June 22, 2023 by Wyrd
Ruan Qing instinctively took a few steps back upon seeing the situation, avoiding the man’s outstretched hand.
The alley was not particularly wide to begin with, and Ruan Qing’s retreat led him directly to the wall, with his back against it and nowhere else to go.
This action seemed to provoke the man, who immediately pressed Ruan Qing against the wall with a single motion.
“Umm...” The man’s strength was considerable, and the pain from hitting the wall made Ruan Qing instinctively tilt his head back. His disheveled bangs fell apart, revealing a pair of shimmering watery eyes and a face so stunning that it seemed to momentarily dim the world.
It was around noon, and the sunlight overhead was radiant. As it was early summer, the sunlight was not scorching, but rather dispersed the chill brought by the temperature difference between day and night. The sunlight cascaded down from above, draping over the teenager, as if cloaking him in a halo of ethereal radiance, breathtakingly beautiful.
The ruby earring next to the teenager’s ear reflected a pleasing color under the light, sparkling and dazzling. Despite this, it didn’t diminish the teenager’s radiance in the slightest. On the contrary, it accentuated his beauty even more.
The man paused for a moment, his gaze deep and profound as he looked at the anxious and flustered teenager. The next second, he calmly shifted his gaze away from the misty eyes of the teenager and landed on the ruby earring on his left ear. With a certain tone, he spoke, “This ruby on your earring must be worth quite a bit of money, right?”
The man’s voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time, making it somewhat uncomfortable to listen to. His tone also gave off a sense of sinister ruthlessness, like that of a wicked criminal who didn’t care about human life at all.
Upon hearing the man’s words, Ruan Qing’s heart sank slightly, but he didn’t show any trace of it on his face. It was as if he didn’t care at all about the man snatching away his earring. He nervously clenched his clothes and spoke softly, “I just randomly bought this from a street vendor. It’s not worth much.”
“A precious young master like you would buy things from a street vendor? Do I look like a fool to you?” The man sneered, clearly not believing Ruan Qing’s words.
After finishing his words, the man reached out, seemingly wanting to forcefully snatch the earring from the teenager.
Ruan Qing tried to push the man away upon seeing this, but it seemed that the man had been wary of him from the beginning. He firmly held onto Ruan Qing’s struggling movements with his hand.
He even restrained Ruan Qing’s other hand and then pressed both of his hands together with one hand on top of his head.
The man’s strength was significant, and even with Ruan Qing using both hands, he couldn’t even match the strength of just one of the man’s hands. He was completely unable to free himself.
Moreover, the hand that the man used to hold him also had a knife. If the other accidentally let go, the man’s knife could easily fall and hit him on the head.
As for whether the blade would be facing up or down when it fell, it’s hard to say. After all, his luck had never been good.
Ruan Qing bit his lower lip, as if struggling but eventually giving up. He spoke with a hint of pity, lowering her head. “This is really worthless. The cellphone and lighter are both custom-made versions. You could sell them for a good amount of money.”
Naturally, the items used by the original owner were not cheap; most of them were either custom-made or luxury brands.
Even a small lighter would cost several hundred thousand yuan.
The man clearly wasn’t a fool. He coldly retorted in a hoarse and mocking voice, “Do you really think I’m a fool? If I were to sell these things, I’d probably end up behind bars in less than half an hour.”
After finishing his words, the man ignored Ruan Qing’s wishes and directly reached out to touch the ruby earring beside the teenager’s ear. His strength was somewhat forceful, as if he was trying to determine if it was a genuine gemstone.
The ruby earring by the teenager’s ear wasn’t particularly large, but if it was genuine, its value would be at least several tens of thousands.
The man looked at it for a long time and touched it for a long time, so long that the teenager’s earlobe had already turned a rosy red, making it even more complementary to the gemstone.
It seemed like the dawn breaking, yet it also seemed like the sunset’s glow.
Beautiful like a scroll, captivating one’s gaze.
Ruan Qing struggled helplessly, only able to tilt his head pitifully, shrinking, allowing the man to examine and touch.
And he would tremble slightly when it hurt.
Not knowing what the man was thinking, he ultimately gave up on the ruby and then lowered his gaze to the pocket of Ruan Qing’s school uniform.
Ruan Qing’s heart skipped a beat, and once again, he bit his lower lip. The lightly colored lips were tinged with a hint of redness, as if ink was injected into a blank scroll, blooming with a gorgeous and extravagant peach blossom.
