Chapter 18
"Say less," He Shang said, pulling his hand.
Chen Zhou clenched his fist and forcefully threw He Shang behind him.
"Holy crap." He Shang sat on the ground, stunned, and turned to stare at Xu Yang.
Chen Zhou had already rushed up and punched Zhao Chengyang in the corner of his mouth. Instantly, a gash appeared on his lip, and blood slowly dripped down his skin.
Zhao Chengyang hissed and went up to punch him, but Chen Zhoujing was too strong. He beat people like a madman and didn't hold back at all. No one in No. 7 Middle School had ever seen him like this, except for He Shang.
Seeing the two of them start fighting, he turned to Xu Yanghe and said, "Quick, quick, go get the teacher!"
"Holy crap, all you guys in the back row are watching the show, pull him away!" He Shang said as he went to pull Chen Zhoujing, who was pinning someone to the ground and beating him up.
"Who would dare to pull him? He's like a madman." A boy was carrying a chair and walking forward, and apart from He Shang and Xu Xiao, no one dared to go up and pull him.
"Who the hell is going to the school clinic and drag the doctor over? If this keeps going, someone's going to get hurt!" He Shang shouted again.
"I'll do that." The boy who had just left ran off.
Zhong Mei arrived quickly, and when he saw Chen Zhoujing, he was completely stunned: "Chen Zhoujing, what are you doing?"
But the beating was too brutal; Chen Zhoujing couldn't hear anything outside. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared fiercely at the person he had beaten to the ground.
"You guys go up and stop them!" Zhong Mei said.
Someone stepped forward and managed to separate the two, but Zhao Chengyang still wouldn't budge: "He's just pretending. He's like a country bumpkin, acting all high and mighty, never saying a word, playing hard to get. He thinks he's so great, but he's actually a terrible student, an idiot. He likes someone but doesn't dare to say it. He seems nice on the surface, but he's actually incredibly dark inside. I told you so."
His voice was heart-wrenching, bloodstains on his face blurred his vision, sweat streamed down the blood from his forehead, mingling with tears in the corners of his eyes.
As he spoke, the pain seemed to intensify, and Zhao Chengyang lay on the ground, sobbing and crying.
No one dared to approach.
Zhong Mei put one hand on her hip and the other on her chest: "What exactly are you two trying to do!"
She slowly walked over, glanced at the blood all over the ground, and turned around with trembling hands, pointing at Lin You in the front row: "Class monitor, go and get the phone from my desk."
Zhao Chengyang's nosebleed seemed to be flowing non-stop, covering his school uniform completely.
Zhong Mei's heart pounded with fear at the sight of blood. She turned to He Shang and asked, "Which of you boys has a cell phone? Call 120. I won't charge you."
He Shang swallowed hard, slowly took out his phone, and dialed 120.
The school doctor just ran in from outside, and with a loud bang, the front door shook several times as he pushed it.
He saw the crowd surrounding the back seat, pushed through the crowd, and quickly walked to the back row.
In his gaze, Chen Zhoujing sat on the ground, his hands covered in blood, one side of his cheek swollen and bearing several scratches. He hung his head, his emotions unreadable. The doctor steadied his trembling hands and slowly stepped forward.
"You've come." Zhong Mei saw the doctor as if she had seen a lifeline. She pointed to Zhao Chengyang on the ground, "Take a look at him, he's lost a lot of blood."
"He's fine." The doctor glanced at Zhao Chengyang on the ground, then turned to Chen Zhoujing: "Chen Zhoujing."
The people on the ground did not respond.
Zhong Mei panicked: "How can he be alright? He's lost so much blood."
"Chen Zhoujing, get up!" The doctor's voice drowned out the others. He walked over and pulled him up. "Chen Zhoujing, look at me."
Chen Zhoujing finally looked up, his eyes vacant.
His consciousness was very blurred, and the next second, he fainted in front of everyone.
"Holy shit."
"Holy crap, why did he faint?"
"Did you call 120?" the doctor asked.
“I did.” Zhong Mei’s emotions calmed down. She looked at Chen Zhoujing, who had fainted in the doctor’s arms, and felt a chill run down her spine. “Is he...is he alright?”
