Rebooting 60, let's go on a rampage with the orange cat!

After returning to the city, Huai'an resumed her peaceful campus life. Gu Jingxing often went to Huai'an to play ping-pong or go to and from school together, and the days passed by uneventfully.

Huai'an bought some books from Xinhua Bookstore and was about to take a shortcut home when she heard a strange noise as she passed through an alley. She stopped in her tracks.

Sunlight streamed into the quiet alleyway, casting dappled shadows on the ground. In this seemingly ordinary corner, a dramatic scene was unfolding—seven or eight girls with menacing expressions surrounded a petite, slender girl.

A slightly chubby girl next to her said to the girl in charge, "Sister Yinghong, she doesn't seem to have much money on her."

The girl called Sister Yinghong had short hair and was tall and thin. She crossed her arms and looked the trembling girl up and down with a sharp look in her eyes. A disdainful smile appeared on her lips as she sneered, "She says she has no money, so she really has no money? Hmph, that won't do. Your name is Wu Yutong. I heard your family is well-off. Are you going to hand it over yourself or do we have to do it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the girls next to her immediately rubbed their hands together, eager to try.

Terrified by the sight, Wu Yutong turned pale, her legs involuntarily retreating, tears welling in her eyes as if they would spill over at any moment. However, faced with this group of ferocious senior students, she had nowhere to escape.

Trembling, she pulled out two yuan from her pocket and said, "Senior, I really only brought two yuan to buy books. Here, take it all. Can you let me go now?"

Sister Yinghong glanced at her, took the money, gave Wu Yutong a strange smile, and then suddenly slapped her across the face with a crisp 'smack', saying, "Really, there's nothing left?"

Before Wu Yutong could even react, she heard another crisp, loud "smack!" as the immense force struck her other cheek. A searing pain washed over her, and she instinctively clutched her face with both hands, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. She sobbed, "I really don't have any money... Waaah..." her voice filled with helplessness and fear.

At this moment, the chubby girl seemed to suddenly realize something. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and whispered a few words in Yinghong's ear. After listening, Yinghong narrowed her eyes slightly, nodded towards Wu Yutong, and then winked at the other girls around her. The girls immediately understood and gathered around Wu Yutong.

Their faces contorted with malice, showing no regard for past relationships, they pounced on Wu Yutong without hesitation. Their claws, like those of hungry wolves, began to grope and search Wu Yutong's frail body. Their movements were exceptionally brutal and urgent, as if they wanted to devour Wu Yutong alive.

Several girls went even further, slapping Wu Yutong's body hard, each blow making a sharp sound and causing her to scream in pain. At the same time, they verbally abused her, constantly scolding her, telling her to stay put, not to resist, and to cooperate with their search. One even threatened her menacingly, "You dare to talk nonsense outside! If we don't teach you a lesson today, who knows what kind of trouble you'll cause in the future!"

Poor Wu Yutong was terrified by this sudden turn of events, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Faced with such immense pressure and violence, she was powerless to resist and could only helplessly submit to their control. However, despite her fear, Wu Yutong still mustered the courage to defend herself, saying, "I really didn't, I really didn't... You can't frame me like this!" But her weak voice was instantly drowned out by the angry shouts of the girls.

"Sister Yinghong, she's wearing a watch on her wrist!" one of the girls exclaimed excitedly, as if she had discovered some incredible treasure.

Immediately afterward, another girl shrieked, "Oh my, her shoes look pretty new!" In an instant, these girls were like hungry wolves eyeing their prey, their eyes gleaming with greed.

Wu Yutong, her hair disheveled, huddled in the corner, crouching low. She desperately clutched her clothes to prevent them from tearing at her and exposing her body, crying and pleading, "This is a gift from my mom for starting junior high. You can't take it; she'll ask about it later. I really don't have any money... Please let me go..."

"What are you doing?" Just at this critical moment, a clear and loud voice suddenly rang out: "Stop!"

Mu Yinghong and the others turned around abruptly and saw a petite girl standing not far away. She was slender, but her eyes revealed determination and anger as she stared intently at them. Huai'an had initially thought they would stop after stealing two yuan, but these people had become even more arrogant and domineering. Huai'an couldn't help but turn out of the alley to try and stop their despicable behavior.

