Chapter 62: Battle of the Young Beasts

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Battle of the Young Beasts

「Half an hour earlier...」

Nan Yi went into the play area, where he climbed the rope ladder, rode the seesaw, and played in the ball pit, all by himself.

He was perfectly content and not the least bit lonely.

Even the attendant watching over the children thought he was the most well-behaved, least-troublesome child they had ever seen.

With his delicate face, as beautiful as a ball-jointed doll’s, and the cool, ethereal air he exuded when he wasn’t smiling... he was like a little fairy walking the earth, wasn’t he?

If even the adults felt that way, he was all the more dazzling in the eyes of other children.

After all, most children are visual creatures.

Soon enough, two little girls came over and invited Nan Yi to play with them.

After a moment’s hesitation, Nan Yi nodded.

This scene did not go unnoticed by a few boys hogging the slide, and they were instantly annoyed.

Just moments earlier, these same boys had tried to join the girls’ game of house, only to be sternly rejected.

The boy leading the group seethed with resentment and took a closer look at Nan Yi...

’Huh? He looks a little familiar...’

’Wait a minute, isn’t that the famous "little stray" from our apartment complex?’

He’d earned the nickname because he was always darting around the complex like a homeless stray cat, constantly covered in dirt.

The boy jumped arrogantly from the slide, walked over, and blocked Nan Yi’s path.

"Hey, little beggar! Stop right there!"

He and his posse of bullies surrounded Nan Yi.

Nan Yi frowned, his little face turning cold.

"Get out of the way!"

The other boy mimicked him in a snide, taunting voice.

"’Get out of the way!’ Well, well, little beggar, you’ve gotten bold, haven’t you? How dare you talk to me like that! What’s the deal with those clothes? Did you steal them?"

Nan Yi was so angry his eyes started to turn red.

"I did not! Shut up!"

’Every piece of clothing he’s wearing now was carefully picked out and bought for him by his mom!’

’He didn’t steal them!’

The boys didn’t believe a word Nan Yi said and started to shove him.

"You did steal them! You’re a poor beggar. Where would you get the money to buy clothes?"

"Let’s strip his clothes off and see if he still dares to talk back!"

"Beat him! Beat him up!"

"..."

Nan Yi recognized every single one of these boys.

They lived in the same complex as him. They always played together in a pack, and they were just as united when it came to ostracizing him.

Nan Yi had once longed to join the boys’ group and be one of them.

But reality had shattered his young heart into a million pieces.

The boys hated him for many reasons—

His family rented their apartment instead of owning it.

He didn’t have parents or other family members to protect him.

He was always dirty and smelly.

He was too good-looking.

And...

For no reason at all.

Children are like blank slates; even their malice is primitive and direct.

Their attacks were like the struggles of young beasts in the jungle.

They might seem weak, but every blow was aimed to kill.

...Those shadow-like memories of the past surfaced, and Nan Yi clenched his jaw as his emotions churned.

He tried to resist, but that only made the boys more excited.

The girls who had initially invited Nan Yi to play were terrified. They tried to stop the boys, their voices trembling.

"Stop bullying him! I-We’re going to tell our moms!"

One of the chubby boys spat.

"Pah! Tattletales! If you dare tell your moms, I’ll rip your pigtails right off!"

The girls burst into tears with a cry of alarm, then turned and ran away.

Meanwhile, the physical conflict between Nan Yi and the boys grew more intense.

This was less a spontaneous scuffle and more the eruption of a long-simmering feud.

Nan Yi, too, wanted to vent all the rage he’d suppressed from being bullied for so long.

They had the advantage in numbers; he definitely couldn’t win a head-on fight against all of them.

So, almost by instinct, Nan Yi targeted the ringleader—

He lunged, grabbing a fistful of the head boy’s hair!

He followed up by biting the boy’s ear, kicking his shin, and punching him in the stomach!

The rapid, methodical succession of attacks left the other boy completely stunned!

The other boys just stood there, stunned. By the time they thought to intervene, it was already too late.

Nan Yi and the other boy were already wrestling in a heap on the ground, making it impossible for the others to get involved.

But Nan Yi felt an incredible sense of release!

Initially, Nan Yi had the other boy completely overwhelmed, with no way to defend himself.

But just then, a woman suddenly rushed over and rained a flurry of slaps down on Nan Yi’s head and face.

One of the slaps landed squarely on Nan Yi’s face, tearing his delicate skin and leaving an eye-stinging bloody scratch.

Nan Yi was no match for a woman who was taller and stronger than him. Caught off guard and injured, he was momentarily stunned.

The next moment, he was violently thrown aside and fell to the ground.

The woman then protectively hugged her own child while pointing at Nan Yi and unleashing a torrent of curses, spewing all sorts of foul and vulgar profanities.

The more Nan Yi listened, the more aggrieved he felt.

Fortunately, at that moment...

Nan Zhi arrived!

Watching his mother protect him and give the woman two backhand slaps in return, Nan Yi felt all his pent-up frustration vanish, but at the same time, he felt a little guilty.

’Of course, fighting is wrong. That’s what bad kids do.’

’Just as the woman had accused, he had been the one to strike first.’

’So...’

’Will Mom blame me?’

’Will she scold me for what I did?’

Nan Yi was both fearful and expectant.

But who would have thought that after hearing the whole story, Nan Zhi wouldn’t ask a single extra question and would choose to believe Nan Yi without hesitation!

Nan Zhi declared righteously,

"My Yiyi has always been well-behaved and never causes trouble. The only reason he would lay a hand on your son is if your son started it, isn’t that right? What are you glaring at? I remember your son. He used to bully my Yiyi in our complex all the time! What’s the matter? You know how to bully others, but you can’t handle the consequences when they fight back?"

The woman, who had been so arrogant moments before, blinked. The fire in her voice had clearly diminished.

"Y-You’re lying! My son would never bully anyone!"

Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow and sneered.

"Last month, in the complex’s courtyard, the one who threw mud at my son—that was him, wasn’t it? The security footage is usually saved for three months, and there happens to be a camera right there. How about we call the police and have them pull the tapes? While we’re at it, we might as well have them look at what happened here today, too."

How could the woman not know her own son’s character?

But getting her to back down wasn’t going to be that easy.

"S-So what! Do you have any idea who my family...?"

Nan Zhi pulled out her phone, opened the camera, aimed it at the woman, and chuckled derisively.

"Go on. Tell the camera all about who your family is."

The woman instantly shut her mouth.

Despite her arrogant behavior, she knew deep down where the line was.

If the situation truly escalated, her family would not let her off the hook!

...In the end, the woman lowered her head and apologized, then dragged her son away, muttering curses under her breath.

Although the other boys hadn’t participated in the fight, their parents had witnessed the entire incident and knew exactly what had happened.

Not all parents doted on their children like that woman had. The vast majority didn’t want their kids to become bullies who preyed on the weak.

And so, admonishments were given and lessons were taught.

One after another, they apologized to Nan Zhi and Nan Yi before leaving.

Nan Zhi calmly tucked her hair behind her ear and turned to look at the starry-eyed Nan Yi and a completely dumbfounded Xu Li.

"All right, let’s go home."