♂?，，

  Every word Xia Xue says is like a knife cutting through my wound. Being bullied, no matter how many times you experience it, will never get you used to it...

  I didnt say anything. My heart is in unbearable pain.

  "Next time." Xia Xue said word by word: "Next time, I must counterattack, I must resist!"

  I dont know what to say.

  "If nothing is done," Xia Xue said: "I will take the lead!"

  I was stunned.

  "If you think its a glorious thing to be protected by a girl, then just keep your head buried in the sand! Xia Xue panted: "I really cant stand it anymore, how could they tolerate this until now, theyre trampling on their own dignity!"

  I looked at Xia Xues angry face. There are already very few people in this world who are so just, and yet she is such a beautiful girl.

  What would be the consequences if Xia Xue really stood up for me? Shes beautiful, kind-hearted and has a good relationship with her classmates, with many boys surrounding her; while Zou Yang is cunning, has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and is definitely a leader in the class. If these two people were to clash, it would be hard to say who would come out on top. But still, letting a girl stand up for me is just too pathetic.

  "Did you hear that?!" Xia Xue asked again. This time her voice was even louder, so much so that Zou Yang and the others all heard it.

  I nodded woodenly, and some strength slowly welled up within me. The situation now was different from that in junior high school; at least someone stood on my side!

  "Good." Xia Xue smiled. Her smile was more beautiful than a hundred flowers blooming together, and it made my heart tremble with excitement.

  I want to fight back, I want to counterattack. I told myself in my heart: "Its time to take a gamble."

  "Thats settled then." Xia Xue stood up, putting both hands in her pockets and said cutely: "Ill be waiting!"

  I nodded, and a hint of sweetness was added to my heart. If someone had encouraged me like this in junior high school, I wouldnt have been so timid for such a long time.

  "Goodbye."

  Xia Xue waved her hand and was about to turn around when I suddenly remembered something and hastily said: "Im not giving up the lead."

  Xia Xue turned her head around and looked at me in surprise. I hadnt made myself clear earlier, fearing she might have misunderstood, so I added: "What I meant was..."

  When I say these four words, my whole bodys hot blood is simmering, as if driving out all the weakness from my body.

  "Ill come myself."

  Xia Xues expression became even more astonished, but soon transformed into a sweeter and more lovely smile. "Mmm!" Xia Xue nodded heavily, only then did she truly turn around and leave.

  I watched her back, feeling relieved. Making this decision wasnt as difficult as I thought.

  Xia Xue had just left when Zou Yang and Li Jie walked over.

  My heart tightened, and I felt a little nervous, subconsciously lowering my head. "Damn it!" I cursed in my heart. Where was the courage just now? It took great effort to make up my mind, could it be ruined like this? As I thought about it, I unconsciously raised my head again, coincidentally meeting Zhou Yangs eyes.

  Zou Yang and Li Jie stood in front of my desk. My breathing was a bit heavy, I was worried that the next second Zou Yang would press my head against the table, just like many times in junior high school. Fortunately, Zou Yang didnt do so, but asked: "What did Xia Xue say just now?"

  "Its nothing." I replied indifferently.

  "I heard her say things like its settled then and wait." Zou Yang furrowed his brow.

  "Theres nothing." I said again.

  "Looks like your bones are itching again." Zou Yang smiled lightly and slowly raised his head.

  I suddenly stood up, not giving him the chance, and quickly walked towards the classroom door. Although I had made up my mind to fight back, I was clearly at a disadvantage now. If one person were to fight with Zou Yang, Li Jie and others, they would only end up being beaten until they were rolling on the ground in pain.

  "Damn it, you think you can run?!" Zhou Yang seemed to be chasing after him.

  After all, he had been bullied by Zou Yang for three years, and the fear in his heart still occupied most of it, and his feet couldnt help but speed up.

  Suddenly, Li Jies voice sounded from behind: "Zou Yang, dont chase him, well catch this guy tomorrow."

  Zou Yang scolded a sentence and finally stopped chasing me, returning to Li Jies side instead.

  I slipped out of the classroom with a somewhat dejected air. At the critical moment, I still chose to escape, but it was much better than standing there and taking a beating like before.

  I walked alone on the way back to my dorm, thinking about Xia Xues words and the scene just now. Suddenly, a piece of information flashed through my mind: Li Jie told Zou Yang not to chase after her, and Zou Yang didnt chase after her again. It seems that Zou Yang is not the leader among their group either, the one who really has the final say is still Li Jie.

  After all, from Dongguan Town to Beiyuan City, Zou Yang is not that glorious anymore. However, even if I thought of this point, whats the use? If Zou Yang was genuinely having a hard time for me, Li Jie would also stand on his side. I shook my head, still feeling a bit resentful.

  Back in the dormitory, they were all in a mess, joking and having fun with each other. I was like an invisible person to them, having no impact on them at all.

