Chapter 22 Humiliation

  Looking at the crumpled check in the hand of the man in black on my left, I took a deep breath, and then, because of extreme anger and sadness, I couldn't help but hum a laugh.

  When people are angry to the extreme, they really will laugh out loud. Half of it is sarcastic ridicule towards others, and the other half is self-mockery at one's own miserable situation.

  "Hey," I looked at the check in the black-clad man's hand, then raised my head and stared into the eyes of the two men, retorting, "You two are quite bold, 500,000 yuan, enough to buy a few coffins?"

  Upon hearing my words, both men's faces lengthened.

  "You mean you don't want this check?" The two men's faces stiffened, looking at me with cold voices.

  "Cheque, haha, what's the use of this? If I really wanted to take something from Zhang Guohua, there would only be one thing. That is... his life. This cheque can stay with Zhang Guohua to buy a coffin." I said coldly, then clenched my fist heavily and used the Hook Soul Technique on the man who was holding Ah Xue's hair:

  "From now on, I am your master!"

  As I gave this order to that man, he was taken aback at first, but then suddenly burst out laughing.

  "You're crazy! I'm going to your mom's cunt!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, the man suddenly kicked me in the stomach with one foot, kicking me into a stumble. Severe pain came from my abdomen, and I almost vomited up sour water.

  Failed again! ?

  What's going on?!

  It's impossible. Logically speaking, I still have one more chance to use it, why did I fail?!

  How did this happen!?!

  "Is your brain okay? Are you my master? I'm still your emperor, damn it!" The man on the right kept kicking me, kicking my thigh, abdomen, and even slapped me in the face.

  "Brother!" Seeing me being beaten, Ah Xue burst into loud wails, her voice intermittent.

  "Please don't hit my brother! Please stop hitting him!" Ah Xue cried out, "I'll take the money for my brother, I'll persuade him, just leave! Just leave!"

  I lay on the ground, clutching my stomach, with all four limbs convulsing.

  Anyone who has been in a fight should know that when your stomach is heavily kicked, you will feel weak all over and temporarily lose the strength to resist.

  At that time, I was holding my stomach and heard Ah Xue's crying voice, my heart was broken!

  Alas!

  This is what happens to people who have no real power!

  If I were Zhang Guohua, these people would only be flattering and fawning all over me. How could they possibly dare to treat me like this?

  Now I'm in a situation where I need Ah Xue to bail me out, am I even worthy of being an older brother?!

  "A Xue..."

  "Brother, please listen to them, I already know about Sister Yan's matter, let's just drop it. Don't fight with them anymore, we can't beat them, brother, okay?" Ah Xue sobbed and begged me not to resist anymore. In his eyes, we were just a lowly family, I was an ordinary brother, she was a weak girl, facing the underworld, facing the powerful, what else could we do but swallow our pride?

  I want to open my mouth and loudly tell Ah Xue that we can't settle the score like this, Smoke can't die in vain, poor people are also human beings, they should live with dignity.

  But... as soon as I opened my mouth, a sour taste spread through my throat, and a big mouthful of sour water came spewing out.

  My nose turned sour, and tears flowed out instantly. The scalding tears rolled down my cheeks and into my mouth. These were the tears of powerless resistance to reality. Even 14-year-old Ah Xue already knew about the cruelty of society and had given up resisting.

  This is the most heart-wrenching part for me!

  Now Asha is already obedient to her superiors, and when she enters society in the future, what kind of girl will she become? She will become a self-abased, humble, only knowing how to obey but not resist, just like Yanyan, being bullied but not understanding how to resist!

  But... what can I do about it?!

  I slowly lifted my head and looked at the two men wearing sunglasses, their faces and silhouettes gradually becoming blurred and overlapping, my vision began to become dizzy.

  Looking at the faces of the two men in front of me, I finally realized at the last moment that my Soul Hook Technique would fail because... they were wearing sunglasses.

  The hypnotic technique requires looking into the other person's eyes, but... they were wearing sunglasses, so I couldn't see, and it failed.

  I finally understand this point... but it's too late.

  The wound on my head started bleeding again, the severe pain in my abdomen made me unable to lift my head, I curled up there, my hands and feet numb and cold, from the soles of my feet to my brain, watching Ah Xue cry and beg for mercy, my heart gradually cooled down.

  "Brother... sorry... sorry... uh-uh-uh..."

  A familiar female voice was crying beside my ear, I wanted to get up and pat the girl's shoulder like before, telling her that everything would be alright, all will pass.

  Just like before.

  But... everything is over now.

  Because I lost too much blood and my wounds relapsed, I fainted. My brain was like a short circuit, with no sensation at all. The last scene I saw was Ah Xue holding me, with a tear-stained face.

  That time, I... lost.

  I woke up on the second day at noon, when I woke up, I saw white walls and white sheets, and there was a saline bottle hanging on my right side, so I knew I was in a hospital ward.

  "Brother, you're awake!" A joyful and trembling voice came from beside my ear. I lifted my head in a daze and saw Ah Xue sitting next to me, with a look of relief in her big eyes.

  When I saw Ah Xue, I suddenly remembered everything that had happened before. The faces of those two men with icy sunglasses flashed into my mind, and my anger surged up from the bottom of my heart.

  "Ah Xue..." Seeing Ah Xue's bitter smile, my heart aches. I know that I can lie here safely and Ah Xue is also safe, it can only mean... Ah Xue took my place and accepted Zhang Guohua's money.

  She gave in.

  So she was rescued.

  This is helplessness, and also sorrow.

  Thinking of this, I clenched my fists, and a surge of angry blood rushed to my chest.

  "A Xue, are you okay? What about those two people? And mom?"

  Upon hearing me say this, Ah Xue's eyes dimmed and she lowered her head, her eyes reddening as she said to me:

  "Brother, those two people have left, they gave me the check... They won't come again..." As she spoke, Ah Xue's voice choked and big tears fell from her eyes, making my heart ache. I knew Ah Xue was also doing it for my own good, what could a little girl like her do? To protect me, she could only do this much.

  "Brother, I'm sorry, I've wronged Yan Yan sister... But, I really don't want to see you being beaten by them... Brother, am I very stupid, very spineless?" Ah Xue looked at me with red eyes, her voice trembling.

  Looking at Ah Xue's delicate face covered in tear stains, my nose also began to ache.

  I stretched out my hand and hugged Ah Xue tightly, my body trembling with convulsions.

  "It's no use. Ah Xue, you're good for your brother. You're smart, it's not your fault, it's my fault that I'm useless, that's why you get bullied and Yan Yan gets hurt... It's all because of me being useless!!" I tightly hugged Ah Xue, my voice also choked with sobs. The unworthy tears fell from my face once again.

  These are tears of humiliation and also tears of indignation.

  I clenched my fist tightly and gritted my teeth with a cracking sound.