Xu Mu's eyes were somewhat cold. He glanced at his phone; it was almost dismissal time anyway, so waiting a bit longer wouldn't hurt.
At twelve noon, the school gate opened, and local students streamed out.
Xu Mu noticed the few delinquents walking towards the school entrance. He casually grabbed a mask from the car, got out, and followed them.
Wearing his mask, he stood not far from the delinquents, pretending to look at his phone.
Suddenly, the woman with the lip ring grabbed a short-haired woman in a school uniform.
The short-haired woman's face showed some terror when she saw the lip-ring woman. "Zhang Nan?"
"What? Don't recognize your old junior high classmate?"
Zhang Nan grinned. "Huang Nana, got any money? I can barely afford to eat lately, lend a hand."
"I... I don't have money. I go home for lunch, and my parents don't give me pocket money."
Huang Nana said in a low voice, clearly very afraid of her.
"Then go back to school and call our good classmate, Lu Xueyao. Just tell her I'm looking for her. If she doesn't come, I'll take people to her house and trash her grandma's recycling bin."
Zhang Nan chuckled.
Huang Nana didn't dare to disagree and had to return to school.
Xu Mu's hands, in his pockets, gradually clenched into fists. No wonder Lu Xueyao was forced into such a state, planning to give her body to a hooligan.
Just from this woman's attitude towards others, Xu Mu could guess how much grievance Lu Xueyao had suffered before.
After waiting for about five or six minutes, Xu Mu noticed Lu Xueyao in the distance.
Lu Xueyao was wearing a tracksuit today, with a backpack on her back and a black baseball cap on her head.
After Huang Nana brought her, she left in a hurry.
Zhang Nan and the others looked at Lu Xueyao in front of them, all in disbelief.
"Oh my! Who is this? Dyed her hair yellow, I don't even recognize her."
Zhang Nan scrutinized Lu Xueyao, showing a sarcastic smile.
"What do you want?"
Lu Xueyao said lightly, her hands in her jacket pockets.
"Surely it's just old classmates catching up."
Zhang Nan pointed to a dead-end alley, over a meter wide, not far away. "Come on, let's chat there."
"If you dare not to go, next time I see your grandma picking up trash, I'll dump the trash can on her head!"
Another woman with thin, slanted eyes sneered.
Lu Xueyao took a deep breath and quietly followed behind the group.
Last night, she had thought things through.
Xu Mu had indeed awakened her; ultimately, it was just her own weakness.
That was all.
From today on, she would make a change.
The group entered the dead-end alley. Xu Mu stood at the edge outside the alley entrance, listening to the sounds from inside.
First, he wanted to confirm one thing: whether Lu Xueyao had truly changed.
"Old classmate, it's Monday today. Your trash-picking grandma should have given you your living allowance, right?"
Zhang Nan smiled at Lu Xueyao. "Then we'll collect protection money too."
"But I don't want to pay, what then?"
Lu Xueyao looked at Zhang Nan indifferently.
"I gave you face, didn't I? Dyed your hair yellow and now you can't tell who's boss?"
The woman with thin, slanted eyes next to her snapped.
Zhang Nan just smiled. "Don't scare her."
"Don't worry, you haven't scared me."
Lu Xueyao calmly took off her backpack, pulled out a piece of wood with two nails in it.
Actually, she had originally intended to bring the kitchen knife from home.
But remembering what Xu Mu said last night, she changed it to this.
Lu Xueyao looked at the few people in front of her, her expression cold, but her heart was already pounding wildly.
She had never dared to dream of doing this before.
"You guys, I'm short on money lately, give me some. Consider it protection money."
Lu Xueyao looked at them with icy eyes. She tried her best to remain calm, but her voice still trembled.
"Holy crap? Lu Xueyao, are you rebelling? You touch me and see what happens."
The woman with thin, slanted eyes walked towards Lu Xueyao.
Bang!
Lu Xueyao gripped the wooden stick and brought it down forcefully.
The woman instinctively used her arm to block.
Crack!
One of the nails cut through her arm, and blood immediately flowed out.
"Ah!"
The thin-eyed woman's eyes widened in disbelief, then she roared, "What are you idiots standing around for? Do something!"
The other women around were all stunned. They hadn't expected Lu Xueyao to actually dare to fight.
Especially just now, she clearly intended to hit her in the face.
If their faces were disfigured, their lives would be ruined.
The people behind them, to put it bluntly, only thought they looked decent and were skilled.
"Go!"
Zhang Nan snarled at the women around her. "Didn't you hear me!"
The women here were also afraid of Zhang Nan's intimidation and all took off their jackets, swinging them at Lu Xueyao.
The nail on Lu Xueyao's wooden stick snagged one of the jackets.
Seeing this, Zhang Nan immediately stepped forward and kicked Lu Xueyao.
But Lu Xueyao, far from being scared, continued to charge at them.
Xu Mu took off his mask and walked into the alley. He had to admit, Lu Xueyao had really made him see her in a new light.
"Brat! This is none of your business! Get lost!"
Zhang Nan discovered Xu Mu entering and immediately snapped, "I know Master Hu! Believe it or not, he'll kill you?"
Xu Mu didn't slow his pace. He walked up to Zhang Nan and slapped her across the face.
His slap was not the same force as when he hit Lu Xueyao.
Zhang Nan fell directly to the ground, blood starting to seep from her mouth.
"What are you? How dare you speak to me like that?"
After saying that, Xu Mu came to Lu Xueyao's side and asked with a smile, "Are you okay?"
"Brother Xu Mu, I'm fine, I'm not afraid of them!"
Lu Xueyao was breathing rapidly, but after conquering her fear, even outnumbered, she didn't flinch.
"That's more like it."
Xu Mu nodded inwardly. Lu Xueyao was completely different from Ye Tong.
If her Favorability towards him was high enough, Xu Mu planned to use his Fate power to elevate her into a master.
He would definitely need someone by his side who dared to fight and hustle.
"You brat! How dare you hit me? Do you know who I am?"
Zhang Nan covered her face, tears streaming down.
Just then, it seemed someone outside heard the commotion, and a few people walked in.
Zhang Nan's face instantly lit up with joy when she saw the newcomers. "Brother Zhao! Come help me!"
The leader was a bald man, wearing a vest with tattoos on his arms.
He was followed by two men, both tall and burly.
"Isn't this Zhang Nan?"
The bald man couldn't help but smile. "Who doesn't want to live anymore, daring to hit Brother Hu's little sister."
"It's him! Take him out!"
Zhang Nan, covering her face which was swollen like a bun, pointed at Xu Mu viciously.
Lu Xueyao saw those few people, all tall and burly; the three of them almost completely blocked the dead-end alley.
She immediately picked up the wooden stick from the ground. Even though her legs were trembling, she still stood in front of Xu Mu.
Seeing this, Xu Mu couldn't help but smile. He placed his hand on Lu Xueyao's head. "I told you, I'll help you."
"Kid! You're facing your doom, still trying to be a hero?"
The bald man pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and said lightly, "Do it!"
The two burly men behind him rubbed their fists together and walked over.
Zhang Nan covered her face and sneered, "You brat! I'll pay you back that slap a hundredfold later!"