Irreversible - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: An Angel’s Tenderness (Part 2)

In view of the fight in the dormitory last night, Gu Xizhou, Su Nanfeng, and the others were summoned by the school leaders again after dinner. Inside the instructor’s office, the six of them were lectured severely and ordered to write an 800-word self-reflection.

The group emerged from the office looking dejected, with only the last glowing embers of sunset remaining in the sky. As they stepped out of the office building, Su Nanfeng called out: “You dead shorty…”

Gu Xizhou knew Su Nanfeng was calling her, but since people generally don’t care about a dog’s barking, she acted as if she heard nothing and kept walking. Su Nanfeng’s temper flared, and she unconsciously raised her voice: “Gu Xizhou!”

Gu Xizhou bolted forward immediately—even someone chased by a stray dog wouldn’t have run that fast. Seeing this, Ding Yi, who was beside Su Nanfeng, quickly signaled the lackeys: “After her!” In a place without surveillance, they were going to make her life miserable.

Unfortunately, though Gu Xizhou was small, her speed was incredible. Despite having run twenty laps the previous night and being drilled by the instructor all day, it was a mystery where her strength came from as she vanished in a flash. By the time Ding Yi and the others chased her all the way to the training ground, the group was exhausted like dying dogs.

The massive physical exertion left Gu Xizhou collapsed; the moment she reached her class’s territory, she fell forward without any regard for her image, sprawling on the ground and panting, too tired to move a single finger. Her classmates swarmed around her, looking very nervous:

“Gu Xizhou, why were you running so fast?”

“Did the instructor punish you again?”

Gu Xizhou was gasping for air, her heart thumping like thunder and her throat burning from the run. She lifted a single finger and croaked out one word: “Water…”

Beside her, Su Zhiyi quickly unscrewed her thermos and poured a cup of water into the lid. As other classmates helped Gu Xizhou up, Su Zhiyi hurried to hold the cup to her lips, saying with concern: “Here, drink slowly.”

Gu Xizhou lowered her head to take small sips. After a moment, she pointed toward the direction she had come from and said hoarsely: “They… were chasing me…”

The classmates followed her finger. In the deepening dusk, the twenty floodlights around the field cast diagonal beams that illuminated the dim grounds. Su Nanfeng, leading Ding Yi, ran to the edge of the field, leaning over with her hands on her knees, panting so hard she could barely catch her breath. She looked toward Gu Xizhou and exploded when she saw Su Zhiyi hovering over her.

This dead shorty!

Su Nanfeng was fuming. She was about to start shouting when she saw Su Zhiyi shove the thermos into Gu Xizhou’s arms and march toward her aggressively. In that instant, Su Nanfeng felt like a cat being picked up by the scruff of its neck—her whole body stiffened. She unconsciously straightened her back, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and put on a serious, solemn expression as her sister approached.

Before Su Zhiyi even got close, Su Nanfeng forced a smile and greeted her: “Zhiyi…”

Su Zhiyi reached her, swept a glance over her to ensure she wasn’t hurt, and then snapped: “Why are you bullying Gu Xizhou again?”

Su Nanfeng was left speechless by the rebuke. Her eyes widened slightly, and her tone turned aggrieved: “How am I bullying her? I haven’t even provoked her, okay?”

Su Zhiyi furrowed her brows, clearly disagreeing. She said unhappily, “You say you’re not bullying her, then why were you leading a crowd to chase her? And wasn’t it you who had someone splash water on her last night?”

“Nanfeng, just how long are you going to keep being this bad? Aren’t you afraid of making Mom angry?”

“I…” Su Nanfeng choked on her words, then pointed a finger toward the distant Gu Xizhou, full of resentment: “I didn’t do anything yesterday, but she splashed a basin of water on me! And she made me run twenty laps!”

“Who is your sister anyway, her or me? Why do you protect her so much?”

Su Zhiyi snorted and said coldly, “When you were hitting her before, why didn’t you think about the fact that she might splash you? If you ask me, she should have splashed you long ago to give you a lesson so you’d stop bullying people.”

Su Nanfeng was livid. She stomped her foot and hissed, “You’re defending her so much, do you like her? I’m going to tell Mom you’re in a puppy love!” In her rage, she would say anything, sounding like a kindergartener.

Su Zhiyi found it ridiculous. “So you think I’m nice to her because I like her?”

Su Nanfeng stiffened her neck and said toughly, “Why else? Aren’t you Omegas all like that? Naive and childish… if it’s not ‘like,’ why would you protect her and not me?”

Su Zhiyi was also getting heated, her temples throbbing with frustration. She sighed, rubbed her forehead, and took a moment to calm down before speaking to Su Nanfeng with forced patience: “Nanfeng, I am nice to Gu Xizhou because you were not.”

“You are my sister; we are family. You have done so many wrong things to her, and as your family, I have to provide some compensation.”

Su Nanfeng’s voice got stuck in her throat. The early autumn night breeze was cool, blowing across her cheeks and bringing a slight chill that calmed her restless mind. She looked up, staring blankly at her sister, feeling at a loss.

In the dim night, her sister—who was nearly the same height, stood before her, looking slender but with bright, determined eyes: “Mom compensated her with two million, and I help her within my capabilities. Even she knows that my kindness to her is actually helping you fill the holes you dug.”

