บท 9: Chapter 9 School Spirit
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The junior girl's eyes were red and swollen; it seemed she had just cried, exuding a pitiable softness that stirred sympathy.
From a distance, she waved to Xue Jing, attempting a forced smile as a greeting.
Seeing her like this, Xue Jing had an epiphany and muttered softly, "So that's it..."
"Hmm? Why's this junior here? Pretty brave of her, not even waiting for the lunch break to end, rushing straight to our class to find you," Li Ge said, puzzled.
He was a bit nearsighted and was not wearing his glasses at the moment, so he didn't see the junior's expression clearly. He turned to Xue Jing with a smile, "Be gentle when you reject her, don't break the girl's heart too harshly. Actually, trying out a relationship wouldn't be bad either, and with those long white legs, it wouldn't be a stain on your reputation..."
Xue Jing didn't say much, just acknowledged with a hum and stood up to walk out of the classroom.
Many in the class had noticed the beautiful junior at the door and, following someone's shout earlier, knew she was there for Xue Jing. Their eyes followed as he walked out.
After Xue Jing and the junior left, the gossip flames ignited in the class and a wave of enthusiastic discussion erupted.
...
Xue Jing followed the junior to the stairwell at the end of the corridor. By then, since class was about to start, the hallways were empty of other students.
"This will do."
Xue Jing spoke.
"What's the matter?"
As soon as the junior heard Xue Jing speak, tears began flowing uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, senior... It's all my fault..."
She began to explain what had happened. Weeping made her speech erratic and emotional, and her words were somewhat difficult to comprehend. But Xue Jing didn't hurry her, patiently listening until she finished, only interjecting with questions when he truly couldn't understand something.
It wasn't until she had finished recounting the ordeal that Xue Jing finally understood what had happened.
Simply put, this pretty sophomore had an admirer in her class, named Pei Youguang.
That name was well-known at Affiliated Middle School, and Xue Jing remembered him as one of those influential bullies on campus.
The problem started from the previous day during the physical test when the junior brought him a towel.
Somehow, the act of her handing him the towel made it to Pei Youguang, who loudly declared this morning in class that he'd teach Xue Jing a lesson.
"..."
Although Xue Jing had an inkling about what was happening when he saw the junior's tear-stained face looking for him, having it confirmed still made him feel a mix of laughter and helplessness.
"Senior, I'm really sorry, I begged him for a long time not to trouble you, but he just wouldn't listen..." The junior sobbed, continuously wiping away tears.
Xue Jing: "..."
Are you sure this isn't adding fuel to the fire?
He was somewhat speechless.
If it weren't for the fact that he knew these teenagers weren't fully considerate, he might suspect the junior was intentionally fanning the flames.
These types of boys, who thought of using violence to assert dominance, were clearly very impulsive. Hearing that the girl they liked was pleading on someone else's behalf would only ignite their anger even more, perhaps even subconsciously affirming that they were right, that they had found a 'weakness', otherwise, the junior wouldn't appear so frightened.
However, Xue Jing wasn't blaming her.
He nodded and said, "I understand. You can go back now."
He paused, then added, "This is not your fault. Don't worry about it; I'll handle this."
Did the junior have problems? To some extent, yes.
But as to how serious those problems were, they weren't so grave.
Even if there was fault with the likes of Baosi, Daji, or Concubine Yang, the blame surely wouldn't fall entirely on them.
"Senior..."
The junior was touched.
"I've actually always..."
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She wanted to take this opportunity to say something, but she found that Xue Jing turned around and walked back to his class, clearly not planning to listen to her subsequent words.
"..."
The younger student understood his meaning. It was an ostensibly harsh but actually gentle rejection. She fell silent for a while, gave a self-deprecating smile, and walked away feeling dejected.
...
"So the person causing you trouble is Pei Youguang?"
Li Ge pinched his chin, his brows deeply furrowed as Xue Jing finished recounting what had happened.
"That's not very good, Lord Jing."
Xue Jing pulled out the Chinese language textbook he needed for the first class from his backpack, placed it on the desk, and casually replied, "What do you mean?"
"You don't really keep up with this kind of news, so you might not know, but Pei Youguang is trouble."
Li Ge explained.
"Let's just say it like this, if we were assigned hats when we entered Affiliated Middle School, he would be reporting straight to Azkaban."
"This guy is from the Martial Arts Club. Relying on his bit of martial arts training, he bullies students routinely. It's commonplace to hear that he has beaten up someone, and it's said he often harasses female students."
Li Ge moved his chair closer to Xue Jing and lowered his voice, "That's not even the main issue. I've also heard that he has killed someone and even sexually assaulted a female student."
"As far as I recall, last semester, a girl from the second year, class seven, suddenly transferred schools. It is said she moved because of his bullying."
Xue Jing's brows furrowed. "That can't be true, can it? If he really did something like that, how could he still be at the school?"
Li Ge: "I initially thought the same, but then I discovered that the students he bullied were all too scared to tell their teachers or parents. It seems that the school is also turning a blind eye."
"So I asked around in the second year, and that's when I learned that Pei Youguang's dad works for a Governing Councilor, so he has strong backing."
"Actually, if you think about it, it makes sense. For a bully like him to get into Affiliated Middle School, he must have a very solid background."
Governing Councilor, theoretically the highest level in the power pyramid of a city, with around thirty members in Qingcheng, including a chief and three deputies.
Working for a councilor indeed qualifies as a mighty background.
Xue Jing thought for a moment and asked, "Has he really killed someone?"
Li Ge shook his head, "There's no concrete statement about that, but many people have seen Pei Youguang carrying a knife. If he dares to do such things, it wouldn't be surprising if he has killed someone."
"We should tell a teacher. What if someone like Pei Youguang actually decides to seriously hurt you?"
Li Ge was seriously worried.
Xue Jing smiled.
Quite intimidating. Most students would be frightened out of their wits by this Pei Youguang upon hearing this.
However, Xue Jing didn't find him particularly fearsome.
The ways of the world have their logic. Many things become transparent once the level of Consciousness reaches a certain point, allowing one to see through appearances and grasp the essence.
These sorts of vile acts are absolute taboos in human society. Forget having a dad who works for a Governing Councilor; even the councilor themselves wouldn't act so blatantly, almost as if they wanted the whole world to know.
Those at the pinnacle of power still need to outwardly comply with the rules. How much more so for a mere campus bully?
The average student, not yet out in the real world, lacking in awareness, hears these rumors and becomes scared, mentally adding layer upon layer of "tiger skin" to Pei Youguang, making them increasingly fearful of him.
On the contrary, the more Xue Jing heard, the more he stripped away Pei Youguang's tiger skin.
Some people, the more they lack something, the more they emphasize it.
"No need to tell the teacher."
"I will have a good talk with Pei Youguang myself."
Xue Jing said softly.
The bell for class rang, and the homeroom teacher, the Chinese instructor Du Shiwei, walked in.
...
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