Returning the Favor With Gratitude (1)

Adrienne didn't care if she ended up becoming a bully like them - at least she wasn't preying on those innocent ones. She knew what she was doing wasn't right, as these girls were still young, and they could still repent and change. Alas, using one's age to escape punishment was a little overboard, in her opinion.

These girls wouldn't know what it feels like to be bullied until they experienced it, but she doubted whether they would change their ways after this encounter. If Adrienne knew Samantha had been suffering like this, she should have sought the girl as soon as she got the chance. She shouldn't have waited a week before making a move to find her.

"Please... Please let us go… we'll leave... We'll leave Samantha alone from now on. We don't even know she has a sister like you." The girl pleaded to Adrienne in tears. She was panicking, and her heart beat faster. Her complexion turned ashen as she looked at Adrienne.

"When Samantha begged you to stop hitting her, did you listen?" Adrienne scoffed. "Even if she doesn't have a sister like me, you still don't have any right to harm her. Do you think that because someone is poor, you should mistreat them? If you were born in Samantha's shoes, would you like to experience living like you're in hell every single moment of your life?"

The girl couldn't respond in fear and could only watch as Adrienne raised a hand towards her cheek before running her slim fingers over her thick hair. She could see the coldness in Adrienne's eyes and she froze, not daring to move. She cried out when Adrienne grabbed a fistful of her hair and tugged her closer. Her friends who were watching by the side had chills running down their spines yet again.

"You shouldn't forget what happened tonight, okay, Little Sister? If I find out you are bullying other students besides Samantha, I'll visit you and give you another lesson you'll never forget." Adrienne said before releasing the fearful girl. She kept the metal pipe in her hand and regarded them all. She was a thirty-one-year-old woman trapped in an eighteen-year-old body. Of course, she would never allow these children to bully her.

"Don't worry, Little Sister. As a thanks for disciplining my younger sister, I should return the favor with gratitude." She added in a domineering tone. "This wouldn't be our last meeting. We'll see each other again with your parents and guardians soon. Our lawyer would surely want to hear your side of the story before we sue your families for child neglect. Are you prepared to lose everything? We might not be able to hold you responsible, but it doesn't mean we can't go after your parents, right?"

The girls started to panic inwardly. They were only acting arrogantly in front of others because of their families' reputations. However, they all knew that once their reputation was smeared in public and they were humiliated, there was a chance that their families would turn their backs on them.

They were still young, so how would they know what right words to say in front of a lawyer? Anything they could say might be used against them. They couldn't understand why the tables were suddenly turned against them.

For the longest time, they had known Samantha Qin, but no one from the Qin family bothered to look after her. The news of Richard Qin's death had also been widely known. There shouldn't be anyone who Samantha could rely on.

Adrienne watched the girls pull themselves up from the ground, groaning in pain with swollen faces. They picked up their bags and left in a hurry. They didn't even dare to look back in fear.

Once they were gone, Adrienne lowered her guard and sighed. She returned the metal pipe to the alley and picked up Samantha's bag that was left on the ground. She was about to leave when she spotted Myrtle and Samantha looking at her with widened eyes a few meters away.

She was caught off guard, not expecting the two to witness her earlier actions. Adrienne didn't allow her surprise to show on her face but instead calmly strode towards them.

"You are still here?" She told Myrtle before eyeing Samantha. "Let's get going. I want to see how badly they've hurt you."

–

Samantha could only follow Adrienne and Myrtle in silence, but her trembling immediately stopped once Adrienne approached her. She followed them to Myrtle's apartment, but she hesitated to enter. Everything looked clean, and Samantha feared she would sully the place with her presence.

"What are you doing still standing there?" Myrtle called her. "Come on in. You've had a long day today."

She glanced at Adrienne for affirmation and received a slight nod in return. Only then did Samantha enter the apartment and remove her shoes. She followed Myrtle inside, who brought her to a small bathroom.

"Take a bath. Everything you may need to clean yourself is available inside. If you need something, just call my name. I'm Myrtle Han, by the way." Myrtle handed Samantha a clean towel before pointing at Adrienne Jiang, who chose to sit on her small couch. "And that's Adrienne. We'll talk about what happened today later, but first, clean yourself."

Samantha thanked her and gave Adrienne one last look before she entered the bathroom. For some reason, her attention was drawn to Adrienne. Perhaps it was because Adrienne was the first person who stood up for her and treated her as a person.

She slowly washed away the dirt from her skin by scrubbing because her mind kept replaying what she had seen earlier. Adrienne had easily dodged her classmates' attack, leaving them helpless in the end. If only she were as strong as Adrienne, she would have ended her classmates' bullying a long time ago.

It wasn't like she didn't try to seek help, but every attempt she made was met with disappointment. Samantha, who had held her tears for years, finally broke down and cried.