Chapter 149: Eliminate Distractions
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
Xiao Ran shrieked, but the tall figure had no intention of letting her off.
She dealt dozens of slaps in succession before finally slowing to a halt.
"Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin don't hit women, but I do." Yun Yao panted heavily as she spoke. "Any other complaints?"
"You motherf—"
Xiao Ran gritted her teeth and tried to push Yun Yao away, but Yun Yao grabbed her arm again and rewarded her with three more slaps.
"Say it again!" Yun Yao roared. "Go on, say Tiantian again!"
Xiao Ran's cheeks were red from the beating, her face a mix of anger and pain.
"Zhao Haibo!!" she screamed. "Someone's hitting me, can't you see?! Was I letting you touch me for nothing just now?"
Dr. Zhao finally snapped out of it and hurried forward to pull Yun Yao away.
Just as he was about to touch her, two strong hands held him back.
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin stood side by side, blocking his way.
"Dr. Zhao," Qi Xia called out, "let the girls settle this among themselves. We shouldn't interfere."
"Yeah, yeah, Dr. Zhao." Qiao Jiajin smiled. "Don't interrupt a one-on-one fight."
Dr. Zhao's face darkened. "B-but... you guys..."
"Or would you like to have a one-on-one with me?" Qiao Jiajin asked with a grin. "I've got a free slot now. I can take you on."
"I..." Dr. Zhao looked nervously at Qiao Jiajin, then at Xiao Ran on the ground, not knowing what to do.
Yun Yao had already delivered over a dozen more slaps, leaving Xiao Ran completely helpless.
"Sis! Stop! Please stop!" Xiao Ran wailed. "Your man's tough! Your man's tough, okay!"
*Smack!*
"That's not right. Say it again!" Yun Yao said angrily.
"You're tough! You're the toughest!"
*Smack!*
"Again!!"
Xiao Ran was completely bewildered. "Sis... what do you want me to say?"
*Smack!*
"Say it!"
*Smack!*
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Xiao Ran howled in agony. "I shouldn't have said that about her! I was wrong! I won't do it again!"
Yun Yao finally stopped hitting.
Xiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
"Say it ten times," Yun Yao said.
"Huh?"
*Smack!*
"I said say it ten times!"
Under Yun Yao's friendly negotiation, Xiao Ran apologized ten times straight.
"You remember this—watch your mouth around here. Someone can put you in your place!" Yun Yao gave Xiao Ran's hair a rough tug as a final warning, then slowly stood up.
She looked down at her hands. They were red too.
"Pop star, you okay?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"I'm fine. My hands just hurt a little."
"Oh, then I'll take you to get some ice on them," Qi Xia said with a raised eyebrow. "Wouldn't want them to swell."
"Yeah, yeah!" Qiao Jiajin nodded eagerly. The two of them helped Yun Yao out of the room.
Dr. Zhao awkwardly helped Xiao Ran up from the floor, not knowing what to say.
Xiao Ran's eyes were bloodshot with rage.
"Fucking... who does she think she is?!" She gritted her teeth and found her mouth full of blood. She spat viciously onto the ground and muttered, "I'm going to kill you..."
Qi Xia wet a towel with bottled water and gently wrapped it around Yun Yao's hands.
"That Xiao Ran is just too hateful..." Yun Yao said, completely ignoring the redness on her hands as she continued angrily, "How can there be such a terrible person in this world? I'm furious! We're both girls, but I can't understand a single thing she said!"
Qi Xia nodded. "If you'd been a second slower, I would have hit her myself."
"Forget it," Yun Yao sighed. "If you'd hit her, she'd make a huge scene—ruin your reputation while playing the victim. It's like a toad hopping onto your foot—it doesn't bite, but it's disgusting."
"Doesn't matter. I don't care about reputation." Qi Xia shook his head and poured a bit more water onto the towel.
"That's still not okay," Yun Yao said. "When things like this happen, people always side with whoever seems weaker. I've been through it before. After thinking it over, it's best that I gave her a good beating."
Qi Xia nodded but changed the subject. "I don't think Xiao Ran will let this go. Don't team up with her in the future, and watch out for her stabbing you in the back."
Yun Yao nodded solemnly. "You're right. I'll be careful."
The three of them were chatting near the restroom when an older woman approached.
Qi Xia remembered her.
She wore a Buddhist amulet and a cross around her neck, and today she had added a string of beads on her wrist.
"Aunt Tong?" Yun Yao stood up and smiled happily. "Is something the matter?"
"Little Yun..." The woman called Aunt Tong nodded kindly. "I heard a lot of people didn't manage to keep their memories this time, so I'm going to start my class again. Would you like to come?"
"Ah... me?" Yun Yao looked troubled. "Maybe I'd better not... I still have my memories..."
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged confused glances at Yun Yao and the woman.
"Class?"
Seeing that Qi Xia was interested, Aunt Tong quickly came over and grabbed his hand.
"Amitabha, God bless. Young man, you look very devout. Would you like to come and listen to my class?"
"Devout?" Qi Xia gave a wry smile. "Ma'am, you're not very good at judging people. I've never believed in any god in my whole life."
Aunt Tong still smiled and said, "But young man, if there were no gods in this world, how would this place exist?"
"Well..."
The woman's simple question stumped Qi Xia.
She then turned to Qiao Jiajin, looked him up and down, and said, "Young man, you don't believe in gods either, I take it?"
"Ma'am, you really aren't good at judging people," Qiao Jiajin said awkwardly. "I've been worshiping Lord Guan for over ten years."
"Well, that's fine, it doesn't matter." Aunt Tong shook her head. "I'll be teaching in the classroom to the north this afternoon. I'll explain the origin of the Land of Finality and the principle of the Echo. You're both welcome to come if you're free."
"What?!" Qi Xia was taken aback. "Ma'am, you know the origin of the Land of Finality and the principle of the Echo?!"
He looked at Yun Yao, who gave him a helpless expression.
"Yes, it's all arranged by Allah," Aunt Tong nodded. "The Buddha has always been compassionate and will let us understand all the will of the Virgin Mary."
Qi Xia felt that this woman believed in too many things.
In just a short while, she had mentioned "God," "the Buddha," "Allah," and "the Virgin Mary." She'd nearly covered all the major religions of the world.
"Maybe I'll just—" Qi Xia started to refuse, but the woman grabbed him firmly.
"Young man, if you want to survive here, you must eliminate the distracting thoughts in your heart."