Step on it.

“Mm... uh... cough, cough, cough...” The boy on the ground curled up under Mu Qingxi’s foot.

The faces of the boys standing around twitched involuntarily, their expressions tinged with fear as they stared at the boy on the ground. Mu Qingxi had raised her foot, only to bring it down on the most vulnerable spot of the boy before her. Wu Li and the others held their breath, watching her foot in stunned silence.

Mu Qingxi glanced at them, and in an instant, the boys instinctively pressed their legs together. Noticing their subtle movements, she laughed inwardly. With a calm voice, she said, “Wu Li, he’s your friend, your man. You won’t let me hit him, but why did you hit mine?”

Wu Li knew he was in the wrong and couldn’t refute her, yet he still protested, “Even so, you didn’t have to beat my guy like that. Who are you, anyway?”

Mu Qingxi felt a trace of sweat on her forehead. Wu Li’s reaction was more than a beat behind—they’d been at this for ages, and only now did he think to ask who she was? How slow could he be?

Meanwhile, at home, Shen Yali had been waiting ever since Mu Qingyang came home and there was still no sign of Mu Qingxi. She put down the remote, unable to focus on the television. Every so often, she checked the time on her phone, then glanced at the clock on the wall. Time ticked by, minute after minute, and Shen Yali became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She fretted to Mu Qingyang, who was watching TV, “Qingyang, look how late it is. Why isn’t your sister home yet?”

Without taking his eyes off the TV, Mu Qingyang replied, “Mom, don’t worry. There’s no way anything could happen to my sister.”

Shen Yali grew angry at his words. “How can you talk about your sister like that? It’s so late, and she hasn’t even called. All she does is make people worry.”

Mu Qingyang pouted. “Mom, she’ll be fine. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Shen Yali, however, remained uneasy. “No, I’m going out to look for her. Qingyang, you’re coming with me. Hurry up and get your coat and shoes on.”

Mu Qingyang groaned, “Come on, Mom, she really won’t get into trouble. Trust me.”

“How can you say there’s nothing to worry about? She’s a girl, it’s so dark out. What if something happens? Hurry up.” Shen Yali rushed off to get changed.

Watching his mother dash about, Mu Qingyang muttered under his breath, “She’s almost a black belt in taekwondo—how could anything happen to her so easily? Ah, whatever, I’ll go check. If something really did happen, I’d never forgive myself.”

He ran into his room to get dressed.

Once Shen Yali and Mu Qingyang were ready, they went out together. On the way, Mu Qingyang said, “Mom, you should just go back. I’ll look for her. It’s freezing out, and you’re not in the best health. You should really go home.”

Shen Yali didn’t reply, her gaze fixed ahead. As they neared a small thicket, she noticed a trash bin and, shining her flashlight forward, she spotted someone lying beside it. Alarmed, she exclaimed, “Qingyang, look! There’s someone lying next to the trash bin—could it be...?”

Before Shen Yali finished speaking, Mu Qingyang’s face turned pale and he ran toward the trash bin, praying silently, “Sis, please don’t let it be you. If it is, I’ll never forgive myself.”

He rushed over and, upon getting closer, saw that the person was a short-haired, rather heavyset, and tall boy—not his sister. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the approaching Shen Yali. “Mom, it’s not her. She’ll be fine. You should go home, I’ll keep looking.”

Shen Yali replied, “No, we’ll go together. At least we can watch out for each other.”

But then she hesitated. Mu Qingyang noticed her expression and asked what was wrong. Shen Yali pointed at the boy and said, “But what about this child? We can’t just leave him here, can we?”

Mu Qingyang thought for a moment and agreed. “Mom, call the emergency services.”

Shen Yali took out her phone, dialed the number, and explained the situation and their location before hanging up.

Seeing his mother’s resolve not to go home, Mu Qingyang said nothing more and led her onward.