"You're courting death." The doctor's voice was so cold it sent shivers down my spine.
Everyone in the class got goosebumps.
Jian Sheng, standing at the back of the crowd, felt her heart pounding. It was her again, it was because of her again...
She didn't have the courage to go forward; she was afraid.
"You all go to class, Lin You, keep an eye on discipline." After saying that, Zhong Mei went to the hospital with the car, along with the doctor and He Shang.
In no time, the news of Chen Zhou's fight with her spread throughout the entire grade. During the breaks on Monday, these people would always come up to the door of Class 13 and loiter around.
For several days in a row, the two boys who had been fighting didn't come to school. Jian Sheng felt guilty for several days and was also greatly impacted by the comments.
This matter seems to have gone viral throughout the grade.
As a result, wherever Jian Sheng went, there were comments, so she simply stopped going out and sat in the classroom from morning to night.
Thursday.
"You haven't eaten for several days. Can your body handle this?" Qi Jing couldn't help but ask.
The three of them stood around Jian Sheng's table. Lin You was also a little worried, wanting to say something but not daring to.
Jian Sheng shook his head and remained silent.
"You should at least respond to us," Lin You tugged at her arm.
Jian Sheng reacted instinctively, abruptly pulling her arm back.
Lin You's hand froze in mid-air, clearly not expecting Jian Sheng to do this. Her eyes stung slightly and quickly welled up with tears.
"What are you doing?" Xu Xiaxia said angrily. "They're just concerned about you, and you're ungrateful for their kindness. Are you sick in the head?"
“We always give in to you, and you never say a word, like you’re mute. Is there something wrong that you can’t say?”
"It's so tiring, please, Miss, we get tired too."
"I think you two don't need to speak up for her anymore. Some people are just pure evil and ungrateful. Whatever happens to her in the future is what she deserves!" Xu Xiaxia said angrily, pulling the two of them away.
After everyone left, Jian Sheng raised her head, which had been hanging down. She looked out the window, where the midday sun shone through the glass. Outside, there was sunlight, cicadas chirping, and birds singing, all reflected in her pupils. Besides these fragmented images, there was also a pool of tears and a hint of madness.
Perhaps, people with her personality shouldn't even exist in this world.
Anyone who gets close to her will be injured.
She suddenly remembered what her grandmother had said when she fell into a pool of blood: "You're a jinx, you killed your mother!"
What Jian Qingyao's father said was also false: Ye Hua's pity would ultimately lead to tragedy for her and Jian Zihua.
It took them more than a week to return to class, during which time they missed one monthly exam and one weekly exam.
After consideration, the school decided to discipline the two students and require them to read their self-criticisms in public.
Jian Sheng stood in the line for Monday morning meeting, listening to the gossip around her. Whenever someone saw her, her voice automatically shrank to a whisper. She clenched her hands and looked up at Chen Zhoujing, who was speaking on the stage.
When they returned, Chen Zhoujing was back to her usual cheerful, talkative, and outgoing self, while Zhao Chengyang was much quieter. He would automatically walk away whenever he saw Chen Zhoujing, and he would also avoid Jian Sheng from time to time.
The story of the four of them spread like wildfire throughout the entire second year of high school, becoming the talk of the town for many.
A clear, crisp male voice rang out from the stage.
"Ahem, sorry everyone, we meet again." Chen Zhou grinned as he spoke into the microphone.
Last month, he gave a speech on stage because he ranked first in the grade in the opening exam, and this week he had to write a self-criticism for fighting.
"Dude, you're awesome."
"Chen Zhoujing, you've got guts!"
Someone from one of the classes below said something, which triggered a commotion among those who knew his story.
"You've got guts, bro."
Chen Zhoujing's microphone was snatched away, and the grade director said in a deep voice, "You senior, shut up. All of you, be quiet."
The words had a powerful deterrent effect, and for a moment, few people spoke.
"I am Chen Zhoujing from Class 23 of Senior High School. Two weeks ago, I got into a fight with my classmate Zhao, which caused a negative impact. Therefore, I am writing this self-criticism. I hope everyone will take this as a warning and not consider fighting something to be proud of. As students, we should correct our attitudes, study hard, and strive for excellence every day. Good grades aren't earned through fighting, they are earned through learning..."
