Chapter 17
The evening study hall lights shone a cool white, evenly illuminating every figure bent over their desk. The scratching of pens on paper, occasionally punctuated by a soft cough or the sound of turning pages, created the unique tranquility of the campus at night. Lu Baiyan sat next to Xu Nianlei, seemingly focused on solving a physics competition problem, but his peripheral vision kept glancing at the overly quiet figure beside him.
He knew that danger often lurked beneath seemingly peaceful daily routines.
Xu Nianlei was doing her English homework, her fingers turning slightly white from the pressure. Suddenly, her old, slightly cracked cell phone, which was resting on the corner of the table, vibrated very slightly, the screen lit up, and a preview of a new text message flashed.
The sender's name wasn't saved, but that string of numbers, like a red-hot branding iron, instantly burned Lu Baiyan's memory—it was Xu Jianguo.
The text message contained only a few words; from the distance, Lu Baiyan only caught a glimpse of the keywords "school gate" and "money." But that was enough.
"The last time," it was this text message that triggered Xu Nianlei's first obvious emotional breakdown. Her face turned pale instantly, and she left evening self-study early on the grounds that she was not feeling well. At the school gate, she was harassed and pulled by Xu Jianguo. Although nothing serious happened in the end, the scene was seen by several passing students, which became the beginning of a series of rumors and made her already fragile nerves even more tense.
Lu Baiyan saw Xu Nianlei's body stiffen almost imperceptibly, her fingers gripping the pen tightening, her knuckles turning pale from the force. She quickly turned off the screen, as if trying to conceal some shameful secret, her head drooping even lower, almost burying itself in the book. A mixture of fear, shame, and helplessness leaked from her slightly trembling shoulders.
We can't let her go alone.
Lu Baiyan closed the competition book in his hand almost without hesitation, making a slight sound. Xu Nianlei was startled by the noise and subconsciously looked up at him.
"I have something to do, I need to go back to the dorm first." Lu Baiyan stood up, his voice not loud, but clear enough, his tone so natural as if it were just a spur-of-the-moment decision. He didn't look at Xu Nianlei, and went straight to packing his bag, his movements swift and decisive, carrying an undeniable resolve.
Xu Nianlei was stunned, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, but more so a sense of helplessness at being thrown off balance by the unexpected event. She watched Lu Baiyan pack his things, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and then... looked at her calmly.
"Aren't you leaving? It's getting late," he asked, his eyes devoid of any inquiry, as if it were just a casual question.
"I..." Xu Nianlei opened her mouth, wanting to say that she wanted to study a little longer, wanting to find any excuse to stay and avoid a direct confrontation with that man. But Lu Baiyan just stood there, quietly watching her, his calm eyes seemed to have a strange power, making the lie she made up get stuck in her throat.
Besides, he's leaving too... If we go out together, wouldn't it be safer? This thought popped into my head uncontrollably.
Finally, under Lu Baiyan's silent gaze, she nodded almost mechanically and began slowly packing her things. Her movements were marked by obvious hesitation and resistance.
The two walked out of the brightly lit teaching building, one after the other, and stepped into the campus shrouded in night. The early autumn evening breeze already carried a chill, rustling the yellowing leaves of the sycamore trees lining the road. The dim light of the streetlights lengthened and shortened their shadows.
Xu Nianlei kept her head down, her steps heavy, as if she were wearing invisible shackles. Lu Baiyan walked slightly ahead of her, silent, but his presence was extremely strong. His back was straight, his gaze warily scanning the path leading to the school gate, like a young lion guarding its territory.
Sure enough, just a few dozen meters from the school gate, a swaying figure reeking of alcohol blocked the only way. Xu Jianguo was even more destitute than Lu Baiyan remembered, with cloudy eyes, an unshaven beard, and a malicious look in his eyes at Xu Nianlei, who had her head down.
"You brat, what are you dawdling for! I've been waiting for you for ages!" he roared gruffly, his spittle almost splashing onto Xu Nianlei's face.
Xu Nianlei trembled with fright and stopped abruptly, her face as pale as paper under the streetlights. She instinctively tried to back away, but Lu Baiyan subtly stepped aside, blocking her path.
The movement was fluid and natural, as if he had simply adjusted his stance.
Lu Baiyan raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting Xu Jianguo's. His eyes, usually so calm and even somewhat shy, now seemed frozen, carrying a chilling and oppressive quality beyond his years. He didn't speak, simply staring at the other man.
Xu Jianguo was taken aback by his gaze, and seemed to sober up a bit. He recognized the boy; it was the same guy who had meddled in their business at the school gate last time. Looking at Lu Baiyan's daughter, who seemed to be curling up in a ball behind him, and then at the extraordinary-looking, cold-eyed young man in front of him, Xu Jianguo's cloudy eyes darted around, and a despicable thought welled up inside him.
He grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow from smoking, his tone becoming lewd and malicious: "Hey kid, it's you again? What, got your eye on my girl? Just like her mother, all you do is seduce..."
"Shut up!"
Two shouts rang out almost simultaneously.