The man’s peripheral vision caught sight of this scene, and he paused for a moment, casually glancing at the teenager’s lips, but eventually, his focus returned to the teenager’s pocket.
Then, in a cold and ruthless manner, he reached into Ruan Qing’s pocket.
The pockets of the school uniform weren’t small because they also had short sleeves inside, so they couldn’t be considered tight-fitting.
However, the man seemed to inaccurately measure distance because it’s not his own pocket. He exerted too much force, causing the loose-fitting clothes to directly show the skin around the waist.
Perhaps the man didn’t know that there’s nothing in his pocket. He kept digging forcefully a few times, only stopping when he confirmed there was truly nothing.
Because the man was holding Ruan Qing’s hand with his right hand, it was inconvenient for his left hand to explore the other pocket of Ruan Qing’s uniform. He directly shifted his gaze to Ruan Qing’s school pants.
The school pants at First High School had pockets.
The man reached out directly and probed into Ruan Qing’s pants pocket.
However, maybe due to unfamiliarity, he couldn’t find the entrance. The man tried several times before finding the pocket and reaching inside.
Ruan Qing could only purse his lips and glance at the floor, enduring the discomfort in his heart.
Since it was already early summer, the summer school uniform was a thin type.
Therefore, even through that layer of fabric, he could clearly feel the warmth of the man’s hand.
The man continued to probe a few times, initially seeming to check normally if there was anything in the pocket.
But even though he had already confirmed that there was nothing in the pocket, the man didn’t retract his hand.
Instead... through that thin layer of fabric, he gently touched Ruan Qing’s thigh a few times, with a hint of ambiguous implication.
Ruan Qing widened his eyes and instinctively moved backward, trying to avoid the man’s hand. However, there was a wall behind him, and he had nowhere to retreat.
Perhaps Ruan Qing’s evasive action angered the man. He exerted a bit more force and lightly pinched Ruan Qing.
“Um...” The sudden pain made Ruan Qing instinctively shrink back, his eye corners reddening instantly. His long lashes trembled like feathers, and a mist quickly appeared in his eyes.
As Ruan Qing had his head turned, he didn’t see the man’s deep gaze.
Having grown up in a pampered environment, the original owner had never done any strenuous work. His skin was delicate and soft, sinking with just a little pressure, let alone being lightly pinched.
Even if it’s not visible through the pants, the man could imagine that the fair skin of the teenager would surely blush attractively due to his exertion of force.
The man approached with a hint of dominance and spoke in a slightly cold tone, “Since you have no money, taking advantage of you wouldn’t be a problem.”
As he spoke, the man reached out and lightly pressed down from the collar of Ruan Qing’s clothes, causing wrinkles to form in his school uniform. Ruan Qing had always had strong perception abilities, and he instinctively recoiled from the discomfort.
Perhaps he had long sensed this development, so Ruan Qing was not surprised at all; in fact, he was somewhat numb to it.
After all, he had been experiencing such things since he was young, and it was a miracle that he had managed to reach this day still a virgin.
If only he were a bit more foolish or able to accept everything, maybe he wouldn’t have to live such a weary life.
Unfortunately, he was neither foolish nor capable of accepting being a captive canary, let alone enduring year after year confined behind glass windows, watching the birds outside fly freely.
Ruan Qing took a deep breath and directly shouted for help, “Help... mmm!”
Before Ruan Qing could finish speaking, the man covered his mouth. However, Ruan Qing remained calm. Taking advantage of the man’s inattention while covering his mouth, he bent his leg and struck the man’s vulnerable area.
Evidently, Ruan Qing’s intention from the beginning was to do just that. Shouting loudly was merely an attempt to draw the man’s attention.
The man probably didn’t expect Ruan Qing to resort to this move and, caught off guard, he received a direct hit from Ruan Qing.
In an instant, the man’s body slightly curved due to intense pain, but he did not release the young boy. On the contrary, he drew closer, and even unconsciously using force, causing both of them to fall to the ground together.
However, it was strange that it wasn’t the man who fell on top of Ruan Qing, but rather the man positioned himself beneath. Although Ruan Qing fell as well, he did not suffer any harm.
Looking at the man beneath him, his features contorted in pain, Ruan Qing didn’t hesitate or pause for a moment. Without thinking, he tried to get up and run.
