Chapter 73: A Spanking

Xu Xin, that little witch, paid no heed to my shouts and only ran faster. I had no idea why she was sneaking out of my house in the middle of the night, but I absolutely couldn't let her slip away right under my nose. Tomorrow morning, Xu Jian would be coming to pick up his sister, and if I couldn't account for her then, wouldn't that be utterly humiliating?

Xu Jian had trusted me enough to leave his sister in my care, so I bore the responsibility of watching over her and preventing her from disappearing again. Now, as I watched that little witch dart farther and farther away, my anxiety was indescribable. If I were to lose track of her now, how could I ever face Xu Jian again?

Without thinking further, I flung open the door and was about to give chase when the taxi driver called out anxiously, "Hey, you haven't paid your fare!"

I had no choice but to stop, quickly pull out my wallet, and toss him a hundred-yuan note. "Keep the change!" I said, then turned and sprinted after the little witch, ignoring whatever the driver might think.

Thank heavens! She wasn’t running toward the main gate but along a small path beside the apartment buildings. I knew there was an iron fence at the end of the path, an impassable barrier. If she’d headed for the main gate at her speed, I’d have never caught up.

She was at a disadvantage, unfamiliar with the layout of my neighborhood. I couldn't blame her, really—she’d been half-asleep and tipsy when she arrived, with no idea which way the exits were.

As expected, she soon reached the end of the path and found the iron fence blocking her way. Though it wasn’t especially high—less than two meters—she certainly lacked Jackie Chan’s agility and couldn’t possibly climb over.

With no escape, she turned back and saw me closing in. In a panic, she leapt into the nearby lawn and dashed toward the other side of the residential block.

Thanks to that brief delay, I had nearly caught up. I couldn't help but laugh to myself—here, I knew the terrain far better than she did. Where could she possibly run?

It was late, and I didn’t want to disturb the neighbors, so I refrained from shouting and simply followed her into the grass. On my own turf, I was confident she wouldn’t slip through my fingers.

She made it to the building across the way, but again found herself at a dead end. If she tried to run through the corridor, I’d intercept her easily. The stairwell was an even worse option—what, would she climb to the roof and jump off?

I vaulted out of the lawn, just about to grab her, when the little witch, sly as ever, sidestepped at the last moment and darted back into the grass, heading once again for the opposite building.

Caught off guard mid-leap, I stumbled forward a few steps before I could stop, and by the time I turned around, she’d already opened up a seven- or eight-meter gap. Both exasperated and helpless, I thought, “You little rascal, you’re clever, but there’s no way I can’t catch a girl like you. If I can’t, I might as well bash my head against a tofu block and call it quits.”

Once more, I plunged into the grass and gave chase with all my might.

How ridiculous—I, a grown man, playing this game of cops and robbers with a child! The very thought made my face burn with embarrassment. But if I didn’t catch her, I’d have no way to explain myself to Xu Jian. What a predicament!

Xu Xin tore across the lawn, running for her life, with me hot on her heels. After a mad dash of over three hundred meters, I was steadily gaining ground. Once again, she’d picked the wrong direction. In the dark, I saw another iron fence looming just a few dozen meters ahead. She slowed in despair and looked back at me. In a few quick strides, I was upon her, my right hand reaching for her left arm.

Then, something I couldn’t have expected happened. Xu Xin stopped short, spun sharply to the side, and dodged my grasp. At the same time, she stuck out her right foot, tripping me with uncanny precision. All one hundred-plus pounds of me was sent flying by my own momentum, and I landed face-first in an undignified heap.

I barely had time to yelp before I was hugging the earth in a most intimate fashion. The force of the fall sent me sliding more than a meter along the ground, my head spinning and seeing stars. For several seconds, my mind was a blank, completely unresponsive.

Then, the pain hit me—my whole body ached, and my palms throbbed with a sharp, stabbing pain. If it weren’t for the fact that it was winter and I was bundled up, this earth-shattering tumble would surely have left me bloody and torn.

