20
“What could I want to do? Obviously, do what needs to be done.”
His expression was lecherous, his eyes full of lust for Wu Jiao—nothing like what a high school student’s expression should be.
More like a thug who had spent years on the streets.
“You missed half the class. It’s my responsibility to help you catch up.”
Wu Jiao turned to run, but Luo Yihuan was big and strong, much stronger than her.
He grabbed her ponytail and immediately clamped his hand on the back of her neck.
A sharp pain shot through the back of her head, and then a piece of black fabric was roughly tied over her eyes. The moment her vision was taken away, Wu Jiao panicked and lost her sense of judgment.
Then Luo Yihuan pulled out another piece of cloth and quickly bound her hands behind her back.
“Can’t we just talk this out properly?”
Wu Jiao tried to calm herself down, speaking in an even tone.
Though she had started sweating from nervousness, she knew that panicking would only let him control the situation.
Seeing how calm she was—not getting the reaction he wanted Luo Yihuan immediately grew irritated.
He shoved her to the ground and stepped on her lower abdomen.
Wu Jiao flinched in pain, letting out a muffled grunt. Her skin scraped harshly against the smooth gym floor.
Luo Yihuan spoke rudely, “I don’t want to talk properly. Girls like you just need to be taught a lesson.”
“Girls like me? Hahaha—”
Wu Jiao suddenly burst out laughing.
Luo Yihuan frowned. He didn’t understand—what was there to laugh about in her situation?
He crouched down, grabbed Wu Jiao’s collar, and glared at her. “What the hell are you laughing at? You’re insane.”
Wu Jiao didn’t say a word. She just faced him and laughed out loud.
Luo Yihuan had to admit—Wu Jiao looked much better without her glasses. When she came to class today, he almost didn’t recognize her.
After Pei Jiamu had taken off her glasses last time, Wu Jiao found them troublesome. Plus, she needed to exercise, so she simply stopped wearing them and switched to daily disposables.
Without her glasses, her gaze was sharp and aggressive. Combined with her deliberate laughter… Luo Yihuan felt like she was looking down on him.
Annoyed, his eyes followed her lips downward and stopped on the buttons of her collar.
He started unbuttoning Wu Jiao’s shirt, watching her reaction.
Wu Jiao didn’t resist. She was still laughing. The tense atmosphere suddenly turned suggestive.
Luo Yihuan smirked disdainfully.
This girl really is a slut. She was just pretending after all.
“See? ‘Don’t like me’ means ‘like me.’ ‘No’ means ‘yes.’ You girls are something else—playing hard to get, all fake.”
Wu Jiao ignored him and asked instead, “Are you unbuttoning my shirt?”
“What else? What do you want me to do to you, you little slut?” Luo Yihuan’s tone was lewd.
One button left. The fair, delicate skin of the girl’s chest was dazzling. Luo Yihuan stared, unable to look away.
He even pretended to comfort her. “You like me, don’t you? If you don’t give me some reaction, how can you call it ‘like’? I’m just looking. If you behave, I won’t touch you.”
He leaned closer. Wu Jiao could smell his unwashed body odor—it made her want to vomit.
But she held it in.
“If you wanted to unbutton my shirt, why did you have to cover my eyes and tie my hands first?”
Wu Jiao spoke slowly, each word like an arrow aimed and shot dead center at the target—late but still hitting the mark.
“So you know what you’re doing is shameful after all.”
So Luo Yihuan had gone to get the keys from the manager.
He had asked her to stay after everyone left, lied that Gao Tianchi was looking for her, then got the keys from the manager and locked the gymnasium doors.
That way, no one from outside could get in, and Wu Jiao couldn’t run out. No one would know what they did inside.
“Aren’t you afraid people will find out? Do you think I won’t be able to tell anyone what you did to me?”
“You—!”
Luo Yihuan had indeed lost his reason.
These past days, Wu Jiao’s indifference toward him had irritated him greatly.
She no longer fawned over him like before.
Now she acted as if he didn’t even exist. This shift in attitude fueled a strong urge in him to destroy.
Didn’t she say she liked him? Then he was going to touch her.
Anyway, with this kind of thing, girls never dared to speak up. They just kept it bottled up inside.
And it wasn’t like he was actually doing anything to her.
All along, Wu Jiao had been stalling for time. While Luo Yihuan wasn’t paying attention, she secretly worked her hands free from the cloth binding them.
Her wrists were already red and raw, burning with pain.
Luo Yihuan was pressing down on her legs, pinning her in place. To escape from someone who had the upper hand in every way, the only thing she could rely on now was her upper body.
Wu Jiao recalled the hook punch technique Gao Tianchi had taught her. In the blink of an eye, she threw Luo Yihuan off her body.
“Ah—!”
Gao Tianchi let out a cry of pain. Wu Jiao scrambled to untie the blindfold while retreating, but she bumped into someone behind her.
She gasped in fright, thinking it was Luo Yihuan, and instinctively threw a backward strike but the person easily deflected it.
“It’s me. Gao Tianchi.”
A steady voice, one that made her want to cry.
Thank goodness. It was him.
Her body felt lighter as her back met a warm embrace. He lifted her off the ground.
