"Brother, I’ll protect you!" said He Zhilan as she moved to shield He Da with her body. Despite the martial arts taught by He Teng, she knew she couldn’t compete with these men. Yet at this moment, she would rather die than be separated from He Da.
He Zhilan crouched down, protecting He Da under her. Despite the punches and tugs from the attackers, she kept her teeth clenched, holding onto He Da.
"Brother, don’t be scared," He Zhilan insisted, "My colleagues are in the restaurant across the street. Just hang in there a little longer, they’ll be here soon. They are all strong men, I believe they can take these jerks down." She continued reassuring He Da with a smile, despite the blows raining on her, "Brother, it doesn’t hurt. Really, compared to losing you again, I can bear this pain."
He Zhilan bit her lip hard, holding onto her faith and refusing to let go, even if they held a knife to her throat. She was determined to hold out until Bono and the others came to help.
She couldn’t imagine what would happen if she let go now. Even if she managed to escape, what about He Da? Would those men brutally kill him? Or hide him away where she couldn’t find him?
Compared to losing a loved one, this pain really didn’t count for much.
"Damn, this bitch is tough. We’ve been beating her and she’s still holding on!" Seeing that they couldn’t separate the two of them, the men started kicking her in frustration.
One kick landed squarely on He Zhilan’s back. The pain was so intense that she almost blacked out.
"I’m sorry, Zhilan. I’ve gotten you involved. You shouldn’t have helped me," He Da said remorsefully as he listened to the sounds of the beatings. He regretted forgetting that there was always someone watching them to prevent escape. He should have told He Zhilan to run as soon as she recognized him.
"If the roles were reversed and it was me begging on the streets, unable to go home, would you ignore me, brother?" He Zhilan replied quickly, shaking her head, "Hold on, I believe my colleagues will notice us soon."
He Zhilan wasn’t just encouraging He Da to hold on, but also herself. She had to stay strong until Bono and the others arrived.
Meanwhile, Bono and his group had left the restaurant. As soon as they stepped out, they noticed a fight across the street and they saw that He Zhilan had disappeared. Just as they crossed the road to find her, they heard her call out. On closer inspection, they realized He Zhilan, who had been having dinner with them earlier, was being beaten by several men.
All men have their sense of honor. Overcome by fury, Bono and his group charged at the attackers, hurling vulgarities in English.
The tables were quickly turned. With the numerical advantage on Bono’s side, they knocked down the men who had been attacking He Zhilan and held them down for a beating.
"Oh my God! Zhilan, are you alright?" Lihua rushed over to He Zhilan. Seeing the wounded hands and feet exposed, she was scared to the point of tears. Looking at the blood from He Zhilan’s mouth, she couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into tears, calling out to Bono, "Stop fighting, let’s get her to a hospital!"