Behind me, I heard the little witch gasping for breath and laughing gleefully. My anger flared uncontrollably. As I struggled to my feet, gritting my teeth, I thought viciously, “You dare ambush me! I haven’t even settled the score from earlier, when you caused me to collide with someone else while chasing you in the daytime! And now you trip me in the dark? Fine! Just wait until I catch you—let’s see if I’ll spare you then!”

Xu Xin saw me getting up, my face dark and stormy. She retreated warily, though still amused. “Hey! Stop chasing me! I’m not playing anymore!”

Ignoring the pain, I kept my face grim and said nothing. “Play? Who the hell has time to play with you? Once I catch you, you’re in for a lesson you’ll never forget, you little troublemaker!”

With a fierce scowl, I strode toward her. Sensing danger, Xu Xin shrieked and bolted. “Hey! I said I’m not playing! If you keep chasing me, I’ll scream for help!”

Still furious, I was determined to catch her and deliver some discipline, regardless of her threats. In my rage, I drew on every ounce of strength and quickly closed the gap.

She cried out again, “I mean it! I’ll scream for help!” But I reached out and grabbed her by the collar, yanking her back.

She let out a piercing scream as she lost her balance and nearly fell backward. I grabbed her arm to steady her and snarled, “Enough! Come back with me!”

She struggled and shouted, “No! Who are you to boss me around? Why should I listen to you? Let go! Ow, you’re hurting me!”

I ignored her protests and dragged her along, intent on bringing her home.

When she couldn’t break free, she squatted down and wailed, “I’m not going! I’d rather die than let you control me! Let go! Help! Somebody help!”

Her stubbornness and loud cries left me with a pounding headache. I couldn’t drag her any farther, and if the commotion went on much longer, the neighbors would be roused. After all, a grown man dragging a little girl—anyone would think I was a scoundrel.

I decided there was no point in reasoning with her. If she wouldn’t walk, I’d just carry her.

Without another word, I grabbed her arm and hoisted her up by the waist, slinging her over my shoulder. She screamed, thrashing her limbs in a fury. “What are you doing? Put me down! Ow, you’re squashing my stomach! I don’t care anymore! Somebody help! Grown-ups bullying a child!”

I paid her no mind and marched toward home with her over my shoulder. Xu Xin soon realized that yelling got her nowhere—no one in the neighborhood came out to intervene—so she started kicking wildly and pounding on my back.

At first, I ignored her, as long as she couldn’t get down. But the little witch was relentless, scratching, pulling, and hitting with no restraint, making me wince in pain. At last, I snapped, “If you keep it up, I won’t be so polite!”

She didn’t heed my threats and reached down my collar, scratching at my neck until I was sure my skin was raw. In a rage, I grabbed her hand and yanked it out, then raised my left hand and delivered a hard smack to her backside.

In the stillness of the night, the sharp crack echoed across the entire neighborhood. Xu Xin went suddenly still, her body trembling. Through gritted teeth, she seethed, “You… you dare hit my bottom? No one’s ever dared… I’ll make you pay for this! I swear you’ll regret it for the rest of your life! Put me down—did you hear me?”

I could sense that she was truly furious now, and she started to push herself up, kicking her legs in an attempt to tumble off my shoulder, even if it meant falling headfirst. I held her legs firmly, but hadn’t expected her to reach back and grab my hair, yanking with all her strength.

My head was pulled back painfully, my scalp feeling as if it might be torn off. This fierce little witch showed no mercy! Shocked, hurt, and angry, I shouted, “If you pull my hair again, I’ll smack your backside until you can’t sit down! Try me if you don’t believe it!”

That threat did the trick. She stopped pulling, though she still gripped my hair. “You wouldn’t dare,” she muttered.

I didn’t respond, just delivered another slap—much lighter this time, not nearly as loud. “Do you doubt me? I mean what I say!” I told her.

She immediately let go, sobbing, “Shameless! Bullying a child—hitting a girl’s bottom! I’m going to tell my sister, just you wait and see!”

Seeing that two smacks had finally tamed the little witch, I was secretly pleased. Stubborn, unruly brats like her only learned when they were scared and hurt a little. Reasoning and kindness were useless; at last, I’d found a way to subdue her. Let’s see now, how far can you run?