When Wu Yutong saw someone coming to her rescue, a hint of joy flashed across her terrified face. But when she realized it was a little girl who looked even thinner than herself, her heart sank.

Huai'an was only a little over 1.5 meters tall at eleven years old, while the girls who were robbing her money looked much taller and older, around sixteen or seventeen.

Upon seeing this, Mu Yinghong was taken aback at first, but upon recognizing the newcomer, she completely disregarded Huai'an. She immediately raised her right hand, as if to slap Wu Yutong hard again. In the blink of an eye, Shi Huai'an rushed forward and tightly grabbed Mu Yinghong's raised wrist.

"Hey, where did this nosy little brat come from?" Mu Yinghong forcefully broke free from his grasp, while glaring at Shi Huai'an with a provocative tone.

Shi Huai'an met Mu Yinghong's gaze without fear and said sternly, "So many of you bullying her alone, don't you feel ashamed? What kind of skill is it to bully the weak!" Without waiting for Mu Yinghong's reaction, she turned and quickly walked to Wu Yutong, shielding her tightly behind her. Then, Shi Huai'an gently lowered her head and softly asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Like a frightened little rabbit, Wu Yutong bit her lip tightly, her head almost buried in her chest, her hands fidgeting nervously with the hem of her clothes, and then gently and silently shook her head.

Seeing this, Shi Huai'an felt a fire ignite within her. Her once clear, watery eyes were now filled with anger and determination as she stared directly at the arrogant Mu Yinghong before her, and shouted, "No matter who you are, it's wrong to bully those weaker than yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yinghong revealed a disdainful smile, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

She crossed her arms, glanced sideways at Shi Huai'an, and said sneer, "Oh ho, who do you think you are? How dare you come here to meddle and lecture me? Don't you know your own limitations!"

After saying that, she winked at the group of equally arrogant girls around her, signaling them to teach this ignorant guy a lesson.

However, to everyone's surprise, facing this group of girls who rushed towards him aggressively, Shi Huai'an not only did not back down at all, but instead flashed forward and made a move as swift as lightning.

With a left hook and a right kick, she quickly dispatched the girls, who fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Mu Yinghong's eyes widened, and she took a few steps back, staring incredulously at what was happening before her. She never imagined that the seemingly frail Shi Huai'an could be so powerful, and for a moment she stood there speechless.

Shi Huai'an glanced coldly at Mu Yinghong, who was still in shock, and warned, "You're not allowed to bully any of your classmates again, or I'll beat you every time I see you!" Then, she turned around, pulled up Wu Yutong, who had been standing trembling beside her, and strode out of the dark and damp alley.

The sunlight shone on them, casting two long shadows that made them appear exceptionally warm and tall.

On the way, Wu Yutong ran her hand through her messy hair and said with admiration, "You're so young, how can you be so amazing? Have you studied martial arts? Thank you so much today."

Huai'an said, "It's nothing. Which school do you go to? Is this the first time they've robbed you, or do they do this often? Why are they targeting you?"

Wu Yutong whispered, "I don't know why they've targeted me. Maybe it's because I'm always alone. I'm in the second year of junior high at Hongqi Middle School, and they're in the third year. This is the second time they've robbed me. Last time they took five yuan from me, and now they're doing it again."

"You didn't tell your teacher or parents about this?" Huai'an asked with a suspicious look on his face.

Wu Yutong gently shook her head, her voice trembling slightly as she replied, "My parents are very strict with me, but my dad is often away on business trips, and my mom works shifts. I also have an older sister and a younger sister, so they simply don't have time to take care of me... My grandparents keep pressuring my mom to have another child because they don't have any grandchildren, and my parents are always arguing. Besides, those people threatened me, saying that if I dared to tell my teachers or parents about this, they would strip me naked in public and embarrass me. Just thinking about that scene terrifies me..."

Just then, a shout came from the side: "Shi Huai'an—" It turned out that Gu Jingxing had slowly stopped his bicycle beside them. He asked with concern, "Didn't your mother tell you to come and buy books? Did you buy them?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Huai'an quickly patted his backpack, a bright smile spreading across his face, and said, "Of course I bought it!"

