After she was forcefully dragged into the shadows, the hands on her shoulders loosened, but the scene in front of her still flew past at high speed, blurring and twisting into distorted colors.

The culprit behind all of this was the heavy laptop in her bag, weighing her down like a block of iron and pulling her backward with its inertia—there was no way she could keep her footing.

In that critical moment, Xia Fu only thought of her precious laptop.

She turned slightly, slumping her shoulders so the bag straps would slip down, trying to cradle the laptop, using herself as a cushion.

“Thud!”

Her back slammed into a rough concrete pillar, the dull sound echoing as she finally managed to stand her ground.

The pain was intense—she must have scraped something without noticing, and her skin burned with a searing sting. She gasped, clutching her backpack tightly and looked ahead.

The person who dragged her was standing nearby, arms crossed, watching her leisurely, with a mocking, cold expression.

“Weren’t you the one running so fast after class? What’s the matter? Can’t even stand steady now? Have you been playing too hard with that rich kid?”

She didn’t need to see his face under the dim light—Xia Fu recognized his voice right away.

It was Bao Zhiwei.

The wisteria in the garden had been growing for years, with vines twisting down from the corridor, cloaking the area in darkness. She hadn’t noticed the man hiding in the corner.

He was like a praying mantis lurking in the shadows, motionless.

Xia Fu’s face turned pale as she stammered, “Bao… Bao Zhiwei, is something wrong? Did you need something urgent?”

“Why am I looking for you? Don’t you know?”

Bao Zhiwei let out a low, contemptuous chuckle, stepping out of the shadows. The pale night light cast an eerie glow on his face, making him look like a ghoul risen from hell.

Xia Fu took a deep breath, forcing an innocent smile and trying to communicate with him as usual, but her voice couldn’t help trembling.

“I… I don’t know. If there’s an issue, we can talk in class tomorrow. It’s late now, and it’s not a good idea to be here.”

People looking for a peaceful breakup don’t bring a knife. People with urgent business don’t block a girl’s path on her way to the dorm.

Xia Fu understood this clearly. Her wide eyes blinked in panic, searching desperately for a path back to her dorm.

But the corridor was narrow, built for sightseeing, and all Bao Zhiwei had to do was shift his body slightly to block the light from the dorm.

“Class? Would talking to you in class have worked? I see you stick to that rich guy as if you don’t want to be separated for a second.”

In class, his snake-like, cold gaze had fixated on her, seeing through her small thoughts. At this moment, her stalling tactic backfired.

Bao Zhiwei approached her with a sneer, watching her trembling appearance as he raised his voice.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid? Back when we used to work together, didn’t I walk you back to the dorm every night? Didn’t we walk this path many times? Why are you scared now?”

“I printed out materials from the senior students for you, I helped you fix every detail, I greeted you every morning and night, I was the first to think of you for class events, bringing you along to earn practice credits… I even took good photos of you, complimented you. Didn’t I treat you well?! And what did you do in return? What the hell are you hiding from?!”

Listing his efforts, Bao Zhiwei’s face flushed, his chest heaving with anger, making him seem like the most wronged person in the world.

But it wasn’t like that.

Xia Fu knew it wasn’t like that.

He brought her materials, and she spent sleepless nights adjusting models, working until dawn.

When he messaged her, she always replied with patience.

The class activity was organized by the class president, and she did her best for the rewards…

Xia Fu had a response for every word he said, but under extreme fear, she could only hold her laptop tighter, stammering an apology.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You misunderstood. I didn’t mean that…”

“I really appreciate everything you helped me with, and I tried my best to repay you, but I didn’t like that photo… it made me feel afraid.”

Just like when she faced her furious grandmother who used to hit her—was she at fault? She just didn’t like him, that’s all.

And yet, that alone was enough to enrage Bao Zhiwei.

“Repay? What did you ever repay me with?!”

“Your repayment is meeting a richer guy and kicking me aside? Labeling me a pervert and complaining to the counselor, saying I harassed you?”

Before, he had thought of her as shy and reserved, someone he could mold. Now, he only saw her timid appearance as disgraceful and resentful.

Women were parasites clinging to men! Thankfully, he had always maintained his reputation, winning Counselor Jiang’s trust and preserving his evaluation status.

