Chapter 18.3 – Rainy Night in Hua City (10)
◎You won’t leave me, will you?◎
Meeting Jiang Rui marked the beginning of disaster for Song Ke.
To the girls at No.1 Middle School, Jiang Rui was the unattainable North Star, the little prince of the rose stars, an existence that could only be hoped for but not obtained. As for Song Ke, who had the fortune of catching his gaze a few times, she became nothing more than a pile of filthy mud at the feet of the gods.
At the start of a new week, Song Ke clearly felt malice coming from all directions.
Dead snakes and mice were stuffed into her desk, her handed-in papers were frequently soaked in ink for no reason, and her backpack, left on her seat one moment, would inexplicably vanish the next, only to turn up in the washbasin of the restroom.
Although the Alliance’s Anti-B*llying Law had been in place for years, it was as good as nonexistent in the remote D-level city of Hua City. At the time, Song Ke had no idea what “b*llying” meant, nor did she understand the magnitude of the harm caused when “evil” was amplified.
During that period, Song Zhiyuan eventually succumbed to illness, leaving Song Ke an orphan. She had no one to vent her grievances to and no one to help her unravel why she was being treated this way.
Before his passing, Song Zhiyuan had admonished her not to stand out in Hua City, not to act recklessly, and especially not to casually resort to violence against ordinary people. Thus, Song Ke only disposed of the desiccated animal carcasses in her drawer, retrieved her backpack, and silently returned to her messy seat. From the very beginning of this malicious prank, she had lost her desk mate.
However, the b*llies interpreted this as a sign that Song Ke was enduring and acquiescing.
This meant that the victim wouldn’t fight back.
As a result, those who were cruel became even more audacious, gradually crossing the line. One day, the most beautiful girl in Class-3, the proud Zhou Anqi, like a peacock, cornered her in the cafeteria, flipped her food from top to bottom, and poured it down Song Ke’s neck.
At the time, there were many students having lunch, and even two supervising teachers witnessed the misdeed, yet no one stepped forward to stop it.
Some saw but remained silent, and others pretended not to notice.
The thick liquid flowed down her back, all the way to her heels, and Song Ke caught a whiff of the damp and fishy smell of the muddy mixture.
She wiped the liquid off her face and belatedly realized, “Ah… So it wasn’t soup.”
It wasn’t soup, and it wasn’t an accident either. It was another malicious prank that had been occurring to her day after day.
“Hey, stutterer, can’t even speak properly, but you’ve already learned how to seduce men?” Zhou Anqi arrogantly tossed her plate aside, pinching her nose in disgust. “I heard you’re from the F District. No wonder you smell so fishy; I can smell it from miles away.”
“Hey! Come over here and see if she stinks!”
“Stinks, it stinks terribly! Hahaha!”
“Ugh… I’m gonna puke.”
At a table behind her, Cao Yiyi, who had a delicate appearance, considerately handed over a tissue, unfortunately, it was for Zhou Anqi. “Anqi, be careful, don’t splash yourself.”
Each time, it was Zhou Anqi, the domineering instigator, who led the b*llying against Song Ke. Standing behind her, forever untainted, was Cao Yiyi. Their temperaments and characters were vastly different, but the smiles at the corners of their mouths and the malice in their eyes were perfectly aligned no matter how you looked at it.
At the time, the homeroom teacher for Class-3 was Xu Liren.
Song Ke stood in the bustling office, stuttering as she recounted her ordeal. Xu Liren was busy grading papers, rapidly circling and marking with a red pen. When she finally managed to finish speaking, it took a while before he seemed to extricate himself from his busy state. He pushed up his glasses and said, “Our class is about to conduct evaluations. Teacher thinks that it’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble. It’s best to resolve these minor conflicts among classmates. I believe you can reconcile, right?”
“Moreover, have you ever considered why others are fine, but it’s only you who’s facing all of this?”
“Sometimes, we shouldn’t just blame others. We also need to reflect on ourselves.”
But Song Ke couldn’t do it. No matter who she faced, whether it was cold sneers or the constant barrage of “pranks,” she couldn’t reconcile. She only felt stifled, and going to school was no longer a happy affair for her. Now, people in her class were talking to her, but unfortunately, it was all insults and curses.
Jiang Rui still occasionally came to find Song Ke, bringing her snacks and inviting her to play. Because of her frequent absence, he complained a few words. He had no idea about Song Ke’s experiences in the class. He remained the same carefree, radiant campus idol.
At first, Song Ke didn’t understand the source of the hostility around her. But as Jiang Rui’s visits became more frequent, even she, as foolish as she was, could sense that this person was the cause of her troubles. So, she earnestly told him, “Don’t, don’t look for me anymore.”
