Standing Next To You-Chapter 52: The School Tyrant

A lifetime ago...

Fei Chuan had finished his meal. He was a light eater and left a bit of soup in his bowl.

Opening the container of cookies, he took in their scent. An indiscernible smile graced his lips, illuminating his delicate, handsome face.

Unfortunately, no one had the chance to witness this beautiful sight since his face was partially obscured by his slightly long hair.

Grandma Pei’s cookies...

His only comfort food in this harsh world.

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy his favorite food as much as he used to in the past.

Grandma Pei was getting old. Fei Chuan had told her that he didn’t want her to exhaust herself baking just for him. However, Grandma Pei knew how much he loved her cookies.

She had baked him some, and Fei Chuan treasured each cookie so much that he found it almost wasteful to eat them all at once.

He selected one and admired it for a moment before taking a bite. Just as he was about to savor it, a loud slap on his back startled him, causing him to drop the cookie.

Fei Chuan instinctively reached out to catch it, but he was too slow. He could only watch helplessly as his cherished cookie fell to the floor.

"Hey, Fei Chuan. Enjoying your meal, huh?"

Several boys encircled Fei Chuan, with malicious smiles on their faces.

Fei Chuan immediately understood what these people came here for. Out of habit, he glanced in one direction.

There, he saw Bei Sangyun surrounded by her fake friends, looking high and mighty as she watched this scene from a distance. Her lackeys were laughing and casting glances in their direction.

"Hey, you haven’t finished all your food. You left some in your bowl. It’s not good to leave leftovers, friend. Don’t waste food." The teenager suddenly grabbed the bowl and poured its contents over Fei Chuan’s head without warning.

Fei Chuan immediately stood up, but some of the soup had already soaked into his hair and uniform. He glared angrily at the person responsible.

"Hey, what are you glaring at? You planning to kill me with your eyes?"

"Shut it," Fei Chuan replied angrily, his fists clenched.

He wanted to punch these people in the face, but he knew his physical strength was lacking, and he’d likely end up losing a fight. To minimize the damage for now, his best course of action was to keep silent and avoid escalating the situation.

However, it frustrated him that all he could do was glare.

"Hey, what’s this? You even brought cookies?" Another teenager grabbed the container from the table and opened it.

"Put it down," Fei Chuan said coldly, but his warning was ignored.

The teenager upended the container, causing all the cookies to fall onto the floor.

"Hey, you turned it over, you idiot," another teenager laughed as he stepped on the cookies.

Fei Chuan’s eyes darkened as he coldly gazed at each of them, committing their faces to memory. He couldn’t retaliate now, but he vowed to repay them when they least expected it.

Fei Chuan could only comfort his pride in this way.

Then his gaze landed on Bei Sangyun, who was observing from a distance. The anger in his eyes radiated as he stared at her.

"Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean I’m a pushover," he declared before leaving the hall with a dark expression.

For now, all he could do was endure, but he vowed to settle the score when the opportunity arose.

****

Bei Sangyun returned to the room with a dark expression. Her gaze scanned the back of the room, but Fei Chuan was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she fixed her cold stare on the students who claimed to be her ’friends.’

They had been laughing and joking around until Bei Sangyun abruptly seized one of the male students by the collar.

"Tell me, did you guys lay a hand on Fei Chuan despite what I told you?"

The room fell silent as the laughter ceased.

"B-boss Lin, we didn’t touch Fei Chuan..." the male student, held by Bei Sangyun’s iron grip on his collar, stammered.

Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes and released him, only to snatch another male student roughly by his necktie. The student nearly stumbled, but Bei Sangyun prevented him from falling flat on his face. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Though her arms tingled from the sudden exertion, Bei Sangyun maintained her menacing demeanor. She demanded, "Then who did it? Who dared to lay a finger on Fei Chuan?"

The male student who had nearly fallen was trembling with fear, unable to speak.

Bei Sangyun was notorious for a reason, and it wasn’t just because of the Lin family’s influence or her rule over the school. It was her volatile temper, which could erupt at any moment, that truly terrified the other students, especially when she was angry.

One of the female students stepped forward. "B-boss Lin, it wasn’t us. After you left, we went to the rooftop for some fresh air and returned here afterward. We never went near Fei Chuan."

Bei Sangyun’s gaze shifted to her, and the female student’s heart jumped nervously. "W-we really don’t know..."

Another female student, also part of their group of fake friends, gently tugged at the hem of Bei Sangyun’s sleeve in an attempt to calm her. "Boss Lin, are you referring to this?"

She presented her phone to Bei Sangyun.

