Chapter 51

Every school has its share of troublemakers. Even though Dai Ning’s high school had a solid academic atmosphere, it was no exception to this rule.

Curiously, the “boss” of Fengming Ninth High wasn’t the tough-looking Li Hu, who seemed more suited for the role, but a girl who admired him—Zhang Youying.

Dai Ning didn’t know Zhang Youying, but Qingtuan had been eavesdropping on gossip for a few days and knew all about her.

Zhang Youying came from a well-off family. Her grades were as terrible as Dai Ning’s—utterly hopeless. Rumor had it that she’d had a crush on Li Hu since middle school. Unfortunately, even though they were almost in their senior year, Li Hu never reciprocated her feelings. Not only was he indifferent, but he also seemed annoyed by her. Yet Zhang Youying was unwavering in her affection. She couldn’t tolerate anyone speaking ill of him; if anyone dared to criticize Li Hu in her presence, she would settle it with her fists.

For a girl to secure the title of “school bully,” it wasn’t just because of her intimidating demeanor but also the fierce loyalty of her followers.

All this was information Qingtuan had hurriedly relayed when Dai Ning was blocked after school one day.

For all of Qingtuan’s other shortcomings, its gossip game was top-notch!

Dai Ning glanced at the group of girls in front of her.

They were all wearing school uniforms, though their expressions were far from friendly. The girl standing at the forefront—clearly Zhang Youying—was sizing up Dai Ning as well.

Dai Ning looked up at her.

Zhang Youying had a plain face, with only a pair of sharp, slanted almond eyes standing out. Her gaze was piercing, exuding a sense of authority rarely seen in girls. She was striking, though not necessarily for her looks.

Zhang Youying’s height alone—at an imposing 1.8 meters—made her stand out.

At 1.66 meters, Dai Ning was completely overshadowed. For the first time, the heiress had to look up at another girl. It was a novel experience.

“You’re Chen Dai Dai?” Zhang Youying asked.

Her voice was low, with a hint of androgyny. It wasn’t unpleasant but combined with her commanding presence, it was no wonder most guys couldn’t handle her. It also explained why five or six years of pining after Li Hu had been fruitless.

Dai Ning nodded. “That’s me. And you are?”

Before Zhang Youying could answer, one of her “followers” interjected, “This is Sister Ying! You’d better stay away from Brother Hu. He belongs to her! Just look at you, with your fox-like face, seducing Brother Hu. Have you no shame?”

Dai Ning blinked innocently, then turned to Qingtuan with a cheerful grin. “Aren’t they funny? They’re so jealous, but they act all righteous. And hey, she even called me pretty!”

Qingtuan was panicking—pretty?! This was clearly an insult! What was Dai Ning even smiling about? This was the infamous horror of school bullying!

Zhang Youying silenced the girl with a glance.

“I’m Zhang Youying. Let’s talk,” she said.

Though anger simmered beneath the surface, Zhang Youying kept it restrained. She had known Li Hu for years, practically growing up together. After liking him for so long, she knew him well—well enough to know he would never go out of his way for anyone. Yet lately, rumors abounded that he had taken a peculiar interest in Dai Ning.

Zhang Youying hadn’t believed it. Li Hu was far too proud to grovel for a girl’s attention. But during today’s gym class, she had seen it for herself—Li Hu feeding Dai Ning.

The two stepped onto a tree-lined path to talk.

Zhang Youying studied the girl in front of her. Dai Ning was beautiful, breathtakingly so—the most stunning person Zhang Youying had ever seen. Her soft, doe-like eyes radiated innocence and charm. It wasn’t hard to see why Li Hu would be smitten.

Zhang Youying’s statement was concise. “I like Li Hu. Stay away from him, or I’ll get angry.”

Dai Ning tilted her head. “What happens if you get angry? Will you hit me?”

Despite her annoyance, Zhang Youying found it hard to dislike the delicate face before her. Even as a girl, she felt reluctant to ruin such beauty.