Naively, she believed that if Jiang Rui stopped looking for her, everything would return to normal.
Jiang Rui didn’t take her words seriously. “I just like hanging out with you. What’s up with your hair? Why’s it stuck with chewing gum?”
“I’ll get it out for you.” The cool young man leaned down near her in the shade of a tree, clumsily pulling apart the clump of sticky hair.
Song Ke turned her head to avoid his touch, quickly stepped away, paying no mind to Jiang Rui’s displeased shouting behind her.
In the opposite teaching building, Cao Yiyi put down her phone, which contained the pictures she had just taken. She gazed at Jiang Rui’s departing figure, swiftly scrolled through her contacts, found Zhou Anqi’s name, and clicked send.
The explosion came swiftly.
On the day of the outburst, it was Song Ke’s turn for class duty. The boys in the class deliberately lingered, making loud noises by dragging tables and chairs around. Before she realized what was happening, they had surrounded her in a “concave” shape against the wall. Her classmates used the water pipes from the restroom, usually used to clean, and splashed water all over her head. Some got carried away, swinging iron buckets in their hands, one of which struck Song Ke on the head with a resounding “clang.”
The classroom fell silent for an instant, followed by nonchalant laughter as if nothing had happened.
The high-pressure water flow prevented Song Ke from opening her eyes and completely washed away her patience, making her increasingly aware.
Grandfather had said that she should get along well with her classmates at school. She had tried, but unfortunately, she hadn’t succeeded. But her master had also taught her “an eye for an eye.” If someone hit her, she had to hit back, and this, she could do.
—Song Ke kicked over the desk in front of her.
She didn’t think she was being overly harsh. She was merely giving back what others had done to her. However, when she poured the filthy water onto Zhou Anqi and Cao Yiyi’s heads, the group of boys seemed to be collectively possessed. They all twisted their expressions and charged towards her. Song Ke hooked the mop with her toe, and the dirty cloth slapped their faces, smearing them forcefully.
Her actions were measured; she didn’t even break anyone’s limbs. However, this group of fourteen or fifteen-year-olds lacked exercise, and after a few moments, they were defeated. What Song Ke couldn’t understand, especially, was that she was just returning the favor, yet now these tormentors were writhing on the ground, crying and wailing in pain. Hadn’t they ever thought that others might suffer just like they did?
The commotion caused by the brawl in Class-3 was too intense. Even people from other floors came running to watch. The front door, the back door, and the corridors were filled with onlookers, hecklers, gossips, and rumors flew like wings, spreading everywhere. Jiang Rui was the first to receive the news. He rushed over in a state of anxiety, and upon entering the classroom, he was shocked by the chaotic scene of people sprawled all over the floor.
Zhou Anqi was lying amidst a pile of trash, her school uniform skirt covered in scraps and dirt. She was calling his name while sobbing uncontrollably.
Cao Yiyi’s braids were undone, and she timidly hid behind Jiang Rui, gently gripping the hem of his school uniform. “Senior, please stop Song Ke. She’s hurt many students. Anqi’s father has already informed the principal. If this goes on… she’ll be expelled.”
Jiang Rui’s full attention was focused on another person, and he didn’t notice Cao Yiyi’s small movements. He bypassed her and approached Song Ke with a stern face. “…Stop.”
Jiang Rui grabbed the mop, which still dripped dirty water, and his expression turned icy. “Do you know the consequences of starting a fight?”
Stubbornly, Song Ke glared at him, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
Jiang Rui felt a headache coming on. He lowered his voice. “…You’ve hurt people. Apologize first.”
With teary eyes, Song Ke stubbornly resisted. “No.”
Suddenly, cries of surprise came from outside the classroom.
“Mr. Xu is here!”
“The principal and the dean of discipline are here too!”
Jiang Rui grew increasingly anxious. With a strong pull, he tried to take the mop from Song Ke’s hand. “Listen to me. No matter the reason, fighting with classmates is wrong. Wait for the teachers to come, apologize first, and then…”
With reddened eyes, Song Ke pushed forward.
Caught off guard, Jiang Rui, along with the mop, was pushed a few meters away. The back of his head hit the wall hard, and the iron hook hanging on the mop hit his eyebrow, cutting open a gash that immediately started bleeding profusely.
Time seemed to stand still, and everything around them fell silent, so quiet that it felt like one could hear the sound of blood drops falling. Cao Yiyi’s face paled. Ignoring Zhou Anqi, who had fallen to the ground, she rushed to Jiang Rui’s side in a flurry, using tissues to cover his wound.
Amidst the chaos, the stern-looking dean of discipline rushed in first, his breath heavy as he shouted, “Stop it all!”
