Irreversible - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Scumbag’s Redemption (Part 5)

Gu Xizhou looked at her mother in a daze, truly not expecting her to say such a thing.

After all, when she had brought this up to Gu Jing in the past, her mother had appeared very conflicted due to their financial situation and various other constraints. Back then, Gu Jing had even told her euphemistically that if she ran into Su Nanfeng, she should just try her best to take a long detour.

Based on their own social experiences, most parents react to school bullying in one of three ways:

1. The Counter-Attackers: If they believe the situation is winnable, they encourage their child to fight back. Meeting violence with violence is their “magic spell” against bullying.

2. The Avoiders: If the situation seems impossible to fight, they advise self-preservation—don’t provoke the bully further and just walk away.

3. The Victim-Blamers: These are the worst. They are experts at “victim blaming.” Their first reaction to their child being bullied is: “It takes two to tango; you must have done something wrong.”

If the bullying is based on appearance, they say: “Who told you to be so fat/ugly/unkempt? Of course they’re going to hit you if they can’t stand looking at you!”

This is followed by: “I told you not to do that; can’t you just stop hanging around in front of her?”

If the child was bullied for standing up for justice, they pour cold water on them: “Who told you to mind other people’s business? It had nothing to do with you, and now look, you’ve made an enemy.”

Bullies exploit the weakness of onlookers and the inherent selfishness of human nature to isolate children who cannot protect themselves and trample them at will. Some parents seem to believe that if someone meets with misfortune, there must be a reason within themselves. In doing so, they forget that those who prey on the weak never pass up an opportunity to find a target for their malice.

In a sense, the human tendency to worship the strong and despise the weak fuels the arrogance of bullies. They fail to understand the true truth: real strength lies in eradicating evil, punishing the wicked, and supporting the vulnerable.

Gu Xizhou had once believed Gu Jing was the third type of parent—someone who thought she was weak, useless, and incapable of resisting, and that she was only bullied so badly by Su Nanfeng because she “deliberately provoked” her. They had never had a deep conversation about how to actually solve the problem.

Ultimately, Gu Xizhou and Gu Jing were not close. Before Qin Xiang passed away, her Alpha mother was merely a numb money-making machine, working overtime year-round and rarely coming home. After his death, Gu Jing worked desperately to pay off debts, drinking at social obligations and leaving her with no extra energy to empathize with Gu Xizhou’s psychological state. Given Gu Jing’s abilities, just keeping Gu Xizhou fed was already a remarkable feat.

Transferring schools—this was the first time Gu Jing had stood in Gu Xizhou’s shoes and made a truly constructive suggestion.

Gu Xizhou pursed her lips. She felt as though her heart was being submerged in a vat of warm water—both soothing and stinging—and she actually felt like crying.

“I…”

Before she could answer, 0820 began screaming in her head: “Don’t consider transferring! Do you really want to just walk away and let Su Nanfeng off the hook?”

“Who knows what kind of dirt she’ll throw at you at the parent-teacher meeting tomorrow!”

“After you leave, who knows which classmate she’ll stretch her claws toward next? Are you really going to let this demon roam your school, bullying one child after another just like you?”

“Gu Xizhou, I have a way to solve the Su Nanfeng problem!”

“Don’t be afraid! You’re not allowed to be a deserter! Face her head-on!”

As 0820 shouted like it was having a breakdown, Gu Xizhou endured the sharp pain in her head. She gripped her phone tightly, meeting her mother’s expectant yet apprehensive gaze with a tense face.

“I think…”

She was hesitating. On one hand, she wanted to escape and leave this teenage nightmare behind forever. On the other, she was influenced by an unknown power, making her reluctant to let go. In truth, ever since she fought back against Su Nanfeng today, she wasn’t quite as afraid of the other girl’s fists and malice anymore. If Su Nanfeng continued to treat her like this…

Just as Gu Xizhou was wavering, the phone pressed against the small bed table vibrated. She looked down and saw a message from Su Zhiyi: “You’re welcome, we’re classmates after all.”

“If you have any difficulties in the future, I will help you.”

