In the neighborhood of the tube-shaped apartment buildings, it was rare to see someone driving a Mercedes G-Class, especially a young woman with such an aggressively attractive appearance.
Li Qiao, with one hand in her pocket, strolled around the front of the car and walked leisurely toward the sidewalk.
Not far away, Guan Mingyu, looking somewhat bulky in her school uniform, couldn’t help but lower her head, turn her face away, and her eyes gradually reddened when she saw Li Qiao.
Li Qiao approached them with a calm expression, her gaze coldly fixed on Guan Mingyu, "After being bullied like that, you don’t even know to fight back?"
Guan Mingyu’s excessively round cheeks instantly flushed red, her eyes filled with panic, "I, I’m fine, they didn’t mean any harm, Miss Li, you should hurry on if you have things to do, don’t worry about me."
Was she afraid of getting her involved?
Li Qiao slowed her pace, appraising Guan Mingyu without blinking.
She still had that meek and compliant look, and her crowded features really didn’t reveal any sign of vivacity.
Only in those eyes could one faintly discern the contour from the photographs.
Li Qiao sighed softly, turning to look at the several female classmates who showed a look of surprise, "Do you feel a sense of achievement in bullying her?"
"Who the hell are you?" The girl leading the group raised her voice in challenge again, with a deliberately thuggish demeanor that completely spoiled the youthful vigor and brightness a student should have.
Without waiting for Li Qiao to speak, Guan Mingyu immediately said, "I don’t know her, don’t get excited..."
This group had been cliquing up in the school for a long time.
Led by Sister Yuan, these four girls had no one daring to provoke them in the campus; whoever did would be beaten.
And they also had a self-proclaimed cool but rather childish name, the Second High School Four Beauties.
Li Qiao didn’t bother wasting more words with them, glancing at Guan Mingyu with a lift of her eyebrow, "Come here, get in the car."
"Why should she go with you? Guan Mingyu, I’m telling you, if you don’t agree to withdraw from the competition today, our issue won’t be settled!"
The few girls looked like high school students but spoke particularly unpleasantly.
Li Qiao slightly turned her body aside, without saying much, and took out her phone to tap on the screen a few times, "Hello, I’d like to call the police."
As she spoke, she gave a sidelong glance at the other party’s school uniform, noticing the school emblem, and continued, "Students from Second Affiliated High School bullying their classmate on Jiannan Road..."
Before she could finish speaking, the high school students showed panic; they didn’t say a word, quickly pulled at each other a few times, and turned around to run away.
And they wanted to bully her?
If she had recorded a video and posted it online, their school records might have been in jeopardy.
Li Qiao snickered as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket, looking at Guan Mingyu, who was utterly bewildered, "Aren’t you coming over?"
Coming back to her senses, Guan Mingyu hurriedly trotted over to Li Qiao and looked up, "Miss Li, thank you."
"No need to thank me. I didn’t call the police. Next time you encounter something , learn to be smart," Li Qiao said, her tone neither warm nor cold, but a careful listener could detect a hint of irritation.
At that moment, Guan Mingyu shyly lowered her head, her eyes expressing difficulty, "I thought about calling the police, but since everyone is classmates, I was worried it would affect their future studies."
Li Qiao looked at Guan Mingyu’s timid and servile demeanor, shook her head with a sigh, and turned to walk towards the Mercedes, "Get in the car first, I have something to ask you."
In the car, Guan Mingyu climbed into the passenger seat, her movements revealing caution and restraint.
She took off her backpack and hugged it in her arms, legs together, stealing glances at Li Qiao, "Miss Li, did my brother do something again...?"
"No," Li Qiao leaned against the car door, propping herself up with one hand on the window, glancing sideways at Guan Mingyu, "You’re twenty years old this year?"