The Tired Villainess

Xu Qiang - 1.4

Damn! My noodles are gone!

Xu Qiang looked at the empty spot where her noodles once were and furrowed her eyebrows. She looked around to see if she could spot anyone with her food but, there was no one.

Xu Qiang started to walk away but suddenly heard a rustle which led to a crashing noise and then a lot of groaning. She looked behind her and saw the boys she helped, on the floor again, rolling in pain. 

Stifling a laugh, Xu Qiang was glad that at least they were able to move around enough. She assumed that they were trying to be rebellious since it seemed like they were well-off, but got involved with gang members. Xu Qiang didn't know these boys for long but she felt a weird sense of responsibility for them. Like how an older sister is to her younger siblings.

She started, "Well, my noodles are gone because of you guys, do you have anything to say for yourselves?" Xu Qiang said with a stern voice.

The boys didn't reply so she continued, "Are you guys... trying to be cool?"

All the boys became quiet and Xu Qiang wanted to start crying because of the awkward silence.

What do I say to a bunch of teenage boys? 

"You don't have to join a gang, to be cool... you know?"

"You boys should just go home to your parents and talk to them, tell them how you feel. I'm sure they will help you out." Xu Qiang winced as she looked at the boys, trying to see if the nonsense she was spouting was actually working.

"Unless you have another sibling that steals all the love and affection." Xu Qiang laughed a bit and said.

The boys stared at her in astonishment. Xu Qiang's face relaxed when she saw this.

My nonsense was right.

"I've been there before. Although I don't have a sibling, I've seen other people like you as well." Xu Qiang realised that she didn't have a sibling in this world so she made up an excuse.

"...Thank you for helping us." He Shun said quietly.

"No problem, do you guys need me to call you a taxi or anything?" Politely asking, Xu Qiang continued, "I'm sure they will still be around."

"Then we hope you don't mind. Sorry for troubling you." Li Cheng said with a tiny smile, wincing when he moved his face muscles.

"As I said before, it's no problem." Xu Qiang smiled.

Xu Qiang started strolling along the road, trying to spot a taxi. She kept on walking as she looked down at her phone, contemplating calling them an e-taxi.

The boys followed silently behind, still embarrassed about their situation.

A little bit later, Qiao Chonglin caught up with Xu Qiang, walking beside her and asked, "What's your name?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! My name is Xu Qiang." All of the boys took note of this name that was deeply rooted in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Li Cheng went beside Qiao Chonglin and asked a question as well, "How do you know how to fight?"

Xu Qiang looked at him and replied, "I learned self-defence when I was younger."

"How old are you?" Kang Donghai approached from the other side and asked.

"Do I look old?" Xu Qiang asked, touching her face. Kang Donghai's face went red and he was going to apologise when Xu Qiang laughed. 

Her laugh sounded like a soothing melody, instantly making the boys more relaxed and friendlier towards her.

"I'm just kidding. I'm 24 years old." Xu Qiang answered Kang Donghai.

"Wow! You're 24? I thought you were around our age." Li Cheng said.

"Well, how old are you guys?" Xu Qiang asked even though she already had an idea of their age.

"Donghai and I are 17, while Chonglin and Shun are 18." Li Cheng eagerly replied to her question. 

"So that makes me your elder." Xu Qiang said. "So you should call me jiejie right?" 

The boys nodded and smiled at her. After talking together for a bit, the boys realised that Xu Qiang was really fun to talk to, and she also gave great advice. To them, she was like a wise old oak tree.

Xu Qiang also picked up a few things after talking to the boys. She found out that they were really popular in school, and had terrible grades. The only reason they were in the school was because their parents paid money for it.

Of course, the boys themselves would never say it but, Xu Qiang was able to tell after they had a few slip-ups. She also found out that He Shun had an older brother who was He Shun's parents' favourite child. He Shun didn't say much about his older brother so Xu Qiang concluded that they didn't have a good relationship.

The boys went to King Academy, the most prestigious school there is. Xu Qiang also went there when she was in high school. Like Lihua, Xu Qiang wanted her parents to notice her so she did her best and got high marks, but her parents didn't care. Her mother was too busy crying over her father and her father was too busy chasing a mistress. 

Lihua felt that Xu Qiang was also similar to her in someways. Both just wanted to be accepted.

Xu Qiang stopped walking and so did the boys. She looked around at the road again and there were no taxis in sight. 

"We've been walking for a while now. I think I should just call you guys a taxi from the e-taxi app."

Qiao Chonglin was about to say something when his stomach interrupted him. His face turned so red, Xu Qiang thought he might faint.

She didn't want to be a bully so she didn't laugh. Snorted, but didn't laugh.

"When's the last time you've eaten?" Xu Qiang inquired.

"Maybe like, 4pm?" Kang Donghai said unsurely.

"4pm? It's almost 10pm right now, no wonder Chonglin's stomach rumbled." Xu Qiang said disapprovingly.

"Ah, look. There's a small takeout shop right there. I'll go get something for you guys." Xu Qiang looked down at her phone again and ordered a ride. "Stay here. Don't move so much, you don't want to make your injuries worse."

The boys nodded compliantly and stayed put. They all had one shared thought as they waited for their new jiejie. 

Maybe getting beat up isn't so bad after all.