Chapter 62 The last spark of the new school bully's bullying was completely extinguished...
The next day, the school was unusually quiet.
Ge Jie and her group of followers did not show up, and Ji Zi also took leave, and it was a long leave.
Ye Yuying's left eye was bandaged, and she should have rested for a few days, but after the major conflict, she was worried that other things might happen on campus, so she returned to campus.
The atmosphere at the school was eerily peaceful, yet undercurrents were swirling beneath the surface.
As soon as Ye Yuying stepped into the corridor, the entire corridor vanished, as if everyone was terrified of her.
There was a mixture of awe, fear, and a subtle hint of worship in them.
Soon, new rumors began to spread.
"Have you heard? Yesterday, Ye Yuying single-handedly took down Ge Jie's entire gang!"
"No way? I heard she hired people from outside the school to beat up Ge Jie's hoodlum boyfriend!"
"The version I heard is that Ge Jie's boyfriend was taken away by the police!"
"Was it because of a group fight?"
"No, it must be that he really committed a crime..."
Ye Yuying never realized that doing so would make her the new "school bully"—a possibility she had never considered, and an identity she vehemently resisted.
Those who used to fawn over Ge Jie now give way to her; those who used to bully her now avoid her altogether.
People from both her own class and other classes flocked to her.
Some people even started trying to curry favor with her by cleaning the classroom for her in advance on their assigned duty days.
During lunch break, Ye Yuying sat alone in her seat, her desk piled high with snacks and drinks, all "gifts" from her classmates.
She didn't move, only staring coldly out the window with her uninjured eye.
She felt overwhelmed by all of this.
The bullying problem at Laishan Middle School has a long history. One bully after another has come and gone, but without exception, they have all brought endless violence and humiliation to the students.
This sudden "respect" made her feel suffocated.
She could sense that behind these gestures of goodwill lay a deeper fear. They were afraid of her, just as they had been afraid of Ge Jie before.
If she accepts these things, it's tantamount to condoning this distorted hierarchical relationship. Then what's the difference between her and Ge Jie?
What she wanted was not to become another Ge Jie; what she wanted to become was perhaps a terminator, to end the endless cycle of bullying in this school.
News of the new school bully at Laishan Middle School spread quickly, but she had not yet accepted the title of school bully.
There will always be someone trying to fill the power vacuum.
After school in the afternoon, Ye Yuying was about to leave when she saw something she didn't want to see at the corner of the teaching building.
Several boys—familiar faces who used to follow Ge Jie around and bully her—were cornering a bespectacled, seemingly honest boy, pushing and shoving him as they demanded something.
"Hurry up, stop dawdling. Shouldn't you have paid your expenses for this month?" The boy in the lead was named Wu Wei. He imitated the tone and mannerisms of a thug, speaking in a flippant yet threatening manner.
Students were passing by, but they all looked at him as if he were a plague, keeping their heads down and hurrying past. No one dared to stop, let alone speak up to stop him.
This is the cold-blooded indifference ingrained in Laishan Middle School. The old bullies have fallen, and new imitators are eager to take the stage, trying to inherit that dirty power.
Ye Yuying stopped in her tracks.
She wasn't blinded by anger, nor did she rush forward immediately. She simply stood there quietly, her cold gaze piercing through the crowd and landing on Wu Wei.
In the battle of wits, silence is a powerful weapon.
Her appearance was like pressing the mute button on a farce.
Wu Wei's henchmen were the first to spot her. Their arrogance froze instantly, and they instinctively took a step back, nudging Wu Wei with their elbows.
Wu Wei turned around impatiently, and when he saw Ye Yuying, whose left eye was still bandaged and whose expression was indifferent, he felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water, chilled to the bone.
Rumors of the street battle a few nights ago had already spread like wildfire throughout the entire school.
Ye Yuying hadn't figured out how to start the conversation, but the other party's reaction was unexpected.
"Ying... Sister Ying..." Wu Wei's voice trembled slightly, his previous imposing manner completely gone.
Ye Yuying didn't speak. She didn't even approach him. She just looked at him calmly with her eyes that had seen blood and fire.
There was no anger or threat in those eyes, only a pure, emotionless scrutiny, yet it chilled one to the bone in its silent fermentation.
This silent oppression is more terrifying than any curse.
"Let him go." She finally spoke, her voice soft, indifferent, and leaving no room for argument.
Wu Wei's face flushed red and then turned pale as he struggled painfully between the authority of the "new school bully" and his own pride in front of his underlings.
But under Ye Yuying's gaze, which seemed to penetrate one's very soul, he ultimately chose to give in.
He waved reluctantly, and his henchmen immediately made way for him. The bespectacled boy who had been surrounded felt like he had been granted a reprieve; clutching his schoolbag, he scrambled away.
“And you guys,” Ye Yuying’s gaze swept over Wu Wei and his cronies, “From today onwards, there will be no such thing as ‘funding’ at Laishan Middle School.”
She paused, then added, word by word, "Did you understand?"
Everyone nodded quickly.
After saying that, she didn't look at them again and turned to leave.
The person behind her quickly said obsequiously, "Sister Ying, take care."
