“Huff… huff… huff…”
Chu Xiaomeng’s pupils dilated.
Due to her nervousness, her chest heaved incessantly.
Even as naive as she was, she realized the implications of this situation.
After all, the person in front of her was a boy — and the school bully at that.
Whether it was out of fear or endurance, she did not run away.
Instead, she closed her eyes, and a single tear escaped from the corner of her left eye.
‘This is boring.’
Gu Chen had originally intended to just scare her so she would give up and leave, but he hadn’t expected it to fail.
Seeing that single tear amidst her terrified expression reminded him of certain helpless moments from his own past.
Although he was considered a “tyrant” in the school, his business was mostly restricted to beating up those who actually deserved it.
Using low-life tactics to bully girls was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.
After all, a person had to have a bottom line.
Otherwise, the posters of Bruce Lee and the Spartans on his bedroom wall would never forgive him!
Besides, in his current state, even if he wanted to do something, did he even have the equipment for it?
“Leave. I don’t take useless lackeys,” Gu Chen said, rejecting her after thinking it over.
Even if he felt a sliver of pity, if he allowed this exception, then every person would start acting pitiful to seek his protection.
If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to get anything done.
Chu Xiaomeng lowered her head in silence.
“I… I really am useless,” she whispered with a sob.
Then, looking utterly dejected, she left the rooftop.
“Sigh, don’t blame me. You have to fight for some things yourself,” Gu Chen muttered as he watched her retreating figure.
After that disturbance, he wasn’t in the mood to catch up on his sleep anymore.
He could only sit back in his chair and play a few rounds of games to kill time.
Soon, the morning classes came to an end.
At noon, Gu Chen went to the cafeteria for lunch, intending to see if the protest against the suspension of classes had ended.
“They’re still at it? They’ve certainly got a lot of energy.”
The path to the cafeteria passed by the faculty office building.
He noticed a large crowd of students still gathered there.
Their attitude was clear: if the issue wasn’t resolved, they would absolutely not return to class.
Even the vice principal had been drawn out, desperately trying to explain things to the crowd.
“Students, please calm down! The school has already received your request and will handle it very soon!”
“You say that every time, but nothing ever gets done!”
“Exactly! You’re just trying to brush us off again, aren’t you?”
The crowd clearly wasn’t buying the perfunctory response.
One after another, they voiced their disbelief.
“That’s not it! As you all know, the principal is still undergoing psychological treatment because of the shock she received. Without her stamp of approval, many things simply can’t be implemented — “
“It’s just a few security cameras! It’s not like the school will go bankrupt! Stop using the principal as an excuse!”
Watching the ongoing conflict between the two sides, Gu Chen found the situation absurd.
He never expected things to escalate to this point.
He just hoped Tang Ziya wouldn’t tell anyone that this was his idea, or else the school leadership would surely find a way to make his life miserable.
Since things had already reached this stage, he decided to focus on eating first.
He turned and continued toward the cafeteria.
Because so many people were boycotting class, it was much quieter than usual today.
“Boss, you’re here! I’ve already grabbed lunch. Hehe, I even got the chicken legs that are usually limited!”
Guo Ming, sitting in a corner by the window, stood up and waved as soon as he saw Gu Chen.
“Hmm, at least you’re showing some respect.”
Usually, only the first 100 students had a chance to buy those chicken legs.
Most of what remained was dark cuisine.
Gu Chen often wondered where the school’s cafeteria budget actually went.
“Boss, how long do you think this protest will last?”
“Who knows? It depends on the school’s attitude. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me. They can make as much noise as they want.”
Gu Chen took a bite of the chicken leg.
It tasted pretty good.
“True. As long as that pervert isn’t caught, everyone will be scared. It’s just a bit strange, though. Why would that guy suddenly start taking girls hostage?”
Guo Ming nodded and grumbled.
“He’s a pervert. What wouldn’t he do? I wouldn’t even be surprised if you did something like that one day,” Gu Chen said, rolling his eyes.
In a way, this guy also had perverted tendencies.
If he didn’t, Gu Chen wouldn’t have to be so wary of him in the dorm.
‘If my identity as a female was ever discovered, he would definitely use his life to threaten me into giving up my body just to experience some pleasure!’
“Boss, I don’t like the sound of that!”
Unexpectedly, Guo Ming stood his ground for once, looking very serious.
“I have artistic pursuits. Even if they aren’t mainstream, I still have principles. That flasher should be sticking to his own career too. He wouldn’t change so easily. If you ask me, this was probably done by a copycat.”
“A copycat?”
Gu Chen was originally inclined to dismiss such theories.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt it wasn’t impossible.
He had fought the pervert the previous night.
He had suspected Li Fugui before, but that person didn’t seem to be Li Fugui.
There were definitely differences in their physiques.
Their methods and clothing were also different.
Could it really be that someone was intentionally imitating the flasher to commit crimes, then shifting the blame onto him?
‘Crap, no way.’
Thinking this, Gu Chen rubbed his temples.
If that were true, didn’t it mean there were already two perverts in the school?
This wasn’t just him overthinking things.
After all, as someone with perverted traits himself, Guo Ming should have a better understanding of his colleagues.
Forget it.
He would wait and see.
Sharing his guess would only cause more panic.
After lunch, the protest showed no signs of stopping.
No one knew when it would end.
Gu Chen returned to the classroom first, planning to grab a drink and head back to the rooftop for some peace.
He found only Wang Meng in the room, diligently taking notes and studying by herself.
“Wang Meng, why aren’t you out protesting? The whole class went,” Gu Chen asked as he walked up.
“Huh?”
She looked up, startled.
“I wanted to preview today’s lessons first. I can’t afford to fall behind.”
“You really love studying, don’t you?”
Gu Chen remarked.
Her grades weren’t particularly great, but she was certainly hardworking.
It was a bit of a shame that her talent was somewhat lacking.
After a brief chat, Gu Chen took his things and headed back to the rooftop to enjoy some quiet time.
*Ring, ring!*
The bell for the end of the first period had just rung when his phone suddenly went off.
“Who is it?”
Gu Chen looked at the unknown number with suspicion.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Gu Chen?”
“Yeah. Who are you?”
“This is the South City Police Station. There was a fight at the food stalls last night. You were involved in a conflict with some people, right?”
The person on the other end stated their identity and purpose.
‘Holy crap!’
Hearing it was the police, Gu Chen’s heart skipped a beat.
“That… someone was trying to assault my classmate! That’s why I stepped in!” he explained hurriedly.
“Don’t be nervous. We already know the details of the event. Those three are repeat offenders and have been detained. We just need you to come over and give a statement to cooperate with the investigation. It’s nothing serious.”
“Oh, I see.”
Gu Chen breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest.
He agreed to go over and cooperate immediately.
Since the police were just calling him over, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Otherwise, they would have come looking for him in person.
After packing his things, Gu Chen immediately headed toward the school exit.
Normally, students needed a permission slip to leave the school grounds, but his face was the best permission slip there was.
The security guards wouldn’t dare stop him.
Just as he stepped out of the school and looked around for a car, he noticed another student walking out.
“Su Yuqing?”
Recognizing her face immediately, Gu Chen knew he couldn’t be mistaken.
With her level of beauty, there was no way he’d get her mixed up with someone else.
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