Behind the hidden secrets lies the courage to speak out.
The setting sun still warmed the road surface, and its rays shone on Xu Yanchi's head, forming a fuzzy halo on the top of her hair. Xu Yanchi kicked at the pebbles by the roadside, Wang Zhitao supported her arm as they walked on the left, and Xiao Fuzhou followed slowly on the right. The silence between the three was filled with the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.
"How did you know... they were there?" Xu Yanchi finally couldn't help but tug at Xiao Fuzhou's sleeve, breaking the silence.
Xiao Fuzhou paused, his gaze lowered, the stray hairs on his forehead partially obscuring the emotions in his eyes, revealing only his tightly pursed jawline. He didn't answer immediately, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the scabbed abrasion on his forearm—it was from being grazed by a wooden stick during the fight with the thugs, and it was still red.
“I took a detour to buy water after school,” he said, his voice deeper than usual, like the roughness of the evening breeze, “and heard the voices of those blue-haired guys at the alley entrance.”
Xu Yanchi blinked, and seeing that he didn't continue, she pressed on, "You...heard a sound?"
Wang Zhitao chimed in, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I rushed up to stop them, but they didn't recognize me at all, and they were cursing at me."
Xiao Fuzhou's Adam's apple bobbed. He turned his head to look at the sycamore trees by the roadside before whispering to Xu Yanchi, "They're talking about you. They said they just pinned you to the ground and beat you up. 'If it weren't for that shameless kid who suddenly rushed out to stop her, we would have beaten her until she begged for mercy today.'" He paused, his tone tinged with barely suppressed anger. "They even laughed at you for crying and begging for mercy, saying, 'You're so delicate, but you can scream when you're being beaten'—I couldn't help but get angry when I heard that."
Xu Yanchi's heart sank, and she tightened her grip on her schoolbag strap. She hadn't seen Xiao Fuzhou fight, but listening to his description, images involuntarily surfaced in her mind: the taut lines of his arm as he gripped the wooden stick, the cold gaze as he pinned the tall guy against the wall, and the crisp movements as he retaliated against the thugs—every scene exuded a sharp and handsome charm, making her heart beat a little faster.
“I originally planned to sneak up behind you and ambush you,” Xiao Fuzhou said, as if he were telling her, or perhaps recalling something. “But when I heard them laughing at you and saying they were going to drag you into the alley, I was afraid something would happen to you again, so I just rushed up.” He raised his chin, pointed to the bruise on the corner of his mouth, and his tone softened. “I didn’t notice and got kicked by the tall guy, but luckily, they were just taking advantage of their numbers. They didn’t really have any strategy when it came to a real fight.”
"Weren't you... afraid?" Xu Yanchi asked softly, her gaze falling on the wound on the corner of his mouth. The handsome image that had just flashed through her mind came back to her, and she felt a touch of admiration.
Xiao Fuzhou turned to look at her. The setting sun shone in his eyes, casting a warm glow, and his previous coldness softened somewhat. "What are you afraid of? We can't just watch them bully you again." He paused, then looked at Wang Zhitao. "You stopped them just now, which was dangerous enough. If I had arrived any later, who knows what might have happened."
Wang Zhitao nodded in agreement: "Yes, let's be more careful in the future and try to travel together for safety."
Xu Yanchi didn't reply, but quietly tightened his grip on the backpack strap. The image of Xiao Fuzhou fighting lingered in his mind, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.
The evening breeze, still warm, brushed against her face. Xu Yanchi lowered her head, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the strap of her schoolbag, where the thug had gripped her arm, still bearing faint wrinkles. Wang Zhitao supported her arm, his steps very light, as if afraid of hurting the bruises on her arm: "Yanchi, this can't be left like this. Tell your family, they can help you make a decision."
Xiao Fuzhou walked on her other side, clutching the swelling-reducing ointment he had just bought from the clinic. His voice was gentler than usual: "Call the police. We have our testimony and your injuries. The police can handle them. Don't be afraid, we're with you."
Xu Yanchi stopped in her tracks, her Adam's apple bobbing, her voice trembling slightly: "But...but I'm afraid people will say I'm causing trouble, and I'm also afraid my mom will worry..." She recalled the thugs' fierce appearance and their foul language, and her stomach tightened. "Besides, I always feel...it's shameful to be bullied."
“How can this be considered shameful?” Wang Zhitao frowned, his tone unconsciously becoming more forceful, but he quickly softened his tone. “They are the ones who made the mistake. They are the ones who should be afraid. If you keep tolerating this, they will dare to cause you trouble again next time.”
Xiao Fuzhou nodded and stuffed the ointment into her hand: "I told you last time, don't bear it all alone. If your mother knew you had suffered this injustice, she would definitely feel even more sorry for you for keeping it to yourself. We can all testify that you are not alone."
Their words were like warm water, slowly melting the ice in Xu Yanchi's heart. She looked up at Wang Zhitao; though he was scratching the back of his head somewhat awkwardly, his eyes were serious. Then she looked at Xiao Fuzhou; the bruise on his lip was still tinged with purple, but he still stood straight, like a reassuring tree. Xu Yanchi bit her lower lip, her hand gripping the ointment tighter, and finally nodded: "Okay... I'll tell my mom."
As they parted at the alley entrance, Wang Zhitao specifically instructed, "If your mother has any concerns or needs any help, feel free to call us anytime." Xiao Fuzhou added, "My home isn't far from the police station. If you're scared when you call the police, I can go with you." Xu Yanchi nodded, watching the two figures disappear into the night before turning to walk home, her steps more steady than when she arrived.
