Chapter 10

It wasn't an illusion; Ding Hao heard it clearly this time. The sound was coming from Xia Lin's house, the one closest to his own. The voice belonged to Xia Lin. Could it be that her parents had discovered her phone and were scolding her? But that didn't make sense. It was the middle of the night, and besides, he remembered that her parents had never hit her. It was just a phone; if she couldn't hide it, she could just tell them that Ding Hao had bought it, and everything would be fine...

No! Xia Lin had told him in the afternoon that her parents had gone to visit relatives. There must be some villains! Could it be Zhang Yongwei? Ding Hao didn't think any more and started running towards Xia Lin's house. Although he and Xia Lin hadn't officially become a couple, in Ding Hao's mind, no one could bully Xia Lin, his childhood friend.

Recently, their relationship had grown even closer because of Yu Feng. If Zhang Yongwei dared to touch Xia Lin now, Ding Hao wouldn't hesitate to tear him apart! He didn't care about Zhang Yongwei's father, who was an official. Long-term gaming had made Ding Hao not only stronger but also more impulsive.

Everyone has their own Achilles' heel, something they can't let others touch. For some, it might be their parents; for others, it might be their children or lovers. Now, Xia Lin was Ding Hao's Achilles' heel. The last time Yu Feng had smashed Xia Lin's phone, he ended up in the hospital for two days.

The closer he got to Xia Lin's house, the louder the sounds inside became. Ding Hao could already hear the conversation, which clearly wasn't from Xia Lin's parents. Xia Lin's cries for help were getting louder and more desperate.

"Be quiet!" a rough male voice shouted.

"No, no!"

Ding Hao listened carefully. The one saying "no" was indeed Xia Lin, but the man wasn't Zhang Yongwei; it was the village chief, Zhou Fuguan! Damn! This old bastard! How dare he touch my girl? Ding Hao's last bit of good impression of Zhou Fuguan vanished, and he kicked the door open!

"Village Chief! Please, let me go. Help! Help!"

"Don't! Help!" Seeing that begging was futile, Xia Lin started shouting again.

"Don't waste your time. Your parents are out, and everyone in the village is asleep. Your house is so remote; no one will hear you. If you behave, I promise to be good to you!" Zhou Fuguan covered Xia Lin's mouth with one hand and prepared to tear her clothes.

"No, no..." Xia Lin was starting to lose hope, only instinctively resisting. She wished Ding Hao would appear, but the village chief had said before entering that the boy had gone off somewhere. Clearly, Zhou Fuguan had planned this for a long time. Today, her parents had gone to visit relatives, and this was a perfect opportunity for him.

Ding Hao was now furious. In the small county, there were many romantic affairs, but why did Zhou Fuguan, who had a beautiful wife and many mistresses, have to target an 18-year-old girl? Clearly, this bastard knew the law!

He didn't touch anyone under 18. Given his powerful position in the village, even if Xia Lin reported him, he could claim it was an illegal cohabitation, a consensual relationship! At worst, it would be seen as improper behavior, and Xia Lin would be the one to suffer!

The front door opened with a bang. To Ding Hao's surprise, Xia Lin's door wasn't locked. He almost fell over, showing how bold and desperate Zhou Fuguan was, or perhaps how reckless!

"Let her go!" Since he was already inside, Ding Hao didn't hesitate. He rushed into Xia Lin's room, grabbed Zhou Fuguan by the collar, and dragged him out. He didn't want to see that fat body on Xia Lin's delicate body for even a second. Then he kneed Zhou Fuguan in the buttocks.

Ding Hao's sudden appearance startled the two people on the bed, especially Zhou Fuguan, who was lifted from his spot and dragged to the door, his buttocks landing with a painful thud.

"Uncle Zhou, how could it be you?" Ding Hao feigned confusion, pretending to be shocked.

"Brat, it's you?" Caught in the act of attempted rape, Zhou Fuguan was scared, but when he saw it was Ding Hao and no one else, he relaxed a bit. "Ding Hao, if you dare ruin my fun, I'll kill you!"

Clearly, Village Chief Zhou Fuguan wasn't afraid of Ding Hao. He acted as if he wasn't committing rape but having an affair or a date, and Ding Hao was just a nosy kid. After a moment of panic, he regained his confidence and demanded that Ding Hao leave!

"Let Xia Lin go, and I'll leave." Ding Hao hadn't expected Zhou Fuguan to be so confident, but he understood. This was the village chief, the bully of the area. He was just an orphan with no one to rely on. Why would Zhou Fuguan be afraid of him?