However, the man’s reaction was also swift, as if the pain had hardly hindered him. He immediately hugged Ruan Qing’s waist, flipped them over, and pinned Ruan Qing underneath him.
The man seemed provoked, and grabbing a knife, viciously stabbed at Ruan Qing.
Seeing this, Ruan Qing quickly turned his head to avoid it.
However, the knife did not stab down but stopped in front of Ruan Qing. The next second, it shifted slightly and firmly plunged into the ground in front of Ruan Qing’s eyes.
The distance between the knife and Ruan Qing was less than the width of a finger, and it even cut off a few strands of his hair. The side of the knife was facing Ruan Qing, and the reflections of the two people could even be seen on the blade.
Ruan Qing’s pupils contracted upon seeing this, and he widened his eyes directly, filled with astonishment.
You should know that the ground of this alley was not soil but... a concrete floor.
There was no way the knife could have been inserted.
Even if the knife was incredibly sharp, it shouldn’t have gone in.
Yet, the knife had indeed been inserted, and even the gap in the floor was smooth and flat, as if it had been cut by a laser.
This was definitely not something an ordinary person could achieve. Just like the previous instance, ordinary people didn’t actually have much capability. To reach this level, it was either the key NPC of the copy or a player.
Who was it?
Mo Ran? Xiao Shiyi? Pei Yan? “Xia Baiyi”? (T/N: using [“”] indicates that the person was someone from the mirror)
Or... “himself”?
The threat of death didn’t render Ruan Qing’s brain unable to think; instead, it operated even more clearly. In his mind, various people who could have achieved this step appeared one by one.
However, he dismissed them one by one the next second.
No, it didn’t match. The aura, body shape, and the feeling they gave off, none of them match.
The aura of this person was very unfamiliar, as if he had never encountered him before.
But Ruan Qing dared to conclude that it was definitely not the case.
Would someone with such power be so desperate for money that they would come to rob a high school student? It’s impossible. If they really needed money, they could just rob a bank directly.
So, his target should have been him from the beginning. Maybe he had been targeted since the moment he left the school gate.
Perhaps... even earlier than that.
June 22, 2023 by Wyrd
Ruan Qing instinctively took a few steps back upon seeing the situation, avoiding the man’s outstretched hand.
The alley was not particularly wide to begin with, and Ruan Qing’s retreat led him directly to the wall, with his back against it and nowhere else to go.
This action seemed to provoke the man, who immediately pressed Ruan Qing against the wall with a single motion.
“Umm...” The man’s strength was considerable, and the pain from hitting the wall made Ruan Qing instinctively tilt his head back. His disheveled bangs fell apart, revealing a pair of shimmering watery eyes and a face so stunning that it seemed to momentarily dim the world.
It was around noon, and the sunlight overhead was radiant. As it was early summer, the sunlight was not scorching, but rather dispersed the chill brought by the temperature difference between day and night. The sunlight cascaded down from above, draping over the teenager, as if cloaking him in a halo of ethereal radiance, breathtakingly beautiful.
The ruby earring next to the teenager’s ear reflected a pleasing color under the light, sparkling and dazzling. Despite this, it didn’t diminish the teenager’s radiance in the slightest. On the contrary, it accentuated his beauty even more.
The man paused for a moment, his gaze deep and profound as he looked at the anxious and flustered teenager. The next second, he calmly shifted his gaze away from the misty eyes of the teenager and landed on the ruby earring on his left ear. With a certain tone, he spoke, “This ruby on your earring must be worth quite a bit of money, right?”
The man’s voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time, making it somewhat uncomfortable to listen to. His tone also gave off a sense of sinister ruthlessness, like that of a wicked criminal who didn’t care about human life at all.
Upon hearing the man’s words, Ruan Qing’s heart sank slightly, but he didn’t show any trace of it on his face. It was as if he didn’t care at all about the man snatching away his earring. He nervously clenched his clothes and spoke softly, “I just randomly bought this from a street vendor. It’s not worth much.”
“A precious young master like you would buy things from a street vendor? Do I look like a fool to you?” The man sneered, clearly not believing Ruan Qing’s words.
After finishing his words, the man reached out, seemingly wanting to forcefully snatch the earring from the teenager.