Later, for a long time, no serious incidents occurred on campus.
Ye Yuying never personally acknowledged the school bully's identity. Her "laissez-faire" approach brought a subtle peace, but beneath the surface, undercurrents never ceased.
The "school bully" position she despised was a sin in her eyes, but in the eyes of others, it was a throne of power.
A boy named Chen Hao quietly became the center of this undercurrent.
Unlike those simple-minded thugs, he was more like a lurking, ambitious schemer. He had observed Ye Yuying for a long time and concluded that Ye Yuying was just a fighter, ultimately a woman with no ambition to build her own power, let alone know how to consolidate her authority.
In Chen Hao's view, her so-called peace was naive and ridiculous, and a heresy against Laishan Middle School.
He began to privately gather those who harbored resentment towards Ye Yuying or longed to return to the "glorious days" when they could bully others at will.
“What makes a woman, especially a lone wolf, the right to be the leader?” Chen Hao said to his newly recruited confidants. “She broke the rules. Laishan Middle School needs a true leader to restore order.”
Initially, these small actions did not cause much of a stir, and Ye Yuying's deterrent power remained intact.
But when she can't be in every place at the same time, the poisonous weeds of bullying grow wildly in the shadows again.
Finally, Chen Hao decided to take a decisive action to completely destroy the fragile balance established by Ye Yuying.
That afternoon, the school was holding a 100-day countdown rally, and most of the students were on the playground. Chen Hao seized this opportunity and, with a dozen or so of his newly assembled subordinates, cornered three lower-grade students in a secluded corridor leading to the gymnasium.
The target this time was those students who had previously volunteered to clean the classroom and bring snacks to Ye Yuying.
Chen Hao's purpose was clear: he wanted to make an example of someone to warn others, to show everyone what the consequences would be for those who tried to curry favor with Ye Yuying.
"I heard you guys are getting close to Ye Yuying?" Chen Hao said with a smile, but there was no warmth in his smile. He kicked one of the boys' backpacks away. "She doesn't want to be the school bully herself, yet you guys are still eager to be her lackeys, right?"
"No...no..." The students were terrified and turned pale.
"No?" Chen Hao's smile vanished instantly.
The news that Chen Hao had taken several people away spread like wildfire across the playground and reached Ye Yuying's ears.
Many people observed her with complex emotions, wondering if she was capable of handling this blatant provocation directed at her.
Ye Yuying's face darkened.
She instantly understood that her concessions and disdain were being misinterpreted as weakness. As long as she didn't officially assume that position, countless Chen Haos would step forward, trying to seize it and claim power.
She wants to end the cycle, but only if she becomes the one in control, instead of treating that name as a hot potato to run away from.
She pushed through the crowd and walked silently toward the back playground.
In the corridor, Chen Hao was enjoying the fearful gazes of everyone. When he saw Ye Yuying walking alone, a smug smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, the main character's here?" He took a step forward arrogantly. "What, trying to stand up for your dog? Ye Yuying, I advise you to mind your own business. The rules of this school don't apply to just one person..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Ye Yuying walked up to him, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present—Chen Hao's gang, the trembling victims, and the students watching from afar but not daring to approach.
Finally, her voice rang out, clear and cold, yet carrying an undeniable power.
“Listen up, all of you.”
The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
"Don't you guys really want a school bully?" She paused, her eyes turning sharp as knives. "Fine, I'll tell you."
She stretched out her finger, first pointing to herself, then slowly tracing it across the oppressive space in front of her.
"From this day forward, from this moment on, I, Ye Yuying, am the school bully of Laishan Middle School."
This statement was like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples that spread far and wide.
Behind her, as if drawn by popular will, more and more people gathered, standing in a dark mass behind Ye Yuying, coldly watching Chen Hao and his group.
Ye Yuying looked at Chen Hao's face, which was contorted with shock, and continued:
"But my rules are different from before."
"The first and only rule: No one is allowed to bully anyone in this school, in any form."
She spoke with conviction, her voice echoing across the empty playground.
"Neither extortion nor verbal abuse is acceptable."
"This is the rule."
"For those who don't follow the rules..." Her gaze fell lightly on Chen Hao, "I don't mind using violence."
She gave Chen Hao, whose face was ashen, one last look, and said in an almost judgmental tone, "You're the first to break my rules. Do you want me to teach you myself, or do you want to get out of here?"
Chen Hao's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Faced with Ye Yuying's genuine aura of strength emanating from within, and with the countless supporters behind her, his meticulously planned restoration seemed like a joke, utterly vulnerable.
He eventually led his men away in disgrace, under the watchful eyes of everyone.
From that day on, Ye Yuying's reputation as a "school bully" took on a completely new meaning.
She was not a tyrant, but more like a guardian of order. She didn't form cliques and worked alone, but her very existence was an inviolable red line.
Under her deterrence, the budding bullying tendencies on campus were all extinguished.
Laishan Middle School experienced an unprecedented, fragile yet real calm.
When Ge Jie returned to school, Laishan Middle School had already undergone a complete transformation.
She completed the procedures for resuming her studies with her father's company.