"Go to hell..." Before he could finish, Zhou Fuguan kicked out, but Ding Hao was quick. He grabbed Zhou Fuguan's left foot, lifted it, and threw him to the ground with a loud thud. It was almost the same as when he had thrown Zhang Yongwei, except this time Ding Hao was more skilled, and Zhou Fuguan was much larger, making the sound even more satisfying!

"Damn! Are you trying to kill me?" Zhou Fuguan hadn't expected the skinny Ding Hao to take him down so quickly. In pain, he got up and pounced on Ding Hao, pounding him fiercely. Ding Hao didn't back down, using all the moves he had learned from games to hit Zhou Fuguan's face, shoulders, and waist.

In just a few minutes, Zhou Fuguan's grip on Ding Hao loosened. Xia Lin let out a cry. It was unbelievable; Zhou Fuguan was completely defeated! If Yu Feng and Zhang Yongwei were just kids, and Ding Hao had beaten them with sheer determination, Zhou Fuguan was a grown man, nearly twice Ding Hao's weight. Clearly, Ding Hao had put in all his effort!

Zhou Fuguan was now a mess, his face swollen and unrecognizable. Seeing that Zhou Fuguan wasn't fighting back, Ding Hao let go and stepped back. Zhou Fuguan sat on the ground...

"Brat, you dared to ruin my fun and hit me. I'll kill you!" Despite his defeat, Zhou Fuguan refused to admit it. He had lost a lot tonight. He hadn't even touched Xia Lin's face, and now he was in pain, struggling to stand.

"If you don't leave, I'll tell Sister Mei Qi. I have a recording of what happened here." Ding Hao didn't back down. At this point, he couldn't show weakness. Besides, he wasn't the same kid anymore. If things got too bad, he could always leave the village. He took out his new phone and pretended to call Zhou Fuguan's daughter in America.

"You... " Hearing this, Zhou Fuguan, who was a bully in the area, fearlessly got up and limped out. He wasn't afraid of anything, not even his wife, but Ding Hao had hit his weak spot. He cherished his daughter deeply.

Zhou Fuguan's position as village chief was closely tied to his daughter, who was studying abroad. In her eyes, he was the best father in the world, and she was his pride and the reason he kept getting re-elected. If she found out about tonight, Zhou Fuguan would rather die!

So, the man who had planned to scare Ding Hao left in disgrace. It was Zhou Fuguan's bad luck. He thought Xia Lin's parents were out visiting relatives, and he hadn't seen Ding Hao around, assuming the boy was working and sleeping at a construction site. What a perfect opportunity! But Ding Hao had shown up in the end!

"Xia Lin, are you okay?" Seeing Xia Lin sitting on the bed, disheveled and dazed, Ding Hao blushed and looked away. Although they were close, it was inappropriate to look at her in this state.

"Ah..." Xia Lin suddenly got up and threw herself into Ding Hao's arms, her fear and relief turning into tears. She was so grateful that Ding Hao had come just in time, and nothing had happened...

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. You're safe! If anyone dares to bully you again, I'll kill them!" Ding Hao gently patted the crying girl, trying to comfort her.

"Sniff, sniff..." Xia Lin's sobs gradually turned into sniffles. For a moment, she had wanted to die. If Zhou Fuguan had succeeded, she wouldn't have known how to live, how to face her parents, Ding Hao, or society. Thankfully, Ding Hao had come and bravely driven Zhou Fuguan away.

"Ouch..." Ding Hao was about to comfort Xia Lin further when he heard a loud thud from outside. Clearly, Zhou Fuguan had fallen.

"Serves him right!" Ding Hao glared in the direction of Zhou Fuguan's fall.

"You should check on him," Xia Lin, being kind, suggested, wiping her tears.

"Check on what? If he dies, it's his own fault!" If Zhou Fuguan had bullied someone else, Ding Hao might have helped, but he had gone too far by targeting Xia Lin. If not for the fear of causing a scene and damaging Xia Lin's reputation, Ding Hao wouldn't have let Zhou Fuguan off so easily.

Although Ding Hao was stronger than Zhou Fuguan, the village chief had been in power for over a decade and had many connections in the county. If the villagers and the police found out about tonight, who knew what lies he would come up with. For a 50-year-old pervert, it wouldn't matter much, but Xia Lin was only 18 and still in school. In a small county, girls always suffered the most, regardless of the truth.

"It's late. Get some rest. I'll sleep in Uncle's bed tonight..." Ding Hao didn't care about Zhou Fuguan's fate. His priority was to comfort Xia Lin. Although Zhou Fuguan hadn't succeeded, the shock would be hard for an 18-year-old high school girl to shake off quickly.