Hmph, as long as they’re tempted! Sisi watched the villagers’ reactions with satisfaction and continued to toss out ten yuan bills. The other students found it strange that He Sisi would carry so much money with her when leaving the house.
Jin San saw the villagers scrambling for the money and his eyes turned red with urgency. He shouted loudly, "Don’t fall for her tricks! Think about it, if we capture these people, won’t all the money on them be ours anyway?"
The villagers paused in their scramble for the money. Jin San felt a surge of joy and continued, "And what about these girls? They’re college students from the Capital. Have any of you ever slept with a college girl? The taste must be great!"
A few young men in the crowd gulped and looked at Liu Xuelian lying on the ground with red, lustful eyes. These youngsters were all bachelors from the village. Spurred on by Jin San’s words, the fire they’d been bottling up for over twenty years flared up suddenly, and they were unbearably restless.
Jin San smiled smugly and suddenly yanked on Liu Xuelian’s hair, pulling her up forcefully. The pain made Liu Xuelian cry continuously, and she yelled desperately:
"This is one of your female classmates, isn’t she? In a moment, I’ll give her to these brothers as a bride. It’s their first time being grooms, and they’re not the type to be gentle to ladies!"
The bachelors, their eyes ablaze, no longer cared about the money on the ground. They stared unblinkingly at Liu Xuelian. Damn, the city girls are indeed delicate and fresh, so different from the Widow Hu and her daughters—who knows how many men have had their turn with them!
Even the naive Liu Xuelian knew what awaited her and cried, "No, no, He Sisi, Shangguan Feifei, please save me!"
Professor Ma was being incessantly insulted as a "beast" and was so furious that he fainted. The other male students wanted to help Liu Xuelian, but they couldn’t even protect themselves, how could they help her?
Seeing no response from Sisi, Liu Xuelian cried out in anger, hatred, and fear, "He Sisi, the death is on you, why should I take the blame for you? He Sisi, please come down and trade places with me, I’m begging you!"
"Big brother, He Sisi is prettier than I am. You’ve seen for yourself, and there are several other female students above who are prettier than me. I’m the ugliest, look for them instead!"
Liu Xuelian’s words made Li Anqi and the others turn pale, and any sympathy they had for her vanished instantaneously. What a mad dog, snapping at everyone!
The corners of Sisi’s mouth curved slightly. Liu Xuelian, do you really want to die that quickly?
Jin San sneered, "If that He Sisi is willing to trade places with you, I might consider letting you go!"
Liu Xuelian’s eyes lit up, and she shouted upwards, "He Sisi, please come and trade places with me, they only want you, just one person could save so many of us, don’t be so selfish!"
Liu Xuelian’s words stirred the male students on the ground, who all looked up hopefully. Sisi took in everyone’s expressions, her smile growing wider, but the coldness in her eyes also deepened.
Although she had no great hopes for these students, their reactions still stung Sisi. Indeed, humans are the most selfish of animals!
"Do you all think the same as Liu Xuelian?" Sisi suddenly turned around and asked.
"No, no, He Sisi, you’ve misunderstood, how could we think that!"
A male student denied vehemently with a flushed face, but inside he felt incredibly hollow. Indeed, the thought had crossed his mind that if they handed over He Sisi, all the others would be safe.
Sisi looked around, capturing the expressions of everyone. Some were open, some ashamed, some evasive, some furious. She laughed sarcastically and took out two daggers, handing them to Mo Liu and Zhu Yunxiu.
"Ah Liu, Yun Xiu, take these and stand behind me. If anyone tries anything sneaky from behind, stab them right away, got it?"
Mo Liu resolutely nodded without hesitation and took his position behind Sisi, eyes filled with determination. Zhu Yunxiu hesitated for a moment but eventually stood silently next to Mo Liu.
The rest of the classmates understood the implications of Sisi’s actions—she did not trust them! Someone, displeased, was about to speak out but got stopped by another, signaling them to hold their tongue. They still had to rely on He Sisi for protection!
Several of the male students steadfastly walked over and surrounded Sisi in the center, clearly indicating their stance, among them was Teacher Xu.
Sisi smiled at them, then turned around to assess the situation below, finding Jin San’s blatant provocation annoying. Nevertheless, his tactic of sowing discord was effective, leaving her in a passive position.
Feifei should be back soon, right?
Shangguan had gone to the town to make a phone call; only if the call to Beijing went through, and the armed police were mobilized, could they leave safely. Sisi’s previous enticement was to buy Shangguan more time.
Shangguan Feifei silently emerged, nodding at Sisi, "Hold on for one more hour."
Sisi smiled, returned the nod to Shangguan Feifei, and reached out to high-five her.
"What’s the matter? You don’t want to trade? It seems that the so-called war hero is nothing more than a selfish coward! Girl, since your classmate has no loyalty, you’ll just have to keep my brothers here company!"
Jin San sneered sinisterly, nodding at his hoodlum companions. The ruffians, already seething, dragged the screaming Liu Xuelian away to one side.
All that could be heard was Liu Xuelian’s incessant cries of "Don’t!" followed by sobs and the excited shouts of the men.
Some classmates, unable to bear the sight, approached Sisi, "Shouldn’t we save Liu Xuelian?"
"I am not stopping you from saving her!" Sisi replied casually, without even lifting her head.
The male student who had spoken immediately fell silent, sulkily retreating to one side. Sisi sneered inwardly—anyone can run their mouth, but let them go save her if they’re so capable!
Since the misdeed of the ruffians was done in an exposed place, everyone could see what was happening to Liu Xuelian. One man after another went over, and no one intervened; everyone just watched with cold indifference.
The classmates on the hillside closed their eyes in distress. Li Anqi, Song Mengshi, and Zhu Yunxiu—three female classmates—were terrified, their complexions deathly pale, completely overwhelmed.
Only Sisi and Shangguan watched expressionlessly, indifferent to the scene, as if watching a movie, making the other classmates feel that they, indeed, had the heartlessness of those who had been on the front lines!
Sisi sneered coldly: Even if that Liu woman dies in front of me, this lady wouldn’t blink an eye!
Shangguan: She’s not a friend, it’s none of my business.
Seeing that the commotion did not provoke any reaction from above, Jin San cursed them for their ruthlessness, unwilling to delay any longer. He took the lead in shooting, hoping to take advantage of their superior numbers by striking first.
The battle erupted suddenly, with Shangguan and the other students using rocks and wooden arrows to attack. Sisi, meanwhile, fired down calmly. This time she showed no mercy; each shot was aimed to kill with a headshot. However, the people below were well-prepared and well-hidden, using Professor Ma and others as shields, which caused them some hesitation.