I found myself quite content with the situation, no longer dwelling on the fact that Zou Yang still owed me an apology for "kneeling." As long as he stopped bothering me, even if everyone minded their own business and went their separate ways, I was more than happy to settle things peacefully. However, I noticed that Zou Yang and Li Jie were becoming closer, often whispering to each other. Sometimes Zou Yang seemed impatient, while Li Jie was constantly shaking his head and furrowing his brow.

I didn't know what they were discussing or if it had anything to do with me. I didn't want to dwell on it; I just wanted life to be as calm as water. I realized my position in the dormitory was gradually improving. Once, after washing my feet, I left the water in the basin without pouring it out, and a student took the initiative to do it for me. "It's on my way," he chuckled, handing me a cigarette.

I had company during classes and meals, sometimes with two or three classmates, sometimes with four or five, yet I still felt lonely. It was a strange feeling indeed.

My relationship with Xia Xue was improving. Perhaps encouraged by Liu Zihong, I found myself gravitating towards her more often. Some classmates began to regard me with a sense of awe and dared not say much. Especially Xia Xue's desk mate, who always gave up his seat for me whenever it wasn't the homeroom teacher's class. Most of the time, Xia Xue and I spent together, and I found myself liking this cheerful and lovely girl more and more.

The incident in English class, where I hit Zou Yang with a flowerpot, eventually reached the ears of the homeroom teacher. Even though the English teacher didn't report it, there were always students eager to gossip. The homeroom teacher called me to the office to inquire about the situation. I sincerely said, "Teacher Ge, it's nothing, really. Zou Yang and I are both from Dongguan Town, and we usually get along fine. It was just a small disagreement that day, and we've made up now."

I believed Zou Yang wouldn't report being hit to the homeroom teacher. He was so concerned about his reputation and wouldn't resolve things through a teacher.

Seeing me speak this way, the homeroom teacher didn't say anything more. Conflicts between students were normal, and as the homeroom teacher, it was his job to handle them. Now that the students had resolved the conflict on their own, he was naturally pleased to have some peace and quiet. So, the matter came to an end.

Xia Xue was a local student from Beiyuan, and it was common to see students from other classes come to play with her—boys and girls, some seemingly kind, some fierce-looking. Her popularity was quite impressive. So, I thought if I relied on her to stand up for me, the issue with Zou Yang could be resolved. But inevitably, there would be gossip among classmates, and at the very least, I'd be labeled as someone who relied on others.

Xia Xue was a very intelligent girl. Besides paying attention in class, she also exchanged notes with me during lessons. We chatted about anything and everything. I had been quite lonely during my three years of junior high school, so I read a lot of books. In front of Xia Xue, I could still pretend to be knowledgeable. But she wasn't shy at all; no matter what I talked about, she could keep up.

She was a good girl, a really good girl. Beautiful and talented, she could be called a peerless beauty.

I began to consider confessing my feelings to her. My biggest dilemma was whether Xia Xue liked me or not. She was indeed cheerful and enthusiastic towards me, but she was the same with other boys too. We exchanged notes during class, and she replied to notes from other boys just as promptly. Her smiles towards me didn't seem any different from those towards others. Admittedly, she was angry when Zou Yang bullied me, but that didn't necessarily mean she liked me; perhaps she was just exceptionally kind and couldn't stand seeing others bullied.

Because of this, I was in distress. Without a clear answer, I decided to put off confessing for now.

About a week later, I noticed that things were getting a bit strange again.

Zou Yang saw that I wasn't avoiding him anymore, but instead, I was behaving unusually, carrying myself with an air of arrogance, ignoring him as if he didn't exist. It was disdainful and contemptuous. But I didn't care; as long as he didn't bully me, it was fine. Looking back now, I felt pathetic for being content with my "contentment."

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Classmates gradually stopped paying attention to me again. The few classmates who accompanied me to class or meals always found excuses to leave first. I felt puzzled, but I didn't show any particular reaction. Anyway, whether these people spoke to me or not didn't matter much; they were just a bunch of fickle grass on the wall. As long as Xia Xue still talked to me and no one dared to bully me, it was fine.

Later, I found out that Zou Yang was up to no good again behind my back.

During homeroom class, I moved away from Xia Xue and returned to my original seat. Liu Zihong whispered to me, "Be careful these days. Zou Yang and Li Jie have found someone else to deal with you!"

My heart skipped a beat, and I asked, "Really?"

