CHERUB: People's Republic Read Online Free

other girl?’
    Ning didn’t answer, she just stared at her bare feet.
    ‘You have gifts and opportunities. You were adopted by an excellent family, but act like the lowest ragamuffin. You got accepted into national school because of your strength, but you’re kicked out for the worst behaviour. Fu Ning, look at me when I speak to you.’
    Miss Xu put her hand under Ning’s chin and forced her head upwards.
    ‘Tell me why your father pays for you to live in these rooms?’
    ‘Study,’ Ning said reluctantly.
    ‘If you don’t get into a good middle school, you’re throwing your life away at eleven years old. Do you crave failure, Fu Ning?’
    ‘You don’t need school for anything I want to do,’ Ning said defiantly.
    Miss Xu drew a sharp breath. ‘Really? And what is this job requiring no status or qualification?’
    ‘If rock star doesn’t work out, I’ll become a terrorist,’ Ning said.
    Miss Xu raised her hand, threatening another slap. ‘Maybe I should call your father and see what he says to his little rock star?’
    Most Chinese girls would weep and beg rather than face the wrath of their father. Ning’s stepdad was stricter than most, but she wouldn’t give Miss Xu any satisfaction by showing fear.
    ‘If I’m really bad, I expect my dad will send me away to live in a rotten little room, where I’m not allowed to go out, play sport, or watch TV and all I can do is cram for my exams before and after school every day and all weekend. But wait, he already did that, didn’t he?’
    Miss Xu could take no more of Ning’s lip and swung her hand. But Ning had spent four years studying boxing at Dandong’s National Academy of Sport.
    Ning ducked swiftly beneath the hand. Miss Xu was so surprised that she overbalanced, while Ning thrust upwards, jamming two fingers hard under Miss Xu’s ribs and sending her into spasm.
    ‘Ker-pow!’ Ning shouted, as Miss Xu stumbled backwards, clutching her sides.
    The elderly woman was too stunned to react as Ning reached under the bunk and swept an arm across Miss Xu’s desk. A pen pot, papers, telephone and spider plant all crashed to the floor. Ning opened the office door, making the girls who’d been nosing outside spring backwards.
    ‘Mean old cow,’ Ning shouted. ‘No wonder nobody ever married you.’
    Back in her room, Ning found Daiyu cowering on her bed with her knees tucked into her chest. ‘Are you mad?’ she asked nervously.
    ‘None of this would have happened if you’d left me alone in bed,’ Ning said. ‘But don’t worry, I doubt you’ll have to put up with me any more.’
    Ning pulled her nightshirt over her head and dressed quickly in a T-shirt with the logo of her favourite Korean rock band, ripped black jeans, scuffed black snow boots and a leather jacket. Xifeng stood watching in the doorway.
    ‘Where are you going?’
    Ning shrugged. ‘Anywhere but here.’
    ‘Don’t do anything stupid,’ Xifeng said nervously. ‘There are people who can help with your problems.’
    ‘My only problem is not wanting to spend fourteen hours every day studying for a stupid exam,’ Ning screamed.
    As Xifeng sheltered in the next room, Ning considered packing a backpack, but she had nowhere to run away to, so she just grabbed her phone, wallet and a pair of sunglasses. Heads disappeared inside rooms as Ning stepped into the corridor.
    Miss Xu was back on her feet at the far end of the hallway. Rather than face her again, Ning jogged back towards the showers. She cut through steam and kicked open a blue fire door. The concrete stairs led down to a courtyard filled with children’s bicycles.
    News had spread to the boys on the floor below and a few of them yelled stuff like Get ’em, psycho and Go Ning through the barred windows of their rooms. For an instant she felt like the hero in some movie and when she reached the courtyard, she spun around and gave Miss Xu’s cramming school a two-fingered salute.
    ‘Screw the world,’ she shouted.
    Ning