Vote for me, vote for me, let the votes rain down and bury me!
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Teacher Gao completely disregarded the students' feelings as she led a group of sixty to seventy people out of the school gate. They all boarded a bus heading to the small hill in the eastern suburbs, the same place where Shen Xingkong had previously encountered the giant bee.
Once they got off the bus, the students' moods lightened as they forgot about the medicinal herb field trip. The scenic beauty of the countryside, with a gentle breeze blowing, made them feel like they were on a pleasant outing rather than a school assignment.
Teacher Gao intended to lecture them on basic knowledge, but she hadn’t said more than a few sentences before the students had dispersed in groups of threes and fives, disappearing into the hills. This left Teacher Gao fuming, her face turning green with anger as her fragile sense of authority took a hit. She quietly vowed to herself that when they returned to school, she would fail them all.
As soon as Shen Xingkong set foot on the hill, he was reminded of the terrifying encounter he had with the giant bee a few days earlier. He had no interest in wandering around, but Chang Le was eager to explore and insisted that Shen Xingkong accompany him up the hill.
With nothing better to do, Shen Xingkong agreed, figuring that the giant bee was already dead. As they walked, they chatted away, but before long, Shen Xingkong suddenly felt an urgent need to relieve himself. Spotting a small grove nearby, he left without a word, walking quickly toward the trees. Chang Le, understanding the situation, laughed loudly and jokingly warned him not to disrupt the feng shui and anger the local spirits.
Seriously? Could relieving oneself really disrupt feng shui?
Shen Xingkong, annoyed, walked into the grove, but he froze in his tracks before he could even undo his belt. He hadn’t expected to find anyone in the grove, but there were quite a few people there.
About a dozen male students stood in front of him, blocking his path. They all glared at him with contemptuous expressions.
"Move aside, good dogs don’t block the way," Shen Xingkong snapped. He was in a hurry and didn’t have time to argue with them.
"Get lost!" One of the male students suddenly shoved Shen Xingkong, nearly knocking him over. "Don’t look for trouble, Shen Xingkong."
"Heh!" Shen Xingkong patted his shoulder where he had been pushed and saw that the one who shoved him was none other than Xu Jianhui. He couldn’t help but laugh. "You’re really born to be a lackey. Yesterday you were begging for mercy after getting beaten up, and today you’re already biting back?"
"What did you say?" Xu Jianhui’s face turned a deep purple, as if his blood vessels were about to burst.
Shen Xingkong didn’t bother responding to Xu Jianhui. He didn’t even spare him another glance. There was no point in stooping to a dog’s level.
But he couldn’t help but wonder why these male students, who were all cronies of Wang Lei, were standing in a line in the grove. What were they up to? His curiosity was piqued, and his gaze instinctively drifted through the gaps between the students, peering deeper into the grove.
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The grove was indeed small, but the trees were tall and thick. With the male students and the trees in the way, it was difficult to see what was going on inside.
“Ah…”
As Shen Xingkong was pondering the situation, a scream suddenly rang out from deeper within the grove—a girl’s scream. The male students blocking Shen Xingkong all exchanged lewd, knowing looks, making Shen Xingkong feel sick to his stomach. He quickly realized what was happening inside.
"Old Shen, what are you up to? You… huh?" At that moment, Chang Le showed up. He had been wondering why Shen Xingkong was taking so long and was about to joke that he’d dehydrate if he kept at it.
Chang Le was just as surprised as Shen Xingkong to see all the male students in the grove.
“There’s a girl inside. I think Wang Lei is in there too,” Shen Xingkong leaned close to Chang Le, whispering softly.
"What’s he doing in there…? No way, is he really that bold?" Chang Le didn’t need Shen Xingkong to answer; he quickly figured out what was going on, and his shock was evident.
Chang Le was a notorious flirt, always scheming to get some girl or another into bed. But at least he wasn’t sleazy; his pursuits were always consensual. Wang Lei, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. To be so brazen as to drag someone into a grove in broad daylight—it was beyond contemptible. Compared to Wang Lei, Chang Le felt positively virtuous.
"We need to find a way to help her…" Shen Xingkong appeared to scratch his nose, but he was actually whispering to Chang Le.
“Why help? How do we help?” Chang Le mimicked the nose-scratching motion.
“There’s no one else around here, and I suspect the girl in the grove is one of our classmates. You distract them, and I’ll dash in and check things out.”
“Alright, are you ready?”
“Mm!” Shen Xingkong subtly nodded, and then, without further communication, the two split up. Shen Xingkong walked uphill, while Chang Le headed downhill. After about ten steps, Chang Le suddenly stopped and shouted loudly, "Teacher Gao, what are you doing here?"
The male students in the grove heard Chang Le mention Teacher Gao and were immediately petrified. Dozens of eyes turned in Chang Le’s direction.
They all knew what was happening in the grove. If Teacher Gao caught them, they’d be in deep trouble. Some hesitated, considering whether to run in and warn Wang Lei, but they didn’t want to interrupt his "fun."
Taking advantage of the distraction, Shen Xingkong darted into the grove from another angle, moving like a bullet. By the time the male students realized they’d been tricked and tried to stop him, it was too late.
Everything inside the grove was just as Shen Xingkong had suspected. A frightened girl was huddled under a large tree, while Wang Lei stood in front of her, a lecherous grin plastered on his face. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.
Shen Xingkong’s sudden intrusion disrupted Wang Lei’s plans. Wang Lei spun around, his eyes blazing with fury.
“It’s you?” Wang Lei was shocked to see Shen Xingkong.
“Uh… I drank too much water on the bus and needed to pee. You too?” Shen Xingkong blinked innocently, pretending to be clueless.
“Get~ out~ of~ here~ now!” Wang Lei ordered through gritted teeth, barely able to contain his anger.
This time, Shen Xingkong didn’t respond to Wang Lei, pretending not to hear him at all. Instead, he craned his neck to get a better look at the girl under the tree and immediately recognized her. Shen Xingkong had always known Wang Lei was bold, but this was on another level. It was one thing to harass a random girl, but to target the class monitor? That was beyond audacious.
The girl’s face was pale as she looked up at Shen Xingkong. Fear filled her eyes, but so did a glimmer of hope. Her name was Li Yingni, and she was the class monitor for Shen Xingkong’s class—also Wang Lei and Chang Le’s class. It was obvious why she was chosen as class monitor: she was the best student in the class.
But it wasn’t just her academic excellence; Li Yingni was also talented in many other areas—piano, dance, singing, writing—there was almost nothing she couldn’t do. She was the apple of every teacher’s eye, seen as a rising star.