Unfair

Fang Xuan slowly picked himself up, no longer wanting to fight after being humiliated .

His knees were still wobbling as he stood. Just as he managed to rise, his knee buckled, causing him to fall again. 

The bully who punched him named Dong Huiqing caught him, but instead of helping, pushed him to another person. 

"Catch," Dong Huiqing laughed playfully, treating poor Xuan like an object to be tossed around for his own amusement. 

He was passed around by the other people, pushed back and forth at least five times, each shove more humiliating than the last. 

Fang Xuan winced as he was tossed around like a trash, his pride stung more than his bruises.

The laughter of the bystanders echoed in his ears, mocking his weakness .

THUD!

Finally, he hit the ground hard, the impact jolting through his entire body. 

He struggled to stand again, ignoring the ache in his knee, but another kick in the but sent him eating the dirt. 

"Look at you, can't even stand straight," Dong Huiqing jeered, his voice dripping with disdain. "What a loser."

The onlookers snickered and made crude gestures, enjoying this whole fiasco. 

"You're pathetic, Fang Xuan," one of them taunted, kicking dirt in his direction. 

Fang Xuan's face burned with shame. He clenched his fists, but the pain in his knee reminded him of his weakness. 

Dong Huiqing leaned in closer, his hot breath reeking of superiority. 

"Stay down, loser," he spat, pushing him again. 

THUD!

The crowd's laughter grew louder, their mockery a nonstop assault on his dignity. 

"I…" he could not even utter any words. 

"Stop, the ceremony will begin soon. Don't waste your time on him," an elder spoke up, his tone dripping with disappointment. 

He looked at Fang Xuan with disdain, clearly seeing him as useless. 

The bullies immediately backed off, smirking as they left him on the ground. 

"Pathetic, can't even defend himself," a petite girl scoffed, shaking her head. 

She was the most attractive young beauty in their village and also quite talented. Her name was Ma Lifen, and because of being spoiled, she looked down on other a lot. 

Fang Xuan felt a wave of shame wash over him as he met her disdainful gaze. 

She turned away, her long black hair swaying with each step, and joined the others heading towards the ceremony site. 

"Ma Lifen…" he uttered, his voice barely a whisper. 

They used to talk when they were young, but as they grew older, she began to treat him like he didn't exist. 

She didn't bully him directly, but her disdainful looks were more than enough to hurt his feelings.

To her, he was nothing but trash. 

'I'm really pathetic,' Fang Xuan chuckled weakly, though it sounded more like a sad sigh. 

He couldn't help but laugh at how weak he felt, like he couldn't do anything right. 

'If there was a god in this world,' he muttered sadly, 'then it must have given me the worst luck.' 

"You must not forget."

Another voice echoed in his head, like tens of thousands of people of all ages and genders were talking at the same time.

'And now I'm also going crazy,' he sighed, assuming that the voices he was hearing were a sign that he was losing it.