Shelter
In a school like St. Johnis Middle School, telling a teacher those four words carries far more weight than in a regular school. At most, you might get a scolding, have your parents called, or at worst, be expelled. But in this school, if you happen to encounter a teacher who's unhappy, it could be the end of you.
Admittedly, the students in Class 4 of the third year of high school had become accustomed to bullying Oliver, and even those in red armbands would get involved. The fact that they bullied their classmate without him having done anything wrong suggests that the teachers were also aware of the situation.
It is precisely because of the teacher's permission that this class can be so united and unscrupulous, and they don't need to make any attempt to hide their bullying.
But
This doesn't mean they would be so unrestrained in "bullying" a new transfer student. The transfer student has only just entered the class, and the homeroom teacher and other teachers haven't yet shown their attitude towards the transfer student. How could these students dare to bully them?
What if the other party turns out to be a Red Armband member? Being resented by a Red Armband member could be a fatal thing.
The brown-haired girl was somewhat surprised and uncertain, Jack was also in a state of half fear and half doubt, because "Roy's" attitude seemed too much like he was standing up for Oliver, but his expression was so real, and the grievances and frustrations were almost overflowing from his body, and even his eyes had turned red.
Are you going to cry?
Oh my god, this is so troublesome.
Moreover, the students around who were called out and laughing thought that Roy had no reason to help Oliver. They had only been deskmates for one class, and the homeroom teacher's classes were always strict. They probably hadn't had a chance to talk or interact. Even if Roy was really "saintly," he wouldn't openly go against the whole class for a deskmate he barely knew, would he?
With that in mind, they no longer cared about Oliver's silence. After all, every break between classes was an opportunity for them to bully Oliver, so it didn't matter. What was more important now was to take care of the emotionally fragile transfer student to prevent things from escalating to the point of involving the teacher.
These young people in suits and school uniforms tried to comfort her, their explanations overlapping and making it impossible to hear clearly. Zhao Yijiu, who wasn't involved in the incident, could only vaguely hear the keywords "misunderstanding," "no," and "nothing" that appeared most frequently.
The cold aura emanating from him gradually faded. Because of Yu Xing's commotion, Oliver, who had been under attack from all sides, suddenly found himself safe and didn't look so bad anymore.
"Hey Sam, you have to believe us. We're actually very welcoming and have no ill intentions towards the transfer students," Zhao Yijiu's deskmate whispered from behind, seeing how intently Zhao Yijiu was looking at the class. Worried that he might also misunderstand, Zhao Yijiu's deskmate was worried the same thing.
He hadn't even laughed out loud to show his agreement with bullying Oliver because he was intimidated by Zhao Yijiu's demeanor, so he was quite confident in his speech now.
Zhao Yijiu turned her head, gave him a cold glance, and stopped paying attention to Yu Xing, instead asking, "That person's name is Oliver?"
He stared at his short deskmate and noticed a flash of instinctive disgust in his deskmate's eyes when he heard the name.
"That's right, it's him. Nobody in our class likes him. He's really annoying, and I hate him too!" The short deskmate said in a low but firm voice.
"Why? Did he do something that made the whole class hate him?" A glint of cunning flashed in Zhao Yijiu's eyes as she decided to take the opportunity to gather more information.
"Hmm... he's dirty and stupid. Did you see how timid he is? So hesitant and indecisive, it's infuriating to watch," the short classmate said matter-of-factly. "He often stands there like a ghost, scaring people without saying a word."
Zhao Yijiu thought this was the beginning of an accusation, but to his surprise, his short deskmate fell silent after saying this, as if he had already answered his question.
"That's it?" After two seconds, Zhao Yijiu asked as if to confirm.
"That's all. There are many other annoying things about him, I just don't know the inside story. He must have missed something really disgusting, otherwise why would the whole class hate him?" The short deskmate shrugged.
Zhao Yijiu: "..."
The fist hardened.
His indifference had initially led him to choose to remain aloof, but for some reason, after hearing what the short man said, he felt an unusual and intense disgust, as if he were watching countless ignorant clowns commit evil deeds and then taking their shrill laughter for granted.
"In other words, you have no idea how many disgusting things he's done, and you think it's okay to bully him no matter what just because he doesn't talk much." Zhao Yijiu's icy tone made her deskmate shiver.
The shorter classmate retorted, "Although I don't know, he must have done it! Otherwise, the whole class wouldn't..."
"Who can prove it?" Zhao Yijiu's eyes held a hint of impatience and danger. "Tell me the name of the person who knows. I'm also very curious about their actions and would like to find out."
"Uh..." The short classmate looked around, then hesitantly pointed to the brown-haired girl, "Lisha should know, why don't you try asking her?"
"Heh." Zhao Yijiu let out a cryptic chuckle, ignoring her deskmate and instead lowering her eyes to flip through the contents of her math book.
The short classmate waited for a while without receiving a response, then sat down dejectedly.
Yu Xing glanced at Zhao Yijiu and, seeing this, subtly curled the corners of her lips. The students' explanations were nearing their end; after all, they didn't like making useless noises that couldn't be heard in a noisy environment.
As time dragged on, the anger on Yu Xing's face gradually disappeared, leaving only the lingering resentment of being bullied.
His hands were clenched tightly as he lowered his head, straightened the table, and put it back in its original position without saying a word.
"Hey, Roy..." Jack stepped forward, "You've really misunderstood. Don't be so sensitive, buddy. With your mentality, you probably... you probably won't survive in this school."
As soon as the last four words were uttered, the students fell silent, as if Jack had inadvertently dragged them from a false peace and exposed them to the bloody reality.
Yu Xing stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "You're threatening me!"
Jack, who hadn't yet mustered enough grief, was speechless upon hearing this. "..."