Liu Zihong looked around cautiously, as if he were an underground party member, and whispered again, "Yes, really. Zou Yang has been telling our classmates in private that you're in trouble again, advising everyone not to get too close to you, lest they suffer later when he comes to settle scores with them!"

Now, I understood why I was being isolated quietly again these past few days.

"You need to inform your friend, that 'Bright Brother' from the vocational school..." Liu Zihong looked worried.

In this situation, Liu Zihong still dared to pass me information, which made me appreciate this seemingly dull four-eyed guy even more.

"I can't talk to you anymore," Liu Zihong seemed flustered, "If Zou Yang and the others see us, it'll be over. Please understand."

With that, he shifted his books to the side, clearly drawing a line to distance himself from me, putting on a serious demeanor.

I turned my head and glanced at Zou Yang behind me.

Zou Yang happened to be looking at me too.

When he saw me turn my head, a smirk appeared on his lips, and then he formed a gun shape with his fingers, pointing it at me.

"Bang!" Zou Yang mouthed the word.

And without hesitation, I raised my middle finger at him.

Although my gesture was far less imposing, it still made his face turn ugly.

Perhaps he would never accept the feeling of being stepped on by me. So, whenever I showed even a hint of resistance, it would provoke greater anger in him.

"What are you two doing?" the homeroom teacher tapped on the podium, displeased.

Both of us quickly restrained our behavior, and classmates turned their heads.

Except for the homeroom teacher, everyone knew another confrontation was imminent.

After class, I quickly went to find Ye Zhan and told him about the current situation.

"Really?" Ye Zhan said incredulously, "Zou Yang and them still haven't learned their lesson? They're really asking for trouble! I'll talk to Li Jie later!"

"Absolutely," I said, uncharacteristically calm, "Word has spread throughout the class, so Zou Yang shouldn't be so arrogant if he doesn't have a grip on the situation." After a moment of thought, I continued, "Anyway, you should keep an eye on our class's situation at all times. If anything happens, rush over immediately!"

"Okay, no problem," Ye Zhan said, "Let's go, let's go find Li Jie and see what this guy is up to."

From the conversation above, you can see that Ye Zhan and I had different focuses. I kept talking about Zou Yang, while he never strayed far from Li Jie. In my mind, Zou Yang was the biggest enemy, but in Ye Zhan's mind, Zou Yang could only survive with Li Jie's support.

Ye Zhan and I arrived at the entrance of our class, and Li Jie immediately walked out with a big smile on his face.

"Oh, what wind blew our great deity over here?" Li Jie teased.

"Cut it out," Ye Zhan punched Li Jie lightly, laughing, "What's going on? Aren't you planning to calm down?"

"What's this about not planning to calm down?" Li Jie immediately denied, "Where did you hear these random rumors? Didn't we settle things last time? From now on, everyone goes their own way, and no one looks for trouble with anyone else. Trust me, I'm true to my word!"

"Yeah, I believe you," Ye Zhan smiled, handing Li Jie a cigarette.

Li Jie returned to the classroom, and Ye Zhan winked at me, "See, I told you it's nothing."

I nodded. Ye Zhan and Li Jie were both influential figures in the sophomore class, and if Li Jie lied to Ye Zhan about this matter, how would they face each other in the future?

"Don't listen to the gossip of your classmates; they're just afraid of their own shadows!" Ye Zhan said as he left.

Was I really being overly suspicious?

The expression Li Jie just had was definitely sincere. He wasn't lying to Ye Zhan, and Ye Zhan wouldn't be easily fooled.

Perhaps Zou Yang was just bragging to save face for that day's incident. In reality, he couldn't find anyone to help him. Li Jie would never risk his own safety again after the incident with "Meng Liang" scared them off.

Thinking this through, I breathed a sigh of relief. Back in class, I sat back in my seat, still feeling uneasy. I told Liu Zihong, "If anything happens to me, please inform Ye Zhan immediately."

Liu Zihong ignored me and continued reciting vocabulary words loudly.

"Did you hear?" I frowned. This guy was too scared.

Amidst his mumbled English vocabulary, I vaguely heard three words: "Got... it... covered."

"Heh," I chuckled bitterly. These guys. They were afraid of Zou Yang coming back to settle scores, but weren't they afraid of me turning against them later?

Contemplating this question, I felt relieved. But instead of sitting next to Xia Xue during the next class, Xia Xue took the initiative to sit next to me.