Someone had posted a video of what had transpired in the cafeteria, along with an intriguing caption in the school’s forum:

[The School Tyrant played with her target again. Poor him.]

Bei Sangyun: "...."

She played the video.

On the screen, five male students surrounded Fei Chuan. The footage captured the moment when one of the students poured soup over Fei Chuan’s head and another student tossed his cookies onto the floor.

Some bystanders laughed, while others looked at Fei Chuan with pity.

The video’s owner had zoomed in on Fei Chuan, attempting to capture his expression, but his long bangs obscured his eyes.

Then, as if sensing someone was recording him, he raised his head and happened to look directly at the camera.

Bei Sangyun paused the video.

On the screen, Fei Chuan appeared calm. However, as someone who had constantly fought with Fei Chuan for a whole lifetime, she recognized what lay beneath that seemingly tranquil gaze.

Fei Chuan was furious. Extremely so.

It appeared that this incident had left a lasting mark on him. Knowing Fei Chuan, he must be committing this scene to his memory, to fuel his hatred towards these people and her.

Bei Sangyun’s expression was complicated as she focused on Fei Chuan’s clenched fist.

Fei Chuan was an individual of pride and arrogance, someone who held onto grudges and made sure his adversaries paid, regardless of how much time had passed. Wasn’t that why he had visited her grave relentlessly for twenty years?

Now, the man who carried that pride had been publicly humiliated in front of everyone, likely testing his patience to the brink.

Bei Sangyun’s gaze dropped. She had experienced these emotions many times in the past and knew just how painful they could be.

At that moment, her focus had been solely on her own feelings, and she hadn’t spared a glance at Fei Chuan’s predicament. It had never crossed her mind that someone as arrogant as Fei Chuan could also experience the same suffering she had endured.

Yet, now it seemed that this incident was likely connected to her in some way.

"Who are these people?" she asked.

The female student who had handed her the phone recited the students’ names. All of them belonged to the same section, making it easy for Bei Sangyun to identify them.

She handed the phone back to the female student and said, "If Fei Chuan comes into the room, let me know. And don’t disturb him. If I find out any of you have pulled a foolish stunt like those other idiots, you’ll face the consequences."

With that, Bei Sangyun left the room.

The group of fake friends breathed sighs of relief after the ordeal. They gathered together, gossiping among themselves. "What’s her deal now? Is she protecting Fei Chuan?"

"That’s impossible. You know how she always emphasizes bothering him, especially before exam days. There’s no way she’d suddenly become protective of him. She must have some personal motive."

"Why would she personally go after him when there are plenty of others who would do it for her?"

"How would I know? That’s how psychopaths think."

In the second row from the front, Lin Sunji listened attentively. She furrowed her brows in deep thought.

*****

Bam!

The door of Class 3-5B swung open with a loud bang. All eyes turned toward the intruder who had made such a dramatic entrance.

When they saw who it was, their eyes widened in astonishment.

"It’s Lin Sangyun! The school tyrant!"

"W-what’s she doing here?"

"Is she picking her target from our section? We’re in trouble!"

Bei Sangyun: "...."

Sure, she had a temper, but she didn’t randomly choose anyone to be her target!

Nevertheless, this situation had its advantages. It would make things easier for her. After all, she was accustomed to playing the role of the tyrant, and it suited her perfectly.

Bei Sangyun walked confidently to the front of the classroom, where the students stared at her in horrified silence. It was the last class of the afternoon, so there were no teachers around, only a few students who had remained in their classrooms or those who returned from the cafeteria.

Bei Sangyun’s gaze swept over the students, but she didn’t spot the five male students from the video.

She took a seat at the teacher’s desk, and no one dared to challenge her presence in their classroom or suggest that she shouldn’t be there.

"Where is the class president?"

Silence greeted her question.

Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes, and the students immediately averted their gazes, afraid to make eye contact and become her chosen target.

"I won’t ask again," Bei Sangyun warned, playing her role as the school tyrant to perfection.

All eyes turned toward the bookish male student, who was starting to sweat nervously.

Why was the school tyrant looking for him?

His only achievement in life was being the class president, and he usually kept a low profile. Surely, he wasn’t significant enough for the school tyrant to notice.

The bookish male student was afraid of becoming the new target, however, he was also afraid of Bei Sangyun’s threat. So hesitantly raised his hand.

Bei Sangyun eased up her narrowed eyes. "Bring all your classmates back here, including the five idiots."

The bookish male student breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Bei Sangyun wasn’t targeting him but had another matter in mind. "May I ask... what should I tell them?"

"Just inform them that it’s an emergency. Those who don’t return will face consequences."

A chill ran through the students at her last word.

Could it be....she would choose her target among the latecomers?!