Chapter Thirty-One: This Man Is Rather Shameless

It seemed she was particularly sensitive to being called a slut. Having already swallowed her pride once, the long-haired girl’s face flushed with rage and she shot back, “You’re the slut! Cutting in line and acting like you’re justified—who do you think you are?”

The scene instantly erupted in a cacophony. With a sharp scream, the long-haired girl lunged and began to tussle with the busty girl, pushing and shoving with all her might while shouting, “You slut, you dare hit me? Today, I’m not letting this go!”

In the end, though she managed to muss the busty girl's hair and tear a corner of her dress—almost exposing her—the long-haired girl did little real harm. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach, and wept uncontrollably.

The whole incident unfolded so suddenly that none of the bystanders dared intervene. They could only stand and watch as the scuffle played out and ended. Long Fei, too, merely observed with a mocking indifference. She had no fondness for either combatant, and besides, a fight between two women—so long as no outsiders joined—was fair enough in her eyes. If the long-haired girl lost, she had no one to blame but herself.

To Long Fei, the world was fair in its own harsh way. One could never expect others to help in times of difficulty or danger. If someone did, you were lucky; if they didn’t stab you in the back, you could already count your blessings. In the end, the only person you could truly rely on was yourself.

She watched as the long-haired girl, still squatting, picked up her phone from the ground and tearfully dialed a number. Her voice broke with greater anguish and grievance, “Where are you? I’m at the school gate—I was beaten! Come quickly, please!”

Hearing her call for help, the busty girl cursed under her breath and tried to leave, but the long-haired girl’s next words held her in place: “If you’re a slut, just walk away—but if you’ve got guts, wait right here!”

Perhaps the busty girl was too proud to back down. Her face flushed with anger as she straightened her torn dress, barely avoiding an indecent exposure. “Fine,” she spat, “let’s see who you call to teach me a lesson. Haven’t you heard? Our Pink Ladies never back down!”

Long Fei suddenly felt a trickle of sweat. She recalled a certain Pink Ladies clique at the famed Heavenly World Club in Beijing. She’d been there more than once but had never tangled with them directly.

Meanwhile, the students who came to register continued their business, but those who had already signed up kept their distance, reluctant to leave—they wanted to see what would happen next. The long-haired girl, now seated under the shade of a flowerbed, still clutched her stomach in pain. For a fleeting moment, Long Fei felt a pang of pity, but not enough for sympathy. The law of the jungle governed society, and if she went about sympathizing with every victim, she’d drown in it.

She remained a detached observer, intending to leave, but when the next act of this spectacle unfolded, she found herself a cool spot and settled in to watch.

Soon, the long-haired girl's reinforcements arrived—four people, running over from the direction of the gymnasium. At the sight of her, a tall, handsome young man hurried over with concern, his voice urgent and tender: “Liu Ying, who did this to you? Tell me, I’ll get revenge for you!”

“Zhang Xiong, it was her—that slut right there!” Liu Ying, her spirit reawakened, pointed at the busty girl, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.

From the busty girl’s cold sneer, Long Fei sensed things were not as simple as Liu Ying imagined. Sure enough, Zhang Xiong, though towering at six-foot-one, faltered when he saw who the supposed assailant was. He frowned, “Liu Ying, are you sure it was her?”

Zhang Xiong’s voice wasn’t loud, but Long Fei heard every word, as did Liu Ying, who bristled, “Are you deaf? I said it was her! Hurry up and get revenge!”

Clearly troubled, Zhang Xiong hesitated, then murmured, “How about we talk about this later? Let me take you to the hospital first.”

“Zhang Xiong, are you even a man? Your woman gets beaten and you won’t avenge her? Weren’t you always bragging about how well-connected you are at Jiaoda? What now? Turns out you’re just a coward—I must have been blind!” Furious, Liu Ying launched into a tirade, this time breaking down in real tears.

She gave him no face at all, but Zhang Xiong still made no moves to assert himself. Instead, he turned to the busty girl and offered a weak smile. “Fengjie, so it was you. Let’s just let this go, alright? Give me some face, please?”

His tone was almost pleading.

But the busty girl was anything but polite. “Why should I give you face? Zhang Xiong, don’t think being on the school basketball team makes you special. Believe me, if I wanted to, I could make you disappear from Jiaoda by tomorrow. You know what the Pink Ladies are capable of, don’t you?”

