In any case, I felt that because of the situation with Zhao Lin, my relationship with Xia Shi had become much closer than before.
After evening self-study, back in the dorm, my roommates all discussed what I should do the next day. Some suggested reporting it to the teacher and having school staff escort me out. Others said I should tell the school administration directly and let them deal with Zhao Lin. In the end, I agreed with Gou Mao's suggestion—escape.
Our school covered a huge area, and there were plenty of spots where I could climb over the wall. There was no way Zhao Lin could have people guarding every single exit, right?
Maybe some kind-hearted classmate had told Jiang Qingqing about the situation, because that night, when she came to inspect the dorms, she pulled me aside for a talk. She asked me about what had happened during evening self-study, and I explained everything honestly. Since I wasn't at fault and had even stood up for Xia Shi, Jiang Qingqing told me to stay inside the school tomorrow and not go out. She refused to believe Zhao Lin's people would wait outside all night.
After comforting me for a while, Jiang Qingqing sent me back to the dorm. Before leaving, she told me to come find her after class the next day so she could figure something out. If Zhao Lin's people were still blocking me, she'd arrange a car to take me home.
Later, when I thought about it more carefully, I decided it'd be better to just climb the wall myself. If I waited for Jiang Qingqing's plan, it'd probably be dark by the time I got out. Besides, Jiang Qingqing had always been looking for ways to mess with me—who knew if she was really trying to help? And if I got home too late, Yan She would definitely give me an earful.
What I didn't expect was that the very next afternoon, after second period, Zhao Lin's pretty friend was already waiting outside our classroom. As soon as I stepped out, she grabbed me.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked.
To be honest, this girl was really attractive. Last night, Gou Mao and the others had told me she was Zhao Lin's best friend, Zhou Xiaoxiao. Normally, I wouldn't mind getting close to such a pretty girl, but the moment I saw her today, a bad feeling surged in my gut.
Sure enough, when I asked her what she wanted, she smirked and said, "Zhang Cheng, don't even think about running today. If you're a real man, you'll walk out the front gate with me."
I've always cared about my pride. "Fine, let's go. You think I'm scared?" So I followed her toward the school gate. Gou Mao kept making frantic eye signals at me, telling me not to listen to her. But Zhou Xiaoxiao had already challenged me like this—if I ran now, she'd definitely think I was a coward.
I hate being looked down on, especially by girls. That feeling makes me incredibly uncomfortable. As I walked out with Zhou Xiaoxiao, I thought, "Worst case, I get beaten up. I'm not backing down."
But the moment we reached the gate, my scalp went numb.
Across the street stood a whole crowd of people.
Zhou Xiaoxiao looked at me smugly. "Scared now, Zhang Cheng? Too bad—there's no turning back. You shouldn't have helped Xia Shi. This is the price you pay."
I walked straight toward Zhao Lin, who stood out prominently in the crowd.
She was standing next to a man in a black suit, with a buzz cut and sharp, piercing eyes. He looked to be in his thirties and was clearly the leader of this group—definitely not someone to mess with.
The man in black gave me a cold glance that sent a chill down my spine. He asked Zhao Lin, "A-Lin, is this the kid who pissed you off?"
Zhao Lin nodded. "Yeah."
The man asked, "So how do you want me to teach him a lesson?"
Zhao Lin stared at me and asked, "If I go after Xia Shi again, will you still stop me?"
I didn't hesitate. "Yes. Xia Shi is my classmate. I'll help her."
My answer made Zhao Lin tremble with anger.
Hearing their conversation, my heart sank. "Shit. Forget pride—I need to run!"
But just as I turned to bolt, the man in black was faster. He grabbed my collar and kicked me hard in the calf, sending me crashing to my knees.
"It's over. I can't even run now."
Two of his lackeys immediately pinned me to the ground.
But then, to my surprise, Zhao Lin suddenly told the man in black to let me go.
Though confused, the man signaled his men to release me. He looked at Zhao Lin strangely. "You're not gonna teach this kid a lesson?"
Zhao Lin shook her head. "No. I'm done with him."
She told him to take his men and leave. The man gave her a weird look but didn't argue. With a wave, he led his group away—ten minivans, plus a Jetta and a Passat.
Honestly, I was drenched in cold sweat. Now that the danger had passed, I finally relaxed.
Zhao Lin just glared at me before walking off with her friends, leaving me completely baffled.
At that moment, Gou Mao and Jiang Qingqing rushed over. When Zhou Xiaoxiao had come for me, Gou Mao, worried I'd get hurt, had immediately gone to get Jiang Qingqing.
The two of them arrived, and Gou Mao looked stunned. "Zhao Lin just… left? She didn't beat you up?"
I shook my head. "No. I don't get it—she was about to, but then suddenly changed her mind."
Gou Mao muttered to himself, "That's not like Zhao Lin. Once she decides to mess with someone, she never lets them off."
Jiang Qingqing shot me a look and told Gou Mao to go home first—she wanted to talk to me alone.
After Gou Mao left, Jiang Qingqing said, "Let's find a place to sit and talk properly."
I hesitated. "Teacher Jiang, I need to get home. If I'm late, I'll miss the bus."
She waved it off. "If there's no bus, I'll pay for a taxi. Now come on."
Without waiting for my answer, she dragged me to a nearby milk tea shop. I ordered an iced milk tea, while she got lemonade. We sat facing each other, and after taking a sip, she got straight to the point.
"Zhang Cheng, be honest with me—are you actually dating Zhao Lin?"
I nearly choked. "What? If we were dating, would she have called people to beat me up?"
Jiang Qingqing snorted. "Don't lie to me. Yesterday, when I heard Zhao Lin was gathering people to attack you, I already had my suspicions."
She continued, "Remember that day at the school gate when Zhao Lin called out to you? Her tone was way too affectionate. If she really hated you, would she sound like that?"
I argued, "If we were together, why would she bring a whole gang to block me today?"
Jiang Qingqing smirked. "Maybe you two had a fight, and she just wanted to scare you."