201 Chapter 201: Everything but the Rain (1/2)
”Let go! Let go of me!” the girl kicked and screamed as she struggled to break free of her captors' grip, to no avail. Twisting around, she threw out a hand to the young boy who was lying on the grass, battered and bruised. ”Shun Yin! Shun Yin!”
Huang Shun Yin lay on the field, in too much pain to answer. Those bastard adults…they couldn't go easy on a kid, could they? Even though he was only a seven-year-old, they sure as hell didn't hold back at all.
…all because he talked to the daughter of the Porter family.
”Shun Yin!”
He could hear Angelica Porter's voice from far away, but his body hurt too much for him to get up. He could try saying something, but one of those damned adults had socked him in the jaw so hard he found it difficult to speak.
There were still a couple of adults lingering around to kick Shun Yin when he was down.
”Don't you ever approach the young mistress again!”
”You'll pay for your arrogance and audacity!”
”You're lucky we're letting you off with just a beating! Or you'll be dead!”
”Stop it! Stop hitting him! Shun Yin! Shun Yin!”
Angelica's cries were getting further away now. Shun Yin closed his eyes and waited for them to disappear.
It was all right. Angelica had her own circumstances. He understood that they belonged to two very different backgrounds. She would forget about him eventually and resume her duties as the daughter of the Porter family while he returned to his normal life.
”Did you not hear what Angelica told you?”
Shun Yin's eyes flew wide open when he saw an eruption of crimson flames sear through his eyelids. A couple of the adults who were kicking him were blasted off their feet, their suits scorched and their sunglasses incinerated. Coughing and screaming as they rolled on the grass, attempting futilely to extinguish the flames on their immolated bodies, the adults wailed in pain.
”B…Brother!”
Shun Yin forced open his swollen eyelids when he heard Angelica's surprised outburst, and caught sight of a young man, about fifteen years old, striding forward with an extended hand. Flames continued to dance in his palm as he glared at the surrounding men in suits.
”What do you think you're doing?”
”Y…Young Master!”
The remaining men in suits immediately dropped to their knees, their heads lowered. The young man, Angelica's brother, stopped right in front of them. The leader hastily formulated an explanation.
”This peasant thought he could talk to our young mistress! He dared to approach her…”
”So?” the teenager cut him off. ”You beat a seven-year-old kid up because he approached and talked to Angelica? Are you listening to yourself?”
”He's just a commoner of low birth, of…”
”And who are you to make that judgement? Did you investigate his background? Did you conduct a thorough check? Or did you make that assumption because you've never seen him before and he wears normal clothing?” the guy's lip curled in disgust. ”And even if he is, so what? Are commoners not allowed to talk to Angelica?”
”You and the Young Mistress are of the noble Porter lineage, Young Master. Commoners should not be allowed to…”
”Fuck you. Our Porter family is one of the ten great families of the Global Federation. It is our duty to fight for the citizens of the Federation and protect them, no matter their status. We built our power and wealth upon the backs of normal citizens. It is our responsibility…our obligation to normal civilians. We should be protecting them…and yet here you are, beating them. You dare call yourselves the subordinates of the Porter family?”
The men in suits said nothing.
”And since when do you have the authority to decide who we can or cannot talk to? Aren't you overstepping your boundaries?” the young man closed in on the leader. ”Are you the master? Or is Angelica the young mistress?”
”Young Mistress is the Young Mistress, sir.”
”Then why are you acting as if you're the master and making decisions on her behalf? Why are you deciding who she can and cannot befriend?”
”But, Young Master, it is our responsibility…”
”It is your responsibility to protect us, not run our lives for us. Not to decide who we can or cannot socialize with.” The young man kicked the leader. Flames exploded and wreathed the shrieking man in an angry red. The other men in suits glanced at him nervously, and then returned to lowering their heads, awaiting their turn. ”You bring shame to my Porter family. You think that just because you serve one of the ten great families, you can go around beating up kids? Well? Do you feel good about yourself now? Do you feel strong now that you've kicked and punched a seven-year-old?”
The leader was in no condition to answer, and none of the other men in suits dared to speak up. The young man regarded them with disdain, and then turned toward the injured Shun Yin. He then gestured for one of the men in suits.
”You over there. Rendall, was it? Go get a healer and get this kid's wounds healed.”
”Yes, Young Master!”
The guy didn't dare to disobey, and he immediately retrieved his smartphone and began dialing a private number.
”Thank you, Big Brother!”
Angelica managed to break free of their grip and ran over. She bowed gratefully, her expression a little nervous and timid.