  Its fine this way, each going their own way, no one bothering anyone else. I took off my shoes and got into bed, starting to think about the next step in my mind.

  Although I decided to have a fight with Zou Yang under Xia Xues encouragement, how can I do it without a perfect plan?

  In terms of physical strength, I am far inferior to Zou Yang. He is tall and fat, and it would be no problem for him to beat me up twice. If we really had to fight, the only way would be to catch him off guard, hit him when hes not prepared, and let him have no time to react. But how can I create such an opportunity...

  I fell into deep contemplation. The process of thinking was painful, although I had read all 36 Stratagems since childhood, but none of the strategies could be used at this time, especially in my weak and lonely situation. After thinking for a long time, I finally fell asleep.

  Theres no way out. But I definitely wont let Zou Yang bully me again. I swear. I swear.

  I fell asleep with my fists still clenched.

  The next day, I came to class with renewed energy and focus.

  Since coming to Chengnan High School, this is the first time Ive slept so well. When you make up your mind to do something, your mood will actually relax instead.

  As soon as I entered the classroom, I saw Xia Xue. She was sitting in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by several boys who were trying their best to make her laugh.

  Our eyes met, I flashed a smile at her, and Xia Xue also flashed a smile back at me.

  This smile makes me even more energetic.

  The boy beside her looked puzzled and followed her gaze, finally looking at my insignificant figure.

  They didnt understand why Xia Xue was smiling at me, each of them showing a puzzled expression.

  I walked to my seat, and my eyes inevitably looked towards Zou Yang. Zou Yang was just diagonally behind my seat. In the past, I would always lower my head and sit obediently at this time, but this time, I bravely looked back at him.

  Zou Yang sneered at me coldly and waved his fist in my direction.

  I flashed a scornful smile and sat down in my own seat. It was indeed exhilarating, but at what cost...

  The price came very quickly.

  The first lesson was an English class. I listened very carefully, but suddenly something hit the back of my head and it fell to the ground along my shoulder.

  I looked down at the ground in doubt, where there was a disgusting chicken bone that had been chewed on, with many strands of saliva stuck to it.

  Chicken neck bones... I turned around and indeed saw Zou Yang eating a fast food packaged chicken neck, chewing with big mouthfuls, and even made a ghostly face at me.

  I glared at him with hatred and then turned back to continue listening to the lecture.

  With a "ding", another chicken bone hit my head.

  I suddenly turned back, staring at Zou Yang again, the injured muscles on my cheek couldnt help but tremble.

  Zou Yang swung the chicken neck in his hand, made a face that owed a beating, and "hahaha" laughed silently.

  My quick reaction caught the attention of my classmates, who looked at me and Zou Yang in confusion. When Zou Yang threw another chicken bone over, all the students in the class showed a look of sudden realization, then covered their mouths and secretly laughed.

  I couldnt see my own eyes, but I thought they must have been furious. I mouthed to Zou Yang: "Dont push me!" and shook my fist at the same time.

  Zou Yang was dancing with joy, his expression exaggerated, looking extremely pleased with himself.

  The English teacher soon discovered the commotion in the back row. She lightly tapped the lectern with a chalkboard eraser and said, "Everyone be quiet for now, you can fool around after class." In her eyes, the bullying behavior among classmates was just children playing around.

  So many times, suing teachers is not a wise move. As long as theres no fighting, nobody will really care.

  Xia Xue also quickly noticed the situation in the back row. When the teacher turned around to write on the blackboard, she quietly switched seats with Liu Zihong and sat down beside me, asking in a low voice: "Is Zhou Yang bullying you again?"

  I had already made up my mind, so I smiled and said to her: "Its okay."

  Then I added those four words: "Ill do it myself."

  Xia Xue didnt smile, her face full of worry: "But shes bullying like this..."

  "Its okay, just wait and see." I smiled again. Then, I turned around to look at Zou Yang.

  Zou Yangs face looked somewhat unpleasant.

  Gone was the earlier ease and banter, replaced instead by anger and ferocity.

  Its strange, he was clearly bullying me, but... I suddenly realized that it was because Xia Xue was sitting next to me.

  So it was like that, a smile played on my lips.

  Then I stretched out my hand and touched Xia Xues hair - not bad, Zou Yang saw this scene clearly.

  "Whats wrong?" Xia Xue looked at me strangely.

  "Its nothing," I said in a low voice: "Thanks for asking. If it werent for you, I probably wouldnt have had the courage to resist all my life."

  Xia Xues face lit up with surprise: "Really? Decided now..."

  "Shh..." I made a "shh" gesture with my hand and winked, saying: "Just you wait and see."

  No sooner had I finished speaking than another chicken neck bone hit my head. That bastard Zou Yang, he could gnaw a chicken neck into such small pieces and use them to pelt me.

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