Long Fei was taken aback—clearly, the Pink Ladies were no ordinary group. No wonder Ye Qian was considered the undisputed boss around here.

Though Zhang Xiong flushed with anger, he dared not provoke her. Meekly, he asked, “Then Fengjie, how would you like to settle this? I’ll go along with whatever you say.”

Liu Ying stared in disbelief, her head shaking. She couldn’t fathom how the man she adored could be so spineless. Wasn’t he always so manly?

A deep pain seized her, making her tremble as she pointed at Zhang Xiong, cursing, “From this day on, we’re finished! Get out—I never want to see you again!”

Zhang Xiong looked torn, calling her name, “Liu Ying—”

“Don’t call my name! It disgusts me. I told you, from now on we have nothing to do with each other, you coward! I hate you!” Liu Ying struggled to her feet, swaying as she did.

“You slut—don’t think you’re anything special. I’ve had enough. Breaking up is fine by me! You think you’re so precious? If you hadn’t been a virgin when we got together, I wouldn’t have wanted you. You really think you’re the only woman I could have? So naïve! Pathetic!” Zhang Xiong’s words cut like knives.

Long Fei’s expression darkened—this man was truly contemptible.

Liu Ying was so furious she nearly fainted. Face flushed, finger trembling, she couldn’t utter a single word. In that vast school entrance, with hundreds watching, not a soul came to her aid, not even to speak a word in her defense. Her heart began to shatter.

“Enough. Just looking at you makes me angry. I won’t bother with you anymore today!” Perhaps moved by pity, the busty girl finally decided to let things rest. She waved at Long Fei and was about to leave.

But Long Fei ignored her entirely, instead stepping up to Zhang Xiong and fixing him with a contemptuous stare.

“Hey, Long Fei, what are you still doing here? Let’s go!” The busty girl gave Long Fei a puzzled look. She’d heard from Ye Qian about Long Fei’s fighting skills and wasn’t concerned about a conflict with Zhang Xiong. Still, she thought Long Fei must be on her side.

Long Fei’s reply was cold: “Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t like anyone bossing me around—not you, not even Ye Qian. So leave now, or stand aside and keep quiet!”

The busty girl was tempted to argue—after all, she’d gotten into this mess for Long Fei’s sake, and now Long Fei was casting her aside and humiliating her in public. But the icy look in Long Fei’s eyes silenced her. With a snort, she turned on her heels and left, muttering complaints under her breath.

No sooner had one commotion ended than another began. Just as the conflict between the busty girl and Liu Ying wrapped up, Long Fei stepped forward, clearly displeased with Zhang Xiong. No one, not even Liu Ying, understood what Long Fei was up to—they couldn’t imagine she’d take Liu Ying’s side.

Zhang Xiong felt a chill under Long Fei’s stare. He shot a glance at his three friends, who promptly closed ranks around Long Fei. With their support, he regained some composure and frowned, “Who are you? What do you want?”

“You don’t need to know who I am. All you need to know is why I’m looking for you.” Long Fei’s smile was wicked.

Her sudden grin left Zhang Xiong baffled.

“What do you want with me? I don’t think we’ve met.” With most people, Zhang Xiong would have thrown a punch already. He’d only held back with the busty girl because the Pink Ladies weren’t just a gang of delinquent girls—they represented some of Shanghai’s most influential families, especially the Ye Group led by Ye Qian. That was not someone he could afford to offend.

Zhang Xiong wasn’t a fool. From Long Fei’s attitude toward the busty girl, he could tell she was no ordinary figure. So he kept his temper in check. Still, Zhang Xiong wasn’t one to be trifled with. If really provoked, he could call on a distant cousin who was a boss in the Shanghai underworld. Though they barely knew each other, Zhang Xiong was confident that money could buy his cousin’s help for almost anything—even murder, if it came to that. And Zhang Xiong had money to spare.

“I always thought I was shameless enough, but after hearing you today, I realize you put me to shame. Your words are so despicable, even beasts would blush. You’re beneath contempt. With a man like you, if I don’t give you a good beating, I don’t think I could live with myself—don’t you agree?” Long Fei’s smile grew broader, but to Zhang Xiong, it was infuriating—his face blanched, eyes widened, and the veins bulged on his clenched fists.