Under the national flag, Chen Zhoujing's voice sang softly. Although it was a very formal speech, and he was using a low-quality microphone, it sounded strangely pleasant coming from his mouth.
The head of discipline, standing with his hands behind his back and a protruding belly, seemed quite satisfied with his statement and began to walk down the steps, preparing to deal with those who talked too much nonsense.
"My speech ends here, thank you everyone." Chen Zhoujing finished speaking, paused for a moment, "Ahem. I was indeed wrong, but I also want those rumor-mongers hiding behind the crowd to understand that there is a limit to being shameless. Be careful that your cleverness doesn't backfire."
People must always be responsible for their own actions.
He added a few more words, and some of the students who were still talking shut up, as if they had been hit where it hurt. The whole room fell silent.
"It's nothing, Zhao, come on up." Chen Zhoujing put down the microphone and stood on the stage, slowly watching Zhao Chengyang walk up. He acted as if nothing had happened, openly handing him the microphone, and patted him on the shoulder as he always did. After thinking for a moment, he raised the microphone again, "Sorry."
After he finished speaking, he handed the microphone to him, stepped off the stage, and slowly walked into the crowd.
On stage, Zhao Chengyang held the microphone, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes. He stared at his back, momentarily speechless.
That figure moved with a light heart. When someone greeted him, he would respond with a grin, always wearing that annoying smile that could smooth over any mess.
Zhao Chengyang frowned, rolled his eyes inwardly, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up: "Idiot."
Neither of the two stubborn people in the hospital apologized, but on stage, Chen Zhoujing, who was usually incredibly arrogant, apologized to him in front of everyone.
The person who was beaten to the ground in junior high and couldn't get up, but never said a word of apology, actually apologized to him.
This is completely inconsistent with his personality. He thinks Chen Zhoujing is arrogant to the core, comes from a good family, has a good personality, many friends, is a perfectionist, is always busy, and is always unwilling to admit defeat.
Zhao Chengyang stopped dwelling on it and said into the microphone, "I am Zhao Chengyang from Class 23 of Senior High School. I apologize to my classmate Jian Sheng. I shouldn't have used foul language to spread rumors, and I shouldn't have lost my temper and fought with Chen Zhoujing over a mere disagreement."
"All statements about the individuals involved are untrue. Please refrain from spreading rumors. Furthermore, the interactions between Chen Zhoujing and me are purely platonic, dating back to junior high school, and have absolutely nothing to do with Jian Sheng..."
He finished speaking without a script, and as he spoke, he quietly stuffed the prepared text that he had just copied from the internet into his school uniform pocket.
The audience.
Jian Sheng raised his eyes, and the voices around him seemed to have changed direction. The group began to discuss the two people's junior high school days.
Chen Zhoujing looked away from the podium and stood next to Jian Sheng: "You know, back in junior high, this guy beat me so badly I was rolling on the floor, but now he's calling me brother. Isn't that strange?"
Jian Sheng turned her head and saw him smiling with a small scab on the corner of his mouth. When he saw her looking over, he raised his eyebrows and said, "You don't need to feel guilty. I beat him up simply because he beat me up too badly in junior high."
"Really?" Chen Zhoujing moved closer to her. "Some people say I look like him. Do you think so? Hmm?"
Jian Sheng knew Chen Zhoujing was trying to make her happy, but she wasn't in the mood to laugh right now. She shook her head and said, "It doesn't look like it at all."
"Does that mean I'm prettier?" Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow and laughed heartily.
Jian Sheng pursed her lips, looking away from his dazzling smile: "I don't know."
"Tsk, what don't you know?" Chen Zhoujing said unhappily. "Isn't that handsome? He Shang always praises me."
"To be honest, I don't think I'm handsome, but He Shang said I like to smile. He said that although I look like an idiot when I smile, I'm still quite good-looking." Chen Zhou shook his head in surprise.
But he spoke very seriously, and Jian Sheng couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Oh my, look how pretty Xiaoxiao is!" Chen Zhoujing couldn't help but smile when he saw her smile.
The two people, amidst the bustling crowd and facing the rising sun, were amused by each other.
Beneath Ke Jiansheng's smile lies a broken heart.
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