Ruan Qing tried to push the man away upon seeing this, but it seemed that the man had been wary of him from the beginning. He firmly held onto Ruan Qing’s struggling movements with his hand.
He even restrained Ruan Qing’s other hand and then pressed both of his hands together with one hand on top of his head.
The man’s strength was significant, and even with Ruan Qing using both hands, he couldn’t even match the strength of just one of the man’s hands. He was completely unable to free himself.
Moreover, the hand that the man used to hold him also had a knife. If the other accidentally let go, the man’s knife could easily fall and hit him on the head.
As for whether the blade would be facing up or down when it fell, it’s hard to say. After all, his luck had never been good.
Ruan Qing bit his lower lip, as if struggling but eventually giving up. He spoke with a hint of pity, lowering her head. “This is really worthless. The cellphone and lighter are both custom-made versions. You could sell them for a good amount of money.”
Naturally, the items used by the original owner were not cheap; most of them were either custom-made or luxury brands.
Even a small lighter would cost several hundred thousand yuan.
The man clearly wasn’t a fool. He coldly retorted in a hoarse and mocking voice, “Do you really think I’m a fool? If I were to sell these things, I’d probably end up behind bars in less than half an hour.”
After finishing his words, the man ignored Ruan Qing’s wishes and directly reached out to touch the ruby earring beside the teenager’s ear. His strength was somewhat forceful, as if he was trying to determine if it was a genuine gemstone.
The ruby earring by the teenager’s ear wasn’t particularly large, but if it was genuine, its value would be at least several tens of thousands.
The man looked at it for a long time and touched it for a long time, so long that the teenager’s earlobe had already turned a rosy red, making it even more complementary to the gemstone.
It seemed like the dawn breaking, yet it also seemed like the sunset’s glow.
Beautiful like a scroll, captivating one’s gaze.
Ruan Qing struggled helplessly, only able to tilt his head pitifully, shrinking, allowing the man to examine and touch.
And he would tremble slightly when it hurt.
Not knowing what the man was thinking, he ultimately gave up on the ruby and then lowered his gaze to the pocket of Ruan Qing’s school uniform.
Ruan Qing’s heart skipped a beat, and once again, he bit his lower lip. The lightly colored lips were tinged with a hint of redness, as if ink was injected into a blank scroll, blooming with a gorgeous and extravagant peach blossom.
The man’s peripheral vision caught sight of this scene, and he paused for a moment, casually glancing at the teenager’s lips, but eventually, his focus returned to the teenager’s pocket.
Then, in a cold and ruthless manner, he reached into Ruan Qing’s pocket.
The pockets of the school uniform weren’t small because they also had short sleeves inside, so they couldn’t be considered tight-fitting.
However, the man seemed to inaccurately measure distance because it’s not his own pocket. He exerted too much force, causing the loose-fitting clothes to directly show the skin around the waist.
Perhaps the man didn’t know that there’s nothing in his pocket. He kept digging forcefully a few times, only stopping when he confirmed there was truly nothing.
Because the man was holding Ruan Qing’s hand with his right hand, it was inconvenient for his left hand to explore the other pocket of Ruan Qing’s uniform. He directly shifted his gaze to Ruan Qing’s school pants.
The school pants at First High School had pockets.
The man reached out directly and probed into Ruan Qing’s pants pocket.
However, maybe due to unfamiliarity, he couldn’t find the entrance. The man tried several times before finding the pocket and reaching inside.
Ruan Qing could only purse his lips and glance at the floor, enduring the discomfort in his heart.
Since it was already early summer, the summer school uniform was a thin type.
Therefore, even through that layer of fabric, he could clearly feel the warmth of the man’s hand.
The man continued to probe a few times, initially seeming to check normally if there was anything in the pocket.
But even though he had already confirmed that there was nothing in the pocket, the man didn’t retract his hand.
Instead... through that thin layer of fabric, he gently touched Ruan Qing’s thigh a few times, with a hint of ambiguous implication.
Ruan Qing widened his eyes and instinctively moved backward, trying to avoid the man’s hand. However, there was a wall behind him, and he had nowhere to retreat.
Perhaps Ruan Qing’s evasive action angered the man. He exerted a bit more force and lightly pinched Ruan Qing.
“Um...” The sudden pain made Ruan Qing instinctively shrink back, his eye corners reddening instantly. His long lashes trembled like feathers, and a mist quickly appeared in his eyes.
