Chapter 9, Chapter Nine: Getting Out of the Way

As I stepped out of the billiards room, it was nearly dusk, and the sky was bathed in a pale gray light.

"Let's go get some food." Jiang Jizhou browsed Meituan on his phone, looking for restaurants.

"Okay," Yu Bai replied obediently.

What would you like to eat?

Yu Bai stared down at the tips of her shoes, her ears still warm. She answered softly, "Anything is fine."

Can you eat spicy food?

"able."

Jiang Jizhou smiled and said, "Let's go eat Sichuan food then. There's a good Sichuan restaurant nearby."

Yu Bai nodded.

Jiang Jizhou will not be an adult for another month, so he does not have a driver's license and cannot drive. He also always takes taxis by himself when he goes out to play because he feels uncomfortable with a driver.

The two took a taxi to a Sichuan restaurant.

It seemed that Jiang Jizhou was a regular customer. When Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou went in together, the shopkeeper greeted Jiang Jizhou when he saw him.

"You're here! Same as always?"

"Hmm, is there anything you'd like to eat?" He nodded, then turned his head to look at Yu Bai, who was standing quietly beside him.

Yu Bai thought for a moment, hesitated for a while, and finally said, "Spicy diced chicken."

"Your girlfriend?" The boss sized up Yu Bai, who was a quiet girl with a well-behaved appearance.

Upon hearing this, Yu Bai pursed her lips, her face slightly flushed. She glanced sideways at Jiang Jizhou's expression.

He remained calm, a slight smile playing on his lips. "It's my sister."

"Oh, this is the first time I've seen them together. Your family has great genes; the man is handsome and the woman is beautiful," the boss commented.

Jiang Jizhou chuckled, while Yu Bai, standing beside him, gently bit her lower lip, remaining silent.

The food was served quickly: four dishes – twice-cooked pork, pickled fish, boiled cabbage in clear broth, and spicy diced chicken ordered by Yu Bai.

Yu Bai stole a glance at Jiang Jizhou, who was typing with his head down, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Who am I chatting with?" Yu Bai wondered to himself, unable to guess who it was, but he had no right to ask, so he quietly buried his head in his food.

This Sichuan restaurant is indeed very authentic. The spicy chicken is very spicy, spicier than any Yu Bai has ever eaten before.

After a few bites, the spiciness brought tears to her eyes, and she kept fanning herself with her left hand.

"Have some water." Jiang Jizhou handed Yu Bai a cup of flower tea, which she took and gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

"Are you afraid of spicy food?" Jiang Jizhou saw that Yu Bai had ordered spicy chicken cubes and assumed that she was not afraid of spicy food.

"Mmm." Yu Bai nodded a little shyly, then quickly added, "But I like spicy food."

"My favorite is spicy diced chicken."

Jiang Jizhou raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Is that so?"

Undeterred, Yu Bai continued eating the spicy diced chicken, slurping as he ate.

Despite being afraid of spicy food, she stubbornly ate it, like a weak but daring rabbit.

Jiang Jizhou laughed, "You really look like a rabbit. Did you grow up eating carrots?"

"No way!" Yu Bai's eyes were red, and her eyes were filled with tears from the spiciness. She glared at him, looking more like a rabbit with its claws outstretched, but without any real threat.

"Then what do you resemble?" she asked.

Jiang Jizhou chuckled, "Guess?"

"The Big Bad Wolf," Yu Bai whispered.

"What?" Jiang Jizhou didn't hear clearly and leaned closer.

Yu Bai's heart raced as he saw the handsome face suddenly close to his. He gently pushed him away, saying, "It's nothing."

Jiang Jizhou didn't press further, a faint smile spreading across his peach blossom eyes.

After dinner, the two took a taxi home.

Jiang Jizhou kept his head down typing the whole way, chatting with whoever he was talking to.

Was it a boy or a girl? Was it his ex-girlfriend? Yu Bai realized that she didn't even know if Jiang Jizhou had ever been in a relationship.

So, has he ever been in a relationship? Has he ever had a girl he liked?

Yu Bai is like a balloon now, filled with emotional problems about Jiang Jizhou.

After a while, I saw Jiang Jizhou looking at his phone screen with a faint smile on his face.

She immediately deflated like a punctured balloon. Oh well, why think so much? It has nothing to do with her anyway.

They have no chance.

However, Yu Bai still felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

After returning home, Yu Bai was in a bad mood, and Jiang Jizhou was worried that she might be still frightened by what happened yesterday.

"Is it because of what happened yesterday?"

Yu Bai shook his head. "It's all over now."

She silently told herself that it wasn't like this hadn't happened before, and she was used to it.

However, Jiang Jizhou's appearance this time was unprecedented.

“I told you, I would protect you.” Jiang Jizhou looked steadily at Yu Bai, his tone firm and reassuring. “So, don’t be afraid.”

Yu Bai blinked, like a butterfly gently fluttering its wings, trying not to let the tears fall.

The next day, Monday, I had to go to school.

Yu Bai still felt lingering fear when he thought about what happened that day, and it also left him with a slight shadow over the school.

As soon as she entered the classroom, she was met with stares and whispers from her classmates.

Yu Bai was taken aback, tightened his grip on the backpack strap, and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.

As soon as he returned to his seat, Mingjing came over.

"Yu Bai, I heard that you were bullied by some girls when you went home on Saturday. Are you okay?"

Yu Bai looked at her, smiled, and said, "It's nothing."

