Are You Afraid?

Everything happened too fast for Chen Ru to comprehend. 

One minute he was still basking in the euphoria of his success, and the next minute, he found himself sprawled on his back, gasping for air as Rui Shuren's hands tightened around his throat like iron claws. 

Chen Ru choked, tears springing up in his eyes. His chest burned with the desperate need for oxygen. "M-Miss Rui—" he rasped, his voice barely a croak. He tremblingly grabbed her arms in a desperate attempt to throw her off. Yet it was as though the one he was holding was not the slender arms belonging to a woman, but two beams of steel. Despite having exerted all of his strength, she didn't budge at all, and he was quickly losing his breath.