Chapter 4

Every time Oreo was bullied by Lu Hao, he would hide behind the locust tree in the sports field.

One time, Lu Hao said he going to use a □□ to slash his face.

That time, he had been extraordinarily afraid. He ran out the door and had, for the first time, outran the people chasing him.

He hid behind the tall locust tree, trembling with fear. He kept his ears strained to listen for any movements. He was terrified that Lu Hao’s face—or the knife that was going to cut his face —would suddenly appear.

When ‘that’ thing appeared, Oreo directly cried from fright. When he opened his eyes to look again, he saw that it was a blue pack of Oreos.

Gu Xin looked as always—expressionless. When he gave him the pack of Oreos, he was standing and Oreo was sitting. Oreo noticed his defined jaws and clear features.

At that moment, his biggest fear was no longer Lu Hao’s □□. Instead, it was that one day, Gu Xin would stand on the same side as them.

He didn’t have to stand up for him. In fact, it would be alright if he always remained a detached bystander.

God might have wanted to pull a joke on him. The wind blew and moved the curtain, alerting Lu Hao. As he vigilantly looked outside, he just so happened to see the eavesdropping Oreo.

Oreo was dragged into the bathroom by his hair. Lu Hao kicked him squarely in the chest, causing Oreo’s back to slam against the sink.

Gu Xin looked at him.

Oreo thought Gu Xin didn’t know how to smoke.

But right now, Gu Xin was holding a cigarette skillfully.

His waist hurt especially much. Oreo reflexively wanted to cry out, but when he saw Gu Xin, he forced his voice down, not letting out so much as a groan.

Lu Hao answered a call. It was from Zhang Wenqi. Director Jiang was looking for him about Oreo’s matter. He hurriedly returned to the Teaching Building.

In the bathroom—in the entire building even—only the two of them are left.

“I can help you remain in school.”

This was the first sentence Gu Xin said to him.

By now, everyone was probably wondering if he was a MB or not. The school had to consider its reputation so how could he continue to attend?

Not staying was also fine. Where would he go next?

Knowing his Aunt and Uncle, would they let him finish high school?

Gu Xin inhaled a mouthful of smoke into his lungs and walked towards Oreo. Stepping on the sink, his foot was right beside Oreo’s waist. He slowly blew the smoke onto Oreo’s face.

Oreo looked at the beautifully handsome face behind the swirling smoke. Actually, to call it ‘beautifully handsome’ wasn’t quite apt. Gu Xin’s face carried a youthful spirit. When Oreo first met Gu Xin, he realized something; some people were mass-produced products while other people were meticulously crafted by God.

“In the future, can you not use my skin to stub your cigarettes?”

I’m afraid of pain.

Oreo’s voice had always been clear and youthful. For the first time he realized, his voice was also capable of being a little hoarse, of being a little shaky.

He could feel the pitiful amount of warmth and goodness left inside of him collapsing.

This sort of feeling was very odd. It made him a little excited.

His fear towards Gu Xin was not the same as his fear towards Lu Hao. If, one day, Gu Xin decided to press his cigarette onto his clavicle, then the last bit of tenderness Oreo clung to in the bottom of his heart would disappear into bubbles.

“Alright.”

Gu Xin inhaled another mouthful of smoke. With his right hand, he extinguished the cigarette on the sink. Right afterward, he passed the smoke to Oreo through his mouth.

Oreo’s eyes were still open. He was stunned.

He wanted to push Gu Xin away but Gu Xin domineeringly pressed him onto the sink. Oreo was forced to inhale the smoke. He turned his face and spitted it out.

“You…” Oreo had just opened his mouth when he started to cough. He had choked on the smoke just now.

Gu Xin lowered his leg and backed away slightly.

Gu Xin was born with a nice body and looked exceptionally attractive in the western-styled uniform.

Oreo could not say a single word—he also did not know what to say.

“Why did you pretend in front of me?” Oreo still asked in the end.

Right now he was no better than a dog. It was so easy to just kick him.

Why help him wipe off the red nail polish just to splash dog blood onto his face?

Gu Xin always appeared so lofty, to the point that when he said that sentence, Oreo felt like he was dragging the other down from an altar.

“I really can’t stand you.”

That’s what Gu Xin said.

But was it really?

Logically speaking, even if his motive was so, there was no reason for him to use such an unscrupulous method to hurt him.

Wouldn’t it be more effective to just beat him?

Oreo turned around and faced the mirror. Behind him, Gu Xin lit another cigarette. His own miserable appearance was so pleasing to look at. The more you looked at it, the more satisfied you felt.

Don’t let me figure you out.

Oreo pushed aside the curtain and left the Arts Building.

Behind him, Gu Xin took out his phone and opened his list of contacts. He pressed on ‘Director Jiang’.

When Oreo returned to Director Jiang’s office, Teacher Xue was there as well.

Lu Hao repeatedly reaffirmed that although that day he got home late and none the students had seen him, he didn’t take Oreo to a gay bar.

Teacher Xue looked at Oreo and said: “Lu hao, you parents called me many times. They said you’re a high school student now and would often not return home on time. See? Now you’re implicated in matters like this and you can’t explain yourself even if you want to.”

That right, look, Oreo was making you a scapegoat but you’re unable to explain yourself.

But it’s fine, there was no one standing on his side anyway.

What can he do all alone?

Oreo ignored Teacher Xue. He looked at Director Jiang and spoke.

“Director Jiang, every day I would get beat up in the bathroom by Lu Hao and his group. It hurts so much.”

“When they are done stepping on my stomach, I can’t fall asleep at night because of the pain.”

“One time, during physical education class, Lu Hao pushed me to the ground and dragged me down the stairs, step by step. You wouldn’t know, the stairs during winter time are hard and cold.”

“Another time, they went to the side of the fence to buy cup noodles. It was also a winter day and it was really cold. The students huddled together and ate noodles. I didn’t have the money to buy any so I stood by the side. They poured their remaining soup on me. That entire day, everywhere I walked smelled like sauerkraut.”

“When he’s in a good mood, I can kneel on the floor to take a beating. When he’s in a bad mood, I lie on the floor and wait to be treated like a rolling pin, struggling and rolling on the floor.”

Director Jiang was silent. She didn’t answer.

His Aunt and Uncle were indifferent.

Xue Teacher found the ‘rolling pin’ part to be too amusing and failed to hold back her laughter.

This wasn’t scary at all.

What was scary was how he had step by step become like this.

His social life used to flourish and he had been an optimistic person.

He remembered when the bullying first started, he was given the ‘silent treatment’.

That day was also a physical education class. He came back after concluding a student meeting and the students of Class Five were sitting together on the grass. They seemed to be talking about something fun.

When he walked towards them, everyone stopped laughing.

A few girls glanced at him and the boys lowered their heads, pretending as if he didn’t exist.

He was confused. Full of smiles like a spring breeze, he called out to numerous people.

He only received silence.

Just like now.

They hid their malice behind their silence, like the calm before the storm.

What? Could it get worse than this?