DF Chapter 10

Chapter 10 She Wants to Help Xu Lijing

Jingjiang No. 3 High School isn’t like Jingjiang No. 1 High School, a key municipal high school located in an excellent area; you can even see the sea when you leave the school. Jingjiang No. 3 High School has a more remote location, surrounded by many alleys left over from the last century, winding and twisting. But this unique environment has also led to frequent off-campus brawls at Jingjiang No. 3 High School, so much so that the surrounding shops have become accustomed to it.

The fights in front of Greenery Cafe were so common that even the nearby shop owners were too lazy to go out and watch, simply calling the police and considering the matter done. As for whether the police would find those involved in the group fights, that was none of their business.

And after Sheng Jia dragged Song Ji’an and Xu Lijing into the alley, the three boys chasing them weren’t easily shaken off. The three girls weaved through the alleys for nearly half an hour before finally losing them completely.

Sheng Jia and Xu Lijing, accustomed to long-distance running, were merely a little out of breath, but Song Ji’an, who had never run for so long, was gasping for air. She usually only did timed one or two-kilometer uphill exercises at the gym, mostly jogging for about ten minutes before stopping. She hadn’t adapted to this sudden burst of activity, and after the three stopped, she unusually let go of Sheng Jia’s hand first, leaning against the wall, closing her eyes to calm her racing heart.

For a moment, the only sound in the alley was the three girls panting.

Song Ji’an didn’t know why she had called out Sheng Jia’s name, but she had done so subconsciously. Sheng Jia, afraid that she would be implicated, didn’t think too much and simply brought her along.

Song Ji’an had never been so disheveled before. When she finally calmed down, she almost laughed at herself.

Laughing at the same time as her was Xu Lijing. She straightened up, patted Sheng Jia’s shoulder, “Thanks to you, I was able to escape unscathed. That was great.”

Sheng Jia brushed her hand away, glanced at her, and said coldly, “Don’t forget your promise.”

Xu Lijing waved her hand, “I haven’t forgotten. I’ll give it to you tomorrow, as thanks.”

Song Ji’an looked at her smug expression and couldn’t help but remind her, “I just saw the auntie next door calling the police. The police might be here soon, and there are surveillance cameras everywhere. We might have to go to the Police Station today.”

In fact, not only Xu Lijing, but even Sheng Jia, who was involved, and Song Ji’an, who was dragged along, would inevitably have to go to the Police Station.

But from the moment Sheng Jia left the Greenery Cafe to the moment Sheng Jia dragged her away, Song Ji’an’s attention was on Sheng Jia. Naturally, she knew that Sheng Jia hadn’t injured anyone from beginning to end. Her main goal was to rescue Xu Lijing from the encirclement, and she had stopped the brawl in just half a minute. She didn’t have any major problems.

The problem was Xu Lijing, who had provoked the fight.

Of course, after the other side retaliated, the matter would become a mutual assault, and she and the three boys would inevitably be taken for private mediation.

“I know,” Xu Lijing said indifferently, “I’ve been there many times. The police in this area almost know me.”

Song Ji’an had her eyes opened today. It was the first time she had seen such an arrogant ordinary high school student.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you hit him? Did he provoke you?”

Speaking of this, Xu Lijing became animated. She turned her head to look at Sheng Jia, as if suddenly wanting to share, “Do you remember the time that girl from Sanzhong and I fought in your Greenery Cafe?”

Sheng Jia nodded, “If I’m not mistaken, it’s the girl who was stopping her companions from coming forward and adding to your burden today, right?”

“That’s right, it’s her.” Xu Lijing nodded.

Song Ji’an, who had some understanding of the matter, was drawn in by her words and asked, “Why did she help you?”

“Because I reconciled with her,” Xu Lijing said slowly, “That time I fought with her, and we damaged things in the Greenery Cafe. The owner asked us both for compensation. Her relationship with her family isn’t as good as mine. How could she have the money to compensate? She humbly begged the Greenery Cafe’s owner to let her work to repay the debt. Anyway, I wasn’t short of money, so I helped her pay it off.”

