Pampered by the School Bully-Chapter 101 - 100, Sangzhi, I’m sorry

By 8 PM, Huo Feng and his group arrived at the arcade in Tangxia, where they frequently hung out, taking a taxi with Shen Nuan.

On Thursday evenings, there were fewer students, so there weren’t many people in the arcade either.

There’s an unwavering rule in every arcade: when it’s crowded, the dance machines are never idle, with people even sitting and waiting in line. Thus, only when the dance machines are free can one judge if the place isn’t that busy.

And tonight, the dance machines were quite unoccupied, which meant, by this standard, the arcade wasn’t very crowded.

Huo Feng bought 50 yuan worth of coins at the counter; since he had a card, he got an extra 10 coins for free, totaling 60 coins.

"Hey, you guys buy and spend your own money, I’ll just cover my ’Auntie’ here."

After stuffing the game card into Shen Nuan’s hand, Huo Feng looked up and said this to his ten ’sons’.

All ten ’sons’ were speechless with wide eyes: "Stingy!"

"Come on, ’Auntie’, let’s get some coins."

Ignoring them, Huo Feng dragged Shen Nuan out from the group of ten and headed to the coin dispenser.

Each of the ten brothers fished out the equivalent in change from their pockets, pooling it into Pan Bo’s palm—altogether 100 yuan.

When they added 100 yuan to the machine for 100 coins and received an extra 30 for free, they ended up with 130 coins in hand. But after dividing them, each person could only spend 13 coins. It was a rather pitiful amount...

But that didn’t really matter, they could still mooch off their ’Auntie’! After all, ’Auntie’ was easy to fool and coax...

The ten brothers happily exchanged their money for 130 coins and also made their way to the coin dispenser.

Soon, they scattered in groups of twos and threes throughout the arcade, each one lost in their own fun.

Huo Feng led Shen Nuan to the dance machine, placed a box of coins on the stand, and inserted three coins into the machine.

"Nuan Nuan, take your time and enjoy," he suddenly said.

"Aren’t you going to join me?" Shen Nuan asked, surprised.

Huo Feng looked at her and asked, "Do you still need someone to accompany you?"

Shen Nuan nodded, "Yeah, what if I fail in the first round..."

The dance machine was Shen Nuan’s favorite game in the arcade. Every time they came, she insisted on playing it, even if it meant waiting in line.

However, unfortunately, she wasn’t very good at it.

If one is skilled at this game, 3 coins could last for 3 songs, and with an excellent score, it might even stretch to 4 songs. But Shen Nuan... she tended to fail after just one song!

Therefore, she needed someone to lead...

In the past, it had always been Huo Feng who played with her. With Huo Feng’s high scores, she could ride on his coattails.

Moreover, Huo Feng was very stylish when playing the dance machine, even able to pull off various street dance moves. Playing with him gave her quite the bragging rights!

"Wait here, I’ll find someone to keep you company."

But this time, Huo Feng wasn’t going to join her.

Seeing Huo Feng walk away, Shen Nuan didn’t quite understand why but didn’t follow him. Instead, she started setting up the game interface and controls by herself.

It wasn’t long before Pan Bo ran over to Shen Nuan, "Hey, Nuan Nuan, I’ll keep you company."

After Pan Bo showed up, Huo Feng was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Nuan looked around and couldn’t help but ask him, "Where’s my big nephew?"

"Feng has got something to do. Don’t ask about it, I’ll play with you, I’m pretty good," replied Pan Bo, casually taking some coins from Shen Nuan’s game box and slotting them in.

Shen Nuan didn’t ask any further questions. Having a game to play, she was already focused on the game itself.

Pan Bo was also quite happy to accompany Shen Nuan.

Let’s remember, playing with Shen Nuan meant spending Huo Feng’s coins!

...

At that time, outside the arcade, Huo Feng found a quiet step by Yijia Square and sat down with a thud.

The evening breeze of autumn was slightly cool, relieving some of his agitation as it blew against his face.

Perched high on the steps with his long legs on the lower ones, Huo Feng’s figure seemed lonely and desolate from afar, unable to hide his melancholy.

He took out his phone, his fingers hesitating on the screen, uncertain of how to proceed.

"Tch... how should I say this..."

He rubbed his face again and sighed deeply, his brows knitted tightly together.

He was hesitating, figuring out how to coax Sangzhi.

Sangzhi was not nearly as easy to placate as ’Auntie’...

At this moment, Huo Feng even felt a bit scared.

What if she blamed him?

