Smack! The slap on the face was loud and ringing, with a tenacity that was unexpected by everyone. When Zhang Xiaolu turned physical, everyone was shocked.
Tang Yuanyuan and Meng Kefei were good friends for years. Now that her best friend was slapped, she rushed up to defend her, questioning, “Zhang Xiaolu, what are you doing?”
Before this, Tang Yuanyuan had been cute, blur, and quiet. Her attitude went through a complete change as she now shielded Meng Kefei like a tigress protecting its cub. “You’ve crossed the line.”
“I crossed the line?” Zhang Xiaolu curled her lips gently. “Didn’t you hear the nonsense she spewed? She accused me of stealing your sunscreen. My bed is far away from yours. Did I wake up in the middle of the night to steal it then?”
Tang Yuanyuan retorted, “I never said that you stole my sunscreen. Why are you agitated? It was you who started suspecting Fei. In the same way, she could also suspect you.”
If not for the sake of Yuchi Yishu, Zhang Xiaolu would have beaten Tang Yuanyuan as well. After all, no girl had ever acted out in front of her. However, the thought of Tang Yuanyuan’s older brother and the possibility of herself becoming Tang Yuanyuan’s sister-in-law forced Zhang Xiaolu to keep her composure and suppressed her temper as she addressed Tang Yuanyuan, “Yuanyuan, you’re from a good family. You don’t understand how dangerous the people in the outside world are. People like Meng Kefei have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. You stay aside. I’ll show you her true face.”
Zhang Xiaolu was very agitated, but Yuan Yuehan was standing beside her with arms crossed as if she was watching a show. She neither participated nor uttered a word.
“What tricks do I have? If I did, I wouldn’t have shared my sunscreen with Yuanyuan. You’re blaming the innocent with your words.”
Everyone in the dorm surrounded them and watched the fight with curiosity.
“It’s not clear yet if I’ve wrongly blamed the innocent. You’re the closest person to Tang Yuanyuan, and it’s easiest for you to steal her stuff.”
“If she’s been targeted, no matter if the thief is close to her or not, that person would choose the right timing to steal.”
Zhang Xiaolu scoffed, “I think I understood what you’re saying now. In the end, you’re targeting me and accusing me of stealing Yuanyuan’s sunscreen.”
Meng Kefei retorted, “You’re the one who started it and got me involved. I have the right to suspect that you’re doing so to shift attention away from yourself.”
That was the last straw for Zhang Xiaolu, who was now totally enraged. She stood on the ground and curled her lips, looking as if she had nothing more to say. In a blink of an eye, she suddenly pounced like a leopard and grabbed the long hair of Meng Kefei.
“You b*tch! Try accusing me again! Try suspecting me again! What do you mean by shifting attention? F*ck you and your accusation!”
Zhang Xiaolu suddenly used up all her energy like a madwoman, which was unexpected for everyone. On top of that, she had the advantage of height, and Meng Kefei could only helplessly be bullied even though she attempted to counterattack by grabbing and clawing at Zhang Xiaolu’s hair and neck.
“Don’t beat Fei!” Tang Yuanyuan witnessed her good friend being bullied and wanted to approach them to help. However, she had never fought anyone before in her life, and she only knew to pull Zhang Xiaolu away from Meng Kefei. Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaolu was insistent on tearing Meng Kefei’s fake face apart. She mustered all her energy in this catfight and was about to drag Tang Yuanyuan into it as well.
Beside her, Yuan Yuehan could see how things would unfold, and she immediately thought of Tang Yuanyuan’s brother. If anything happened to Tang Yuanyuan, her brother would feel extremely hurt. Therefore, she stood forward to pull Tang Yuanyuan away from the fight.
“Yuanyuan, this matter is between them. You shouldn’t interfere.”
“No. Let go of me. Nobody can beat Fei up.” Tang Yuanyuan rushed up to help but was met with Zhang Xiaolu’s slap. The slap was originally intended for Meng Kefei, but Tang Yuanyuan flung herself forward to stop the fight. Therefore, the slap landed on Tang Yuanyuan’s cheek.
Smack! The loud sound prompted Zhang Xiaolu to feel an imaginary pain in her palm.
“Yuanyuan, are you alright?” Meng Kefei nervously pulled her friend back. Tang Yuanyuan was slapped too hard, and her head tilted to the other side. When she lifted her head again, a long and bloody wound appeared on her rosy cheek.
“Ah! She’s bleeding!” The onlookers exclaimed in shock. When the girls started fighting, someone had gone to inform the instructor about the fight. When they were done, the instructor happened to arrive at the dorm. “What’s the fuss? What’s the fuss? This is a place for training, not a place for you to fight!”
Meng Kefei looked at Tang Yuanyuan’s wounded face and almost cried in pain. “Is it painful? Why are you so foolish? Don’t block her attack for me.”
“Fei, I’m fine.” Tang Yuanyuan shook her head and whispered, “This injury is not a big deal. After all, we’re good friends.”
On the other side, Yuan Yuehan pulled Zhang Xiaolu aside. “You’re too rash. What will you do now that you’ve hurt Yuanyuan?”
Although Zhang Xiaolu felt a little guilty, she retorted, “I didn’t plan to slap her. She rushed up, and I accidentally hit her.”
The girls who were involved in the fight were absent from the physical training that day. Tang Yuanyuan was injured and sent to the school clinic.
The doctor who inspected Tang Yuanyuan’s wound was a female military doctor. After the checkup, she put some cooling cream on Tang Yuanyuan’s face as she sighed. “How can a girl fight? A lot of matters can be and should be resolved by discussion. Look at your smooth face. If you are injured deeper, your face will not look nice from the scars.”
Tang Yuanyuan was simply worried and focused on pulling Zhang Xiaolu away to protect Meng Kefei from getting hit. She had not expected Zhang Xiaolu to be that vicious. However, she did not bother to explain the situation to the military doctor and curtly replied, “Thank you, instructor. I got it.”
When she left the clinic, she saw Meng Kefei and Zhang Xiaolu, who had their wounds dressed. The instructor stood strictly on the side. When he saw Tang Yuanyuan coming out, he called her, “I heard from these two that it was a fight between them. You went up to pull them away. So you’ll not be punished this time.”
Tang Yuanyuan was astonished that she did not have to be punished. She looked at Meng Kefei and Zhang Xiaolu before addressing the instructor solemnly, “My friend didn’t start it. She was defending herself.”
“I know. Get back to your room now.”
“Yuanyuan, go back to the room. Be careful with your wound. Don’t leave a scar.” Meng Kefei was also reluctant to see Tang Yuanyuan staying around.
After Tang Yunayuan left, Meng Kefei and Zhang Xiaolu were punished. The two were asked to run five laps at the field.
When they were running beside each other, Zhang Xiaolu coldly warned Meng Kefei, “I’ll be honest with you; with your family background, you’re not my opponent. If you do not wish to drag your parents into trouble, you better shut up when it comes to Yuanyuan and me.”
Meng Kefei retorted, “You’re not befriending her sincerely.”
“So what? She should be glad that I’m not bullying her. You’re right. I only befriended her to get closer to her brother. But did anyone say that it’s not a valid reason for making friends?”
“You all wanted to manipulate and use Yuanyuan. I won’t let you succeed.”
“Meng Kefei, if you insist, you can try me.”