She’d just cautioned him to handle relationships well and sent him out of the office.

Now, this was Bao Zhiwei’s time to handle things privately.

“You little b*tch!”

He cursed, raising his hand high.

The thick, hairy hand came down like a whip, slapping her across the face with a loud “smack.”

She fell to the ground, like a torn piece of paper, making no sound, unable to react under his unreasonable violence.

Bao Zhiwei’s palm stung, but the silence brought him satisfaction. Perhaps his questioning had just been an outlet for his anger—he didn’t want to hear her pathetic defense.

For this kind of woman, crying and screaming were the only fitting responses.

“Can’t say anything now, can you? Think of it as a lesson.”

He laughed, raising his hand again, indifferent to any punishment that might come his way. To him, the university didn’t care about “relationship arguments.”

Besides, that couple nearby? Bao Zhiwei had overheard their entire argument.

That woman must be a b*tch too, blaming the “cheater” after reading a news story where a man stabbed his unfaithful partner. She scolded her boyfriend, demanding the man should be sentenced to death and asking if her boyfriend would hurt her.

Annoyed, the boyfriend agreed with Bao Zhiwei, defending the man and saying such matters deserved leniency.

The two started arguing.

So, no one would help Xia Fu.

Xia Fu had never experienced such harm. Her cheek felt branded with a searing pain, her teeth cutting her lip, filling her mouth with the taste of blood.

Her ears buzzed, and her vision went blank for a moment. The intense pain blurred her mind.

Why?

It wasn’t her fault. Why was she being hit?

Where was that couple? Why wouldn’t anyone help her?

Help me! Somebody, help me!

Xia Fu clung to her laptop, crying out in a desperate plea.

Bao Zhiwei’s raised voice caught the couple’s attention. The woman, relying on her boyfriend in that moment, whispered timidly.

“It sounds like a girl is crying… Should we go check?”

Her boyfriend dismissed her with a scoff. “What’s there to see? It’s probably just a cheating situation; keep out of other people’s business!” It seemed he took this as a teaching moment.

“But hitting someone isn’t right…”

“Let’s go!”

The girl tried to hold her ground, but her boyfriend pulled her away.

Their departing footsteps filled Xia Fu with despair.

…Why?

Wasn’t she good enough? Aside from studying, she was good for nothing else. She’d finally made it into her dream university, only to be labeled as a “cheater” and “deserved to be hit.”

Xia Fu’s gaze grew dim.

Everything was under his control. Bao Zhiwei sneered. “Stop wailing like a banshee!”

Xia Fu clung to her laptop in the corner, curled up like a pangolin, her legs too weak to run, trying to protect her insides.

Bao Zhiwei found her pathetic. “Get up!” He reached for her bag strap, yanking it away, intending to strip away her last shield.

My laptop!

Xia Fu, previously lifeless, widened her eyes, every muscle tensing. Her thin fingers gripped the bag tightly as she screamed at Bao Zhiwei.

“No! No, not that! Give it back to me.”

This was her precious item, her hope for income, containing Fang Jingcheng’s pricey contract, Xia Fu’s final boundary!

But her strength was no match. Bao Zhiwei easily wrenched the bag from her.

Like a parent snatching a cherished doll from a child, he tossed it aside, letting it smash to the ground.

“Clack,” went the sound of delicate electronics colliding with the hard cement. It was Xia Fu’s broken sob that echoed next.

Unforgivable.

Unforgivable.

Unforgivable!!! She would never forgive him!

Xia Fu faced away from him, and Bao Zhiwei didn’t notice her hatred. He grinned, stepping closer to see her wretched expression.

And he did.

Under the pale moonlight, Xia Fu suddenly stood up. Her messy hair framed her pale face, streaked with tears, and her black eyes glinted fiercely.

No one would help her. She had to find a way herself!

“You damn bastard.”

Xia Fu gripped her broken laptop tightly, swinging her arm to smash it onto Bao Zhiwei’s head.

It was a heavy iron-like block, weighing almost five pounds, as powerful as a hammer when swung—

“Thunk!”

He looked at her in disbelief, his large, bulky frame swaying before collapsing. Crimson blood slowly seeped from the corner of his forehead, staining the ground like dark ink.