"Jack isn't threatening you. You're new here and don't know the situation yet. Anyway, you need to be strong and not be so sensitive," the brown-haired girl quickly said, afraid of causing another round of misunderstandings.
Yu Xing wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she heard Oliver chuckle softly beside her again, as if she had heard a not-so-funny joke.
It is indeed ironic that the people who comforted him and made him strong were, just two minutes ago, ganging up to bully a silent, innocent person—like the divide between angels and demons.
But no one else heard the laughter except him; they still carried their inexplicable sense of superiority, believing themselves to be Oliver's judge.
Yu Xing took a deep breath and loudly demanded, "Are you going to touch my table again?!"
His desk was Oliver's desk, and it was only then that the classmates realized that when Oliver had a deskmate, their bullying actions would become so much more restrained, because Oliver shared so many things with his deskmate.
If they were to touch it, it might also harm the interests of that classmate. For example, they could no longer kick the table, nor could they use the dusty basketball in the corner of the classroom that no one would play with to hit Oliver on the head, because the ball might bounce off someone else's head.
Also, they can no longer knock over Oliver's water glass, because when water spills on a table, it doesn't care whose textbook it is.
"Next time we'll be careful not to touch your things," the brown-haired girl said, taking the lead. Even after such a big misunderstanding today, she hadn't given up on bullying Oliver, and even her excuse was to be careful not to touch Yu Xing's things.
The bell rang to signal the start of class, and the students scattered like animals in the forest, returning to their seats. Yu Xing sat down with the pride of a victorious battle, and even let out a heavy snort.
The girl with white hair in the front row slept through the break. The noise just now had no effect on her. On the contrary, as soon as the preparatory bell rang, she stirred, shrugged her shoulder blades, and silently sat up straight.
She must not be asleep, Yu Xing thought.
Therefore, this white-haired girl was one of the few in the class who had no interest in joining in the bullying of others.
Everything returned to quiet, but not completely quiet, because people were gradually returning to the corridor as the bell rang, though they were always a little slower.
Yu Xing glanced at her curly-haired deskmate Oliver, making sure the brown-haired girl and Jack were back in their seats and that no one was paying attention to the last row, then said in a whispered laugh, "Now I finally know why you gave me a hint last class. You got a good deal on this exchange."
Oliver shifted his position slightly forward, not answering Yu Xing, but his fingers, which had remained unmoved despite the insults, twitched slightly, a physical reaction as if his thoughts had been exposed.
The second period was still their homeroom teacher's math class. As Johnny walked in carrying his textbook and lesson plan under his arm, Yu Xing didn't intend to continue the conversation. He had already confirmed one thing: this deskmate was very smart.
Because he had been constantly targeted and bullied, Oliver was adept at protecting himself. His silence when insulted might seem like cowardice, but it was actually a form of self-protection. When a large group of people are determined to bully someone, his attempts to defend himself would only provoke them further or excite them, leading to even more unacceptable treatment.
When a new classmate appeared in his previously empty seat, Oliver, unsure of the new classmate's stance, had already tried to send friendly signals. He knew full well how much help a classmate could provide, both directly and indirectly.
That's how group bullying works. When everyone points the finger at a victim, they won't feel much guilt, and might even develop a distorted sense of justice, believing that bullying him is right. But as soon as one person stands up and disagrees, some members of the bullying group will start to hesitate, because their brains are no longer just receiving the signal that "everyone thinks this is right."
Unbridled bullying occurs precisely because it has no cost. When bullying requires a cost, most people will think twice. And now, Yu Xing's existence is the cost that the classmates pay for bullying Oliver.
Was Oliver truly afraid of this bullying? If his mental defenses had been shattered by the bullying, then that mocking remark and the previous warning would never have happened.
He seemed to accept the fact that he was being bullied, enduring it silently, while using every means to make his life a little better.
Simply put, Yu Xing became Oliver's tool.
Yu Xing was very pleased with this.
The more complex a character's psychology, the more important he may be in this instance. If his deskmate is an important NPC, then he's definitely benefiting. Why is Oliver the only one who is disliked and bullied? The storyline that happens to this character could be a very important plot point that drives the entire instance.
Even though Oliver seemed to be quite unfriendly after using him.
The second math class went smoothly, except Yu Xing noticed that Yuriel, the student who was caught talking in the previous class, was not in the classroom for the second class; his seat was empty.
It seems he's still in the school clinic and hasn't returned yet.
After class, the students who had come to cause trouble earlier stopped making any moves, perhaps wanting to find another opportunity, or perhaps wanting to let this sensitive transfer student calm down. Zhao Mou walked around and chatted casually with Yu Xing about some trivial matters. Both of them knew that this was to establish the impression that the transfer student was not isolated and helpless, but rather that they had a good relationship.
The next two classes were physics, taught by a very young man in a suit and tie with thick hair. He looked much gentler than Johnny. Because of the transfer student, the Physics Teacher introduced himself before class, saying that he had also attended high school there and then went on to St. Jonis's University. He was an outstanding graduate of the previous year and returned to the university to teach after graduation.
However, this gentle attitude did not liven up the class. Everyone became numb and stiff as soon as class started Yu Xing also vaguely sensed that the students in this class were no less afraid of this Physics Teacher than Johnny was.
He could understand. He already knew what the atmosphere was like at St. Jonis's Academy. Graduating from such a high school didn't turn him into a monster, but instead of immediately escaping, he eagerly returned to teach. This was the place that had brought him endless pain.
This Physics Teacher is probably far more perverted and terrifying than he appears.
"Next week's test is very important. If any new students have a weak foundation, they can come to me for individual tutoring." As the fourth period was about to end, the Physics Teacher turned his gaze to a few unfamiliar faces in the class and said with a smile.