When she pushed open the door, her mother, Song Shi, was in the kitchen preparing vegetables. Hearing the noise, she turned around and saw that her eyes were red, there were faint bruises on her arms, the sleeves of her school uniform were torn and deformed, and the vegetable basket in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter": "Yanchi? What happened to you? Who bullied you?"
Xu Yanchi could no longer hold back and threw herself into her mother's arms, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls: "Mom... there were some thugs, they blocked me... beat me..." She recounted the beating in fits and starts, mentioning the help from Wang Zhitao and Xiao Fuzhou. The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and the louder her sobs grew.
Song Shi held her trembling daughter's shoulders, both anxious and angry, her eyes reddening: "Silly child! Why didn't you say so sooner! Does it hurt? This bruise on your arm, did they hit you here?" She wiped away Xu Yanchi's tears while gently touching the bruise on her back. Seeing her daughter flinch in pain, her voice choked even more, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mom's here. We'll go to the police station right now. We can't let them bully you for nothing!"
Once Xu Yanchi had calmed down a bit, Song Shi took her ID card and carefully examined her injuries—faint shoe prints on the back of her school uniform, and bruises tinged with purple on her arms—clear evidence. He then led her to the police station. Just as they reached the entrance, they saw two familiar figures—Xiao Fuzhou and Wang Zhitao—standing under a streetlamp, as if waiting for them.
"Why are you here?" Xu Yanchi was taken aback.
Wang Zhitao scratched his head, his ears turning slightly red, looking a little uneasy: "I... I was afraid you wouldn't be able to explain it clearly on your own, so I came to see if I could help." Xiao Fuzhou nodded and followed him into the police station.
While giving her statement, Xu Yanchi sat in a chair, her fingers still trembling slightly. Wang Zhitao gently reminded her, "Don't panic, just say whatever comes to mind. The police will help us." The police first asked Xu Yanchi in detail about the time, place, and specific process of the beating. Wang Zhitao added details as needed, helping her recall the thugs' clothing and their actions.
When it was Xiao Fuzhou's turn, the police officer's gaze fell on the bruise on the corner of his mouth and the abrasions on his forearm. His tone became more serious: "Were your injuries also caused by those blue-haired thugs? According to the police report, you hit them first, right?"
Xiao Fuzhou looked up, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against the scab on his forearm. He paused for a moment—he hadn't told the police beforehand why he'd attacked, so he subconsciously glanced at Xu Yanchi. Xu Yanchi was looking at him, a hint of worry in his eyes, as if afraid he wouldn't explain himself clearly. Xiao Fuzhou looked away, staring directly at the police officer, his voice deep and firm: "I started it. I was passing by the woods near the vocational high school entrance when I heard them smoking, constantly cursing Xu Yanchi and Wang Zhitao's names, saying vulgar things, and threatening revenge. I thought they'd already hit Xu Yanchi, and now they were saying they were going to cause trouble. I couldn't stand seeing my classmate being bullied anymore, so I couldn't hold back and went up to them." He closed his eyes, still remembering every gesture and word they'd used to insult Xu Yanchi.
"You provoked them just because you heard them swearing?" The police officer put down his pen and leaned forward slightly. "Do you know that if you take the initiative, even if the other party is at fault, you might still have to bear the responsibility?"
“It wasn’t provocation,” Xiao Fuzhou said, his brows furrowing slightly, but his tone remained firm. “You can check the road surveillance footage of the incident this morning to see the whole thing. Wang Zhitao can also testify that they started it. I took action because I didn’t want them to cause any more trouble for Xu Yanchi and Wang Zhitao, and I didn’t want to see my classmate being bullied repeatedly.”
Hearing this, Xu Yanchi felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Looking at the profile of Xiao Fuzhou's face, even though there was still a wound on the corner of his mouth, he seemed more reliable to her than ever before.
Wang Zhitao quickly chimed in, "Officer, that's right! This morning, the three of them surrounded Yan Chi and beat her up, pinning her to the ground and kicking and hitting her with wooden sticks! I was riding by on my bike and tried to stop them with a mop handle from the roadside, but they still cursed at me, saying I was 'meddling and asking for death'! Xiao Fuzhou's actions this time were really because they wanted revenge; their mouths are just too foul!"
The police officer nodded as he quickly took notes: "We will verify what you said. We are already retrieving the surveillance footage from the road and the entrance of the vocational high school. These people often loiter in this area, and students have reported being harassed by them before. We will investigate and handle this case as well."
Not long after, a commotion arose outside. Several thugs with dyed blue hair were brought in by the police. The tall one was cursing and swearing, "Why are you arresting us? That kid hit us first!" As the blond-haired guy passed by Xu Yanchi and his group, he suddenly spat on the ground and was sternly stopped by the police: "Behave yourself! If you cause trouble again, we'll add an obstruction of official duties!" He was still unconvinced, rolling his eyes and muttering "meddlesome" and "bitch."
Xu Yanchi instinctively hid behind Xiao Fuzhou. Xiao Fuzhou gently patted her shoulder, his cold gaze fixed on the thugs as a silent warning. Wang Zhitao also clenched his fists; if the police officers hadn't been there, he would have loved to confront them.
Watching the thugs being led into the interrogation room, Xu Yanchi finally felt a weight lifted from her heart. She turned to look at Wang Zhitao and Xiao Fuzhou beside her, then at her mother's worried yet determined eyes, and suddenly felt that her fears and grievances weren't so hard to face anymore—it felt so reassuring to be protected and supported like this.
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