As Ruan Qing had his head turned, he didn’t see the man’s deep gaze.
Having grown up in a pampered environment, the original owner had never done any strenuous work. His skin was delicate and soft, sinking with just a little pressure, let alone being lightly pinched.
Even if it’s not visible through the pants, the man could imagine that the fair skin of the teenager would surely blush attractively due to his exertion of force.
The man approached with a hint of dominance and spoke in a slightly cold tone, “Since you have no money, taking advantage of you wouldn’t be a problem.”
As he spoke, the man reached out and lightly pressed down from the collar of Ruan Qing’s clothes, causing wrinkles to form in his school uniform. Ruan Qing had always had strong perception abilities, and he instinctively recoiled from the discomfort.
Perhaps he had long sensed this development, so Ruan Qing was not surprised at all; in fact, he was somewhat numb to it.
After all, he had been experiencing such things since he was young, and it was a miracle that he had managed to reach this day still a virgin.
If only he were a bit more foolish or able to accept everything, maybe he wouldn’t have to live such a weary life.
Unfortunately, he was neither foolish nor capable of accepting being a captive canary, let alone enduring year after year confined behind glass windows, watching the birds outside fly freely.
Ruan Qing took a deep breath and directly shouted for help, “Help... mmm!”
Before Ruan Qing could finish speaking, the man covered his mouth. However, Ruan Qing remained calm. Taking advantage of the man’s inattention while covering his mouth, he bent his leg and struck the man’s vulnerable area.
Evidently, Ruan Qing’s intention from the beginning was to do just that. Shouting loudly was merely an attempt to draw the man’s attention.
The man probably didn’t expect Ruan Qing to resort to this move and, caught off guard, he received a direct hit from Ruan Qing.
In an instant, the man’s body slightly curved due to intense pain, but he did not release the young boy. On the contrary, he drew closer, and even unconsciously using force, causing both of them to fall to the ground together.
However, it was strange that it wasn’t the man who fell on top of Ruan Qing, but rather the man positioned himself beneath. Although Ruan Qing fell as well, he did not suffer any harm.
Looking at the man beneath him, his features contorted in pain, Ruan Qing didn’t hesitate or pause for a moment. Without thinking, he tried to get up and run.
However, the man’s reaction was also swift, as if the pain had hardly hindered him. He immediately hugged Ruan Qing’s waist, flipped them over, and pinned Ruan Qing underneath him.
The man seemed provoked, and grabbing a knife, viciously stabbed at Ruan Qing.
Seeing this, Ruan Qing quickly turned his head to avoid it.
However, the knife did not stab down but stopped in front of Ruan Qing. The next second, it shifted slightly and firmly plunged into the ground in front of Ruan Qing’s eyes.
The distance between the knife and Ruan Qing was less than the width of a finger, and it even cut off a few strands of his hair. The side of the knife was facing Ruan Qing, and the reflections of the two people could even be seen on the blade.
Ruan Qing’s pupils contracted upon seeing this, and he widened his eyes directly, filled with astonishment.
You should know that the ground of this alley was not soil but... a concrete floor.
There was no way the knife could have been inserted.
Even if the knife was incredibly sharp, it shouldn’t have gone in.
Yet, the knife had indeed been inserted, and even the gap in the floor was smooth and flat, as if it had been cut by a laser.
This was definitely not something an ordinary person could achieve. Just like the previous instance, ordinary people didn’t actually have much capability. To reach this level, it was either the key NPC of the copy or a player.
Who was it?
Mo Ran? Xiao Shiyi? Pei Yan? “Xia Baiyi”? (T/N: using [“”] indicates that the person was someone from the mirror)
Or... “himself”?
The threat of death didn’t render Ruan Qing’s brain unable to think; instead, it operated even more clearly. In his mind, various people who could have achieved this step appeared one by one.
However, he dismissed them one by one the next second.
No, it didn’t match. The aura, body shape, and the feeling they gave off, none of them match.
The aura of this person was very unfamiliar, as if he had never encountered him before.
But Ruan Qing dared to conclude that it was definitely not the case.
Would someone with such power be so desperate for money that they would come to rob a high school student? It’s impossible. If they really needed money, they could just rob a bank directly.
So, his target should have been him from the beginning. Maybe he had been targeted since the moment he left the school gate.
Perhaps... even earlier than that.
