34: Chapter 34 Dare to interfere with your Tiger Lord's affairs
Call the police? Cheng Hu sneered, his other hand violently yanking at Zhou Yurou's pants. The sound of fabric tearing was piercingly loud in the empty garage, striking like a bolt of lightning against one's heart.
Your sister-in-law sent me. Even her brother doesn't care about you, so who else can protect you? He leaned close to Zhou Yurou's ear, his breath reeking of cigarettes and alcohol. Your sister-in-law said I'm very strong. Let me let you try today and see if I'm better than her brother.
You bastard! Zhou Yurou kicked out violently, but the moment she moved, the skinny monkey beside her grabbed her knee as if picking up a chick, his knuckles digging into her flesh until her bones creaked.
Another bald man grabbed her wrists, which were pinned behind her back. His rough palms chafed her skin, causing a burning pain that made her groan. Cold sweat slid down her temples, dampening the stray hairs behind her ears.
The garage's voice-activated lights flickered on and off. In the dim, yellowish light, Zhou Yurou's loungewear was pulled askew, revealing half of her thin shoulder. She wasn't wearing a bra, and beneath the thin fabric, the silhouette of her chest was faintly visible in the shadows—not a temptation, but a suffocating fragility.
Zhang Fan's eyes turned red, like a lit firecracker. Only one thought remained in his mind: Screw it!
He roared, "Let her go!"
Cheng Hu turned around and saw Zhang Fan rushing over. He paused for a moment, then sneered, "Where did this wild brat come from?"
Zhang Fan didn't speak. Using his momentum, he kicked out, but how could he fight?
He had never fought anyone in his life; in high school, he would even avoid fights. This kick was off-target and slow, like throwing cotton candy at a wall.
Cheng Hu slid to the side to avoid it and backhanded him with a punch to his face.
"Damn it!" Zhang Fan was dazed, seeing stars. His mouth burned with pain, and a metallic, sweet taste instantly flooded his mouth. Blood from his nose dripped down his chin onto his grey hoodie, blooming into dark red flowers.
Before he could steady himself, the skinny monkey and the bald man surrounded him. Their fists rained down on his back and arms, each blow delivered with malice. His back felt like it was being repeatedly struck by a blunt object, and the pain caused him to arch his body, yet he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
"Zhang Fan!" Zhou Yurou screamed, trying to reach him, but Cheng Hu pinned her shoulders down, keeping her immobile. His fingers almost dug into her flesh, making her vision go black from the pain.
"Don't move!" Cheng Hu tilted his head and smiled at her, the lewdness in his eyes like a viper flicking its tongue. "Look at the little white face you're protecting; he's like a dog now! Once I'm done with you, I'll let him have a taste too..."
Zhang Fan was curled up on the ground, his back feeling as if it were splitting open, every breath stinging like needle pricks.
But looking at Zhou Yurou's eyes filled with fear, seeing her torn clothes and exposed shoulder, he suddenly erupted with a fierce determination. He grabbed the leg of the skinny monkey nearest to him and pulled with all his might.
The skinny monkey lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud. The back of his head hit the concrete with a dull sound, and he howled in pain, unable to get up for a long time.
"Damn it!" Cheng Hu cursed, let go of Zhou Yurou, and kicked Zhang Fan in the stomach. "How dare you ruin my fun!"
"Stop hitting him!" Zhou Yurou lunged forward to block him, but Cheng Hu shoved her aside. She stumbled and hit the wall, leaving a red mark on her forehead. The pain made her see stars, and tears welled up instantly.
Just then, the piercing sound of sirens came from the garage entrance. The alternating red and blue lights pierced the darkness, getting closer and brighter, like two sharp knives slicing through this filthy corner.
"The police are here!" The bald man panicked and grabbed Cheng Hu, trying to run. "Brother Hu, run!"
"Run!" Cheng Hu wanted to run too, but Zhang Fan was holding onto his leg for dear life.
He looked down and saw that the kid's brow bone was broken, blood covering half his face, but the ferocity in his eyes was even greater than his own, like a wolf driven to a dead end.
"Let go!" Cheng Hu kicked at Zhang Fan's face. His heel grazed his brow bone, cutting a deeper gash. Blood instantly streamed into his eyes, stinging and painful, blurring his vision.
Zhang Fan gritted his teeth and refused to let go. His phone was still clenched in his hand, the screen lit up; it was the recording mode he had instinctively turned on earlier.
The footage was shaking violently, capturing Cheng Hu's ferocious face, Zhou Yurou's struggling figure, and his own distorted expression when he was kicked.
This was evidence. That was the only thought remaining in his mind.
"Don't move!" The police rushed over, their flashlights blinding. The lead officer moved swiftly, using a takedown maneuver to pin Cheng Hu to the ground.
The handcuffs clicked shut. The cold touch of the metal made Cheng Hu instantly wilt, though he continued to curse, "Screw you! How dare you arrest me..."
When the cold handcuffs locked around Cheng Hu's wrists, Zhang Fan finally let go, collapsing onto the ground like a puddle of mud, gasping for air.
His back burned with pain, as if it had been scrubbed with sandpaper, and every breath stung like needle pricks. He wanted to raise his hand to wipe the blood off his face, but his arm felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, dropping back down just halfway up.
Cheng Hu was pinned to the ground, still struggling to turn his face and glare fiercely at Zhou Yurou. "You bitch, when I get out, I'll kill you! And you, you meddling brat, wait for your funeral!"
Zhou Yurou stood where she was, trembling all over. Her off-white loungewear was stained with mud, one shoulder still exposed, and the fabric over her chest was pulled loose, revealing clear finger marks.
She looked at Cheng Hu, who was pinned to the ground, and suddenly crouched down, covering her face and sobbing. Her crying was stifled, like a blocked bellows, each sound filled with endless grievance, as if she wanted to cry out all the tears of her life.
Zhang Fan stood up, leaning against the wall, his bones feeling as if they had fallen apart, blood covering half his face from his brow bone. He stumbled over to Zhou Yurou, took off his down jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. "It's okay now."
The down jacket still held his body heat. Zhou Yurou didn't look up, just leaned closer to him, her trembling shoulders gradually calming down. "I'm sorry... it's all my fault..."
"It's not your fault." Zhang Fan grinned, trying to smile, but it tugged at the wound on the corner of his mouth, making him gasp in pain. "If they hadn't come... you would have been in danger..."
In the police car, Zhou Yurou's eyes darted around, like a startled deer. Her fingers clutched Zhang Fan's jacket tightly; it still held his body heat and the faint smell of blood. Outside the car window, the rain continued to fall, blurring the city's neon lights, and blurring the emotions in the depths of her eyes.
Zhang Fan didn't go to the hospital for a medical examination; he couldn't rest easy leaving Zhou Yurou alone at the Police Station, so he went along with them.