My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 8 The Academy Turmoil (4)

Mu Shaoying walked through the corridor and past the artificial hill, estimating the speed at which He Jinbao and Zhang Mo came out of Cheng's place, and began searching for them around the pond.

Classes were still in session, and Mu Shaoying hadn't encountered anyone along the way. Before long, she heard He Jinbao's shouting voice from afar: "Zhang Mo, you dog! Who gave you the audacity to make decisions for me, and even apologize to that lackey Lin Ziping?!"

As Mu Shaoying approached, a pleading voice slowly drifted over, interspersed with muffled groans. Turning past the artificial hill, he saw only He Jinbao and Zhang Mo. Zhang Mo lay curled up on the ground, clutching his head, while He Jinbao kicked him repeatedly, hurling foul curses.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Mu Shaoying said to He Jinbao with a grin.

"You dog eunuch, what are you doing here?" He Jinbao stopped kicking Zhang Mo, looked at Mu Shaoying and said fiercely, "Who gave you the guts to complain to Master Cheng and punish me? Ha, don't you know that Master Cheng is my uncle?"

Mu Shaoying understood. So that's how it is. This must be one of the reasons why He Jinbao is so arrogant in the academy.

Seeing that Mu Shaoying remained silent, He Jinbao sneered, "Today I'll teach you a lesson again, so you'll know your place."

After saying that, he attacked Mu Shaoying, who turned to dodge. Mu Shaoying then tripped He Jinbao, disregarding the fact that he was older, and straddled He Jinbao, starting to hit him. He Jinbao fought back, but Mu Shaoying dodged and took the opportunity to pinch He Jinbao hard. Hmm, it's been years since he's fought, his technique is a bit rusty.

He Jinbao shouted loudly, "Zhang Mo, are you dead? Come and help me! Lin Ziping, I'm going to beat you to death."

Regardless of what He Jinbao shouted, Mu Shaoying knew that there were only three of them present. Zhang Mo had been beaten by He Jinbao earlier, so his fighting ability was only half. In a one-on-one fight, he had a fifty percent chance of winning.

Without thinking too much, Mu Shaoying swung her fist at He Jinbao, accompanied by pinching, scratching with her nails, and pulling his hair. She also took several punches from He Jinbao.

At some point, Zhang Mo joined the fray. Ha! That kid Zhang Mo actually managed to hit He Jinbao several times, and Mu Shaoying, not to be outdone, retaliated fiercely. The three of them exchanged punches and kicks, creating a chaotic scene.

"stop."

The three stopped fighting and turned towards the source of the sound. After some time, a large crowd had gathered around them. It was Master Li who had called for them to stop.

Zhang Mo withdrew his hand from Mu Shaoying's grasp, He Jinbao withdrew his kick, Mu Shaoying pinched He Jinbao's flesh and twisted it before withdrawing his hand, and slowly stood up.

The three "masters" stood in a respectful posture and bowed to Master Li.

"The three of you come to my classroom." Master Li flicked his sleeves and left, the three of them following closely behind, while the others silently departed.

Before long, the three of them followed Master Li to the classroom where Mu Shaoying had first arrived at the academy. Master Li was similar to the head of teaching affairs, mainly responsible for the management of the early childhood and elementary education.

Master Li strode into the house, and the three of them wanted to follow, but were stopped at the door by the servant who had brought Mu Shaoying to this courtyard on the first day.

“Fighting in the academy, each person punished with ten rulers. They will be forced to stand in the courtyard as punishment.” Master Li’s voice came from inside the room.

"Yes." The servant walked towards the three of them, carrying a bamboo board about half a meter long and four fingers wide.

He Jinbao and Zhang Mo raised their hands, and Mu Shaoying followed suit. "Clap, clap, clap..." The courtyard was quiet, and the crisp sound of the bamboo clappers carried far.

It hurts! Mu Shaoying gritted her teeth to avoid crying out.

It is true that protecting one's rights comes at a cost.

This outcome was within Mu Shaoying's expectations. When she chose to tell Master Cheng, she had already considered that it would be best if Master Cheng dealt with He Jinbao fairly. If he protected him, and Mu Shaoying complained to Master Cheng, He Jinbao, given his personality, would surely be furious, and Zhang Mo might be made a scapegoat. However, Zhang Mo's fate wouldn't be too significant. The important thing was that the two of them were alone today, and the route from the Master's classroom to the school's artificial hill and pond area was their only option. One against two, they could fight. This process might be witnessed by others, and if they told Master Cheng, they would inevitably be punished; if no one noticed, it would still send a signal to He Jinbao that she was not to be trifled with. The result was acceptable. Mu Shaoying had been waiting for He Jinbao and Zhang Mo since leaving Master Cheng's classroom, but she didn't know where they would be, so she searched around the pond for them.

It turns out she does have some brains after all. The little man in Mu Shaoying's mind laughed heartily, secretly pleased with himself.

Finally, the three of them were finished beating, their hands already red and raw. He Jinbao's face was gloomy as he glared fiercely at Mu Shaoying, while Zhang Mo kept his head down, his expression unreadable.

The servant turned and left. Mu Shaoying and the other two stood in the courtyard. Although the sun was already setting, the air was still hot. There was not a breath of wind in the courtyard, and soon the three of them were drenched in sweat. He Jinbao no longer had the strength to glare at Mu Shaoying.

He Jinbao stood in the middle of the three. Mu Shaoying glanced at him sideways. He Jinbao's hair bun had long since come undone, and his hair was a mess, with strands of hair sticking to his face, mixed with dust and sweat. There were also deep and shallow nail marks on his face, and his body was dirty.

Turning her gaze away, Mu Shaoying felt the pain radiating from her body and face. He Jinbao had punched her in the eye, and now she probably had a black eye. She'd also been hit several times, and her hands were burning with pain. Sigh, the original owner's body was still too weak.

The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, dappling Mu Shaoying's body. She felt as if everything before her was just a dream, that she hadn't grown up, hadn't worked, hadn't come here, and that she and her friends were still having PE class on the playground. She didn't want to think about anything, just longing for a breeze to blow by and relieve the summer heat, or for the PE teacher's "free time" to end so she could rush to the convenience store, feel the coolness of ice cream on her tongue instantly spread throughout her body, and squint her eyes in comfort. Then she would chatter with her friends about which flavor of ice cream was the sweetest.

Bullying has existed since ancient times, and the original owner of this body was not the only one bullied in this academy. Did the teachers know? Mu Shaoying believed they did, but perhaps they downplayed it because of Master Cheng, who was a family member of the bully, or perhaps they ignored it because it was none of their business.

Mu Shaoying pondered for a long time, but she couldn't convince herself with the idea that "existence is its own justification." Besides, since the original owner of this body was herself, she couldn't remain indifferent.