“She is the victim, and she understands everything. Why don’t you understand?”

And you still childishly feel like no one loves you or cares about you, then vent that emotion on others. My sister really is a brainless idiot.

Su Zhiyi sighed deeply, looking at Su Nanfeng with an expression of “hating that iron won’t become steel.” Su Nanfeng bit her lower lip, her eyes turning red. “I…”

She had always felt that her mother only cared about her gender and loved her sister more. After the last incident, she felt she had disappointed them, and they didn’t want to deal with her anymore. She never expected it was based on this kind of consideration. Su Nanfeng felt her heart swell; all her grievances, bitterness, and resentment were fading away.

Though they weren’t identical twins, there was still a level of telepathy between them. Just like now, Su Zhiyi could sense her sister’s thoughts. She sighed and said to Su Nanfeng, “Don’t bully your classmates anymore. Stay away from Gu Xizhou.”

“The more you bully her, the nicer I will be to her. Because the damage you did to her is something I can never fully make up for in this lifetime.”

“Neither money nor subsequent compensation can patch up the bullying you inflicted.”

Su Nanfeng lowered her head and muttered, “Mm…”

Seeing this, Su Zhiyi looked at her with a complex expression: “Nanfeng, be a good person. You didn’t used to be this bad.” It seemed the parents of all bad children believe they can change and only lack discipline. But the act of bullying others and being surrounded by people like a star—once accustomed to it, it is like an addiction that is hard to break.

However, at this moment, facing her sister’s sincere persuasion, Su Nanfeng still wanted to agree, hoping that under her sister’s supervision, she could try to be the “good child” in her family’s eyes.

After finishing Su Nanfeng’s lecture, Su Zhiyi turned toward Ding Yi: “Ding Yi…”

Being called, Ding Yi felt her scalp tingle: “Ah…”

Su Zhiyi looked at her coldly, her voice calm: “Stay out of Nanfeng’s business from now on. If you want to bully someone, don’t do it in Nanfeng’s name.”

“If there’s a next time, I don’t mind personally going to your parents to talk about your behavior. If you aren’t afraid of your parents and they don’t care, I will help the students you bully report it to the police.”

She was going to let the legal system give them a proper beating. She had realized that this group of playboy second-generation rich kids, without adult supervision, was simply lawless. Leaving these problem students alone was harming other ordinary students. Since she had already stepped in, Su Zhiyi didn’t mind managing a few more people.

Even though Su Zhiyi was an Omega, Ding Yi had grown up with her since kindergarten and primary school. Hearing this tone, Ding Yi instinctively looked toward Su Nanfeng. Su Nanfeng gave her a secret glare, and Ding Yi quickly said, “Okay, Sister Zhiyi.”

After giving them all a piece of her mind and seeing they were still willing to listen, Su Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief. She thought for a moment and added: “When you go back tonight, remember to apologize to Gu Xizhou.”

“This…” Ding Yi hesitated. The thought of apologizing to the “shorty” made her heart protest with a thousand refusals. Yesterday Gu Xizhou had beaten them all up and made them look pathetic; they didn’t want to let it go. But Ding Yi wasn’t the one in charge, and currently, Su Nanfeng was granting her sister’s every wish: “Okay, we will.”

With Su Nanfeng’s promise, Su Zhiyi finally left, feeling somewhat satisfied. Su Nanfeng stood in place, watching her sister’s departing figure and thinking about what she had just said; her heart felt a little sweet.

Ding Yi, seeing this, asked hurriedly: “Nanfeng, are we really going to listen to Sister Zhiyi…?”

Su Nanfeng crossed her arms, watching her sister’s slender figure. Her tone turned cold: “Listen? Why wouldn’t I listen…” It was just an apology. As long as they could maintain a facade of peace for Gu Xizhou, Su Zhiyi wouldn’t pay so much attention to her anymore. Our debt, we’ll settle it slowly later.

After finishing the day’s training, the students swarmed into the bathhouse late at night. With no one to disturb her, Gu Xizhou took a refreshing cold shower. After changing into her pajamas, she held her basin at the sink, using soap to wash her clothes.

At that moment, Su Nanfeng arrived with a group, surrounding Gu Xizhou and pushing the other students aside. She stood before Gu Xizhou with her arms crossed, squinting at her: “Yo, washing clothes all by yourself?”

Gu Xizhou gripped her water basin with one hand, her eyes wary as she looked at Su Nanfeng, ready for anything. “What are you doing?”

Su Nanfeng smiled, seemingly in a good mood: “Nothing much. I just think you’re working quite hard.”

“Zhiyi said I should treat you well to make up for my past mistakes.” Su Nanfeng snapped her fingers and said lazily, “Ding Yi, find someone to help. Wash all of Gu Xizhou’s clothes.”

The sycophantic Ding Yi immediately kicked the “little fatty” Wang Yiren beside her and barked, “Well, hurry up and help!”

Gu Xizhou’s eyes instantly turned cold. Protecting her clothes, she spoke in a hard voice: “No thanks, I don’t need it.”

“Please move aside. Don’t block the other students from washing their clothes.”

An excess of courtesy hides a trick. These scoundrels were being so obedient now; they were likely up to no good. Moreover, since they were bullying another classmate to do it, Gu Xizhou couldn’t be bothered with them and wished they would just get lost.