Chapter 54 : A Secret Lesson

Everyone could see Wang Haixia’s intention. Some were excited, some indifferent, and a few shouted anxiously, “Comrade Yun, get out of the way!”

Yun Siying dodged at the very last moment so swiftly that Wang Haixia couldn’t stop herself in time. Her body hurtled forward uncontrollably and crashed straight into the dense thorn bush. Her pupils widened in shock, and a piercing scream followed. “Ahhhh…”

The pain made her instinctively thrash around, but this only made things worse. More pain shot through her body, and her screams became shrill and unrelenting like some sort of eerie wail. Even villagers some distance away from the Youth House could hear it.

“Where is that scream coming from? It sounds awful!”

“Seems like it’s from the Youth House. Who knows what those educated youths are up to now?”

“Let’s go check. I just hope they’re not making trouble for the brigade again.”

The villagers all ran toward the Youth House, curious to see what was happening. Ever since the educated youths had joined the team, there seemed to be drama every now and then, making life in the village more eventful.

When they arrived and saw Wang Haixia’s pitiful state, several female educated youths helped pull her out of the thorn bush with great effort. They were shocked at the sight of her face, scratched by thorns but thankfully, none of the wounds were deep. Her body was also covered in scratches, and her clothes were torn in multiple places.

“Wang Haixia, your face is scratched. Do you want to go to the hospital?” Wang Panpan asked. Looking at her miserable condition, she felt both pity and scorn. Wang Haixia did like Nangong Ruochen, that was fine. She could have pursued him openly. But why target Yun Siying? She hadn’t done anything other than be close to him. Was that a crime?

“That can’t be!” When Wang Haixia heard that her face was scratched, fear of disfigurement surged through her. She rushed into her room despite the pain. Seeing her reflection and the thin, bloody scratches on her face, her hatred for Yun Siying exploded. She wasn’t particularly attractive to begin with, now, after her time in the countryside, she was tanned and rough-skinned. And these new scars? Who knew if they would even heal properly. Her clothes were torn too. It was heartbreaking.

Clutching all the money she had, she stormed out and glared furiously at Yun Siying. “Yun Siying, you hurt me like this. Shouldn’t you send me to the hospital?”

“Everyone here, please be my witness. I didn’t even touch her clothes. She ran into the thorn bush on her own,” Yun Siying said, rolling her eyes.

“I can testify for Siying,” said Nangong Ruochen, stepping forward first, his gaze toward Wang Haixia cold and unkind.

“I can also testify for Yun Siying,” said Han Yuecheng. Chen Banghua, Lin Zikang, Li Zhengyang, and several others all voiced their willingness to testify as well.

“If you hadn’t dodged, how would I have ended up in the thorn bush? It’s all your fault, you have to take responsibility for my injuries!” Wang Haixia shouted unreasonably. She had no intention of paying for her own medical treatment.

“Hah! What kind of bandit logic is that? So according to you, I should’ve just stood there and let you scratch me up?” Yun Siying stared at the battered and shameless girl, feeling as if she’d just fended off a wild dog.

“If you hadn’t spread rumors about me, I wouldn’t have lost control and attacked you in the first place,” Wang Haixia declared confidently. The villagers who had just arrived were stunned by her twisted reasoning. Weren’t educated youths supposed to be the refined, intellectual type? How could she be acting more unreasonable than Ergou’s mom in the village?

“What nonsense!” Yun Siying snapped, glaring at her with fury. “You got hurt because you acted impulsively. What does that have to do with me?”

Wang Haixia was at a loss for words, unable to respond. She hadn’t expected Yun Siying to be so assertive.

The surrounding villagers shook their heads, clearly disapproving of Wang Haixia’s behavior.

“Wang Haixia, that’s enough!” Li Zhengyang stepped forward and said sternly, “This matter has already become too much of a spectacle. Do you think our Youth Home hasn’t lost enough face already?”

“I won’t let it go! Not unless Yun Siying pays for all my medical expenses,” Wang Haixia declared, looking around at everyone in the Youth Home. But no one stood up to support her.

“What exactly do you want?” Yun Siying couldn’t help but admire how shameless this person was.

“Siying, no matter what, Comrade Wang’s injury was caused because of you. You have plenty of money just give her some. Why escalate things like this?” Shu Ruxue spoke from under the eaves, her speech slightly lisping.

“Shu Ruxue, her injury has nothing to do with me. Everyone here is a witness, don’t go around falsely accusing people. You’d better be careful… Also, even if I have money, it’s mine. Since when is it your place to tell me how to spend it? You act so righteously, if the bank has so much money, why don’t you go take some out and hand it around?” Yun Siying glared at Shu Ruxue. Apparently, the lesson she gave her earlier in the day hadn’t been enough. Now she was jumping out again.

She used her mental powers, and suddenly, several roof tiles came crashing down above Shu Ruxue’s head, one after another, landing on her left shoulder. There was a loud crack, followed by a shriek of pain. “Ah!”

“Oh dear! Shu Ruxue, I warned you not to do evil things. See what happens…” Yun Siying watched the scene unfold with a satisfied smile. She had deliberately avoided Shu Ruxue’s head, she wasn’t planning to kill her at least not yet.

“Ruxue, why are you hurt again?” Shen Subai asked with concern, thinking that everything that had happened today was too strange.

“Brother Subai, I can’t lift my arm. Is it broken?” Shu Ruxue was genuinely frightened, and tears streamed down her face.

“It’s okay. Let’s get you to the hospital,” Shen Subai said, recalling that he had borrowed ten yuan from the Li couple at noon. Now he had only five yuan left, he wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

“Thank you, Brother Subai. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know what to do.” Shu Ruxue’s eyes were full of dependence and trust. If Nangong Ruochen hadn’t been there, she probably would’ve been throwing glances at him instead.

“Wait here, I’ll go borrow a bicycle from the village chief,” Shen Subai said and quickly left the Youth Courtyard. The villagers made way for him as he passed.

“Yun Siying, give me the money. I want to go to the hospital now.” Wang Haixia no longer dared to delay, afraid that if she waited too long her face would be permanently scarred.

“Comrade Wang, if you keep making trouble, I’ll report you to the police for extortion,” Yun Siying said coldly. Her sharp, intense gaze was like a bottomless black hole, enough to terrify anyone.

Under the pressure of that look, Wang Haixia instinctively stepped back. She was afraid Yun Siying really would report her to the police, and she didn’t dare take that risk. “Nangong Ruochen, I’m going to the county hospital. Let me borrow your bicycle.”

“Sorry, I can’t lend it to you,” Nangong Ruochen replied flatly. ‘You should be thankful I haven’t taught you a lesson,’ he thought. ‘Now you want to borrow my bike? Who do you think you are?’

Wang Haixia looked at Nangong Ruochen’s cold rejection and burst into tears, filled with grief and humiliation. Her eyes were full of blame and resentment. In the end, after Shen Subai returned with the borrowed bicycle, she left for the county hospital with him and Shu Ruxue.