Chapter 29: Bullying
Jiang Xinian was one grade higher than Shi Huaibai. Although Song Chi and Shi Huaibai were in the same grade, Song Chi was actually a year younger than Shi Huaibai.
Shi Huaibai didn’t understand. With just a one-year gap, how could Song Chi be so childish?
This afternoon was the public open class on Classical Music for the first years at Abbeville Noble Academy.
This course was held twice a semester: one simple lecture and one end-of-term demonstration of learning outcomes. Just getting the credits for this course was enough.
There were two ways for students to demonstrate their learning outcomes: one was to handwrite a 5000-word essay, and the other was a classical instrument talent showcase in class.
Shi Huaibai had finished writing the essay early on. After all, he was just a special admission student. Growing up in an orphanage environment, surviving was already remarkable for him; he had no opportunity to cultivate the study of a classical instrument.
But now…
Song Chi was behind Shi Huaibai, nonchalantly clasping his hands behind his head and whistling a tune, with a ball of medical cotton still stuffed in his nose.
Shi Huaibai had just gone to the toilet, and the essay assignment that had been sitting properly in his desk was gone.
Song Chi stretched lazily, then suddenly reached out and lightly grabbed the tips of Shi Huaibai’s upturned hair, his movements frivolous and careless.
With his teasing, that unruly lock of hair stood up even higher.
Shi Huaibai whipped his head around: “What are you doing?”
Song Chi whistled, the tune cheerful and blatant, deliberately dragging out the final note, the curve of his mouth playful: “What are you looking for?”
Song Chi asked knowingly: “Don’t tell me your essay is lost…”
He wanted to provoke Shi Huaibai too much. No matter the method, teasing this little bird was incredibly fun. Every tiny movement of Shi Huaibai was utterly cute in his eyes.
Shi Huaibai frowned slightly: “You stole it?”
[Beep beep~ Mission Update “Homework Dispute”]
[Mission Reward: 40 Points]
[Mission Description: Your essay assignment has vanished. Please do whatever it takes to pass the professor’s final check.]
[Mission Hint: Sometimes softness and tears are also weapons. Asking others for help is also a method.]
“I didn’t take your homework…” Song Chi spread his hands in a gesture that only made him look more guilty. He stared at Shi Huaibai with playful eyes, longing for Shi Huaibai to continue speaking to him cutely like just now.
However, Shi Huaibai shifted his butt, turned back around, dumped everything out of his bag, and lowered his head in thought.
“Hey…” Song Chi’s leg itchily kicked Shi Huaibai’s chair again. The force wasn’t heavy, but enough to make the chair bump slightly.
He tilted his head, his eyes holding blatant provocation, but deep down he was anxious: How can Shi Huaibai… how can he not even look at me once?
Seeing the other party still ignoring him, Song Chi simply leaned closer, lowering his voice and deliberately dragging out his tone: “Class starts in five minutes, you know.”
He tapped the desktop lightly, smiling wickedly and expectantly: “Why don’t you beg me? Beg me, and I’ll help you look for it. Guaranteed to find it.”
System: [……]
Shi Huaibai: [He stole it, right? Otherwise, how could he guarantee finding it?]
System: [……]
This child, clumsy with words but quick-witted.
The System whispered: [Why don’t… you beg him?]
Anyone with eyes could see: Song Chi had no malicious intent, he just wanted to play with Shi Huaibai, just clumsily attracting Shi Huaibai’s attention!
The classmates in the opera house classroom were also quietly watching the commotion here, snickering inwardly: Song Chi, this brat, gets anxious if Huaibai ignores him, right? And deliberately bullies people?
So cute!
So shippable!
The System tried its best to persuade: [Just turn around and act spoiled with F2, I guarantee he’ll give it back to you immediately.]
Shi Huaibai’s tone was firm: [Can’t I just beat him up?]
The System immediately hugged Shi Huaibai’s thigh with a plop: [Host, don’t! Class is about to start, and in front of so many people, hitting people is wrong!]
Time passed second by second. Song Chi’s expression gradually turned from smug to subtle.
He thought Shi Huaibai would fly into a rage out of humiliation, or glare at him coldly. But the other party kept his head down, long eyelashes drooping, neck slightly tense, as if… enduring something with all his might.
Could he really be about to cry from anxiety?
This thought flashed by, and Song Chi’s heart tightened fiercely. The corners of his mouth, which had been turned up, froze.
Just as he hesitated whether to simply return it…
Dong…
The bell at the main teaching building rang. The open class in the opera house officially began.
