She knew what perverts would do to little children, and there was no way she would want to go anywhere with him.
"Help!" Little Fan Wushuang yelled.
She wanted to get someone's attention, but there was barely anyone out at this hour. The only ones were the drunkards sleeping on the road. There were some cars that passed by but no one stopped even when they saw her. They probably thought that she was just a misbehaving child.
Little Fan Wushuang started to beg, "Please... Please let me go!"
"No," the man said. His hand slowly ran up her thigh as he continued to walk. Little Fan Wushuang was angry at her constant helplessness.
"Why am I so weak?" she thought angrily as she struggled to make him drop her.
When she saw that he was walking toward a dark alley, she got even more anxious and kept hitting him in the back so that he would drop her.
Irritated, the man slammed her against a wall and while choking her, he snarled, "Keep quiet and you won't have to suffer!"
"No!!!" Little Fan Wushuang kept yelling as she clawed at his hand that was tightening around her neck, "I won't-"
Suddenly, a punch came out of nowhere and Little Fan Wushuang found herself being abruptly dropped to the ground. As she tried to catch her breath, she also scrambled back a little.
When she looked at what happened, she saw a young man dressed in black punched the man who tried to hurt her.
"A kid? Why don't you pick on me?!" the young man yelled as he grabbed the pervert's collar and landed one last punch on the pervert's face. When he was done, the pervert's face was a bloody, tearful mess.
The pervert was barely breathing as he lay unconscious on the floor.
When the young man was about to move in again, his companion, a s.e.xy young woman, pulled the young man away from the pervert. As she tried to pull the young man away, she hissed, "Stop it, Jie! You're scaring the kid! And you're going to kill him at this rate!"
"F*cking pervert!" The young man glanced at Fan Wushuang for a second. He then landed one last kick at the pervert's stomach before he walked to her.
Little Fan Wushuang was trembling heavily as she stared at the pervert while she thought about what would have happened to her. She had heard stories from the other street kids; stories that she was shielded from before.
The young man thought that she was afraid of him, so he wiped the blood on his hands on his black pants before he said, "Kid... Don't be afraid... You're safe now..."
He kept a distance away from her so that he would not scare her further.
When she looked at the young man with her tearful eyes, she saw that it was the same young man who gave her food the other night, the one she was waiting for.
"B-Big Brother..." she stuttered as she wiped her tears away. When she saw his genuinely worried glance, she broke down and ran to hug him.
"Argggh! I'm scared! I'm really scared!" she cried loudly as she hugged him. She was so scared. She did not know what else to do. Everyone smiled at her, but they all wanted to hurt her. Yet she felt safe with this young man who looked like he carried the burden of the world on him.
The young man sighed and he knelt down on one knee. As he patted her back gently to comfort her, he asked softly, "Where did you come from, kid? Go back to your family. Don't run away from home."
"My parents are dead!" she wailed even louder as she hugged him tighter. "And everyone else also wants me dead!"
Her outburst startled the young man. He then glanced at his companion before he rubbed Little Fan Wushuang's back. "It's fine. You're safe now... I'm Ah Jie. What's your name?"
With her face on his shoulder, Little Fan Wushuang shook her head. She was afraid of that name now. She did not want to use that name now.
Xiao Yunjie turned to his companion and said in a stern voice, "You go back to the base first."
When the woman looked at him with uncertainty written on her face, he said in a cold voice, "I won't run if I were you. If they catch you, I won't be able to help you anymore. Remember that your freedom comes at a cost. If you want to go back to the old style, then feel free to do so."
The young woman nodded.
As Ah Jie walked away holding Little Fan Wushuang's hand, the little girl could not help but take a look at the woman who was watching them. The woman was wearing a denim jacket that was too big for her, and underneath the jacket, the girl could tell that the woman was dressed scantily. There were also "little bruises" on her neck and hands.
As if he knew the question in her mind, Xiao Yunjie comforted her by saying, "Don't worry about her."
He then took Little Fan Wushuang to a nearby midnight stall. She was still sobbing and refused to release his hand after he told her to sit down.
"Enough... You're safe now. Stop crying," Xiao Yunjie said sternly as he rubbed her shoulders to warm her down after he saw her trembling slightly. He would have given her his jacket, but he had given it to the woman earlier.
When the stall owner came over to take their order, Xiao Yunjie ordered some hot dishes that he thought kids would like.
After the stall owner walked away, he looked at Little Fan Wushuang. She was still crying, clearly still terrified from her ordeal earlier.
"You're a big girl... Why are you still crying like a little kid?"
Little Fan Wushuang was ashamed when she heard his question. He was right. She was almost 13 years old now; she shouldn't cry like a baby at her age. Yet when she tried to control her tears, it only came out faster.
With a sigh, he wiped her tears with his thumbs. When she looked at him while sobbing quietly, he asked, "I don't know why you said everyone's trying to kill you, and I won't ask unless you tell me yourself... But if you don't have anywhere to go, would you like to go home with me? I..."
His face reddened slightly as he said, "I don't have any family either."
As she looked at him, she did not say anything.
Xiao Yunjie held her dirty hands as he added, "It's not a great place, but at least, you will get food... and as long as you stick to me, you'll be safe."
Little Fan Wushuang thought about it. If she continued to live in the street, her ending might not be good. After thinking about the pros and cons, she nodded.
Xiao Yunjie smiled and ruffled her hair. "So, since you don't want to tell me your name, at least give me something to call you by. I can't be calling you little girl for the rest of your life, right?"
Little Fan Wushuang thought for a moment. She did not feel like using her own name, but she wanted something that reminded her of her past. In the end, she chose her father's name, or the name her mother used to call her father.
"Lei."
"Xiao Lei?" Xiao Yunjie smiled. "Alright. Everyone calls me Ah Jie, but my real name is Xiao Yunjie. You should never tell people my real name, alright? Otherwise, you and I would both be in danger."
She did not question him since he looked like he was serious about it. Instead, she nodded obediently. "Alright."
"Then you'll be my little sister from now on. Xiao Xiao Lei," he said. Little Fan Wushuang detected a hint of joy from when he said "little sister".
That night, it was the first night of many nights where she ate a hot filling meal. It was also the last time she felt so alone.
...