You should’ve said so earlier… so I’m the boss, huh… then it’s fine!
Bai Xiruo, what a familiar name…
For some reason, Zhang Chen felt like he’d heard that name somewhere before?
Then he turned his head, and the tone suddenly shifted:
“Um… in that case, you guys go on ahead. I’ll… have a little chat with her alone.”
As he spoke, Zhang Chen finally realized why he’d been standing together with them just now…
Emmm… transmigrated, and I became the blond delinquent ringleader…
Seeing this, Skinny Monkey and the spiky-fringe boy were quite puzzled, but they just exchanged a glance and didn’t ask any more questions.
They said their goodbyes to Zhang Chen:
“Then we’ll head out first, bro. Call us if you need anything.”
“Mm.” Zhang Chen nodded.
After the boys left the dead-end alley, Zhang Chen turned back to look at Bai Xiruo. She still didn’t dare stand up, cowering and huddled in the corner, looking utterly helpless.
Zhang Chen walked over to the knocked-over lunch box with a dirty shoe print on its underside and carefully picked it up.
The food inside had been completely spilled, scattered all over the ground and covered in dust.
There was no way it was edible anymore.
Though he’d just transmigrated, from the girl’s reaction earlier, even a simple meal like this seemed incredibly precious to her.
This was something Zhang Chen had never experienced.
In his original world, he’d never felt familial love… his parents hadn’t wanted the burden of him after he was born and never took care of him growing up… but at the very least, he’d never gone without food or clothing.
So right now, seeing a girl who treasured even a simple meal like this getting bullied at school like this, he couldn’t help but feel she was too pitiful…
Carrying the lunch box, Zhang Chen walked to Bai Xiruo’s side and slowly crouched down, carefully examining the girl before him.
Bai Xiruo hugged her knees to her chest, head lowered as she sobbed. Her fair knees and calves were smudged with dust, and there appeared to be bruises as well.
She didn’t dare meet Zhang Chen’s gaze, let alone reach out to take her lunch box.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen had no idea how to comfort a girl.
He was an all-around top student, sure, but that only applied to academics. When it came to interacting with girls, especially comforting them, he had almost zero experience…
Of course, that wasn’t to say he had no luck with women… quite the opposite, in fact, his luck with women was excellent!
It was just that back then, he’d been wholly devoted to studying and had no time for romance games with girls!
As for his recent awakening and indulgent phase, he’d been even more absorbed in games and novels, not yet stepping into the realm of so-called youthful romance!
And hadn’t he just gotten addicted to reading a novel, only to be blasted off to who-knows-where…
Right now, he was someone with zero experience thrown straight onto the job…
He could only try to comfort the girl before him based on his own instincts.
So he opened his mouth and said…
“Have you eaten?”
Zhang Chen held Bai Xiruo’s empty lunch box, surrounded by the mess of spilled food on the ground, and asked with a face full of sincerity.
Bai Xiruo sniffled. She didn’t look at Zhang Chen, but out of fear, she didn’t dare not answer him. She mumbled quietly, “No.”
After saying that, she shrank back even more.
“Then I’ll take you to get something to eat.” Zhang Chen put the original lid back on the lunch box and spoke in as gentle a tone as he could manage.
But given the situation, how could Bai Xiruo possibly go eat with someone who’d been bullying her!?
Bai Xiruo immediately wanted to refuse, but under Zhang Chen’s intimidating presence, she cried even harder…
Her two glistening eyes were like burst riverbanks, quickly forming two waterfalls down her face…
She sniffled, looking at Zhang Chen through her tears, her tone almost pleading: “Can you please… stop bullying me…”
“I…” Zhang Chen was completely dumbfounded. How did one sentence from him make her cry even harder…
But he’d only just arrived! He didn’t know anything!
He glanced nervously behind him… no one was watching… and Zhang Chen quickly clasped his hands together in surrender:
“Ancestor, please stop crying first. I won’t bully you, really! I just want to take you to eat.”
Though he didn’t know the full story, Zhang Chen could guess the gist from those few words alone.
It was obvious that this girl named Bai Xiruo had been bullied by him more than once…
Hearing this, Bai Xiruo’s crying didn’t lessen. She just continued, “I really… I didn’t deliberately provoke Su Yu… I really didn’t…”
“Su Yu?”