The professor was a very thin, small woman, solid and durable-looking. Her expression always carried a cold solemnity, the corners of her mouth permanently turned down. All year round, her outfits consisted of only three colors: black, white, and gray. It seemed no one could ever see joy or anger on her face.
The special admission students were very afraid of her.
Other subject professors, considering that special admission students had never been exposed to aesthetic education like music and art outside of major cultural subjects, would pad their grades.
She was different.
Her standing posture was as straight as a scale beam.
Emotions did not show on her face; she harshly judged whether students were qualified using her sole standard.
Many special admission students were given low scores by her.
“Those who are submitting essays, raise your hands to indicate. Class time is limited; next, there are students who chose performance to demonstrate their learning outcomes.” The thin, small professor walked past the students’ seats one by one holding a baton.
Shi Huaibai remained silent.
Now, the one who was anxious became Song Chi.
He poked the back of Shi Huaibai’s neck with his hand again: “Hey~ Say something. You being like this…”
Song Chi felt inexplicably guilty. Shi Huaibai didn’t turn back, and was even trembling a little.
This guy was a soft, white ball, his eyes always watery, yet he was very stubborn.
In any case, having left Jiang Xinian recently, Shi Huaibai’s life wouldn’t be easy. The credits for this class were related to Shi Huaibai’s scholarship.
He dared not imagine what a disaster it would be for Shi Huaibai without this scholarship.
Even if he was smashed by Shi Huaibai with a ball.
That was the other party being careless, after all.
Da da da… The professor’s black platform leather shoes made a dull sound, step by step, getting closer to Shi Huaibai.
Raise your hand!
Explain the situation to the professor…
For some reason, Song Chi became increasingly anxious. Shi Huaibai’s back looked smaller and smaller in his eyes, shrinking… about to disappear in grievance.
As the professor passed Shi Huaibai’s seat and was about to reach the next row, Song Chi slammed the table and stood up: “Professor.”
Song Chi took Shi Huaibai’s essay out of his own desk pocket, looking disgraced: “Shi Huaibai’s.”
The System hugged its arms and was knocking itself out again.
Indeed, the childish F2 is still very cute. As soon as the Host gets sad, Song Chi behaves.
So shippable…
[Look, Host, F2 is still very, very good…]
Before the Host finished speaking, Shi Huaibai pushed the System’s head down.
“Professor, that is not my homework!” Shi Huaibai stood up resolutely, his tone full of schadenfreude: “Clearly Song Chi took it out himself, Song Chi raised his hand himself, Song Chi stopped you, Professor. This should be Song Chi’s homework, not mine.”
In that instant, Song Chi panicked: Did Shi Huaibai not want the essay assignment anymore?
The System quietly grabbed the corner of Shi Huaibai’s clothes, cautious: [Host, what are you doing?]
According to the normal plot development, the school bully type F2 bullies the little white flower Host to get the protagonist’s attention, but inexplicably softens at the last moment. Isn’t this very shippable and even more romantic?
And Song Chi had already returned the essay to Shi Huaibai. Shouldn’t Huaibai just obediently accept it now?
Amidst the System’s puzzled and confused look, Shi Huaibai’s standing posture remained upright, like a handsome pine tree: “Professor, I choose instrumental performance.”
“Good.” The woman dressed in solemnity took the essay from Song Chi’s hand and marked Song Chi’s name on the paper.
Song Chi sat down dumbfounded. Next, students who passed via practical performance went up one by one.
Song Chi couldn’t sit still. He suddenly pulled Shi Huaibai over: “What are you doing? Without the essay, what will you submit? Don’t want the scholarship anymore?”
“Could it be…” Song Chi seemed to have thought of something self-flattering. He fell back into his seat in a panic, lowering his voice: “You don’t want others to know I bullied you? Is it… to protect my reputation?”
Lightning flashed and thunder crackled in his brain again, blowing his already empty mind even blanker. He felt an uncontrollable inferiority complex. He actually thought of bullying Shi Huaibai to get his attention, and Shi Huaibai had already been bullied by him to this extent, so he must be very aggrieved.
But even though he was aggrieved to the point of tears, Shi Huaibai still didn’t want to hurt him, didn’t want him to be scolded…
Shi Huaibai… so kind!
Shi Huaibai remained motionless, but after listening to Song Chi, the System perked up all over: [Host, so you actually like F2’s type.]
Shi Huaibai finally reacted: [What the hell?]
System: [Then why did you give your essay assignment to Song Chi and choose to perform?]
Shi Huaibai explained calmly: [Don’t you know that the professor for this class gives lower scores for essays than for performing students? Besides, if I don’t show Song Chi a thing or two, he’ll still think my essay was written so well. I remember you said at the beginning—to deal with Jiang Xinian, I have to protect him and become his good brother; for Song Chi, I have to suppress him and compete with him, right? To win, right?]
