Irreversible - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Scumbag’s Redemption (Part 3)

Su Zhiyi carried several bags into the hospital room and set the items down on the bedside table.

Gu Xizhou’s gaze followed her every move; her eyes remained wide as she watched her set down a heap of fruit and takeout food.

0820 shrieked frantically in her mind: “Why is Su Zhiyi here to visit you? To begin with, it was already strange that she appeared in the restroom earlier!”

“Could it be that she…”

Gu Xizhou subconsciously finished the thought in her mind: “Could it be what?”

Before 0820 could finish, Su Zhiyi—having arranged everything, turned her head, smiled sweetly at Gu Xizhou on the bed, and spoke to Song Qiao, who was equally surprised: “Teacher, you and Gu haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“I brought some congee, shall we eat a little together?”

She was so thoughtful that neither Song Qiao nor Gu Xizhou could refuse. Since the food was already bought, they had no choice but to eat together.

It was dusk, and the sunset spilled through the window, coating the sterile hospital room in a layer of warm, orange light. Gu Xizhou sat on the bed, sipping the congee in front of her in small mouthfuls. Underneath her black hair, her ears were perked up high like a rabbit’s as she silently listened to the conversation between Su Zhiyi and Song Qiao.

Su Zhiyi sat by the bed with her bowl of congee, showing no sign of an entitled young lady’s air, eating as she spoke: “On the way here this morning, I happened to take the same subway as Student Gu.”

“She helped me catch a voyeur on the train, and we both went to the police station to give statements, which is why we were late.”

Song Qiao looked at Gu Xizhou’s frail frame with curiosity and surprise. “Oh…is that so? One truly cannot judge a book by its cover! That is so impressive!”

Gu Xizhou felt too shy to look up, but Su Zhiyi chimed in with praise: “Exactly. Don’t let her small size fool you, on the train, she was the only one who threw her umbrella at that pervert. She was super brave!”

Hearing this, 0820 couldn’t help but be sarcastic in her mind: “Super brave~ That was something I taught her!”

“She was just like a rabbit, completely frozen by fear at the time. If it weren’t for me, how could such a beautiful act of heroism happen?”

Gu Xizhou ignored 0820’s arrogant rambling. She sipped her congee, and after a long moment, said in a muffled voice: “That’s all I could do.”

With her small frame, she didn’t have much strength to begin with. If Su Zhiyi hadn’t been tough on her own, she wouldn’t have been able to catch the peeping tom either.

Su Zhiyi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: “Do what you can with the ability you have. You helped me regardless of your own safety, that’s already super brave.”

Song Qiao nodded, adopting her teacher persona to lecture them: “Exactly. You are still young, so you must learn to protect yourselves. You shouldn’t throw yourselves into dangerous situations just because you’re Alphas.”

“Helping others should only happen if you can ensure your own safety; your lives are very precious. Let the adults handle dangerous situations.”

Su Zhiyi nodded in agreement. “Mhm, mhm, mhm…I know, Teacher.”

Su Zhiyi was a kind but clever girl. Soon, she steered the conversation toward the brawl that occurred in the restroom at noon. Out of concern for Gu Xizhou’s physical and emotional state, Song Qiao hadn’t had the chance to ask about it yet. Instead, Su Zhiyi turned to look at Gu Xizhou, who was still eating slowly, and asked directly: “Gu Xizhou…”

Gu Xizhou paused, looked up at Su Zhiyi by the bed, her eyes filled with bewilderment: “Hmm?”

Su Zhiyi looked at her face, which was full of frail, childish innocence, smiled slightly, softened her voice, and asked carefully: “I…I saw my sister hitting you in the restroom at noon today.”

“At the Academic Affairs Office this afternoon, I heard my sister say that you were in the same middle school and that she said many bad things about you.”

Gu Xizhou felt as if her heart had been gripped tightly, thumping uncontrollably. She widened her eyes, looking at the gentle girl before her—so different from the one in her dreams, and suddenly felt like she couldn’t catch her breath.

She…what is she going to ask?

Having been bullied for eighteen months and suffering from nightmares for over a week, Gu Xizhou was intimately familiar with Su Nanfeng’s methods. It was nothing more than distorting the truth, lying, and spreading rumors to drag her name through the mud.

Wasn’t it the same in the dream? At the start of the school year, Su Nanfeng had ripped off her suppressant patch, pulled down her pants, forced her to take obscene photos, and then showed them off as trophies: “This is the price for blocking me over the summer.”

“If there’s a next time…”

In the narrow restroom, the girl’s tall frame pressed down, completely trapping her in her embrace. She maliciously toyed with the hair falling on Gu Xizhou’s shoulders, arrogant and triumphant: “I will upload your photos to the internet and tell everyone you’re a lesbian who used these photos to sexually harass me.”

“Then every student in your class, and your parents, will know exactly what kind of trash you are.”

Under the pressure of the Alpha’s intense green orange scent, Gu Xizhou curled her body against the wall, holding back tears with stubborn defiance. Su Nanfeng loved this look of hers, pushed to the edge of a cliff, teetering, yet refusing to fall.

She reached out and pinched Gu Xizhou’s gland maliciously, whispering with great pleasure: “Gu Xizhou, you’d better just let me have my fun.”

“Only when I’m tired of dealing with you will you have a chance to run.”

Gu Xizhou’s body trembled even more violently. Su Nanfeng reached out and gripped her neck, forcing her to look up, her eyes filled with ruthlessness: “Otherwise, don’t you dare think you can escape me!”

This was her nightmare. What she had to face was a demon who excelled at playing with people’s hearts and was full of lies. Although reality was different from the dream—for instance, her pants hadn’t been pulled down, and no naked photos had been taken, based on Su Nanfeng’s past viciousness, she couldn’t escape the path of slander. She just didn’t know what kind of crimes Su Nanfeng would pin on her this time.

Gu Xizhou’s heart drummed, and her hands began to tremble slightly. At this moment, she was like a prisoner walking to the scaffold, waiting for the judge to sentence her for the crimes of her life.

Su Zhiyi…did she come to interrogate her, or to help her? She really, really wanted to know.

The young girl’s anxiety was obvious. Su Zhiyi looked at her trembling body—like a little rabbit’s, and sighed softly. She held the takeout box, fixed her gaze on Gu Xizhou on the bed, and said gently: “I don’t think you are the kind of person she described.”

“Besides, I haven’t seen my sister in a long time, it feels like she has changed so much.”

Gu Xizhou looked up sharply at Su Zhiyi, who was sitting by the bed. The girl sat against the window facing the sunset, and the light sparkled on the amber-colored button at her collar. In that moment, Gu Xizhou felt as though every strand of the girl’s hair was plated with gold—incredibly holy.

Gu Xizhou felt dazed. Looking into those clear, deep eyes, she heard her voice: “Can you tell me, has she always bullied her classmates like this?”

Gu Xizhou’s head buzzed. She stared blankly at Su Zhiyi, unable to speak.

Su Zhiyi thought she didn’t believe her, so she remained silent for a moment before continuing: “Don’t worry, no matter what you say, I believe you.”

“After all…” Su Zhiyi bit her lip, showing a look of understanding: “You are such a petite person, there’s no way you would go out of your way to cause trouble for two Alphas taller than you.”

To say that Gu Xizhou was seeking her own death by provoking two Alphas was a claim no one would believe. But to claim that Gu Xizhou had committed theft and was being disciplined for it, that was a different story entirely. However, Su Zhiyi knew for certain that this was Su Nanfeng’s rumor-mongering, therefore, she chose Gu Xizhou and absolutely did not believe such slander.