He gently untied the blindfold, and Wu Jiao saw light again.
“Teacher Xiao Gao…”
She called his name, her voice still trembling.
She had held herself together for so long, but the moment she saw Gao Tianchi, all her suppressed hurt came flooding out.
She didn’t know when the tears had started falling—one after another, streaming down her cheeks, gathering at her chin, and dripping into her open collar.
It seemed like every time she saw him, she was crying. How embarrassing.
Gao Tianchi watched her, his heart inexplicably aching for a moment. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
He wiped away her tears. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
If you listened closely, you could tell that Gao Tianchi was barely containing his rage.
“Gao Tianchi… President, how come you’re here?”
Luo Yihuan’s tone had noticeably weakened. He didn’t dare face Gao Tianchi directly.
He had never thought much of Gao Tianchi, but since Gao Tianchi was the president personally chosen by the teacher and he was only the vice president, he had no choice but to be beneath him.
Gao Tianchi’s face didn’t show his anger, but his fists at his sides were already clenched.
He shouldn’t have left just now. He had left Wu Jiao behind.
Why hadn’t he thought it through—club time was over, the gymnasium was empty, why was Wu Jiao here alone?
If he hadn’t heard her inner thoughts just now, he didn’t dare imagine what would have happened next.
Beneath the rage was mostly lingering fear.
Just as his fist was about to connect with Luo Yihuan, Wu Jiao stopped him.
Xiao E was stunned.
It had intercepted the redemption task and didn’t broadcast it, yet Wu Jiao still stopped Gao Tianchi from throwing the punch.
Why wouldn’t she let Gao Tianchi get revenge for her?
She grabbed the corner of Gao Tianchi’s shirt, her gaze falling on his waist.
He was still injured there, yet he wanted to stand up for her.
Xiao E protested on her behalf: [No, host! Even if it costs morality points, this Luo Yihuan deserves to be hit—he needs to learn his lesson!]
Wu Jiao wiped away her tears and calmed down. “Teacher Xiao Gao, thank you, but this shouldn’t be handled this way.”
Gao Tianchi’s fist didn’t retract, but he didn’t take it any further.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Luo Yihuan ran off guiltily.
……
Wu Jiao told the head teacher, Zhang Hongli, everything from start to finish, without leaving out a single detail or telling a single lie.
Gao Tianchi stayed with her, acting as her witness.
Zhang Hongli’s heart raced as she listened.
She could tell Wu Jiao wasn’t lying, especially with Gao Tianchi there to corroborate.
Though Gao Tianchi had a wild streak of often skipping class, not wearing his uniform, and constantly getting into rumors of fights—Zhang Hongli knew he would never do something like harassing a girl.
Wu Jiao had completely calmed down. “Teacher Zhang, I hope you can help me resolve this. He should apologize to me publicly.”
Zhang Hongli was silent for a moment before speaking.
“He should apologize to you, that’s only right. But is a public apology really a good idea? It might cause more harm to you as a girl. What will people think of you if this gets out?”
As a woman herself, and someone who had been through similar situations, Zhang Hongli felt that making a big scene would only hurt Wu Jiao more.
She said, “Luo Yihuan owes you an apology, and I’ll make sure he gives you one. I’ll handle this. No one else will find out, and no one will gossip about it.”
But Wu Jiao shook her head firmly.
“There’s nothing bad for me in this. I wasn’t the one who did something wrong. What others think is their problem. All I need is a public apology from him—so that everyone can see what he did and what kind of person he really is.”
Zhang Hongli wanted to persuade Wu Jiao further, but she glanced at Gao Tianchi and closed her mouth.
She had long since learned that Gao Tianchi was a stubborn one.
Before, that kid had followed her around every day, begging her to help with someone else’s matter. He didn’t do much besides constantly offering to help her, but she just couldn’t deal with it!
“Alright. I’ll have him make a public apology tomorrow. But you need to be prepared to face the consequences.”
Zhang Hongli must have used some method, because the next day, after the extended break, Luo Yihuan publicly apologized to Wu Jiao.
Though it was brief and his tone didn’t sound sincere or serious, he was afraid of losing face and rushed through it before stepping down.
“…I will no longer have any excessive contact or interaction with Wu Jiao. That’s all I have to say.”
Wu Jiao stood straight in the formation, receiving stares from all directions.
In just one week, Wu Jiao’s name had been announced twice during the extended break.
Last time, it was for breaking a window. This time… for being harassed.
And she had dared to bring such a scandal into the open. How embarrassing.
“What? Luo Yihuan would even go for someone like Wu Jiao? She should count her blessings.”
“Laughable. He didn’t even do anything, and she made him apologize. Do you have to say sorry just for touching her?”
Several boys laughed loudly.
None of the girls on the sanda team said anything, but their shifting eyes revealed their emotions—relief for some, a sense of liberation for others.
Mo Li, standing next to Wu Jiao, gently patted her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look, but didn’t say anything either.
During this time, Mo Li hadn’t been bullied anymore, and Wu Jiao hadn’t earned any morality points from her.
Since becoming class monitor, her morality points came from helping all kinds of other people.
