The girl pushed out by Fang Lirong, because she was unprepared, fell directly to the ground.
The rough man stepped over the girl who fell and went after Fang Lirong.
The onlookers, seeing this situation, immediately scattered in all directions.
Xinyan also stood with the crowd, moving to the side.
She just didn’t expect Fang Lirong to run directly towards her, reaching out to grab Xinyan’s arm.
Xinyan quickly dodged her hand: "What do you want to do?"
Fang Lirong was startled, but upon turning her head and seeing the pursuing rough man, she tried to hide behind Xinyan.
Xinyan, feeling displeased, swiftly took a step back, thinking it’s understandable not to want to get hurt, but you can’t use others as a shield.
Fang Lirong was so startled that she staggered and almost fell, but a female classmate nearby happened to support her.
At that moment, the rough man caught up.
Fang Lirong acted faster than she thought; seeing the rough man about to catch her, she quickly ran further back.
The female classmate who had just supported her instinctively tried to block the rough man. Although he tried to stop abruptly, it was too late; the dagger cut the classmate’s arm, and blood was immediately seen.
The people scattering, seeing someone injured, started screaming.
But the rough man seemed to have gone mad, shoving aside the injured girl in front of him, reaching out to catch Fang Lirong. Yet, Fang Lirong slipped away like an eel.
Seeing the rough man acting recklessly with rage in his eyes, Xinyan feared he might accidentally harm the innocent.
Xinyan took advantage of the moment, swiftly kicked, sending the dagger flying from the man’s hand. Seeing the rough man look angrily at her, Xinyan kindly reminded, "Being impulsive won’t solve the problem, you’ll only harm yourself. Think of your family."
The man seemed to comprehend, the hostility in his eyes slowly faded, and the anger on his face dissipated, as he turned to look at Fang Lirong, who had already run a distance away.
Some classmates spoke up, urging, "Right, don’t act impulsively."
Everyone was amazed by Xinyan’s agile kick. Some classmates who knew her gathered around, "Xinyan, you’re amazing."
Xinyan didn’t want to draw attention, "In the heat of the moment, I overperformed; just luck."
Another classmate wanted to say something but saw Fang Lirong’s counselor arriving with campus security.
The counselor began to calm the situation, "Let’s go to the office and talk things over, don’t do anything rash."
Then a female classmate advised the rough man, "Fang Lirong can’t go back to living a hard life with you. Let her compensate you, go home and find another wife."
The classmate next to her nudged the speaking girl with an elbow, "Mind your own business, be careful not to earn Fang Lirong’s resentment."
The first girl said, "If money could solve it, Fang Lirong would be eager."
Thus everyone started discussing, "But the Xu Family’s conditions aren’t very good, where would she get the money? Stop mentioning it."
"She doesn’t have money, but she has a fiancé, right?"
"Come on, it’s unlikely Xu Xiangdong would help now."
"After all, it’s like this. Didn’t Fang Lirong say the Xu Family owes her? They should handle it."
"That’s true, but the marriage between her and Xu Xiangdong might be off."
"Even so, it’s better than going back to a hard life in the countryside."
"But after today, her reputation is ruined too."
"As long as she can keep studying here and withstand the public opinion, once she graduates and gets a formal job, she won’t have trouble getting married."
While the discussion was lively, the involved parties were already taken away by security personnel.
Seeing there was nothing more to watch, the crowd dispersed.
Xinyan saw people leave, clearing the dormitory entrance, and she went straight upstairs.
Though Fang Lirong had tried to use her as a shield, and she did cause a classmate to get hurt, which was indeed annoying, in such a situation, it was understandable, as it was her survival instinct.
Nowadays, with many intellectual youth returning to the city, incidents like this are not uncommon. She felt it was not her place to judge right or wrong, since she hadn’t experienced their hardships.