Wu Yutong, standing to the side, seemed somewhat uneasy. She quickly lowered her head, afraid that others would notice her unusual behavior.

Gu Jingxing glanced sharply at Wu Yutong, who looked rather disheveled, and with his keen insight, he immediately realized that something seemed amiss.

So he turned to Shi Huai'an and asked, "Judging from this situation, have you run into some trouble? Did you get into a fight with someone?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Huai'an replied, "Actually, there's a girl named Mu Yinghong in the third year of junior high. I don't know if you know her?"

“She’s in my class, but she always hangs out with hooligans and skips class a lot. Some people say she’s dating someone, but I don’t know if it’s true. What? Did she bully you?” Gu Jingxing asked.

"Look! This is Wu Yutong, she's just started junior high. Just now, Mu Yinghong actually brought a whole bunch of people to rob her of her money, it's outrageous! Luckily I arrived in time and chased them all away," Shi Huai'an said indignantly.

At this moment, Wu Yutong stood quietly to the side, her big, watery eyes filled with tears, but she remained silent.

Her slightly trembling body and pitiful appearance evoked pity and heartache in everyone who saw her.

Gu Jingxing, who was standing to the side, was equally indignant. Just as he was about to say something to reprimand them, he saw Mu Yinghong leading the group of girls swaggering over.

When Mu Yinghong saw that Gu Jingxing was also present, she was stunned for a moment, and then she sneered sarcastically: "Oh ho, I really didn't expect that this little brat is someone you know. Why didn't you tell me earlier? You made me work for nothing! Just don't be fooled by her pitiful appearance!"

The other girls also started to laugh strangely, as if mocking them. The fat girl said, "You'll regret saving her one day. She's just pretending to be pitiful."

Wu Yutong trembled with fear upon hearing this, shrinking behind Huai'an and Gu Jingxing, too afraid to move.

Shi Huai'an sneered, "Does not knowing you give you the right to bully me?"

Mu Yinghong turned her gaze to Shi Huai'an, "You can save her for a while, but not forever. She's not worth saving!" She smiled slightly, then threatened fiercely, "Don't get too cocky! I'll remember this today. You'll see what happens later!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxing could no longer contain his anger. He stepped forward, glared at Mu Yinghong, and warned her sternly, "Mu Yinghong, listen up! From now on, if you dare to bully even a hair on their head again, I will absolutely not let you off easily!"

Faced with Gu Jingxing's defense, Shi Huai'an felt a warmth in his heart, but smiled easily: "Haha, so who should be more careful? In my opinion, that lesson just now didn't seem to teach you a lesson! Mu Yinghong, I advise you to stop now and stop bullying at school. If you persist in your wrongdoings, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Enraged, Mu Yinghong gritted her teeth and roared, "Fine, you all have guts! We'll see who comes out on top in the end!" With that, she tossed her head and led the group of girls away in a huff.

After they had walked away, Wu Yutong, with tears streaming down her face, sobbed, "Thank you, Huai'an, thank you, Jingxing. I really don't know what I would have done today without you..."

Gu Jingxing comforted him, "It's okay. If you need anything in the future, just come to me. Don't be afraid of them."

Wu Yutong looked at Gu Jingxing, who had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and was tall and handsome, with admiration and said, "You guys are amazing. I wish I had half your courage..."

Along the way, she kept thanking him, but Shi Huai'an didn't mind. She and Gu Jingxing took Wu Yutong home, and Wu Yutong watched them leave before going inside.

In that seemingly peaceful and serene campus, everything appeared calm and uneventful. Time seemed to stand still, and no one deliberately disturbed Shi Huai'an and Wu Yutong's lives. However, beneath this tranquility, some subtle changes were brewing.

Wu Yutong would often appear at the school gate, quietly waiting for Shi Huai'an and Gu Jingxing to walk home together after school. Shi Huai'an, on the other hand, never felt annoyed or inconvenienced by this behavior, and would always happily accompany Wu Yutong for a short distance with Gu Jingxing.