Irreversible - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: An Adorable Angel (Part 2)

Given Su Zhiyi’s fainting spell from low blood sugar that morning, Gu Xizhou had packed an enormous amount of food into her lunch box. When Su Zhiyi saw the container filled to the brim, she was completely stunned.

Her eyes widened like a startled, helpless rabbit. “Why is there so much? I can’t finish all of this,” she said, shocked.

Gu Xizhou opened her own lunch box, picked up a slice of meat, and said in a muffled voice, “Eat slowly. You’ll finish it eventually.”

No, Su Zhiyi felt she truly couldn’t. With a pale face, she lowered her eyes to look at Gu Xizhou and asked tentatively, “How about… you help me eat some?”

Gu Xizhou poked at her own equally stuffed lunch box and replied unhurriedly, “Eat as much as you can first. We’ll talk about the leftovers later.” Her attitude was firm, leaving no room for compromise.

Seeing through this, Su Zhiyi resigned herself to her fate. “Alright, alright. Since Student Gu Xizhou served this for me, I’ll do my best to finish it.”

To avoid wasting her classmate’s kindness, Su Zhiyi ate the largest meal of her life. Even so, a significant amount remained at the end. Considering the need to not waste food, Gu Xizhou ended up eating everything Su Zhiyi hadn’t touched.

Not long ago, the Su Group’s stock had dropped. This time, Su Tianyu had no intention of bailing Su Nanfeng out. Thus, the conflict between the two students was quietly resolved within the military base.

However, Ding Yi did not escape unscathed. After all, she was the one who had kicked Su Nanfeng. When her elders found out, they called and gave her a severe scolding, repeatedly warning her not to stir up more trouble. Su Nanfeng’s family was wealthy, and their stock could take a hit, but Ding Yi’s family company was on the verge of going public. This meant everyone in the family had to be on their best behavior.

As the saying goes, “The man with no shoes doesn’t fear the man with boots.” In an era where money and power couldn’t settle every problem, the more influential one was, the more they had to guard their public image. Doing evil was an open secret in their circles, but once things were dragged into the light, it became unsightly. After all, businesspeople value “decency.”

Even though Su Nanfeng didn’t press charges, Ding Yi was still terrified. With this lingering fear, she felt powerless to carry out Su Nanfeng’s order to watch Gu Xizhou.

This manifested most clearly that night. With Su Nanfeng absent, Ding Yi and her group ordered the “little fatty” Wang Yiren to wash their clothes. When Gu Xizhou came out from her shower and saw this, she was instantly consumed by rage. “0820, help me fight!”

0820 understood her intent immediately, though she couldn’t help but complain: “You can’t keep relying on me for fights. Go work out yourself, okay!” Regardless, she granted Gu Xizhou’s request.

After a swift consciousness swap, 0820 rolled her sleeves up to her shoulders, revealing slender arms. She stood aggressively in front of Ding Yi and the others, saying coldly, “Do your own work. Stop making other students help you! If you make Wang Yiren wash your clothes again tonight, I’ll beat you until you have to go find the instructor!”

Perfect. Having been bullied by Su Nanfeng for years, she was all too familiar with how to act like a thug.

Ding Yi’s face went pale. Thinking about how she hadn’t managed to gain the upper hand against Gu Xizhou for two days straight, she felt a surge of dread. However, after years of acting like a tyrant, she was still in the habit of acting tough. “I’m making her wash them, not you. Why are you sticking your nose in?”

0820 snorted mockingly. “I just like sticking my nose in.” If she hadn’t liked standing up for people, she wouldn’t have been targeted and tortured by Su Nanfeng throughout middle school. 0820 brandished her fist, looking very serious. “Are you taking them back or not? Otherwise, I’m going to pummel you!”

Perhaps because the previous two beatings had been so effective, or perhaps because Ding Yi’s clique was simply too loathsome—other students who usually followed the “mind your own business” rule began to react. Seeing Gu Xizhou confronting Ding Yi, one or two students holding washbasins silently moved to stand beside Gu Xizhou.

A tall shadow loomed over 0820. She turned to see a girl with a tall frame, a ponytail, glasses, and a very sharp jawline standing next to her. She vaguely remembered this person as someone who had stood behind Su Zhiyi; her name was Yan Qing.

Yan Qing was refined-looking, the type of top student that teachers and parents loved. Currently wearing a set of deep blue silk pajamas, she stood by Gu Xizhou’s side, pushed up her glasses, and spoke softly: “Student, everyone washes their own clothes. It’s inappropriate to make others do your work for you.”

Yan Qing had come from the No. 1 Middle School’s affiliated junior high. She had a good reputation at her old school, and many students in other classes knew her. With her as the center, a small crowd began to gather behind Gu Xizhou.

Gu Xizhou looked left and right, feeling like a small puppy surrounded by a pack of wolves—specifically, a short-legged Corgi. Compared to these beanpole-tall Alphas, she was truly too short.

0820 silently comforted her: “You’re still young. Your mother is 1.8 meters tall. You can grow until you’re 25.” Gu Xizhou felt indignant internally: If I eat more, I’ll definitely grow tall!

0820 was somewhat surprised. There were actually children among the students who weren’t afraid of trouble and were willing to stand up. She expressed her appreciation: “Your batch of classmates is actually quite decent.” Why hadn’t she noticed this person named Yan Qing back when she was in high school?