Following him was the displeased Xu Liren. The class teacher of Class-3 stared at the whole scene, realizing that any hope of this year’s awards was gone. His gaze landed on the only one standing, Song Ke, his expression cold as a knife.
Jiang Rui’s head was spinning, his ears ringing with screams and exclamations. Through his bloodied, blurred vision, he saw Song Ke’s lips move slightly, whispering something.
Then, she climbed over a windowsill and ran away.
As the white light and ringing gradually faded, Jiang Rui belatedly realized what Song Ke had said: “You’re just like them.”
…
Zhuang Qingyan fell silent for a while after listening to the story. He knew that Song Ke’s willingness to share these things wasn’t because she harbored resentment or sought comfort. The girl was strong physically and rather straightforward in her thinking. It was highly likely that, seeing him with a crippled leg, she decided to tell a more distressing story to ease his mind a bit.
“…So you just ran away like that?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
From that day on, Song Ke had returned to F177 District and had since refused to go outside. Oddly enough, neither Zhou Anqi nor the school authorities bothered her afterward.
“Getting your frustration out by giving them a beating might help,” Zhuang Qingyan sighed lightly. “The governing level in D District is uneven. Without the backing of parents, even if you’re in the right, you might not be able to explain yourself. Even if you caused a scene in the city center, I’m afraid it wouldn’t change much.”
Song Ke shook her head. Throughout the ordeal, she had never thought about seeking fairness or justice. Xu Liren said she was wrong for not letting things go, Jiang Rui said she was wrong for ass*ulting her classmates, everyone thought she was wrong.
Zhuang Qingyan scoffed lightly, “Wrong? Would this matter just disappear if you didn’t act?”
If Song Ke hadn’t hit Zhou Anqi, the b*llying from Class-3 would have continued. She couldn’t endure such days any longer.
At this point, Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes slightly narrowed, veiling the destructive urge he had to destroy everything. “You hit them because those people deserved it. Even if you were wrong, what can they do?”
“Some people spend their whole lives doing ‘right’ things, only to die in the end, and no one will put up a monument praising them for it.”
He reached out and ruffled Song Ke’s hair. “You’re still a kid.”
“—Remember this, in this world, right and wrong aren’t that important. Living happily is what matters.”
It was twisted logic, but Song Ke couldn’t argue against it.
This man’s mindset was completely different from what her grandfather had taught her. Her grandfather had said she needed to assimilate into society, try to be like everyone else. However, Zhuang Qingyan seemed to not care about anything. Whether others lived or died had nothing to do with him, as long as he was content and happy.
“If it were you, what would you do?” Song Ke asked.
“What would I do? Haven’t you already seen?” Zhuang Qingyan rubbed his chin and revealed that characteristic smile of an antagonist.
Song Ke: “…”
She thought about the fates of Wu Yarou and Yang Bo, and her heart felt heavy.
Unknowingly, time passed quickly. The sky outside gradually brightened, and a new day began. The atmosphere in the safe zone had also changed. High school students who received new weapons grew bolder, and a particularly large exploration team was gearing up.
Song Ke stood up. “I’ll go out to find supplies. You rest well.”
They were leaving today. Song Ke intended to go out early to scout the route. When Liu Zixuan opened the door again at night, she would take Zhuang Qingyan with her.
Before leaving, she poked Zhuang Qingyan’s leg, and this time, he didn’t dodge. “Remember, go check again.”
Zhuang Qingyan didn’t promise. Instead, he stared at Song Ke, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m wondering, you won’t just leave me here, will you?”
“…”
Song Ke rolled her eyes internally, thinking only someone like you could come up with this: “I’ll come back and pick you up!”
Zhuang Qingyan saw her off, much like a worried wife seeing off her husband. He leaned against his wheelchair, waving with a bright smile. “Remember to come back early. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Song Ke: “…”
There was something oddly strange about it.
In a grand procession, Song Ke followed behind, as usual, keeping her distance from the others, appearing isolated and detached.
She carried the massive spiritual weapon umbrella with her again.
After everyone had left, Zhuang Qingyan returned to his corner and took out Yang Bo’s wristwatch from his pocket. He lowered his gaze and examined it for a moment, then with a slight movement of his finger, seemingly imperceptible, a new set of clean clothes appeared out of thin air.
After changing clothes, he checked the wristwatch and the necklace again. Yang Bo’s watch contained only clothes and food—nothing out of the ordinary. However, in Wu Yarou’s necklace, Zhuang Qingyan discovered something unexpected.
A silver miniature intelligent terminal, far surpassing D District’s technological level.
Zhuang Qingyan nonchalantly operated it a few times and destroyed its positioning device.