She had lost weight, her face was pale and somewhat swollen, as if she had been crying for a long time, probably because her boyfriend had been arrested by the police.
Her once arrogant and domineering demeanor has been replaced by a gloomy silence. There are no more followers or entourages. Like a phoenix with all its feathers plucked, she walks in a sorry state in the corridors where countless people once paved the way for her.
The students looked at her with complex emotions: a mixture of pleasure, disdain, and, more than anything, a cold indifference that kept her at a distance. She was like a ghost from a bygone era, completely out of place in the new order established by Ye Yuying.
Her first encounter with Ye Yuying after their big fight was at the classroom door.
Ye Yuying was about to enter the classroom when Ge Jie happened to walk out. The two met at the doorway, and everyone in the corridor held their breath.
Ge Jie stared intently at Ye Yuying, her eyes filled with resentment and bitterness, as if she blamed all her misfortunes on the person in front of her.
Ye Yuying simply looked back at her calmly, her eyes devoid of any emotion, showing neither the gloating of a victor nor the sympathy of a loser.
She was just looking at a stranger.
In the end, Ge Jie was the first to give in. She gritted her teeth, humiliatedly turned aside, and made way for Ye Yuying.
At that moment, everyone understood that times had truly changed.
Ge Jie's return was ultimately like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, unable to stir up even the slightest ripple.
A few days later, one afternoon, Ge Jie went to the convenience store alone to buy water. On her way back, she was stopped by several girls. The one in the lead was one of the girls she had slapped and forced to kneel before.
"Hey, isn't this Senior Ge?" The girl mimicked Ge Jie's old tone, smiling sarcastically. "Why are you alone? Where are your followers? Where's your boyfriend who rides a motorcycle?"
Ge Jie's face turned deathly pale instantly. She gripped the water bottle tightly, her lips pressed together, and she remained silent.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you so imposing before?" Another girl stepped forward and deliberately bumped into her. Ge Jie staggered backward, dropping the water in her hand to the ground.
"Now that the boss of Laishan has changed, trash like you should have been cleaned up long ago!"
"That's right! We'll repay you for how you treated us before!"
The girls became increasingly agitated, surrounding Ge Jie, pushing and shoving her, and cursing her. The drama of fortunes changing hands was about to unfold.
Students were watching from the sidelines, whispering among themselves and looking on with expressions of anticipation.
In their view, this was a natural retribution.
However, at that moment, a cold voice rang out.
"stop."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ye Yuying had already been standing not far away.
She still had the same expression. The gauze on her left eye had been removed, leaving a faint scar that made her look even colder.
The girls who were assaulting her froze when they saw her, then said defiantly, "Sister Ying! We're helping you teach her a lesson! That bitch used to..."
"We...we're not bullying anyone, we're seeking revenge! It's about justice!" the girl insisted.
"Justice?" Ye Yuying's lips curled into an almost mocking smile. "If you're allowed to define it? Then how are you any different from her back then?"
Her words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.
“I don’t care what grudges you have in the past,” Ye Yuying’s gaze swept across the room, her voice clearly reaching everyone’s ears, “From the moment I set these rules, everything in the past is over.”
“My rules apply to everyone in this school. Including me, and including her.” She gestured with her chin toward Ge Jie lying on the ground.
The girls looked at each other, and finally, under Ye Yuying's powerful aura, they reluctantly dispersed.
The crowd gradually dispersed, but their hearts were filled with turmoil.
They thought Ye Yuying would be happy to see Ge Jie humiliated, but they never expected that she would even bring her own enemies under the protection of her rule.
At this moment, they truly understood Ye Yuying's way of being a "school bully." It wasn't a violent rule based on personal likes and dislikes, but a cold-blooded order that was almost absolutely fair.
In the corridor, only Ye Yuying and Ge Jie, who was still sitting on the ground, remained.
Ge Jie raised her head and looked at Ye Yuying with an extremely complicated expression. Her eyes contained shock, humiliation, confusion, and even a hint of bewilderment that she herself was unaware of.
Ye Yuying never forgave Ge Jie for a single moment. She wasn't saving her; she was simply defending the rules she had established herself.
But in a corner unseen by Ye Yuying, Ge Jie's life was not easy. A person who rose to power through bullying has too many enemies once she loses power. They are like maggots clinging to her bones, and all the past has come back to haunt her. She has no way to save herself.
Ye Yuying also participated in some district-level competitions one after another. Without exception, she won first place in all the middle and short-distance races in all the competitions that year. Her grade ranking also returned to the top ten, and she made amazing progress step by step to the top three.
Everyone thought they would get through the last days of junior high school peacefully, but on an ordinary Tuesday, Ye Yuying went to another city to participate in a competition, and a huge change occurred at the school that day.
The police came to the school to question Ge Jie because they were investigating a violent incident she had been involved in that resulted in serious bodily harm…
Ge Jie never returned. Her parents handled the transfer procedures on her behalf, and her mother looked extremely haggard.
Not long after, news came that Ge Jie's father had been dismissed from his post, and everyone seemed to understand why Ge Jie had transferred schools.
From that day on, the last spark of bullying at Laishan Middle School was completely extinguished.
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Author's note: 50~
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