What if she took the opportunity to hurl cruel words at him again?

And if his pride, his fragile heart, were to be shattered once more... what then?

Huo Feng had been rejected by Pu Sangzhi too many times, but no matter how often, his immune system had not kicked in.

The more he cared, the more he feared, the more he had to tread carefully.

Pu Sangzhi, that girl, never considered his, Huo Feng’s, feelings. When she had harsh words to say, she didn’t hesitate—she poked and prodded whenever she could, seemingly seizing every chance to make Huo Feng let go...

"Ah..."

Running a hand through his hair, Huo Feng became tangled in indecision.

After an intense psychological struggle, he steeled his heart and mustered the courage to send a voice call to Zhu Dandan on WeChat.

Within a second, Zhu Dandan answered the call, her "hello" cautious and tentative.

"Where’s Sangzhi?" Huo Feng bit his finger, his eyebrows locked in a frown as he asked.

"Sangzhi..."

On the other end of the phone, Zhu Dandan turned to look at Pu Sangzhi, who was reading in her bed below at a diagonal angle, "She’s reading."

Having replied to him, Zhu Dandan saw Pu Sangzhi, who was in the lower bunk opposite, lift her head at the sound and glance over.

Zhu Dandan pointed at her phone and mouthed to Pu Sangzhi: ’Huo Feng!’

"How is she?" Huo Feng asked.

"Ah?" Zhu Dandan was startled.

"Does she know? Is she angry?" Huo Feng pressed on.

It was then that Zhu Dandan belatedly realized what Huo Feng was asking about.

Zhu Dandan was sandwiched between the call with Huo Feng and the gaze from Pu Sangzhi, feeling doubly threatened and knowing she had to be extra careful with her words.

"Well, why don’t you talk to Sangzhi on the phone?"

Anxious not to become the cookie caught between them, Zhu Dandan decisively got out of bed, stepped onto the ladder of the lower bunk, and tossed the phone onto Pu Sangzhi’s bed.

"Hey, I don’t want to take it..."

Pu Sangzhi’s initial reaction was to refuse, but with the phone already on her sheets, she reluctantly got up and picked up the phone.

"What’s up?" asked Pu Sangzhi.

Though the call remained connected, Huo Feng’s end was eerily quiet, as if there was no conversation at all.

Pu Sangzhi glanced at the screen, saw that it was still the call interface, and then put the phone to her ear again.

On the other end, Huo Feng was silent, but occasional sounds of the wind indicated he was outside.

"If you don’t speak, I’m hanging up."

"Don’t..."

At last, Huo Feng spoke.

But Pu Sangzhi wouldn’t know that Huo Feng, who had finally found his voice, was biting his fingers in nervousness, his features etched with struggle.

"What do you want to say?"

"Sangzhi..."

Huo Feng clenched his teeth, cautious as he probed, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Nope," Pu Sangzhi replied.

"Nothing?"

Relief washed over Huo Feng as he repeatedly confirmed, "Really nothing?"

She hadn’t lashed out at him...

She hadn’t spoken cruel words to him...

She hadn’t hit him, sworn at him, or told him to give up...

No harm done?

Huo Feng found it hard to believe!

"Nope."

Pu Sangzhi confirmed back to him, "If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."

"I do, I have something to say!"

Huo Feng suddenly cleared the gloom, energized as if he’d downed a sports drink!

"Go on, then," Pu Sangzhi said.

Huo Feng took a deep breath and his lips curved slightly, "You were slandered by those people, and I will take care of it. I have plenty of ways to shut them up!"

Pu Sangzhi: "Oh."

Huo Feng continued: "Also, I’ll make sure you get first place in the cheerleading squad."

Pu Sangzhi’s lips pursed, "Oh."

Huo Feng added: "And from now on, I won’t let anyone bully you."

Pu Sangzhi was silent for a moment and did not respond.

A few seconds later, Huo Feng said again: "Sangzhi, I’m sorry..."

Those three words suddenly struck her heart.

For a split second, Pu Sangzhi felt her heartbeat surge as if it had been hit, stimulated, inspired...

She had never dreamed that someone as proud as Huo Feng could utter such words.

Suddenly, she wanted to see Huo Feng’s face. She wondered whether speaking these few words had left his face bereft of its usual arrogance or flushed with shame?

"You were slandered, and it might be because of me. So, I, Huo Feng, am sorry to you. I will take responsibility and make things right."

Pu Sangzhi’s lips curved slightly, and the clouds in her heart cleared, "Idiot."

Huo Feng, this idiot...