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I grabbed her hair and slapped her repeatedly from side to side, showing no mercy with each blow. The sound echoed like firecrackers, leaving all the thugs stunned. It wasn’t until Amelie started crying and screaming, “What are you all standing there for? Get her! All of you, pull her off me!” that they finally reacted.
The thugs rushed forward to separate us. Amelie covered her face, glaring at me intensely while shouting, “Beat her! Keep hitting her until she kneels and apologizes! Let’s see if she ever dares to mess with me again!”
With these people backing her up, she became arrogant once more. But she seemed to have forgotten who controlled these people in my previous life. As they drew closer, I bent down to pick up a piece of broken glass from the ground and pressed it against my own throat. I announced loudly, “Anyone who wants to risk a murder charge can step forward and try. This is an exam site with reporters everywhere outside. If I die here, it’ll make headlines across the city, even nationwide. The courts will punish you severely. Who do you think can protect you then?”
My words stopped the thugs in their tracks. They glanced at the crowds outside the alley and began to back away. I knew exactly what kind of people they were. I pressed the glass harder against my neck, drawing a cold trail of blood. Scanning their faces, I asked, “You want to try? Or maybe you?”
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The thugs immediately retreated, none daring to come near me. One of them said, “No, I was just kidding earlier!”
Another chimed in, “Yeah, you’re too pretty to do something like this!”
Amelie was completely dumbfounded. Desperately, she shoved one of the thugs forward, yelling, “Go get her! What are you afraid of?”
But the thug turned back and said, “Why don’t you do it yourself? You’ve got no skills but you’re always the loudest.”
Amelie was speechless after being shut down like that. She could only rush to block my path again. Through gritted teeth, she said, “You think you can just walk away today? You think I’ll let you go without telling the truth?”
I simply pointed at the bloodstained glass in my hand and said, “Want to try? I’ve already told you, there’s nothing between us anymore. If I really stab you to death, I won’t feel the slightest bit of guilt.”
She was terrified. Her previously flushed face turned pale instantly, and she obediently stepped aside. I gave a cold laugh and slowly walked out of the alley. However, just as I reached the entrance, another person blocked my way. This person had sharp, chiseled features. With a smirk, he said coldly, “You’re quite interesting.”
Hearing this, I nearly stabbed him with the glass shard out of fear. That appearance and tone of voice–even after dying twice,
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I couldn’t mistake it–it was Ryan. He continued, “So you’re the person my father assigned to me? You look decent enough and you’re interesting too. But I don’t think someone like you is fit to be my follower.”
I quickly denied it, saying, “No! You’ve got the wrong person.”
But he wouldn’t listen. He placed his hand directly on my shoulder and said coldly, “Tell me, how much do I need to pay you to stay far away from me and disappear forever?”
As he spoke, he squeezed my shoulder so hard that my bones cracked. With that strength, I was certain it was Ryan. Reacting to the pain, I instinctively struck back, slapping him hard across the face with a crisp, loud sound. I said, “You can be as arrogant as you want, but didn’t your father teach you not to hit women?”
That slap was something I’d held back for almost a lifetime. Honestly, if he weren’t so tall, I would have slapped him a few more times. Ryan had always been contemptuous of others since childhood, and this was the first time he’d ever been hit. He was instantly enraged.
He roared, “Amelie, are you tired of living? Do you really think my father arranged for you to come here to be my fiancée? Someone like you, to put it bluntly, is no different from an animal. Don’t think too highly of yourself!”
His voice was extremely loud, echoing throughout the alley. At that moment, Amelie frantically ran out from the alley, shouting as she ran, “Who? Who’s cursing at me? Insulting people out of nowhere- is something wrong with your brain? I haven’t done
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anything to anyone!”
As she spoke, she grabbed my hand. “Scarlett, are you really this heartless? We used to be friends, after all. Would it kill you to tell me what Ryan likes?”
She was like a clingy band–aid impossible to shake off. I directly pushed her toward Ryan’s feet and said, “The man himself is right here. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Although she had never met Ryan in person before, she had seen plenty of his photos recently and recognized him immediately. She stammered, “Hello, Ryan, I’m…”
Ryan, with an impatient expression, kicked her away. He said, “Who are you? Are we familiar? Don’t come near me.”
He stared at me, his eyes blazing with anger. “Amelie, let me tell you, after that slap you gave me, we’re completely finished!”
Amelie, sprawled on the ground, weakly raised her hand pointing at herself and said, “Ryan, it’s me! I’m Amelie, your fiancée. How would I dare to slap you? I’m naturally timid—I can’t even argue with people, let alone get physical.”
Her words immediately enraged Ryan. He kicked her again and said, “Can’t you talk normally? Opening and closing your mouth like a cartoon character–who do you think you are?”
“You say you’re Amelie, then who is she?” he asked, pointing at me. I chuckled lightly and said, “I’m just an ordinary student who just finished an exam. Not worth mentioning.”
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But Amelie, afraid I might steal her man, immediately jumped up from the ground and sidled up to Ryan, speaking in a coquettish voice, “By the way, Ryan, when did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me in advance? You even came specially to pick me up–how embarrassing.”
“Get away!” Ryan slapped her back with a swing of his hand, then told the gang of thugs, “Hold her down! If anyone lets this woman escape, I’ll break their legs!”
Then he slowly walked up to me and said in a condescending tone, “I just said I find you interesting. Would you tell me your name? I rarely ask people like this, so you should feel honored.”
I replied, “If I told you I don’t have a name, would you believe me?”
His expression froze. “What do you think?” he asked.
I said, “Well, do you think I look like a stand–up comedian or an
actress?”
He shook his head in confusion. “Neither.”
I said, “Exactly. Since I don’t look like either of those people, why should I be happy that you find me interesting? Did you buy a ticket to see me perform, or are you planning to tip me?”
I continued, “Randomly telling strangers on the street that they’re interesting is pretty weird behavior. I guess you must be quite interesting yourself, huh?”
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He was stunned into silence. I turned and walked away immediately. I thought to myself, “I’ll never have to walk on eggshells around him again in this lifetime. It feels incredibly satisfying.”
After boarding the bus, I glanced back toward the alley. I saw Ryan directing two thugs to lift Amelie up. He said, “Break her legs in a minute, then let her run back to Bernard Manor by herself. Let’s see if she still wants to keep pestering me.”
He added, “Didn’t you want to know what type of person I like? I like people who can run marathons. It’s fifty kilometers from here to Bernard Manor–good luck with your run.”
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