could climb the highest, turning it into a reckless competition.

Meanwhile, Shen Ji was kneeling to check the red mark on Yuanyuan’s forehead. Suddenly, cries of pain erupted from the base of the tree.

One shout, then two, then three…

Nearby children and parents, startled by the sudden wailing, turned to look.

The three boys had fallen from the tree. Their pants were torn, knees and legs scraped raw, and they lay on the ground, unable to get up.

“Hah! Crying already? How embarrassing!” Yu Yingze laughed, hands on his hips, feeling quite pleased.

Shen Ji let out a cold snort and returned to wiping Yuanyuan’s tear-streaked face. The situation seemed entirely predictable to him, as though he had anticipated it all along.

The three bawling boys struggled to their feet, faces covered in tears and snot, but that didn’t stop them from continuing their argument with Yu Yingze.

“You’re the embarrassing one, you big melon head!” Squinty Eyes wailed, tears mixing with his insults.

“Look who’s talking! Whoever cries is the most embarrassing! And whoever’s the shortest is the real melon head!” Yu Yingze shot back without hesitation, still not as sharp as Shen Ji but more than capable of handling kids his own age.

“Shut up! Don’t talk!” one of the boys screeched.

“If you say one more word, we’ll rip your mouth off!” they threatened, hobbling toward Yu Yingze with their scraped legs, their high-pitched voices grating on everyone’s ears.

Leading the charge, Squinty Eyes stumbled forward, fists flailing awkwardly toward Yu Yingze’s face.

Yu Yingze calmly stepped back. When Squinty Eye’s punch came close, he didn’t hesitate-one swift kick sent the boy sprawling on the ground.

The other two froze, surprised at how quickly their “leader” was taken down. They hesitated briefly before shouting and charging forward, but Yu Yingze didn’t flinch.

Being naturally athletic, Yu Yingze had no trouble dodging their weak punches. With practiced ease, he sent one punch to the left and another to the right, and both boys fell to the ground, howling in pain.

“Waaaaah!” The three boys were now crying even harder, nursing their fresh bruises as they lay on the ground.

More and more people began gathering to watch, just as a man and woman came rushing through the crowd, looking horrified at the sight of their children sprawled out and crying.

“Oh my baby, what happened?!” The woman’s voice was full of distress as she surveyed her son’s messy state. Then her gaze hardened, locking onto Yuanyuan and the others. “Did you hit them?”

Yuanyuan, wide-eyed and innocent, shook her head vigorously. “No, Yuanyuan didn’t hit anyone.”

The expression on her face was so sincere, it was hard to believe she was lying!

Yu Yingze and Shen Ji exchanged looks of disbelief. Neither of them had expected Yuanyuan to lie so easily- without even blinking!

Her little head tilted in confusion as she looked up at them, not understanding why they were staring at her like that.

Why were they looking at her like that? Yuanyuan hadn’t done anything wrong! It was Second Brother who had fought them, not her!