For two straight weeks, Xia Xia had been in a low mood and irritable.

Her thoughts kept bouncing between “Xie Huai is a big jerk, I’ll never speak to him again” and “Actually Xie Huai isn’t wrong, he just doesn’t like me, you can’t force love.”

Her gloomy aura was so strong that Zhu Ziyu didn’t dare provoke her, Zhao Shanqi didn’t dare speak to her, and even Zhao Shijie, who ruled like a king at home, would quietly abandon his soccer ball and run back to his room to study vocabulary when he saw Xia Xia come in.

She couldn’t bring herself to curse Xie Huai to his face, and it wouldn’t be right to take her anger out on others, so she could only desperately suppress it. After a while, she felt like she was going to have a mental breakdown.

On the weekend, Xia Xia received a message from Sister Yan asking if she had time for part-time work.

This job was modeling for a Taobao store that sold stockings. The store had strict requirements for models’ figures and faces, but they paid well – four hundred yuan for one day of shooting.

The shooting location was in an office building downtown. Xia Xia arrived at nine in the morning as agreed.

The store owner was a young man surnamed Li. The photographer called him Brother Li, but Xia Xia didn’t want to call him brother, politely addressing him as Mr. Li instead.

The shooting room was rented less than 100 square meters. More than half the space was piled with merchandise, packaging bags, and disposable trash. In a small corner, they had set up a full-length mirror, plush carpet, and pink backdrop cloth. Despite the messy space, the photos came out looking quite fresh and clean.

Brother Li looked Xia Xia over with satisfaction: “Liu Yan found me a good model this time. How old are you?”

Xia Xia said: “Almost nineteen.”

Brother Li handed her a sailor uniform: “Go change in the fitting room.”

His “fitting room” was a narrow space enclosed by curtains, with a wall on one side and a curtain on the other. Even with Xia Xia’s slim figure, turning around would brush against the walls.

Brother Li was right outside the curtain organizing stockings for the shoot. Xia Xia quickly changed clothes, and while she was tying the sailor uniform’s red bow, the curtain was suddenly pulled open.

She was startled and turned to see the burly photographer standing outside.

Seeing she was already dressed, the photographer smacked his lips boredly: “Sorry, didn’t know someone was inside.”

Brother Li: “Since you’re dressed, come try on the stockings.”

All the stockings he prepared were thigh-highs with white lace. While Xia Xia was putting them on, the photographer didn’t adjust his equipment but just stood watching.

“Beautiful legs,” he exchanged looks with Brother Li. “The models Liu Yan found before had thick, dark legs with bad proportions. I spent all night editing and still couldn’t save those photos. With this girl, we just need to adjust the colors, no major edits needed.”

Xia Xia forced a smile: “Can we start shooting?”

Brother Li shook his head: “Your legs shouldn’t stand like that, spread them apart a bit.”

He gestured with both hands and without waiting for Xia Xia to move, he crouched down and pulled her calves apart.

Xia Xia was wearing stockings, and his touch felt strange and ticklish.

She backed away: “Just tell me what pose you want, I can do it myself.”

Brother Li smiled.

Throughout the morning, Xia Xia changed more than ten pairs of stockings. The photographer was demanding and strange – having her sit on the windowsill one moment, lie on the carpet the next, then asking her to hang upside down on the sofa with her legs over the back.

Xia Xia didn’t move: “I’m wearing a short skirt, that pose will reveal too much.”

The photographer spoke crudely: “What are you afraid of? I’m not photographing your underwear or pussy.”

Xia Xia: “Let’s try a different pose.”

“What’s wrong with you?” the photographer said. “Brother Li is paying you good money for photos, and not only are you unprofessional, you’re acting like a princess.”

Xia Xia’s eyes turned cold.

Brother Li mediated: “Let’s take a break for lunch and continue shooting in the afternoon.”

The takeout arrived, and the photographer went to unpack the food boxes.

Xia Xia stood to the side watching Brother Li, who was crouching down and organizing things. He picked up a pair of stockings Xia Xia had worn and sniffed them.

He turned and saw Xia Xia watching but showed no embarrassment: “We won’t shoot thigh-highs this afternoon, we’ll switch to pantyhose. Our store sells more pantyhose, especially crotchless black ones. If you want to make money, I can add you to our VIP customer group. There are many buyers there but not enough sellers. For a pretty girl like you, selling one pair of used monthly stockings for three thousand yuan wouldn’t be a problem.”

Xia Xia asked: “What’s your store called?”

Brother Li told her the name. Xia Xia took out her phone to search and discovered his store didn’t just sell ordinary stockings, but erotic ones.

“Mr. Li,” she put away her phone, “My school suddenly announced makeup classes, so I can’t continue shooting this afternoon.”

She smiled sweetly: “I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I won’t ask for today’s payment. I’ll leave now.”

She bent down to pick up her clothes, but when she tried to leave, the photographer blocked her: “If you leave now, where will we find another model?”

He put his hands on Xia Xia’s shoulders. Xia Xia frowned: “Let go.”

Photographer: “We agreed on a full day. You have to shoot the crotchless stockings before leaving.”

Xia Xia: “And if I don’t?”

Man: “Then you’re not leaving.”

Brother Li: “Don’t bully the young lady.” Though he said this, he made no move to stop it.

Xia Xia knocked away the photographer’s hairy palm and pushed past him, but instead of heading for the door, she went into the bathroom and locked it behind her.

She changed back into her clothes and took out her phone, sitting on the toilet to call Sister Yan.

Sister Yan was silent for a few seconds after hearing her story.

She hung up, and immediately Xia Xia heard Brother Li’s phone ring outside.

