19 More enemies

As Li Na and Ning Yu shared a laugh, Xiao Mei watched from afar, her eyes narrowed with anger. She clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on Li Na, who had tarnished her reputation in school.

Spotting a group of boys joking around in the corner, Xiao Mei approached them with a cunning grin. She whispered something in the ear of one of the boys, a notorious troublemaker, and he nodded in agreement. Together, they slipped out of the room.

Li Na and Ning Yu were immersed in their studies when a sudden commotion outside disrupted their focus. They exchanged curious glances and turned towards the door, only to find a group of boys making their way towards them.

At the forefront was Xi Bingchao, who pointed an accusatory finger at them. "You two," he declared, his tone arrogant, "you stole my money, and you better pay up." He smirked, anticipating a strong reaction from Li Na. "Just so you know," he added, "I will not let it go until you pay up."

Ning Yu shook her head. "I think he's been spending too much time in the sun." 

Li Na couldn't help but chuckle at Ning Yu's remark, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "Yeah, must be all that heat frying his brain." 

Xi Bingchao's voice grew louder, his face reddening with each word. "I'm still standing here!" he bellowed, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"So?" Ning Yu said, chuckling as she crossed her arms.

Xi Bingchao eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at them. "This is no laughing matter. I demand that you pay me back what you owe, or else."

"Or else what?" Li Na challenged, placing her elbow as she placed her cheek on her arm. "You'll accuse us of stealing your lunch money next?"

Ning Yu giggled, "I'm sorry this is just ridiculous."

 "Don't play dumb with me," he growled. "I know you two were behind it. And if you don't want trouble, you better cough up what you owe."

Li Na's jaw clenched in frustration, her mind trying to make sense of the situation. "We don't owe you anything. And we're not going to let you bully us into giving you money for something we didn't do."

Xi Bingchao did not expect this outcome as he looked around at his friends, who were avoiding his gaze, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Feeling the pressure to save face, he stepped closer to the girls, as he slammed his hand on Li Na's desk.

"Bullshit," he spat.

Annoyed by his aggression, Li Na stood up, despite Xu Bingchao towering over her petite frame. She met his gaze head-on.

"And I'm telling you for the last time, it wasn't us," she said firmly. "Maybe you should try looking somewhere else instead of harassing innocent people."

Ning Yu rose from her seat beside Li Na, her expression mirroring her friend's. "Yeah, go find your money somewhere else. We have better things to do than deal with your nonsense."

Xi Bingchao couldn't take the insult. "I usually don't beat girls, but I can make an exception for both of you."

Li Na raised an eyebrow and scoffed at Xi Bingchao's words. "Typical cowardly behavior from someone who knows he can't win a fair fight with someone his size," she retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Ning Yu couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Li Na's response. "You're right, Li Na. He's probably just trying not to lose face, by picking on girls to boost his ego."

Li Na smirked, as she met Xi Bingchao's glare head-on. "Well, he's failing miserably." s

"Just as he raised his hand to hit Li Na, Mrs. Huo walked into the classroom. 'What is going on here?' she asked sternly."

Li Na did not hesitate to tell Mrs. Huo what had occurred. "These boys accused us of stealing and threatened us." 

Mrs. Huo's expression hardened as she turned to the boys. "Is this true?" she demanded, her gaze piercing.

The boys shuffled nervously, avoiding eye contact feeling guilty. One of them mumbled an incoherent response, while the others remained silent.

Mrs. Huo sighed deeply. "This behavior is unacceptable. Xi Bingchao, you and your friends follow me to the office immediately."

The boys followed Mrs. Huo to her office, looking guilty. As they entered the office, Mrs. Huo closed the door behind them and gave them a stern look.

"What you did was completely unacceptable. You cannot just accuse someone without any evidence. And you definitely cannot threaten or try to harm someone. I can't believe you tried to hit your classmate," Mrs. Huo scolded, her voice firm.

"I will not tolerate any kind of bullying or harassment in this school. You all will be punished for your behavior," she continued, her tone unwavering.

The boys hung their heads in shame, knowing they were in trouble.

…

As they sat down at their desks, Ning Yu couldn't help but let out a giggle at the thought of what happened. "Can you believe that loser?" she rolled her eyes. "I mean, why would we steal their money? We have better things to do than engage in petty theft."

Just then, they overheard Xi Bingchao's voice outside their classroom, "You two better watch your backs. We'll be seeing you again soon."

"Great more enemies!" Ning Yu said

Looking at Ning Yu, Li Na shook her head. 

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on us? Is that why you chose us? That only works in movies."

Li Na stifled a laugh at Ning Yu's remark but couldn't help feeling a little uneasy about the situation. She glared at Xi Bingchao, "You really need to find a new hobby, Xi Bingchao. This whole 'intimidating thing' is getting old. Grow up, will you?"