Seeing them cower in fear, Qin Shu sneered, “The two of you weren't afraid when you bullied Ye Xue, were you? So why are you both acting like cowards now?”

Qin Shu grabbed the girl who had answered the door. The girl was so scared that she confessed, “D-don't hit me. I didn't hit Ye Xue. Only Lu Yan did. She always torments Ye Xue. P-please, let me go…”

“You're an accomplice – that makes you just as guilty as Lu Yan.” hissed Qin Shu.

Lifting the girl's chin, Qin Shu slapped the girl black and blue.

She did the same to the other miscreant quivering at her side.

In the hallway, a large crowd of students had gathered to watch the show. Loud voices ricocheted off the walls. Some egging on the partic.i.p.ants to the conflict, while others shouted for help from the professors and lecturers of the university.

Qin Shu eyed the three girls who were crying and shook her head. They had received their just desserts.

Walking over to Ye Xue, Qin Shu examined her wretched form. Her hair was in a mess, her cheeks were puffy and red, and tears pooled in her eyes. She sighed.

Straightening Ye Xue's hair and wiping off the blood-stained mouth, she gently reproached her friend. “Why didn't you say anything? Don't you know how to stand up for yourself? Even if you can't beat them, you can't just let them roll over you like that. Bullies. .h.i.t hardest when they know their victims won't retaliate.”

Ye Xue sobbed quietly as she listened. She had been trying so hard to fend off her tears but the words of her friend struck home, unleas.h.i.+ng the torrent of tears she had dammed up.

Qin Shu jabbed in the direction of the three girls and said, “See? The next time someone bullies you, just do as I did and hit them back. Don't be wishy-washy in the way you handle bullies. If you can't do it, I'll do it for you. That's what friends are for, right?”

Ye Xue wailed into Qin Shu's shoulder, her tears falling in a seamless cascade of emotions. It felt like her pent up frustrations were being unleashed all in one go. It hurt. It really, really hurt. Yet, it also evoked an indescribable sense of warmth.

“Alright, let's get you to the infirmary. It'll probably have something for the swelling.”

Slinging Ye Xue's arm over her shoulder, Qin Shu supported Ye Xue out of the room and towards the infirmary.

The crowd outside parted as they hobbled past.

A while later, a professor and a lecturer rushed over to attend to the three girls who had been beaten up.

Part of Lu Yan's arrogance stemmed from the fact that she was a niece to one of the university's lecturers.

Seeing his niece all battered and bruised, the lecturer rushed her to the hospital.

The other two girls were sent to the hospital together in an ambulance.

Once Lu Yan had taken some painkillers, the lecturer asked her what happened.

Lu Yan blamed the whole incident on Ye Xue and Qin Shu, shedding crocodile tears and pretending to be miserable.

“Uncle, Ye Xue and Qin Shu attacked me! They were jealous of my beauty. Look at what they have done! Not only did they disfigure me but also rendered me lame in one arm. It hurts so much…”

Lu Yan yowled hysterically. Despite being dosed heavily on painkillers, she acted out a convincing skit dramatizing her suffering.

When the lecturer saw how much pain she was in, his heart ached and he believed her without a second thought.

“Rest and recover. I shall have a word with the dean. We can't have such barbaric students loitering on campus. They'll be expelled, I a.s.sure you. Don't worry. If I have my way, I'll make sure they compensate you fully for all your medical expenses.”

The lecturer stalked out of the ward angrily. He could not let such an injustice stand. He needed to speak to the dean as soon as possible.

With her uncle dancing in the palm of her hand, Lu Yan did not believe that Qin Shu and Ye Xue would trouble her any further. How could they if they were both expelled, after all?

A smug smile tugged at Lu Yan's lips. There was no way Qin Shu and Ye Xue would not be expelled for what they had done to her.

The outraged lecturer returned to the university with a chest full of grievances and marched to the dean's office with purposeful strides.

The dean's office…

The lecturer parroted Lu Yan's words with righteous indignation, repeating himself for good measure.

“Dean, those students ought to be expelled! If they're beating up fellow students now, just imagine what they might do in the future. The reputation of the Imperial University is at stake!

The dean listened with a pensive look donning his face. “Expulsion is a serious matter. It is only ever a last resort.” the dean frowned.

“With all due respect, you didn't see how badly those three girls were beaten up. If we had arrived any later they could have died. Think of what the press would say! The reputation of the Imperial University would be tarnished beyond repair.”

The lecturer noticed the dean's hesitation and decided to add fuel to the fire. Any inst.i.tution of repute would be wary of the press. A few well-placed reviews could either make or break the university's reputation.

The dean took the words under advis.e.m.e.nt and said, “Very well. You have my endors.e.m.e.nt. The two offenders shall be expelled. Hopefully, they will reflect on their actions and become better individuals with this expulsion.”

“Yes. You're right, esteemed dean. We can only pray that they won't make the same mistake again.”

Satisfied with the dean's verdict, the lecturer took his leave and stepped out of the office.

The first person he called was his niece, Lu Yan, to inform her of his success.

“Qin Shu thank you for your help. If not for your timely intervention, I wouldn't have gotten away with just minor injuries,” whispered Ye Xue as she nursed her aching cheeks.

“There's no need for thanks. We're friends. Just… Don't let them use you as their punching bag. Fight back.”

The world is a cruel place – and crueller still to those unwilling or unable to stand up for themselves. Bullies preyed on the weak but feared to take action against the strong. Therefore, it was imperative never to show weakness in the face of a bully.

“I understand. The next time someone bullies me, I-I'll fight back.” Ye Xue stuttered. Her declaration was one devoid of conviction.

Arriving at an intersection, Ye Xue paused and said in a soft voice, “I-I'll go back to the dormitory.”

“What do you mean you'll go back to your dorm. Move-in with me. There are plenty of empty rooms in my apartment.” Qin Shu stared at her friend with a raised brow. She did not feel comfortable allowing Ye Xue to return to her dormitory.

Even if the problem posed by Lu Yan had been sorted out, there was still Zhang Yan and Li Yan who shared the dorm room. They would, no doubt, return to their bullying ways in short order. A person's innate character did not change overnight.

“I don't want to inconvenience you…” Ye Xue was touched by Qin Shu's kind gesture but she did not want to burden her friend more than she already had.

“It's not an inconvenience at all. The apartment really is quite big.”

“I'll accompany you, then. If your sure, that is.”

Ye Xue was so happy that a smile bloomed on her face. Not even the pain she felt, in doing so, could put a dent in her smile.

Qin Shu beamed with joy. She was thrilled to have Ye Xue as a roommate.

On their way to the dormitory, they met Fu Tingyan and Jiang Yu.

Ye Xue was so ensconced in her bubble of happiness that she did not notice them until they right by their side.

Jiang Yu greeted them cheerfully. However, when he caught sight of Ye Xue's face, he could not help but ask, “What's wrong with your face?”

Mortified, Ye Xue hid behind Qin Shu. She did not want Jiang Yu to see her hideous form.

“Why are you hiding?”Jiang Yu asked gloomily. He was not some ferocious beast.

“We've known each other for a long time. There's no need to be shy, right?”

Jiang Yu recalled Fu Tingyan telling him how Ye Xue was very shy.

Fu Tingyan: “…”

Qin Shu: “…”

At first, she had not hidden behind Qin Shu because she was feeling shy. After Jiang Yu remarked of her shyness, however, she terribly so.

Despite having known each other for so long, she still felt rather self-conscious in Jiang Yu presence.