Gu Xizhou scanned the message quickly, and a surge of immense strength welled up from deep within her. She didn’t quite know what the feeling was—perhaps because of that week-long nightmare, she felt that as long as there was one person named Su Zhiyi in the world who understood her, she could try to become better.

For the sake of that “virtual” person who, even in death, still cared for her in the dream, Gu Xizhou looked up at Gu Jing. Seeing her mother sitting by the bed, holding a lunch box and looking at her with anticipation, she summoned her courage and said: “Today… it was Su Nanfeng who hit me.”

Gu Xizhou took a deep breath. Under Gu Jing’s widening eyes, she raised her hand and held up five fingers: “She hit me five times in total.”

Gu Jing couldn’t even eat anymore. Her voice suddenly rose: “Five times! Where did she hurt you?”

Gu Jing hurriedly set her lunch box aside and stood up to pull at Gu Xizhou’s clothes, wanting to see where she was injured. The old mother was tall and built like Tarzan; she lifted Gu Xizhou up like a scrawny little monkey, intent on peeling back her clothes to check the bruises.

Embarrassed, Gu Xizhou’s ears turned red with anxiety: “Mom…”

“It’s my stomach… she punched me in the stomach. There’s some bruising…”

Only then did Gu Jing set Gu Xizhou down, looking at her somewhat helplessly: “Does it still hurt?”

Gu Xizhou nodded, then shook her head. She bit her lip, looking at her teary-eyed old mother as cautiously as a rabbit, her tone hesitating: “This time when she hit me, I fought back…”

“I bit her shoulder and her face. I expect they’ll call the parents tomorrow.”

Gu Jing looked a bit dazed. She sat back on the edge of the bed and let out an “Oh” before remembering to offer a compliment: “Good bite. If she hits you again next time, keep hitting her back.”

Gu Xizhou hadn’t expected this answer. Her eyes, which had been numb for so long, were now covered in a layer of mist. She looked at Gu Jing uneasily: “But I bit her so hard, I think her family will probably make us pay compensation.”

At the mention of compensation, Gu Jing’s heart chilled slightly. But seeing her daughter looking so unsteady and anxious, she quickly said: “Don’t be afraid! How much can a bite wound possibly cost!”

Since the bridge was already burned and Gu Xizhou had been hit so hard this time, Gu Jing’s temper was also flared up. She was the type of person destined to toil through life; such people are best at facing terrible situations while maintaining an optimistic outlook. No matter how hard it got, could it be harder than losing a spouse in middle age?

Gu Jing steeled her heart: “She hit you. We can’t just let this go. We’re calling the police!”

Gu Xizhou’s eyes brightened further, and she nodded vigorously: “Yes!”

0820, who had been silent for a while, added: “Didn’t you used to secretly record things? And the photos of the bruises after you were hit… show them to your… Mom.”

Now that she realized her mother was on her side, Gu Xizhou swept away her gloomy mood and became proactive: “Actually, she’s hit me with other people before, so I used to carry a recording pen. I also took photos of the bruises she left on me.”

Gu Jing said urgently: “Show me.”

Gu Xizhou told her: “The things are in my schoolbag.”

With a plan in place, Gu Jing pulled out her phone and dialed 110. After explaining the situation in a few words, she began contacting old classmates and social media outlets for help.

0820 didn’t forget to offer advice: “Gu Xizhou, weren’t your middle school grades very good? Tell your mom.”

Good grades help establish the image of an honor student.

Upon hearing that Gu Jing planned to use the power of the media—using “magic to fight magic”, 0820 pushed harder: “If you want this to gain traction online, you have to pick a peak time.”

“Su Nanfeng’s mother is Mu Zhilan, a woman with significant social status. If you’re going to expose her, you must include her mother.”

“Also, don’t forget that you and Su Zhiyi caught a pervert on the subway today.”

“And move fast. Ideally, let this ferment tonight…”

Under the urging of 0820, a post titled “Daughter of Famous Pianist Mu Zhilan Bullies Classmate for Years” began to spread rapidly across the internet around 11:00 PM.

At the same time, the secretary of Su Nanfeng’s mother received a call from the police station.