Surrounded

After the school was over, Valentina walked home alone. April was still cold despite the warmth. Valentina's long-sleeved school uniform, misplaced by Selena, hadn't been found yet. She was still wearing that old short-sleeved shirt she'd had for two or three years. Due to her significant weight loss, the short-sleeved shirt felt noticeably loose. The chilly wind felt particularly cold against her skin. With her hands in her pockets, Valentina walked forward at a steady pace. The urban village was up ahead; the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow on the road. Amid the damp and cold night, it felt eerily desolate. Valentina's shadow stretched under the streetlight, resembling a messenger of the night, inexplicably terrifying. She stopped and glanced back, her lips curling into a cold smile. "Aren't you going to make your move? If you don't, I'll just go home." Caught off guard by her statement, the following figure remained stunned for a moment before emerging from the Shadow. "Little fatty, you're quite alert, aren't you?" The ones who'd come were a group of disreputable bullies. The head of the bunch rubbed his nose and sauntered over, clutching an iron rod. A few of them enclosed Valentina, their faces distinctly indicating their ill intentions. Upon recognizing their faces, Valentina slightly narrowed her eyes. These guys were notorious bullies from Lakeside Elite who often hung around near the school, bullying students and extorting protection fees. Students from Lakeside Elite would avoid them whenever they saw them. The leader of the bullies lit a cigarette, took a puff, blew the smoke into Valentina's face and lewdly appraised her. "Although you have an average figure, you're not bad-looking." Valentina lowered her eyes and scoffed, "Do you know where the last person who spoke to me this way ended up?" The bullies looked at each other and broke into hearty laughter. "Where did he end up? In your heart?" The leader of the bullies leered as he laughed, revealing a mouth full of yellowed teeth, and reached out to touch Valentina's face. His hand had barely extended when Valentina forcefully grabbed it. The bully winced in pain and instinctively tried to retract his hand, but Valentina's grip was unyielding. He was taken aback and looked up at the girl before him, only to see her coldly staring back at him. Word by word, she said, "The grass on his grave has flourished." After saying this, she seized the bully's wrist and forcefully twisted it backward. A cracking sound rang out, and the bully's wrist broke as if on cue. The next second, a hellish scream tore through the night sky. "Ah!" "My hand! My hand!!" Valentina kicked a firm blow on his kneecap. An eerie sound echoed. The bully's face twisted in agony. He couldn't even scream, hunching over and falling to the ground. The remaining few were stunned. No one could have predicted that, in such a short time, Valentina would have disabled their leader's hands and legs. Valentina lifted her foot, pressing it firmly onto the head bully's chest, her gaze cold and merciless. "Consider yourselves lucky. I can't kill right now." "Otherwise, your lives would've ended here!" Fear washed over them, turning their faces pale; they were too scared to react. Valentina's indifferent voice rang out. "Speak! Who sent you here?" After speaking, she increased the pressure on her foot. The bully let out a painful shriek, hastily saying, "I'll say it! I'll say it! It was a student from Lakeside Elite. She asked us to teach you a lesson." A student from Lakeside Elite? Who else could it be besides Eudora? Valentina narrowed her eyes ruthlessly. This girl clearly hadn't learned her lesson. It seemed like the threat she received wasn't harsh enough! In that case, it was about time to take it up a notch! Valentina lowered her gaze and looked at the screaming bully beneath her foot, a plan forming in her mind. … The next morning. Eudora went to school in a good mood. When she got off the car, she waved goodbye to the driver with a sweet smile. Her family was well-off. Her father was a government official, and her uncle owned a factory. They also had many businesses in the food industry. She was a true rich and privileged girl. She had a driver to pick her up and drop her off for school and was dressed head to toe in international brands. When she saw Byron getting out of a car, she immediately greeted him with a smile. "Good morning, Byron." Byron gave her a cold glance, nodded his head, and walked towards the school. Eudora's smile froze, but she quickly followed him with a smile. Byron's father was the vice mayor. He was handsome, academically excellent, and held limitless potential for the future. So, he was the only one in the entire school who was a worthy match for her. Eudora had liked Byron since childhood. Any girl who appeared around him would be driven away by her. The reason why she targeted Valentina was also that Valentina had overestimated her capabilities and dared to like Byron. "Byron, have you decided which university you want to attend?" Eudora walked alongside him, trying to start a conversation. "My dad wants me to apply to Biddeford University. My uncle lives in Biddeford, so I'll have someone to take care of me there." Byron nonchalantly replied, "Considering your midterm grades, getting into Biddeford University shouldn't be a problem." Eudora paused for a second and then exclaimed joyfully, "You actually remember my midterm grades!" Did this mean that Byron had been secretly paying attention to her? Her heart fluttered as her cheeks turned a shy red. Byron glanced at with indifference. "Good luck." With that, he walked away quickly. Eudora took a deep breath, returning to her classroom filled with sweetness and excitement. Soon, a lackey rushed over and whispered, "Eudora! That fat pig actually came to school! And nothing happened to her!" "What?" Eudora looked startled. "How is that possible? Did those guys take my money and do nothing?" Finding out that Valentina was unharmed, Eudora spent the morning in a restless state, unable to focus on her classes. At noon, she hurriedly left the school gate to find out what had happened with those bullies. However, to her surprise, they cornered her in an alley. "What... What are you guys up to?" The bullies were all beaten up, their faces bruised and swollen. The one leading them was even hobbling on a crutch with an arm in a sling. "Humph! What do we want to do?" The leader was infuriated as soon as he saw Eudora. If it weren't for her, would he have been beaten up so badly? "Brothers! Let's give our big joke a good reception!" "Yes!" ... Cafeteria. A crowd of students were eating when someone suddenly ran in, shouting, "Hurry to the school gate to watch the show! Eudora was blocked by some bullies from outside the school. They said Eudora paid them to attack someone, but they ended up getting injured instead!" "Now they're demanding medical expenses from her!" "The situation has escalated. Even the principal and the head teacher have gotten involved!" "Eudora was crying and denying everything, but the bullies presented evidence. Now, Eudora has become a laughingstock!" Upon hearing this, Diana immediately dropped her fork and ran towards the school gate. Byron's brows furrowed upon hearing the news. After hesitating for a few seconds, he decided to follow the crowd. The previously crowded and noisy cafeteria suddenly emptied out. Augus sat in the corner, looking up at the empty cafeteria. In one glance, he spotted Valentina sitting by the window, eating her meal with a carefree expression. He pursed his lips, picked up his tray, and walked over to sit across from her. "Aren't you going to watch the show?" Augus asked in a low voice. Valentina didn't even lift her eyelids. "Not interested." With that, she picked up a chicken leg from her plate and placed it on Augus's plate. "If you want to watch, I can take you to see something more exciting next time," Valentina raised an eyebrow at him. Augus glanced at the chicken leg, accepted it silently, and didn't take Valentina's words to heart. However, he noticed that Valentina seemed to have lost weight again. At a glance, she looked quite pretty.