"That's good." Mingjing paused, then said hesitantly, "Was it Jiang Jizhou who helped you?"

“That’s what they all say,” Mingjing added.

Yu Bai nodded and took out his math textbook and test papers from his schoolbag.

"Class is about to start, let's not talk now."

Seeing that Yu Bai didn't want to continue the topic, Mingjing had no choice but to give up.

Around 7:50, the students in the class gradually arrived. Jiang Jizhou had just entered the school gate and said that he had something to do and asked Yu Bai to go to the classroom first, but he himself was nowhere to be found and had not appeared yet.

She looked at the math problems on the test paper absentmindedly.

Suddenly, whispers arose around them again. Yu Bai looked up and saw Jiang Jizhou appear at the classroom door.

The girl who had bullied Yu Bai that day walked out from the side of the classroom door and stood behind Jiang Jizhou with her head down.

Jiang Jizhou glanced at them, his tone cold, "Apologize."

The girl who had been slapped by Yu Bai bowed and said to Yu Bai, "Yu Bai, I'm sorry."

The other girls then apologized to Yu Bai as well.

The classroom erupted in a noisy discussion among the students.

Yu Bai stood up from her seat, her hands clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

"I don't accept it," Yu Bai said, enunciating each word clearly.

“I can’t forgive those who bully others, no matter how sincere and pitiful their apologies may seem now.”

If a bully can be forgiven with a simple "I'm sorry," then how can the victim beg for forgiveness to avoid being bullied?

Saying "I'm sorry," "Please," and "Let me go" countless times only resulted in deeper humiliation.

“I have already reported this to the school. They will be expelled for gang bullying.”

Jiang Jizhou spoke to Yu Bai in a very soft tone.

Yu Bai looked straight at Jiang Jizhou, tears welling up in her eyes. She nodded gently, afraid that the tears would fall.

Then, Jiang Jizhou leaned against the door frame, smiling casually with a threatening look in his eyes, and looked at the students in the class. Among them were many of the onlookers from that day, as well as the accomplices who had mocked Yu Bai the deaf.

“Yu Bai is my sister. If you see anyone bullying her again, you can try it.”

The classroom fell silent.

Yu Bai lowered his head, almost touching the table.

She used to be bullied, and when she told her teacher, the teacher told her why people bullied her instead of others. She told her mother, but her mother thought it was just playful fighting between classmates and told Yu Bai to try to fit in and not to be different.

Only this time, only Jiang Jizhou could stand by her side so completely and absolutely, and stand up for her without any hesitation.

She had never been favored, yet Jiang Jizhou shared his light with her.

Yu Bai bit her lower lip until it almost bled, tears welling up in her eyes.

For the rest of the day, Yu Bai was in a daze and found it hard to believe.

She pinched the flesh on her arm, and groaned softly in pain, realizing that this was not a dream.

She will never be afraid of being bullied at school again.

Yu Bai leaned on the table, resting his chin on the surface, feeling really good.

Because of the trauma of being bullied in the past, she often felt uneasy at school.

For example, they might worry about being surrounded when they come out of the restroom, or about their drawers being stuffed with chalk and erasers when they return to the classroom...

Thank you, Jiang Jizhou.

She murmured softly, then looked up through the glass and saw Jiang Jizhou leaning against the railing, talking to Chen Ye beside him.

She was completely absorbed in watching.

Until Mingjing's voice came, "Yu Bai."

Yu Bai woke up with a start, sat up, and asked her, "What's wrong?"

"So you really are Jiang Jizhou's sister."

So that's what they were talking about. Yu Bai's lips curved down, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes. She forced a smile.

Mingjing continued, "Those girls were really too much. Expelling them is like doing a service to the people. They used to bully people because their families had some money."

"Jiang Jizhou is so good to you. I don't remember him ever being this good to Ruo'an before. It's true that your sister is the best friend."

Upon hearing the unfamiliar name Ruo'an, Yu Bai was taken aback. She was flustered and didn't want to know the answer, but she still asked, "Who is Ruo'an?"

"Jiang Jizhou's ex-girlfriend."

Yu Bai stood frozen in place.

Mingjing continued, "She transferred schools in the second semester of her junior year of high school."

Yu Bai swallowed, feeling dizzy, as if he had been hit by a golf club unexpectedly.

"Why?" she asked, stunned.

Mingjing shrugged. "I don't know. I heard from the rumors that she moved abroad with her parents."

"After that, Jiang Jizhou was depressed for quite a while."

Is she the white moonlight who went abroad?

What kind of person is she?

Was Jiang Jizhou chatting with her?

Yu Bai's heart felt like it had been soaked in water, swollen and painful, and his face turned pale.

"Sigh, that's all in the past. Jiang Jizhou is doing quite well now, so you don't need to worry."

Mingjing thought Yu Bai was sad for his brother.

Yu Bai forced a smile. "Yes, I know."

Yu Bai didn't know when Mingjing left. She studied mechanically, not even taking a break after class, using problem-solving to numb her emotions.

But when she was walking home with Jiang Jizhou, she couldn't help herself.

When Jiang Jizhou handed her an orange.

"You seem to feel uncomfortable every time you ride in a car. Are you prone to motion sickness? Smelling orange peel can help."

Yu Bai's nerves, which had been on edge all day, completely collapsed at this moment.

She peeled the orange, and tears fell like broken beads onto the peel.

A note from the author:

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Misunderstanding! Bai Bai is the dog's first love!