Sister Yan’s voice came through clearly: “Li, I don’t care what disgusting business you do, but if you dare harass the girl I introduced, tonight I’ll go to your house and fuck your mother. Let her go, and if you shortchange her payment by even one cent, I’ll fuck your father too.”

Brother Li wasn’t angry, but rather calm: “Liu Yan, you’re not being fair.”

Xia Xia believed Sister Yan hadn’t known about this. The photographer had mentioned that the girls she introduced before weren’t particularly attractive, which might be why they hadn’t been harassed. Hearing Brother Li’s completely unworried tone, Xia Xia knew this situation was trouble.

While Brother Li took the call in the room, the photographer stood guarding the bathroom door.

He was muscular and burly – Xia Xia had to tilt her head back to look at him. Though Brother Li was thinner, he was still about 1.8 meters tall.

Xia Xia got up and searched through the bathroom. There was a spray bottle by the sink. She emptied the water and mixed in toilet cleaner with fresh water.

Brother Li finished his call with Sister Yan. Not daring to wait any longer, Xia Xia opened the bathroom door while he was still in the room.

The photographer blocked the doorway: “Finally decided to come out?”

Xia Xia brought out the bottle hidden behind her back and sprayed the diluted toilet cleaner on his face. The photographer covered his eyes, howling.

Though he couldn’t see, he still reached out to grab Xia Xia. She nimbly dodged to the side and drove her knee hard into his groin. The man fell to his knees clutching his crotch. Brother Li came out hearing the noise, and Xia Xia quickly opened the door and ran out.

The elevator wasn’t on this floor. Xia Xia ran into the emergency stairwell and headed down.

She heard the two men coming after her and didn’t dare stop for a second, running down eight floors in one go.

When she reached the first floor, the elevator also stopped there, and the man stepped out: “Where do you think you’re running?”

Xia Xia ran frantically but was caught near the road.

The photographer grabbed her arm, his face still red from pain: “Think you can just run after hitting someone? It won’t be that easy.”

Xia Xia couldn’t escape, but being outside now, she wasn’t afraid anymore.

She raised her bright eyes, looking at him with a slight smile: “Then what do you want to do?”

Passersby stopped to watch when they saw two men surrounding and pulling at a young girl.

“What the fuck are you looking at!” the photographer shouted impatiently. “This bitch sprayed me with toilet cleaner. Instead of standing here watching, why don’t you go home and stare at your mother’s cunt.”

He was so fierce and vicious that his shouting scattered the onlookers.

The man said: “You ask what I want to do?”

He pointed downward: “You kicked me and it hurts. Why don’t you lick it better?”

The man smiled maliciously: “After that, we’ll shoot the crotchless stockings and call it even. It’s no use calling Liu Yan – you think she can save you?”

When he finished speaking, he noticed the girl’s expression showed no fear, but rather unusual calmness.

She asked coldly: “What if I refuse?”

The man raised his thick black eyebrows menacingly and patted her face. Though the gesture wasn’t painful, it was insulting: “You think anyone will dare interfere while I teach you a lesson?”

Xia Xia took off her backpack: “You’ve pissed me off today.”

She kicked the man’s kneecap. The girl’s appearance was so delicate and harmless that it was extremely deceptive. Even though he had been tricked once, the man was still completely unprepared. He stumbled and fell to his knees. Xia Xia punched his eye, then lunged forward, pinning him to the ground.

She straddled him, expressionless: “Didn’t you want to fight? Come on then. If you’ve got what it takes, kill me. If you can’t kill me, I’ll fucking kill you all.”

Jiang Jingzhou: “Is that Xia Xia? Now I’m not so sure, maybe we should watch a bit longer?”

The girl across the street was fighting fiercely and recklessly. Her knee pressed hard into the man’s abdomen as one hand gripped his hair while the other struck him, targeting vulnerable spots. Her punching speed and cunning angles showed she was experienced in fighting.

The man recovered and used his strength advantage to push Xia Xia off.

Just as he was about to pin her down, Xia Xia flexibly bent her leg to her knee and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying. Brother Li came from behind and grabbed Xia Xia’s arms to pull her up. The photographer got up cursing and swung his arm to slap her.

Xie Huai’s voice was ice cold: “The fuck are we still watching for.”

Xia Xia had bottled up her bad emotions for half a month and now used this fight as an outlet to release everything. Though getting hit was unpleasant, she barely felt the pain. She felt like there was a perpetual motion machine inside her, converting all her anger into strength, giving her endless energy.

Li held her down so she couldn’t move. She watched as the photographer pulled a beer bottle from the trash.

In the instant he swung the bottle toward her head, Xia Xia’s mind didn’t flash back to when Xia Jun had hit her with a bottle in her childhood. Her mind was filled only with Xie Huai.

–If I get hurt, will Xie Huai care?

Xia Xia couldn’t help thinking about this. Looking at the bottle again, she found herself secretly hoping the man would hit her harder, it best if he gave her a concussion.

However, the expected pain didn’t come. The man’s hand stopped mid-air, his thick wrist caught in a death grip by a hand with distinct knuckles.

As if in a dream, Xia Xia saw Xie Huai suddenly appear behind him.

Xie Huai’s face was dark and cold.

His grip was very strong – even the muscular man couldn’t break free from his hold.

Xia Xia looked at him, expecting him to say something to start.

Like “Try touching my little brother again” or “Who gave you the guts to mess with Boss Huai’s person”… something along those lines.

But Xie Huai said nothing at all.

Expressionless, he snatched the bottle from the man’s hand and smashed it over his head.

The man cried out in pain as blood from the broken glass ran down his temples.