Still, to maintain her authority, she said, “Yes.”

Dai Ning burst into laughter. She plucked a leaf from a nearby branch and toyed with it. “If you like him, you should pursue him. Why come warn me? If you win him over, that’s your ability. If you don’t, that’s on you. If he comes to me, I can’t exactly tell him to go away, can I?”

Zhang Youying frowned, feeling affronted. Did Dai Ning think she hadn’t tried? After years of effort with no results, chasing away girls like Dai Ning was her only option.

With a playful tone, Dai Ning offered advice: “You’re so cool. If Li Hu doesn’t like you, why not just hit him? If one beating doesn’t work, try two. Maybe then he’ll fall for you.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Nope.” Dai Ning seemed genuinely confused. “I don’t compliment people often. Does it sound like I’m mocking you?”

It did. It absolutely did. Only Qingtuan might believe Dai Ning was sincere.

Dai Ning, meanwhile, envied Zhang Youying’s height. How cool would it be to be 1.8 meters tall? If she were that height, she’d love to try knocking down those overbearing “protagonists” with one punch. Alas, in a crowd of nearly 1.9-meter-tall boys, she was just a dainty, fragile “weakling.”

Zhang Youying clenched her fist and punched the tree behind Dai Ning, her expression full of warning.

Dai Ning’s eyes sparkled. In a chipper tone, she said, “My first time being ‘pinned’ by a girl!”

Zhang Youying was speechless. She was furious but couldn’t bring herself to strike. She rarely got into fights anyway, despite her “school boss” reputation.

“No matter what he does, stay away from him,” Zhang Youying said before turning to leave.

As she disappeared into the distance, Qingtuan finally let out a sigh of relief. Dai Ning was too bold for her own good. At least she hadn’t gotten hit.

Dai Ning shook her head. “It’s not over.”

Sure enough, just before she reached the school gates, Zhang Youying’s “followers” ambushed her again at a flowerbed.

This time, they surrounded Dai Ning, one of them declaring, “Sister Ying told us to teach you a lesson!”

Dai Ning examined them calmly. “This isn’t about her, is it? You’re all just using her name to get back at me because you like Li Hu too. Right?”

Her words struck a nerve, and their faces darkened.

“Enough talk. Let’s take her picture and see if she dares seduce Brother Hu again,” one of them suggested, pulling out a phone as another reached for Dai Ning’s uniform.

Dai Ning’s expression cooled. She despised bullying, especially the kind that humiliated girls.

These campus bullies truly deserved to be dealt with.

She shifted her phone in her bag and asked Qingtuan, “Is Chen Jing here yet?”

Qingtuan, panicked to its core, quickly scanned the area. “He is! He came rushing in after hearing your call. He’ll be here in thirty seconds!”

Dai Ning’s gaze returned to the girls. She didn’t struggle as they grabbed her arm, fearing they might hurt her. Someone tugged at her uniform, revealing the pale pink underneath.

Seeing her impressive figure, the girls seethed with jealousy.

Hmph, just a vixen trying to ensnare Brother Hu!

Dai Ning stood motionless, letting them do as they pleased. Come on, try me! I, Ji Dai Ning, have never been afraid of anyone!

Feeling that things were about to go too far, Dai Ning finally made a token effort to resist.

The group of girls had already found it strange that she hadn’t been fighting back. In situations like this, every other victim they’d targeted would struggle desperately. Now that Dai Ning moved, they sneered triumphantly—finally, she’s scared! They planned to escalate things soon.

But the next moment, before they could react, a force sent them flying, landing them several feet away across the flowerbed.

What happened was so sudden that the girls couldn’t even comprehend it before a sharp pain spread through their backs and stomachs. Writhing on the ground, they curled up in agony, tears streaming down their faces.

The only one still standing was Dai Ning, who looked at the newcomer with tearful eyes.

“Boohoo… Brother!”

Chen Jing’s expression was dark and terrifying as he approached and pulled Dai Ning’s clothes back into place, covering her exposed skin.