A voice came from Lu Baiyan, not loud, but with a resolute and stern tone, slapping Xu Jianguo's unfinished vulgarities like a whip.
Another sound, faint yet tremblingly sharp, came from Xu Nianlei behind Lu Baiyan. She abruptly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, yet burning with flames of humiliation and anger. Her mother was the most complex and painful scar in her heart, one that she could not tolerate from anyone, especially this man she hated most, who had trampled upon her like this.
Lu Baiyan felt the girl behind him tremble violently, and his heart felt as if it had been pricked by a needle. He took a step forward, completely shielding Xu Nianlei behind him, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring directly at Xu Jianguo, his voice icy cold:
"According to the 'Law of the People's Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security' and the 'Law on the Protection of Minors,' your current behavior constitutes harassment and intimidation. Should I call the police now to deal with your alcoholism, harassment of underage students, and potential domestic violence?"
He spoke steadily and clearly, each word like a cold stone striking. Unlike "last time," he didn't simply separate them; instead, he directly invoked legal means, precisely striking at the sore spot of Xu Jianguo, a bully who preys on the weak.
Xu Jianguo was stunned by his words, especially the words "domestic violence" and "call the police," which made his eyes flicker and his arrogance instantly diminish. He retorted, his voice trembling with fear, "You little brat, who...who are you trying to scare!"
"You can try." Lu Baiyan took out his phone, his finger hovering over the dial button, the cold light of the screen reflecting on his expressionless face. "Do you need me to dial 110 for you?"
His attitude was too calm, too confident, as if he had everything under control. Xu Jianguo glanced at him, then at his daughter behind him, who, though still in tears, was no longer backing down, and then at the students starting to stop and watch. In the end, he chickened out. He spat angrily on the ground, pointing at Xu Nianlei and cursing, "You brat, you just wait!" Then, just like when he came, he staggered and disappeared into the darkness outside the school gate in a disheveled state.
The crisis has been temporarily averted.
Lu Baiyan slowly put down his phone, his tense nerves relaxing slightly. He turned around and looked at Xu Nianlei behind him.
She was still trembling, tears silently streaming down her pale cheeks. But unlike "the last time," she didn't break down or run away. Instead, she bit her lower lip tightly, trying not to cry out. In her tear-washed eyes, besides the lingering fear, there was a complex sense of bewilderment, like the first time she had been so firmly protected, and... a faint glimmer of light that even she herself hadn't noticed.
Lu Baiyan didn't say anything, but silently took out a pack of clean tissues from the side pocket of his backpack and handed it to her.
Xu Nianlei stared at the pack of tissues for a few seconds before hesitantly taking it and whispering, "...Thank you."
Her voice had a heavy nasal tone and was as light as a feather.
"Let's go, I'll walk you to your dorm." Lu Baiyan's voice softened, no longer as cold as before.
This time, Xu Nianlei didn't refuse. She silently followed beside him, and the two walked in silence back to the girls' dormitory. The night breeze was cool, but it couldn't dispel the heavy feeling of relief after the ordeal, or something subtly changed in the air.
As they approached the dormitory building, Xu Nianlei suddenly stopped, looked up, and with tears still streaming down her face, met Lu Baiyan's gaze with a desperate courage: "You...why..."
Why are you helping me? Why do you keep appearing? Why... are you meddling in my business?
These questions lingered in her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask them.
Lu Baiyan looked into her eyes, brimming with tears, filled with confusion and a hint of barely perceptible expectation, and his heart trembled. He couldn't tell her the truth about the cycle; it was too absurd. He remained silent for a few seconds, the night concealing the turbulent emotions in his eyes. Finally, he gave a seemingly simple yet incredibly weighty answer in an extremely serious tone:
"Because we are classmates."
He paused, then added, his gaze calmly fixed on her face, "Besides, you shouldn't have been treated like that."
Xu Nianlei was stunned. "You shouldn't have been treated like that." These words were like a warm current, unexpectedly rushing into her long-frozen heart, prying open a tiny crack. No one had ever said such things to her before. Her mother only complained that she wasn't good enough, her father only demanded and hurt her, and those around her either pitied or despised her.
But the handsome young man standing under the starlight told her calmly and firmly—you shouldn't be treated like that.
A surge of intense emotion welled up in her nose, almost bringing tears to her eyes again. She quickly lowered her head, trying to hide her overwhelming emotions, her voice choked with sobs: "...Thank you."
After saying that, she practically ran away, turning and rushing into the dormitory building.
Lu Baiyan stood there, watching her figure disappear behind the door, not leaving for a long time. He knew that tonight was just the beginning. Xu Jianguo wouldn't let it go, and Wang Xiuqin was also a ticking time bomb. But he had successfully prevented a public humiliation, and more importantly, he had planted a stone called "worth it" in Xu Nianlei's closed-off inner world.
Though small, this ripple is of paramount importance.
He looked up at the northern sky, where the Big Dipper shone clearly. The cycle brought him not only a heavy burden of pain, but also the advantage of foresight and a clear understanding of the trajectory of fate.
Leilei, look, we've already taken a small step forward. No matter what we face next, I will never give up.
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