Forget it. Back then, she spent every day running errands for Su Nanfeng, feeding her, getting beaten, and soon after, playing some idiotic romance game. Disgusting! 0820 felt it was a pity Su Nanfeng wasn’t there; otherwise, she would have another excuse to beat her. Judging by Su Zhiyi’s reaction, she would likely be happy to see Su Nanfeng get a thrashing.

The students gradually formed a human wall, spontaneously protecting Gu Xizhou at the center. Ding Yi knew she was outnumbered and took a step back in frustration, reclaiming her clothes. “Fine, I’ll wash them myself,” she muttered. The other followers took their clothes back as well, leaving Wang Yiren standing there, at a loss as she looked at Gu Xizhou.

At this point, 0820 swapped back with Gu Xizhou. Gu Xizhou walked up to Wang Yiren and patted her shoulder firmly. Wang Yiren’s plump body trembled with fear. “Don’t hit me…”

Gu Xizhou’s hand froze, and she quickly pulled it back, sounding apologetic. “I wasn’t going to do anything to you. I don’t hit people.”

Wang Yiren was scared to death, thinking, If that wolf who beat up Su Nanfeng yesterday wasn’t you, then who was it? She had splashed water on Gu Xizhou before; given how fierce Gu Xizhou was now, she might be coming to settle the score. At that thought, Wang Yiren began to shiver.

Gu Xizhou noticed her strange behavior, and 0820 promptly reminded her: “A child like her is very timid and afraid of trouble.” Although she was also being bullied, she was different from Gu Xizhou. Gu Xizhou was small, but she always possessed a streak of ruthlessness and ferocity. She could endure, calculate, and lie in wait… waiting over ten years to finally make Su Nanfeng taste everything she had suffered.

But a child like Wang Yiren lacked that ruthlessness. They were used to being bullied, thinking they could just endure it until graduation. Endurance was the most common virtue among children in this country. 0820 sighed with emotion: “Once accustomed to submission, they are at a loss when given freedom.”

But it was okay; things could change slowly. Gu Xizhou understood what she meant. She thought for a moment and said to Wang Yiren, “Friendship is about helping each other. If you aren’t friends, labor requires compensation. Your time and labor are precious. I hope you can cherish that.”

And cherish yourself. Stop submitting to these bullies and protect your self-respect.

Wang Yiren, seeing that Gu Xizhou wasn’t angry with her, stood there in a daze, looking quite panicked. Gu Xizhou softened her voice and said warmly, “If you have any trouble in the future, you can come to me. I’ve experienced what you’re going through. I understand your helplessness, and I won’t be angry with you, okay?”

Gu Xizhou was not bad-looking; she had very fair skin and handsome features inherited from her mother. When she leaned in and spoke seriously and warmly, it could make someone blush. Wang Yiren’s face instantly flushed hot. She looked at Gu Xizhou with teary eyes, unsure how to respond.

Gu Xizhou smiled and gave her a “fighting” gesture: “Buck up!”

She turned away from Wang Yiren and looked at Yan Qing, thanking her sincerely: “Thank you, Yan Qing.” It felt so good to have someone other than Su Zhiyi standing by her side. Being helped was such a wonderful thing.

Yan Qing looked down at the slender little Alpha beside her, pushed up her glasses, and said calmly, “We’re classmates; it’s what I should do.” Her simple sense of justice wouldn’t allow her to keep watching Gu Xizhou resist like a lone wolf. Yan Qing looked at Wang Yiren and added, “If you have any trouble, you can tell us too. Don’t be afraid that they have many people; we have many people too.”

If all the ordinary students united, could they really not beat a bully? It was a society ruled by law; so what if they had money? Most students who could get into No. 1 Middle School didn’t come from ordinary families—who didn’t have a bit of money?

That night’s act of chivalry made Gu Xizhou extremely happy. After returning to the dormitory, she began chatting with Yan Qing and the others. Only then did young Gu Xizhou learn that many in the class had promoted from the affiliated junior high.

The Alphas were very curious about her fighting skills and asked which club she had learned them from. Especially Yan Qing; her family owned a combat club. Although she didn’t study fighting herself, she knew a bit about it. Gu Xizhou thought to herself that these were all “cheats” and not things she had learned, so she made up a random excuse: “Ah… I learned by watching videos. I’m small and easily bullied, so I wanted to learn how to protect myself.”

Yan Qing was amazed. “Then you have a lot of talent! Why don’t you come to our club to learn? I can have my dad give you a discount card.”

Gu Xizhou had already planned to study systematically after training camp, so this was exactly what she wanted. “Is that really okay?”

Yan Qing nodded. “Sure! If you come, I’ll give you an 80% discount!”

“Thank you!”

Making new friends made Gu Xizhou very excited; she and Yan Qing chatted late into the night until the lights went out. Before falling asleep, Gu Xizhou lay in bed with her hands folded, looking at the ceiling with emotion. “It’s so good to have friends.” Because of Su Nanfeng’s actions, young Gu Xizhou had no friends in middle school—she was isolated and bullied. But now, everything was changing.

0820 smiled. “Having friends is indeed good, but isn’t having power an even better thing? How does it feel to act gallantly? Isn’t it true that only with power can you protect yourself and help others?”

Gu Xizhou nodded, beginning to vaguely grasp 0820’s thoughts. She agreed: “Yes, having power is good.”

0820 encouraged her: “Then work hard to become even more formidable, Gu Xizhou. Become stronger, have more power, protect yourself, protect those you cherish, and help those in need.”

That is the only way to protect Su Zhiyi properly.