NH chapter 019

Chapter 19: Young Master

“Gao Xiaoyuan, you’re spacing out again.”

The dissatisfied complaints from her companions brought Gao Xiaoyuan back to reality. She refocused her gaze and noticed that the group competing in the long jump had already been replaced with another.

Apologizing to her friends, Gao Xiaoyuan said she felt unwell and wanted to return to the classroom. Her companions expressed concern: “What’s wrong with you lately? You’re always distracted. Is it because the family is putting pressure on you as high school approaches? I can see your anxiety is flaring up, Xiaoyuan.”

Gao Xiaoyuan had previously suffered from severe depression and anxiety, something her familiar friends were aware of.

“No, it’s nothing… I’m leaving now,” Gao Xiaoyuan mumbled as she lowered her eyelids and walked back to the classroom. At this time, most of the students were gathered on the playground, and the tree-lined paths around the teaching building were quite empty.

As she climbed the stairs of the teaching building, Gao Xiaoyuan deliberately avoided the nearby left staircase, knowing it would lead her past the restrooms and through the classes of other top students.

Turning the corner, she unexpectedly bumped into two boys at the entrance of Class 2D.

Gao Xiaoyuan stumbled back and looked up to find Shen Tingyu towering in front of her, his tall figure standing like a jade tree, scrutinizing her with a piercing gaze.

Anyone who was subjected to such a gaze would feel a chill run down their spine.

However, just as their eyes met, a long hand reached out from the side and pushed Shen Tingyu away. Huo Ye said, “Young Master, don’t scare the girl.” He then bent down, making eye contact with Gao Xiaoyuan at her level.

Gao Xiaoyuan, however, became even more flustered and took half a step back.

Huo Ye spoke in a calm tone, “Do you remember me?”

To say she didn’t remember would be too deliberate.

After hesitating for a while, Gao Xiaoyuan nodded, saying, “I remember, you are Huo Ye from Class 18… Do you need something from me?”

Huo Ye straightened up, glanced at Shen Tingyu, then led her to a quieter self-study room.

Gao Xiaoyuan seemed very nervous, her movements stiff as she walked in time with the two tall boys behind her, looking like a confused little chick, diminutive in stature.

The door was closed behind them.

Gao Xiaoyuan instinctively shrank her shoulders in surprise.

—This was a habitual reaction from having been bullied, as if she knew she was about to be hit when the whip cracked; when the door closed, what she expected to happen would occur, a notion ingrained in her muscle memory.

Huo Ye’s gaze darkened slightly, quickly realizing that this situation was not just about the “two or three times” Gao Xiaoyuan had mentioned.

But he didn’t want to pressure Gao Xiaoyuan into revealing her wounds. Instead, he gently led the conversation, starting with himself. Huo Ye sat partially on a desk, his long legs touching the ground, creating a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, as if they were all just friends having a casual chat.

While Xiong Ying avoided discussing certain matters, Huo Ye spoke calmly about his past, getting straight to the point: “I attended a private school specifically for treating internet addiction and juvenile delinquents during my third year of middle school.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaoyuan stared at him in shock, disbelief evident in her eyes. Her voice was soft as she asked, “Isn’t that… Isn’t that a terrifying place? I’ve heard that such schools can be abusive. Several got shut down after the news exposed the truth due to public pressure, and they can still operate now?”

“They’ve been operating all along. As long as parents demand it, such schools will continue to exist.” Huo Ye stated the harsh reality gently.

Gao Xiaoyuan gasped. “How can it be…”

“Hold on.”

Shen Tingyu suddenly interjected with indifference, drawing the attention of both to him.

“I’ve never heard of such a broken school.”

“…”

Gao Xiaoyuan forgot there was someone who seemed oblivious to these hardships.

Huo Ye turned back and continued, “That school was located deep in the mountains, isolated from the world, where students could only use their phones once a month, provided they reached specific grades. Once they got the chance to use the phone, they could only call home under supervision to report their safety but couldn’t connect with the outside world.”

“Most of the students were rebellious boys, including myself. The teachers and parents called us bad kids and rightfully subjected us to discipline, criticism, and reprimands.”

“Getting 40 on a test would mean punishment, 60 would mean punishment, and even getting 99 would mean punishment. If you got one wrong out of ten, no one would care about the nine you got right; you’d only get punished for that one mistake—because you were a bad kid, all your faults would be magnified.”

“Here, the constant beatings would grind away at the sharp edges of so-called bad kids, teaching them to wear a mask and smile, to tearfully admit to their parents that they were wrong, fulfilling an unprecedented sense of vanity and accomplishment for the parents, as though degrading children to crawl through the dirt was an immense honor.”

Huo Ye smiled slightly, but his tone carried no emotion, as if he were delivering a message from hell: “A bunch of rebellious boys locked in a room with few dogs, what do you think would happen?”

Gao Xiaoyuan’s complexion turned pale.

A pack of dogs fighting, some forming cliques, some standing alone, trading open and covert blows, appearing to treat each other like brothers or friends, only to turn around and report each other to the supervisors.