The girl appeared shaken, on the verge of tears. She hesitated to throw herself into his arms, recalling his lecture about the differences between men and women. Instead, she stood pitifully still, her face full of suppressed emotion.

Chen Jing lowered his eyes and tied the ribbon at her collar with his long, deft fingers. Once finished, he hugged her gently.

Finally, Dai Ning wrapped her arms around his neck and began sobbing softly.

This was the first time in Chen Jing’s life that he had ever hit a woman.

He patted his little sister’s head, then let go of her. His gaze turned icy as he recalled the conversation he overheard on the phone. He walked over to the group of girls still sprawled on the ground.

Chen Jing raised his hand and, with swift precision, slapped each of them across the face.

The loud, sharp sound was startling even to Dai Ning, who winced as she covered her teary eyes. Peeking through her fingers, she thought, Wow, that looks like it hurts so much!

These girls, who had grown used to bullying others without consequence, had never faced such a crushing defeat. Each slap left their faces stinging and even drew blood.

Unable to endure the pain, one of them burst into tears on the spot.

Dai Ning despised them. She ran over to deliver a few kicks herself, aiming at each of them in turn.

Chen Jing didn’t stop her. He let her vent her anger freely. His hands trembled slightly with fury. If he had been even a little later, the consequences for Dai Ning could have been unthinkable.

These girls were rotten to the core, and he had no intention of letting them off lightly.

Meanwhile, Dai Ning rummaged through their phones, deleting every incriminating photo and video she could find. As expected, there were plenty of images of other victims—all of them pretty girls.

Once she erased everything, she angrily gave each of them another kick.

“Useless trash!” she scolded. “Even I’m not this wicked! At least I never bully good girls!”

The girls lay on the ground, unable to move, too exhausted to even cry properly. For the first time, they felt the full weight of what it meant to be on the receiving end of violence.

“Just wait until you’re expelled next week!” Dai Ning declared with finality. “Come on, Brother, let’s go.”

Chen Jing cast a cold, knife-like glance at the girls before turning away. They didn’t dare lift their heads. Earlier, they had assumed Dai Ning came from an ordinary background. They even saw the note from her brother. But now, they knew the truth. That brother of hers? He was terrifyingly strong.

Satisfied that Dai Ning had vented her anger and seemed less upset, Chen Jing led her away.

That night, back home, Chen Jing was quieter and more tense than ever.

He had already been agitated earlier in the day when Teacher Mao called to report Dai Ning’s behavior. Skipping his boxing match, he headed straight to the school to pick her up. After all, this “problematic little sister” either needed proper discipline or serious help.

But then, midway through, he received her call.

The chaos of female voices on the other end immediately made his expression darken.

Chen Jing was relieved Dai Ning had the sense to call him and avoided being hurt further. But the mere thought of what could have happened had he arrived later filled him with a simmering, almost uncontrollable rage.

The image of her earlier, with teary eyes and her clothes half-pulled off, haunted him.

Since the age of sixteen, Chen Jing had sworn to protect the women in his family from even the slightest harm. This was the first time anyone had dared hurt Dai Ning under his watch.

It wasn’t just anger he felt—he wanted to destroy those despicable creatures entirely.

Dai Ning, noticing his tense posture and murderous aura, hugged herself on the sofa, curling into a small, pitiful ball. Her demeanor screamed “traumatized victim.”

Chen Jing, concerned, forced himself to calm down. He stroked her soft hair gently. “Were you scared?”

Dai Ning nodded, sniffling. “It’s a good thing you came, Brother.”

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Years ago, at sixteen, Chen Jing had been the savior of his mother and sister, wielding a knife to protect them. Now, his words carried the same weight—they marked him as Dai Ning’s guardian angel.

For the first time, Dai Ning caught a trace of tenderness in his usually cold, gruff voice. With tears still clinging to her lashes, she held his index finger tightly.

“I’ll always believe in you, Brother.”

Her soft grasp made Chen Jing’s finger tremble ever so slightly.