The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 105

Josh's back slammed into the brick wall, a sharp pain shooting through him. He shivered, his voice shaking violently: "I really don't know... My dad... hasn't been home in over a year... He hasn't even called... My mom is sick... We really don't have any money..."

"No money? Then we'll take you to settle the debt!"

The man's gruff laughter sounded exceptionally terrifying in the dark.

"Move!"

The thug's massive hand reached out to drag Josh away. He struggled wildly, but a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy was absolutely no match for these brutes. His backpack was ripped off, his shirt torn at the collar, and he was violently hauled toward the deeper shadows of the alley—

"Let him go."

A voice echoed from the entrance of the alley.

Everyone turned around.

Standing under the dim, yellowish streetlamp was a young woman. She looked about eighteen or nineteen, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans. In her hand, she carried a plastic bag of instant noodles she had just bought from the store.

The group of thugs stared blankly for a second before bursting into laughter. "Where'd this little girl come from? Get the hell out of here."

The girl didn't run. She walked over, step by steady step, right up to Josh's side. Taking advantage of the thugs' stunned hesitation, she reached out, pulled him away from their grasp, and shielded him behind her back.

"He has no legal obligation to pay off his father's debts," her voice rang out, not overly loud but incredibly steady. "According to the law, a minor has no civil capacity. Even if you kidnap him, the courts will never recognize this debt. Furthermore—"

She pulled out her phone, the screen displaying an active call.

"I've already called the police. They'll be here any minute."

The thugs' expressions instantly shifted.

"Also," the girl said, putting her phone away and staring them down, her gaze burning with the fierce intensity of a fire in the night, "I'm a law student at Riverdale University. What you just did constitutes picking quarrels, provoking trouble, and unlawful detention. If you cause any bodily harm, you're looking at three years in prison minimum. Let's see how you'll collect money from his dad from behind bars."

Silence hung heavily in the air for several seconds...

The leader glared venomously at the girl, spat on the ground, and waved his hand with a string of curses. "Shit, dealing with a Riverdale student? Let's get out of here!"

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