Being reported would lead to confinement decided by the severity of the rebellion, a method typically used by police on criminals, hard to believe it would apply to school.

Getting through that ordeal wasn’t enough; only obedient dogs would get bones; there were punishments and rewards. When you were starving in the confinement room, perhaps another dog was enjoying a feast.

Waking up at five and getting released at eleven at night, such harsh military-style rules were comparable to forced labor.

They said it was jail, but sometimes it felt worse than being in prison.

“Apart from violent dictatorship, there’s another way to punish us bad kids, regardless of whether you’re a boy or a girl,” Huo Ye said.

Gao Xiaoyuan’s lips moved, vaguely anticipating the answer, but still tremblingly asked, “…What way?”

Huo Ye pressed firmly on the ground, leaning slightly forward, whispering into her ear a few words, causing Gao Xiaoyuan’s entire body to tremble.

Shen Tingyu wasn’t deaf; he heard it too. His expression instantly darkened as he called out, “Huo Ye!”

Huo Ye said no more, quietly squeezing Shen Tingyu’s pale fingertips gripping the edge of the desk as a sign to settle down.

Shen Tingyu, though still frowning and visibly displeased, managed to suppress his irritation and remained silent for the time being.

Gao Xiaoyuan looked dazed, as if something painful and helpless from her past had resurfaced. She didn’t notice the subtle yet intimate movements between the two boys and tearfully asked, “Why not call the police then?”

“Yeah.” Huo Ye focused intently on her, softly asking in return.

“—Why don’t you report it then?”

Gao Xiaoyuan’s eyes widened, tears pooling in her gaze, she blankly looked back at Huo Ye.

Like a tightly shut clam that finally revealed a small gap, it became easier to pry it open entirely after that, as Gao Xiaoyuan began to willingly expose herself and allowed him to touch her fragile heart.

“We can’t, calling the police…”

Gao Xiaoyuan unconsciously cried, muttering, “My parents know about what he did to me, and their parents know too.” Her logic was already jumbled, even incoherent, “You wouldn’t understand, the Liao family is very powerful, they dominate Lanjing, Liao Zheng is the only son of the Liao family, he can get anything he wants. If we call the police, we will never have peace.”

“…Someone has stood up to him before, but they didn’t succeed and were forced to drop out of school. My dad is an accountant, the Liao family can manipulate the past account books, creating loopholes anytime they want, making my family bear astronomical debts, they could make us suffer for life, anytime, anytime…”

The humiliating words, the slap marks on her face, the wrinkled clothes—her dignity trampled into the dirt.

So many girls who weren’t cherished, being pretty became a original sin that attracted unwanted attention. In the beautiful spring of seventeen or eighteen, when these flowers were supposed to bloom, they found it almost unforgivable to do so.

Branches were maliciously broken, petals faced with decay before they had even had the chance to bloom. But they did not dare to voice their grievances, as innocence could not withstand the repeated washing of public opinion and rumors, so they had to hide the fallen petals, tearfully letting their vibrant colors fade.

But no one remembered.

This should have been their spring.

“So, all this time, you didn’t dare to record any evidence related to it?” Huo Ye asked calmly.

Gao Xiaoyuan was steadied by his gaze, shaking her head gently in response. A few seconds later, she suddenly realized what Huo Ye’s question meant. Her almond eyes widened in horror as she frantically shook her head, “No, that won’t do! The Liao family will find trouble with you, no, no…”

“Who dares to cause him trouble?”

Shen Tingyu suddenly spoke with a chilling tone, “I’m not dead yet.”

The two turned to him again, while Gao Xiaoyuan choked back tears, asking quietly, “Sorry, handsome, who are you?”

Shen Tingyu: “.”

In this low-pressure atmosphere, Huo Ye couldn’t help but chuckle, urgently calming Shen Tingyu, “You just transferred this semester; it’s normal she doesn’t know you. Don’t get mad.”

Gao Xiaoyuan came to a realization, “I remember now, you’re the transfer student from Class A! I heard you…” She spoke for a long time but still hadn’t made a point, feeling a bit deflated, “I can’t remember anymore.”

Shen Tingyu glanced at both of them, his expression inscrutable as he finally turned his gaze back to Gao Xiaoyuan. He wasn’t good at talking to girls; apart from Li Luoyin and his grandmother, everyone in his family was male, so his tone was particularly stiff compared to Huo Ye.

“My last name is Shen.” Shen Tingyu said flatly and quite seriously to Gao Xiaoyuan, as if every extra word would cost him dearly.

At the end, as though fearing she wouldn’t understand, he added, “From the Shens of Lingshan.”

Gao Xiaoyuan softly responded with an “ah,” appearing vaguely enlightened.

Shen Tingyu: “..”

Why does it feel like this girl is about to drool?

Gao Xiaoyuan turned to Huo Ye, whispering, “Is he a big deal? How come I’ve never heard of him?”

Huo Ye’s eyes curved, also whispering back, “The young master from Lingshan has come to our place, seems he forgot he’s in Lanjing.”

Shen Tingyu: “…”