“So she sincerely apologized to me and decided to do something with me,” Xu Lijing said, “She decided to help me find out who was spreading rumors about me behind my back.”

“I originally attended Sanzhong in the first year of high school, and I transferred to Jingjiang No. 1 High School in the second semester. She was my classmate in my original class. The person who knew me and would spread rumors about my grandmother must be someone who originally knew me. She and I traced back the source for three days and finally found that person.”

Song Ji’an didn’t expect that there was such a rough process behind this, “So you chose to beat him up in public?”

Xu Lijing glanced at her, self-satisfiedly saying, “Of course not. You don’t know, I’ve had a terrible few years. People say I’m a delinquent, that I’m a gangster. The funniest thing is that someone said my private life was chaotic and even spread rumors that my grandmother was angered to death by me.”

“It’s quite annoying to be misunderstood like this. How could I possibly out-talk so many mouths? But I was very unhappy to be rumored like this, so she and I discussed it and decided to find an opportunity to let the person who spread the rumors also experience the feeling of being treated with strange eyes.”

“The girl who fought with me is called Song Yi. She’s the captain of their school’s sports team, so she’s actually very respected. After I beat up those boys, they would definitely come after me. And after they left, others would definitely ask what happened. Song Yi would cooperate with me to repeat what they had done, the rumors they had spread. They wouldn’t be there, so they wouldn’t have the chance to deny it. And fighting in public, the surrounding merchants would definitely call the police. Regardless of whether they participated or not, Song Yi and her friends, me, and the rumor-monger would be taken to the Police Station for a detailed inquiry into the process. I hit them for a reason. I don’t believe they would dare to deny it at the Police Station. As long as there’s this double certification, the rumors will be self-defeating. Such a big event will definitely spread everywhere. In the future, the one who is despised will be them.”

After she finished speaking, the alley fell silent.

Song Ji’an looked at Xu Lijing with new eyes. She had never realized that this girl was so brave and resourceful, and that she retaliated so quickly.

Song Ji’an didn’t ask her why she didn’t take legal action? Because she knew very well that going through legal channels would take a long time. It was already the third year of high school, and the verdict might come down close to graduation. And the other party’s punishment might not be that great, and even because of the need to protect privacy, the fact that he was punished might not be known. After being punished, he could move to another city and still go to college properly, and might not even need to feel the strange gazes of others.

Xu Lijing’s method was faster, more accurate, and more ruthless, and it could achieve her goal. It was highly efficient and could ensure that unless the other party left Jingjiang, someone might recognize him no matter which school he transferred to in Jingjiang.

The disgusting title of “rumor-monger” would be permanently pinned on him for the next year. Perhaps no one would say it to his face, but there would always be strange gazes staring at him, mocking him in private.

Just like how these people treated Xu Lijing in the beginning.

“Aren’t you going to applaud me?” Xu Lijing scolded with a smile, “It’s rare for me to be so smart. It’s just that I didn’t want my two friends to get involved, otherwise, I wouldn’t have told you about my great feat.”

Song Ji’an quickly applauded her in support. At this moment, Sheng Jia’s phone rang, and she opened it, glanced at it, and then put it away.

“The owner said the police have arrived,” she stood up straight, turned her head and walked back, “Let’s go directly.”

Xu Lijing nodded, put her hands in her pockets and followed Sheng Jia forward. Halfway there, she turned her head to look at Song Ji’an, who was still standing in place, “Do you want to come along? Actually, you were dragged down by us. It doesn’t matter if you don’t go.”

Turning her head with her was also Sheng Jia. Those deep black eyes didn’t have any other emotions, only waiting for Song Ji’an’s reply.

Song Ji’an smiled at the two, “We ran this thing together, how can you leave me out? It’s also my first time going to the Police Station. You have to protect me a little.”

But in fact, in those few seconds that she stood there, she made another decision in her heart after thinking about it.

— She wants to help Xu Lijing.

Although her mother taught her mostly about reason from a young age, young people don’t need that much reason.

They act on their hearts. Song Ji’an admires Xu Lijing’s frankness and optimism. Her impression of her has completely changed. She doesn’t want Xu Lijing to lose.