NOVEL WEB
Chapter 20
To be honest, I don't quite understand why the Academic Affairs Office in the East Campus decided to establish a West Campus. After all, it is a prestigious school with a prominent reputation, and having two Academic Affairs Offices doesn't seem excessive. Yan Xi accepted the task from Peng Haiyang with a polite smile about half an hour ago.
Due to her performance on the recent exam, Yan Xi was directly appointed as the class monitor by Peng Haiyang. Although it was just a class monitor position, Peng Haiyang seemed to entrust her with various tasks.
After the exam, the school activities increased significantly, especially the upcoming school sports meet in two weeks. Peng Haiyang asked her to go to the West Campus to coordinate the use of sports equipment and finalize the list of participants.
Yan Xi was about to reach the entrance of the Academic Affairs Office when she heard angry shouts from around the corner of the corridor.
"Where's the money? Damn it! It's been several days, and you can't even gather a few hundred bucks, damn it!"
"Do you want to die?!"
Yan Xi stopped in her tracks.
She leaned slightly to the side and saw a group of students wearing West Campus uniforms. Both boys and girls were surrounding a student in the middle whose face was not clearly visible, and they were punching and kicking him.
"Wow, is this the unique style of the West Campus?" Pandora exclaimed.
"The person who's doing the beating isn't very professional..." Yan Xi tilted her head back lazily, speaking in a casual and nonchalant tone.
"The restroom is the best place for displaying violence as an art form. Those who resort to physical fights in the corridors must have something wrong with their heads. If you're going to hit someone, don't aim for the face..."
"If it were me..." Yan Xi didn't know what came to her mind but chuckled lightly.
The "Black Dumpling," who was as thin as a skeleton, was beaten by those group of boys and girls until he stumbled and fell to the ground, emitting a few muffled groans.
It was like the agonizing whimper of a dog pushed to its limits.
Yan Xi propped herself up on a nearby storage cabinet in the West Campus classroom, leaning against the wall and sitting on the blind spot of the left side, observing this brutal scene.
The sound of fists hitting flesh was grating on the ears.
"Stop the beating! Getting the money is what matters! Sister Le said she needs 3,000 within two days! Damn it, where can we get that much money? Should I rob a bank for her?" said the leading girl with a miniskirt, fiercely kicking a corner of the wall, leaving her already dirty shoe covered in dust.
"Did the external class contribute?"
"Old Six already collected it. We're still short of 800."
"What should we do then..."
Just as the leading girl with the miniskirt's phone in her side pocket vibrated, causing her already short skirt to almost fall off, she hastily took it out.
About to get angry, she saw the caller ID and her expression quickly changed.
"Du Le, what's up?" The girl with the miniskirt put on a flattering face.
...
"It's almost done! I'll deliver it to you later tonight. Don't worry, sister."
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Fangdian exploded.
"Du Le, fuck your mother!"
"What's wrong, Fangdian?"
"She's asking for an additional 2,000! Why doesn't she just die! They feast while we can't even scrape together leftovers! She wants so much money to bury her mother!... Lao Liu, inform everyone to collect extra fees this month."
"The ones in our class and those from other classes who could afford it have already paid. We've collected the money once this month, and if we keep collecting, there might be trouble." Lao Liu had been watching silently without intervening.
"Yeah, if Sister Dian increases the collection, the troublemakers in our class won't be able to handle it. Besides, not everyone can scrape together the money," someone added.
"Especially for someone like this guy, you could punch him ten times and still not get a steel spring in return. He's complaining that his hand hurts from hitting him," Yellow Hair Man said, forcefully dragging the frail boy from the corner and slamming him against the wall, grabbing his faded yellow collar.
"Stop hitting him. This kid is really tough, and we can't squeeze any money out of him. He's just exhausting me," Lao Liu said.
The boy being beaten seemed numb, showing no reaction.
"Why so stingy? Is he an orphan? Haha...hahaha," Zhao Fangdian said, feeling immense pressure these days and venting his anger through offensive words.
"Don't laugh at him like that, Sister Dian. His mother is still alive, but she's not doing well. Last time when Lao Liu went to his house to collect money, he complained that it brought bad luck," Little Taimei said, annoyed from dealing with the money collection these days and occasionally encountering a few troublemakers who needed a few punches to listen.
"According to his former classmates, his mother used to work as a cement laborer on construction sites, carrying bricks and such. His father seems to have found a mistress, a capable one at that, and left his wife and child to be with her. His mother was so furious that she fainted on the spot, and it seemed to have caused some kind of nerve damage, leaving her paralyzed..."
The boy in the corner slightly moved his lifeless head.
"Hey, good-for-nothing. Why don't you just go find your dad and acknowledge you as his son? Maybe you'll get another caring mother out of it!" Yellow Hair Man said sarcastically.
The boy moved his lips and seemed to make a broken sound, intermittently.
Blood dripped from the corner of the boy's mouth, and his body was covered in bruises.
Even in this state, Yan Xi remained indifferent, his eyes devoid of any ripples, absentmindedly playing with strands of his hair.
[His name is Qi Yili.] Pandora couldn't help but remind Yan Xi.
[I know.]
[If you save him now, it might meet the criteria for gaining maximum points.]
[If I remember correctly, I only have five chances for decision-making, right? Saving him now... wouldn't be enough.]
Not enough for what?
Not enough suffering?
Not enough gratitude?
At this moment, the girl's demeanor seemed to lose its warmth, becoming cruel yet devoid of warmth. It was as if this beautiful appearance had been specifically tailored for her, and only now was it revealing this enchanting aspect of her being.
"Shut up..." The boy managed to utter a few words with difficulty.
"What did you say? Hey! Speak louder!" Yellow Hair Man kicked him twice.
"Could it be that you're begging for mercy? Hey, try barking like a dog, hahaha!"
Suddenly, the boy erupted, biting the extended hand.
In pain, Yellow Hair Man screamed, completely enraged.
"You've crossed the line!"
Punch after punch, one sound after another, Yan Xi's eyelashes trembled.
The frail boy was beaten into unconsciousness, completely motionless.
"That's enough. I don't want to be reported and criticized," Zhao Fangdian frowned.
"Damn it, we're in trouble, sis!"
"Serves you right! I told you not to go overboard with your antics. If you want to face disciplinary action, go ahead on your own."
"Sis, I might get punished this time." Lao Liu furrowed his brow, looking at the boy lying on the ground, barely conscious.
"It's your own damn fault!" Zhao Fangdian pushed Yellow Hair Man roughly.
"Sis, I took the blame last time. Now it's Lao Liu's turn, isn't it? Besides, I'm still on probation. If I take the blame again, I'll get expelled, sis!" Yellow Hair Man wailed.
"That's your problem!"
The group of people left, joking and laughing, leaving behind a motionless boy on the ground.
"This won't do." Salt Xi murmured softly, as if talking to herself, watching the actors leave the stage. She hadn't seen enough yet.
Since the actors had already exited, what should she do now?
.........
Of course, she should bring him back.
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Suddenly, Zhao Fangdian felt the urge to urinate.
"Damn it, such a stupid thing for such a stupid reason! It's just a little money! Hurry up and charge them extra! I need to use the bathroom!"
Leaving those words behind, Zhao Fangdian hurriedly ran to the restroom, not even bothering to walk.
....
20 minutes later, Yan Xi emerged from the restroom and walked up to the boy.
"Hello, classmate. My name is Yan Xi. Are you okay?" Against the light, Yan Xi extended her hand to the young boy as if offering a blessing.
Would this be a glimmer of hope? Or another form of torment?