System: [Bro…]
Shi Huaibai: [He used my essay, so I know exactly what score he’ll get. Then I just have to get a higher score through performance, right? Song Chi is too childish. He thought taking my homework would make me lose to him. Actually, this is just a part of my plan.]
[Wait…] The System looked blankly at Song Chi, seeing his eyes full of pink bubbles.
Oh, poor Song Chi. At this moment, he should still be reminiscing, thinking Shi Huaibai was so good to him.
The System was speechless and lay flat: Exactly which eye of Shi Huaibai’s saw that Song Chi was throwing down a gauntlet to challenge him?
Song Chi clearly… clearly was…
Before the System could speak, according to student numbers, it was Shi Huaibai’s turn to go up and prepare his performance.
Song Chi lowered his head in guilt. If he hadn’t been possessed to take Shi Huaibai’s homework, Shi Huaibai wouldn’t have had to go up and perform.
Shi Huaibai stood up: “Reporting to the Professor, the instrument I choose to play is the Suona.”
Instantly, everything went quiet.
Originally, classmates in the same opera house classroom were looking forward to Shi Huaibai’s performance, thinking that since Shi Huaibai was so beautiful, just casually strumming a guzheng a few times would be pleasing to the eye. They didn’t expect this guy, who looked white, tender, and soft, to finally choose… the Suona.
The System finally recovered from the long silence: [Couldn’t you choose something more elegant?]
Shi Huaibai: [I don’t know how.]
When Shi Huaibai was little, his parents said they would send him to learn an instrument and asked if he liked piano or guitar.
Little Huaibai chose the Suona without hesitation, just because of one sentence:
Among hundreds of instruments, the Suona is King.
If not ascending to heaven, then bowing in the hall.
Shi Huaibai didn’t know what “bowing in the hall” meant, but only the King of instruments was worthy of him, who was destined to be King!
The System couldn’t bear it anymore: [How does Suona count as a classical instrument?]
Amidst the silence, Song Chi slammed the table and stood up again: “What’s wrong with the Suona? Why isn’t the Suona okay? The Suona was introduced by Persians in the 3rd century AD. It has a long history, how does it not count as a classical instrument?”
He finished speaking excitedly, then sat down excitedly, looking around with murderous intent, arms crossed.
Except for him occasionally venting on the forum, try seeing if anyone else dared to discuss Shi Huaibai?
So Shi Huaibai also revealed a gratified smile at Song Chi: “Not bad, very spine. I announce that you have the qualification to be my opponent!”
The scene fell silent again.
This sentence was even more thunderous than playing the Suona.
Shi Huaibai’s eyes were full of fighting spirit. Things were finally getting interesting.
[I knew it, my enemy for life couldn’t be a completely childish low-life.]
System: [……]
Shi Huaibai took a deep breath. Just when everyone thought he was going to start playing the Suona, he stopped again and walked straight up to Song Chi: “Take this!”
System: [……]
The System felt unwell all over.
Song Chi looked into Shi Huaibai’s eyes. Did the other party cross the wall of people just to come specifically in front of him to play for him?
Shi Huaibai’s eyelashes trembled lightly. When playing, his mouth held a breath, making the baby fat on his face look even more bouncy. The lights of the opera house fell behind him. The tiny fuzz on his protruding cheeks glowed with a golden shimmer, making Shi Huaibai’s face look even more like a juicy peach, making one want to swallow it in one bite.
Song Chi thought to himself: What kind of thing is Jiang Xinian!
Without Jiang Xinian, smart as Shi Huaibai was, didn’t he come to defect to him?
He was even willing to play specifically for him!
He would spoil Shi Huaibai until he never thought of that person Jiang Xinian again.
The sound of the Suona finally rang out, earth-shattering. The pitch and beat were impeccable. The professor quickly added an “A+” behind Shi Huaibai’s name.
What Shi Huaibai played was a flawless piece of… “The Great Funeral”!
System: [……]
“……” Seeing the professor give Shi Huaibai an A+, Song Chi couldn’t bear it anymore: “Professor, don’t you care what he’s playing?”
The woman in the black dress didn’t turn her head, her voice still emotionless, unhurried: “No matter what the tune is, I only care if he plays the tune perfectly. Also, Song Chi…”
The Professor said: “The essay you submitted was really written terribly.”
Author’s Note:
So childish. If everyone meets a childish ghost like Song Chi, remember to run! Bullying absolutely cannot represent liking!
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