Chapter 16

“When I saw the two papers back then, I really didn’t know it was Zhang Qin’s. Even after she died, I never linked it together. But a few days after her death, the school began emphasizing on the problem of “plagiarism” and told me to bring Oreo’s essay from the printing room. That was when I saw Zhang Qin’s paper that had been misplaced by me. I finally understood then.”

“Teacher Zhao reused Zhang Qin’s essay thinking it was from last year’s student. There’s nothing wrong with what Teacher Zhao did when it’s used for the same competition, a lot of other teachers will also do this, but if that person had never entered the competition, then it becomes theft and plagiarism.” Guo Yang said.

“Since you know the reason, why didn’t you explain it to the principal.” Gu Xin asked.

“At that time, I…didn’t I take Lu Hao’s watch? Since Oreo was already the villain, might as well add plagiarism to his list of crimes…and give the others more things to criticize him with.”

“What a good plan.” Gu Xin mocked.

To think the start of Oreo’s suffering was because of a farce like this.

Gu Xin stopped in front of Guo Yang and whispered, “Good luck.”

Gu Xin then left. Guo Yang was still pondering over his words when Lu Hao walked out from behind a structure on the rooftop.

Before Gu Xin came to meet Guo Yang, he had told Lu Hao to meet him on the rooftop.

Lu Hao was like a blind fool all this time, tormenting the wrong person. It was laughable.

Lu Hao opened his phone and found the video Zhang Wei sent him. After the video finished downloading, he said, “Tell me tell you a story.”

When Gu Xin returned to the classroom, he saw a terrifying scene.

The floor was covered in blood and ink. Teacher Xue was holding something in her hand, the girls sat on the floor in fright, and the students of Class Six were stunned.

Hearing that Director Jiang had left with the ambulance, Gu Xin’s heart dropped. He ran out of the school building, ran across the sports field, and arrived at the main entrance, but the security guards blocked him. The ambulance slowly drove out of sight.

Why did it turn out like this?

I found out the truth, your name can be cleared, how did it turn out like this?

The entire grade heard of what happened and hurried over to watch the show. They all stood at the main entrance, their chatters deafening.

Gu Xin fell to the ground.

There’s so many people. The media will also be here soon.

However, Wu Jing from Class One said to him, “Did you know, the last stab, he fell towards it himself. Nobody else saw it, but I did.”

Wu Jing was the student Teacher Xue reprimanded in front of the class because she refused her invitation. She was also the one who spat saliva at Teacher Xue.

Wu Jing continued to say, “Did you know, Zhang Qin was pushed off the roof by Zhang Wenqi. But no one saw it, only me.”

Then that voice, the girl, the crowd drowned her too.

Gu Xin reached into his pocket. He wanted to take out a piece of Oreo and coax that person down from the ambulance.

But he touched a slip of paper instead:

“He always thought that everything was under control.”

He always thought that everything was under control.

This tragedy wasn’t a tragedy, it was something he had been planning for a long time.

It was the present given to him by that boy with a gentle smile.

It turns out he knew everything. His ruses and his schemes; his guilt and exhilaration.

Gu Xin was dazed. The hand holding the slip of paper trembled. He recalled the kiss Oreo gave him in the infirmary, he recalled the alluring eyes in the black internet cafe, and he recalled when they were at his home, Oreo looking out the window, leaving him with only an image of his back.

It wasn’t seduction, it was a carefully calculated result.

It was Oreo solving the most difficult math question.

Gu Xin seemed to be mouthing something, but no one around him could hear what it was.

He always thought that everything was under control.

At night.

The media and reporters gathered at the hospital to get first-hand news. Gu Xin was wearing his uniform and was recognized by the reporters. They cornered him and asked him what his relationship with the victim Oreo was, and about the school campus violence.

The victim, Oreo, had many old injuries on him and during the fight, he had gotten stabbed in one eye. They all wanted to know the inside story of what was happening between the students at the school.

There were sounds of camera shutters everywhere, everyone was so loud, there was nowhere quiet for him to rest.

“Can all of you be quiet?” Gu Xin frowned, he used his hand to block the light from the cameras, but it was useless.

Gu Xin finished drinking the mineral water in his hand. His steps were a little unsteady.

The sounds of talking were endless, the media bombarded him with questions.

“Student, are you friends with the victim?”

“Yes, best friends.”

“Was the victim often bullied before?”

“Yes, that’s right, he was frequently hurt both physically and mentally.”

“Student, what do you think caused this time’s incident?”

“It was something that was inevitably going to happen, there’s no direct cause.”

“How did the victim end up like this?”

“Isn’t your question too vague?”

“Student, what’s your stand on your school’s campus violence?”

“Be quiet and I’ll tell you.”

The people asking questions became much quieter, Gu Xin fished out the pack of Oreos, there were still two pieces left. He placed one into his mouth and sealed the other remaining one in the bag, holding it in his hand.

Gu Xin took off the jacket of his uniform, revealing a white shirt. He never appeared in front of others like this, but Oreo liked to only wear the white shirt.

“Many roles are played in campus violence, and each campus violence is different.”

“The mastermind unifies the public opinion and isn’t nessecarily the first one to instigate the mental or bodily abuses, but they will instill the habit into everyone.”

Take Teacher Xue for example. She established a close relationship with the two most well-connected people in class, Lu Hao and Zhang Wenqi, so she can release dogs to conveniently bite whomever she disliked.

“The abusers often have a clear motive and they are well-connected. In every campus violence, they play the role of the leader and are easily confused with the mastermind.”

Like Lu Hao.

“The instigators are the busybodies whose interest aligns with the abusers.”

Like Jia Beibei, and Guo Yang.

“The spectators, their stands are constantly being swayed, and at times they might sympathize with the victims.”

Like Luo Ya.

“The accomplices are similar to the instigators but they are abusers who hold no grudges against the victim.”

Like Cheng Jun.

“The encouragers are similar to the spectators, but while spectators have neutral stances, encouragers will silently support the abuser.”

Like Class Five.

“As for the last type…it doesn’t appear often, so I’ll skip it.”

Mastermind + abuser + instigator +spectator + accomplice + encourager.

The guiltiest of all.

Author’s Note:

The main story ends here. Oreo suffered too much abuse before his death and I don’t have the heart to describe it. This novel is a bit short, but I hope I was able to properly convey the things I want to convey to everyone. Campus violence has always been a hot topic among students and some things are exaggerated because it’s a novel, especially the character “Teacher Xue”. Oreo was a very gentle teenager, he had confidence, hopes and dreams, and his own set of principles. Being born into a good household gave him an optimistic disposition, but in the end he had to use his own life in exchange for the presence of justice. It wasn’t because he took his own life lightly, but rather because he was truly at a dead end. Writing Oreo made me a little depressed, this character had to be gentle but his mental state also had to be abnormal. His affection towards Gu Xin was twisted, but of course, Gu Xin was also a twisted person himself. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the novel, thoughts like “Use it to build mental fortitude, use it to learn forgiveness” is sheer idiocy. If you ever find yourself in the same situation as Oreo, fight with all your might, do not ever endure campus violence, if you endure it, it’ll be the start of your nightmare, which was why I created the character “Qian Shao”. Although Qian Shao’s methods are extreme, you should never let yourself be wronged. I hope all of you can remain kind and gentle for a lifetime, accompanied by love and freedom. I hope that each of you can be treated kindly by the world.