Volume One, Chapter 18: Don't Bully Me
One arm blocked her back, the other slipped through the bend of her legs. Mu Yao was held firmly in someone’s embrace. Her struggling ceased as she recognized who was holding her, and she raised her hand to wrap around the man’s neck.
“Oh? Brother Gu, having a romantic encounter right as you step out, huh~~”
Gu Nanxiao carried her into his private room, shooting a headache-filled glance at the group of onlookers crowding around.
“Lan Yuan, I’m leaving first. You handle this.”
“Hey, you—”
Lan Yuan watched his longtime friend’s retreating back and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
“Who are you? Put Mu Yao down right now!”
Gao Mingyu chased after them, clutching Mu Yao’s bag. He had just witnessed the entire scene of Mu Yao falling and being picked up again.
Gu Nanxiao gave him a cold glance. That single look pinned Gao Mingyu to the spot.
It was that man again.
The faint floral scent usually lingering on the person in his arms was now replaced by the strong stench of alcohol.
Gu Nanxiao took a few steps forward. The girl in his arms stirred restlessly, clearly uneasy in her sleep.
He stopped abruptly.
“Give me the bag.”
“Who exactly are you?! What’s your relationship with Mu Yao? Give her back or I’ll call the police!”
“Give you? You’re not worthy.”
Gu Nanxiao sneered.
“Gu Nanxiao... let’s go home...”
Gao Mingyu loosened his grip on the bag. Mu Yao’s reaction had already given him the answer.
“...Take good care of her.”
Gu Nanxiao cast him a cold glance, took the bag, and carried Mu Yao away without giving anyone else a chance to speak.
He used Mu Yao’s fingerprint to unlock the door.
Gently laying her on the bed, he was about to leave but glanced back.
The bedroom door closed and then opened again.
Gu Nanxiao returned.
“Ugh…”
The person on the bed frowned, tossing uncomfortably.
Gu Nanxiao hurried over to check.
He carried Mu Yao into the bathroom.
The girl leaned painfully against the toilet, the sour, pungent smell assaulting his nostrils.
Gu Nanxiao hesitated briefly, then gently patted her back.
“Throw up. Once it’s all out, you’ll feel better.”
Over and over, until only dry heaves remained.
After rinsing her mouth, Mu Yao looked at Gu Nanxiao through the mirror.
The scene mirrored exactly what had happened hours ago.
“Gu Nanxiao... please don’t bully me…”
The girl had withdrawn all her sharpness, revealing her softest, most vulnerable side to him.
Gu Nanxiao didn’t press further.
In a way, he had accepted those words.
...
Morning.
Mu Yao’s head throbbed fiercely.
Along with the headache came the unbearable memories of the previous night.
What had she done?!
She reached out to pull the blanket over her head.
Turning her head, she noticed a bag of medicine on the bedside table—not hers—with a thoughtful note attached.
“The medicine is for sprains; use it as directed.”
The flowing, elegant handwriting was unmistakable, even if Mu Yao turned to dust she would know who had written it.
So... all the madness from yesterday wasn’t a dream.
Before leaving, Mu Yao glanced nervously at the opposite door.
She licked her dry lips and pressed the hat down hard over her head.
...
“Mu Yao, you’re suspended.”
She had just arrived at school, barely had time to set down her bag before the principal summoned her to the office.
She wasn’t alone.
Liu Ting and Li Xun’s father were there as well.
“The school received a formal complaint from a parent accusing you of privately tutoring students. Li Xun’s father confronted you about it, and you hit him without hesitation! Mu Yao, do you have any sense of teacher’s ethics?! Do you have any morals?!”
The old principal slammed the desk in anger.
The man sitting there, smug and self-satisfied, chimed in occasionally.
Mu Yao looked at Liu Ting beside her.
“What are you looking at Liu Teacher for? She testified; every word I said is true!”
Mu Yao stared blankly at the dramatic scene unfolding before her.
The three of them stood around her from different directions.
It felt like a massive cage trapping her.
Regardless of the truth, a single sentence could condemn her.
Mu Yao twisted her lips in bitter irony.
“Alright, principal, calm down. I believe Teacher Mu has deeply realized her mistakes, so I won’t pursue this further. But please, Teacher Mu, think twice before acting in the future.”
Li Xun’s father’s words drew all the principal’s attention.
The once fierce man now bowed and scraped like a lapdog.
Mu Yao watched the scene with cold detachment.
After Li Xun’s father finished speaking and left the office, the principal immediately returned to his composed demeanor.
Who the fawning, flattering man had been just moments ago, no one knew.
This world... was truly laughable.
Outside the office door, Liu Ting stopped Mu Yao from opening it.
“Teacher Mu, I…”
“Teacher Liu, as long as you have a clear conscience.”
...
Mu Yao stepped out of the teaching building carrying her things.
She had only taken a few steps before being stopped.
In broad daylight, on the school’s wide road.
Some people abused the power and influence they wielded, doing whatever they pleased.
“Teacher Mu, I think you’ve realized your mistake by now, haven’t you?”
Li Xun’s father approached Mu Yao step by step, and when half a meter from her, reached out to grab her shoulder.
Mu Yao remained motionless, allowing him to act.
The hand on her shoulder applied force, pulling her toward him.
A chaotic mix of tobacco and alcohol fumes flooded her nostrils.
Mu Yao swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to vomit.
“Sir, please show some restraint. The school has surveillance cameras.”
Mu Yao said calmly.
“Hahaha! Teacher Mu, you’re sharp indeed. Come, let’s go somewhere private!”
The man dragged Mu Yao toward the underground garage.
Along the way, Mu Yao’s eyes darted silently around, as if searching for something.
The Audi’s rear door opened.
Under the man’s relentless urging, Mu Yao slowly put down her belongings.
Today was rather fortunate.
The moment the man lunged at her, Mu Yao sidestepped nimbly.
In a flash, before the man could make another move, Mu Yao used his forward momentum to raise her foot and strike hard.
Her years of self-defense training came into play.
The man dropped to his knees in the classic pose, the swelling on his forehead visibly rising.
“I’ve realized something: trash needs to be sorted properly. Non-recyclable garbage can’t be dumped anywhere!”
With that, Mu Yao clapped her hands, picked up her things from the ground, and walked away.
On the way home, her car phone kept ringing incessantly.
Seizing a red light, Mu Yao grabbed her phone and glanced at it.
Her suspension was extended indefinitely starting today.
A smirk curled her lips, disdain flashing vividly in her eyes.
She shut off the phone and tossed it aside.
Turning the steering wheel, the car headed toward the outskirts.
She put on sunglasses and rolled down the window.
Silencing the world around her, she listened to the sounds of nature.
...
After indulgence came endless emptiness.
Sometimes, as Mu Yao sat quietly in the balcony swing chair, she wondered if she had acted impulsively.
But she did not regret it.
At first, she had considered the school’s proposed solutions, but later she simply threw them into the recycling bin.
This job... she truly was starting to lose the desire to continue.