Their relationship wasn’t particularly close, but at mandatory school lectures and activities, Wu Jiao would save Mo Li a seat, and they would chat a little.
Gossip always traveled faster than lightning. The incident spread throughout the grade immediately, and many people came to know who Wu Jiao was.
Wu Jiao went about her days as usual—studying when she needed to study, eating when she needed to eat.
But Cao Haotian followed her everywhere now—walking in and out with her, even sitting at the same table at mealtimes. The only thing he didn’t do was follow her to the bathroom.
The more he did this, though, the more piercing the looks from others became.
Tonight was math self-study. The class was arranged in free-form groups. After Si Xiuyuan finished explaining problems to her, self-study had been over for almost half an hour.
Wu Jiao thought everyone had left the classroom, but when she looked up, Cao Haotian was still sitting at his desk, doing his homework.
Seeing they were done, Cao Haotian packed his bag and said to Wu Jiao, “Let’s walk together.”
Wu Jiao smiled and declined. “No need. It’s just a few steps. I’m not ready to go yet. You head off first.”
But Cao Haotian insisted. “It’s fine. I’ll wait for you.”
“Classmate Cao, you and Wu Jiao aren’t exactly heading in the same direction, are you?”
Si Xiuyuan, who had been quietly observing, suddenly asked with a smile.
Cao Haotian was at a loss for words. “Fine, I’ll head off first then. Be careful on your way.”
“Mm, you too.”
After Cao Haotian left, Wu Jiao slowly began packing her bag.
But Si Xiuyuan didn’t leave. He stood by, watching her.
Feeling his gaze lingering on her, Wu Jiao paused and spoke up. “Class… Si Xiuyuan, are you waiting for someone?”
She had gotten so used to calling him “class monitor” that she kept slipping up, but calling him “brother” in front of others felt a bit awkward.
Si Xiuyuan hummed in acknowledgment.
“Waiting for my little sister to walk home together.”
Wu Jiao looked up.
Si Xiuyuan smoothly took the materials from her hands and helped her pack. He said gently, “If you’re too embarrassed to call me by name, just call me Brother Xiuyuan.”
Wu Jiao tried to say something, but Si Xiuyuan didn’t give her the chance.
“An older brother waiting for his younger sister after school—that’s only natural. Come on, you still have a lot to do tonight.”
He took Wu Jiao’s backpack and walked ahead, leaving her no choice but to follow.
At the school gate, as they parted ways, Si Xiuyuan said to Wu Jiao, “Be careful on your way. If anything happens, call me right away. I’m leaving now.”
Wu Jiao nodded, watched him ride off on his bike, and stood by the roadside waiting for a cab.
Her driver, Uncle Zhao, had asked for time off to return to his hometown, so Wu Jiao had been taking taxis home.
Once in the car, Wu Jiao started memorizing vocabulary. There had been too much going on lately—she had to squeeze in studying whenever she could.
Her attention was entirely on her vocabulary book, so she didn’t notice the bicycle in the rearview mirror, following the taxi at a steady distance.
The teenager riding it deliberately kept his distance, like a tail—or perhaps a guardian.
Just as Wu Jiao was about to arrive home, she put away her vocabulary book and looked out the window. But the bicycle suddenly changed lanes, disappearing as if to avoid being seen.
Wu Jiao wasn’t focused on the scenery outside. Her mind was on everything that had happened lately.
Inevitably, she thought of Si Xiuyuan, whom she had just parted ways with.
After the incident with Luo Yihuan, Si Xiuyuan had come to check on her, asking if she wanted to switch clubs or if she needed his help.
Wu Jiao had refused both, and Si Xiuyuan didn’t press further.
He only said, “You did the right thing. Don’t worry about what others think.”
How could she not worry? But all Wu Jiao could do was accept it.
He also said, “If anything comes up, you can always come to me. As long as you say the word, I’ll do anything for you. After all, you’re my little sister.”
His tone was very kind when he said this, but Wu Jiao felt a chill run down her spine.
She was beginning to see glimpses of the dark, obsessive side of Si Xiuyuan.
She was just some girl he’d randomly claimed as a god-sister halfway down the road, and he was already acting protective of her.
What would he be like with Mo Li?
Wu Jiao suddenly realized she had completely forgotten something—how were things progressing between Si Xiuyuan and Mo Li?
By this point in the original story, Si Xiuyuan had already stolen a kiss from Mo Li and even started following her, scaring her.
But Mo Li hadn’t mentioned anything about being followed. She left school immediately after class, while Si Xiuyuan left with Wu Jiao.
By the time Wu Jiao’s taxi reached the entrance of her neighborhood, the bicycle was already parked not far away, as if it had been waiting for a while.
Its owner sat on the bike, one foot on the ground, casually playing with his phone.
A message popped up on the screen.
[It’s done. He won’t be showing up at No. 1 High anymore.]
It seemed like a random, out-of-context message. He didn’t reply. He deleted the text, turned off his phone, and stayed hidden in the shadows, watching ahead.
Not far away, a girl got out of a taxi.
Only after making sure she had safely entered the neighborhood did he unhurriedly ride away.
**