“I’m sorry… I really didn’t know, I didn’t do it on purpose…” Bai Xiruo apologized to Zhang Chen through her sobs, as if she were terrified that Zhang Chen would rough her up.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen felt awful, and even cursed “himself” several times in his heart for being such a scumbag!
Of course, that “himself” referred to the original body.
Looking at Bai Xiruo’s pitiful appearance before him, Zhang Chen carefully set the lunch box aside and stepped back a bit. Given who he was, being close to Bai Xiruo might only make it harder for her to breathe.
Then he patted his pocket and pulled out a crumpled wad of bills, a good few dozen yuan.
“Go… get something to eat.”
In one motion, he placed all the money on Bai Xiruo’s lunch box and stepped back to his original position.
“I… won’t bully you anymore, I promise.”
Zhang Chen pursed his lips, not expecting Bai Xiruo to believe him. But from the way her sobbing gradually subsided, it seemed to have at least some effect.
“They won’t bully you either.”
“As for that Su Yu you mentioned… I’ll figure out what’s going on, don’t worry.”
After that clear and logical explanation, Bai Xiruo sat there stunned, not daring to make a sound. Her sobbing had faded to faint sniffling, and she still didn’t dare meet Zhang Chen’s eyes.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen decided not to stay beside Bai Xiruo and keep putting psychological pressure on her.
He just slowly stood up, and this movement clearly made Bai Xiruo flinch and shrink back again.
Zhang Chen understood in his heart that this trust couldn’t be fully mended with just words in one go.
“I’m leaving. Remember to go get something to eat.”
With that, Zhang Chen turned to leave.
“The money.” Just then, Bai Xiruo’s timid voice rang out behind him.
“What about the money?”
“There’s too much.” Bai Xiruo still hadn’t stood up, but her glistening eyes darted a quick, fearful glance at Zhang Chen before quickly looking away.
She reached out, grabbed the crumpled wad of bills, stood up, walked over to Zhang Chen, and held the money out in both hands in front of him, wanting to give it back.
“Keep it all.” Zhang Chen looked at the small amount of money. In his eyes, a few dozen yuan wasn’t much use, but to Bai Xiruo, it was probably a small fortune.
He was only trying to make amends, wanting to compensate Bai Xiruo.
But Bai Xiruo didn’t want to have anything to do with him, especially since he’d been bullying her. Naturally, she didn’t believe a single word Zhang Chen had just said.
If she took the money, who knew if he’d find some other way to bully her later.
So, with a tearful voice, she pressed the money toward Zhang Chen: “Here, I don’t want it.”
“If you don’t take it, what are you going to eat for dinner?”
“I can… eat steamed buns.”
“No.”
Bai Xiruo fell silent, her hands still extended in front of him: “…”
Seeing this, Zhang Chen felt a bit helpless.
He didn’t want to force anyone, but Bai Xiruo’s pitiful yet stubborn demeanor was triggering his obsessive-compulsive tendencies a little:
“This is compensation for your dinner. If you don’t eat, you’re looking down on me.”
Though he’d just said he wouldn’t bully her, from her reaction, the spilled food was clearly precious to her. She probably didn’t have money to buy anything else to eat.
Even if the original body had caused this mess, it was only right for him to make amends now.
Hearing Zhang Chen’s tone turn cold, Bai Xiruo’s hands trembled twice. Her body instinctively recoiled in fear, and she didn’t dare say another word.
“Take the money and go eat. I told you I won’t bully you, don’t worry.” Zhang Chen’s tone softened again as he sighed.
“But… I don’t need that much…” Bai Xiruo carefully glanced at Zhang Chen. She didn’t think Zhang Chen would just give her that much money for no reason.
They were all just students. A few dozen yuan wasn’t a huge amount, but it wasn’t a trivial amount either.
At an age where buying a classmate a bottle of water would get you called a tycoon, suddenly handing over several dozen yuan… especially from someone who’d been bullying her…
Bai Xiruo lowered her head and said softly, “I’ll return the rest of the money to you later…”
Zhang Chen looked at Bai Xiruo’s tear-streaked cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, but said nothing.
After a moment of silence, he awkwardly asked, “How many times have I bullied you?”
Bai Xiruo blankly lifted her head, her bright eyes meeting Zhang Chen’s through her bangs…
So that’s what he’d been waiting for…
As if she’d made up her mind, Bai Xiruo lowered her head stiffly and shook it. “No…”
Zhang Chen widened his eyes: “…”
That’s not what I meant, hey!!