Fear and jealousy were quickly festering among the crowd, who began to shove Xiaren around. Their initial amazement at her beauty turned into envy and resentment— a mere village girl, she was even prettier than them, well-bred city folk!
"Damn it, who allowed you to stand in front of me?" Ji Qin couldn't bear it anymore and pushed Xiaren, nearly causing her to stumble.
"Hurry up and get to work; sweep the floor, then go to heat up water and make the bed. If you don't finish within an hour, you'll pay dearly!"
Once they saw Ji Qin bullying Xiaren so openly, everyone else lowered their guard. She was just a teenage village girl, what could they possibly have to fear?
Qiao Xiaren coldly glanced at the girls before her, showing no signs of intending to engage with them. It was more like she was completely ignoring them. Zhang Lerong felt as if a ball of evil fire had started to burn in her stomach. She reached out and grabbed the person before her, even more maliciously clutching Xiaren's hair.
"What kind of attitude is this? You're just a dirty, uncultured, and ugly village girl, and you dare to ignore us? You're indeed the cheapest kind, brought up in a village. Low class is low class, with no manners at all..."
Zhang Lerong continued both berating and tugging on Xiaren's hair whilst the others jeered in encouragement. But then, they saw Qiao Xiaren's icy smile as she stepped forward and, with a swift grip, grabbed Zhang Lerong's hair. She hoisted her hand onto her shoulder, and with a swift judo throw, fiercely flung Zhang Lerong onto the ground.
Zhang Lerong managed only a stifled grunt before she lay on the floor, groaning unconscious from the pain.
Everyone was stunned by the scene just played out before them, standing there slack-jawed. Their gazes towards Qiao Xiaren were all tinged with a complex mix of emotions— dark and opaque.
Zhang Lerong lay on the ground in disbelief, looking up at the condescending figure of Qiao Xiaren, her arms folded across her chest.
"You... you lowly peasant... how dare you hit me..." Zhang Lerong scrambled up from the ground, disregarding the aches in her body. She screeched like a madwoman and came charging over, only to have her hand seized mid-air by Xiaren, rendering her immobile.
"Why wouldn't I dare to hit you?" Qiao Xiaren mocked, and with a flick of her hand, sent a stumbling Zhang Lerong crashing onto the ground again, who promptly hollered in pain.
Zhang Lerong was utterly stupified from the tumble.
"Today's judo flip is a lesson for you to watch your tongue and not shit-talk everyone you meet. Mind who you're messing with, or you'll be asking for trouble."
"Grab her, grab that girl for me! I must kill her!" Zhang Lerong bellowed in fury, girls closed in, encircling Qiao Xiaren with ill-intentions.
Qiao Xiaren was only by herself, how could she fight back this time?
Zhang Lerong cackled viciously, throwing herself forward like a lunatic, regardless of her disheveled appearance.
Qiao Xiaren's face remained unchanged. She stretched and limbered herself up, before anyone could see what she was doing, a girl was flung across the room, crashing into the others.
Zhang Lerong barely could make out what was happening when a sharp pain surged from her abdomen. She was sent flying by the fierce kick from Qiao Xiaren.
One by one, the girls dropped to the floor. Their previously vindictive eyes quickly filled with awe and fear, twinkling with trepidation. No one dared to step forward again.