Chapter 32 Taking Responsibility for One's Actions

Wei Lai, Luo Ting, and Xu Miao—this was the trio that drove Hu Xiaodie to the brink.

Hua Shi’er took a drag of his cigarette, watching the three from a distance. Before entering this mission world, he had already familiarized himself with their backgrounds. Among them, Wei Lai was the "campus belle," possessing a youthful and pretty appearance but harboring a heart as venomous as a scorpion’s. She was the core of the trio.

Luo Ting was the group’s muscle. Born into a single-parent household with an alcoholic father, she had frequently suffered domestic abuse. In an environment defined by violence, she had learned to solve problems with force, becoming a rebellious girl who knew only how to use her fists.

As for Xu Miao, she was the least significant member, a mere follower who lived without a sense of self. She blindly followed Wei Lai and Luo Ting to bully others, only to later become a target of Wei Lai’s bullying herself—both pathetic and hateful.

Seeing the trio walk further away, Hua Shi’er exhaled a cloud of smoke, shoved his hands into his pockets, and followed them from a distance. His target for tonight was not Wei Lai, nor was it Luo Ting; it was Xu Miao.

As previously noted, Xu Miao was a girl without a sense of self. Unlike Wei Lai, who was malicious, or Luo Ting, who was rebellious, Xu Miao was the easiest to break.

He trailed them from afar, consistently maintaining a distance of about twenty meters. Although it was already dark, it was not yet late, and there were scattered pedestrians on the road, so his presence did not seem overly conspicuous.

Once the three parted ways to head home, Xu Miao turned onto a tree-lined street. Hua Shi’er noticed that the street cameras were obscured by the foliage and the area was sparsely populated. Knowing his opportunity had arrived, he smiled and called out from behind:

"Xu Miao, is that you?"

Hearing someone call out to her in a tone that sounded like an acquaintance, Xu Miao turned around. However, with the poor lighting at night, she couldn't see clearly and asked suspiciously, "Who are you…?"

"I’m your elementary school classmate! How could you forget?"

Hua Shi’er spoke with a note of reproach, as if the other person truly were a former classmate. By the time he finished speaking, he was already in front of her. With his left hand, he grabbed her arm, while his right hand pressed a plastic ruler against her lower back. He whispered, "Don’t scream, don’t move, and you won’t get hurt."

Despite usually running with Wei Lai and her group, Xu Miao was actually very timid. Feeling the plastic ruler pressed against her back and hearing those words, she assumed he was armed. Terrified, she didn't dare to cry out, her body trembling as she whimpered, "Please don't hurt me. I have three hundred yuan in my wallet for my lunch money this week—I’ll give it all to you, just don’t hurt me..."

Seeing her so frightened, Hua Shi’er knew his scheme had largely succeeded. He laughed inwardly, but his face remained cold as he said, "Calm down, I don't want your money!"

Hua Shi’er had already scouted the terrain and noticed a bench meant for pedestrians under the shade of the trees. He intentionally smiled and said, "It’s been so long; let’s go sit over there and talk for a bit!"

He then lowered his voice, "I have something I need to ask you. Don't be afraid!"

As he spoke, he pulled Xu Miao toward the bench. This way, if anyone passed by, they would assume it was just a young couple sitting by the roadside, not someone being held against their will. Of course, this all relied on the premise that Xu Miao would not dare to call for help.

Once he pulled her down, Hua Shi’er began the intimidation: "Don’t be afraid. I’m Hu Xiaodie’s brother. I’m here today to ask you some questions!"

Upon hearing that he wasn't a common thug, Xu Miao breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately became tense again. Her voice trembled as she said, "Hu Xiaodie committed suicide; it has nothing to do with us!"

Hua Shi’er gave a cold laugh. "'Us'? I haven't said anything yet. Who are the 'us' you're referring to?"

Realizing she had slipped up and fearing he might take action against her, Xu Miao was about to scream. Hua Shi’er issued a warning: "Shut up. I’ve learned enough since I came looking for you; don't force me to hurt you!"

Xu Miao was shaking all over. "Big brother, we were just bullying her a little. None of us thought she would jump off the building..." As she spoke, tears flowed uncontrollably, and her expression showed genuine remorse.

Hua Shi’er said in a low voice, "I know that among the three of you, Wei Lai is the leader. Your transgressions aren't major, and I won't cause trouble for you. I only need you to help me with one thing. If you help me, I’ll only give you a small warning. If you don't, then today..."

Before he could finish his threat, Xu Miao nodded repeatedly. "I’ll help, I’ll help, please, just don’t hurt me..."

Hua Shi’er nodded. "I keep my word. If you truly help me, there’s nothing to fear. I heard that when you were bullying my sister, you recorded it on your phone. Give me the video!"

Xu Miao hurriedly took out her phone, her fingers trembling as she used her fingerprint to unlock it and pulled up the videos recorded during the bullying of Hu Xiaodie.

Hua Shi’er took the phone and clicked play. Judging by the background, the video was filmed in a restroom. A beautiful, delicate girl stood there helplessly, her clothes soaked with water. As the video played, someone slapped her face, and others kicked her repeatedly.

That girl was Hu Xiaodie. She didn't dare to resist at all, only trembling as she endured it all.

In this clip, besides Hu Xiaodie, only Wei Lai and Luo Ting appeared on camera.

Hua Shi’er’s eyes twitched. "You’re all adults in your final year of high school; why can't you just act like decent human beings instead of committing such atrocities? Is this the only one, or are there more?"

Xu Miao pointed, signaling for Hua Shi’er to scroll down.

He swiped down to find at least a dozen more videos, all showing similar incidents involving Hu Xiaodie. What they all had in common was that Wei Lai and Luo Ting were in them; what differed were the locations and backgrounds.

Watching the videos, he asked casually, "How come you aren't in any of these?"

"I was the one recording these videos. Wei Lai and Luo Ting also recorded some... there are ones where... I’m in them... I really did try to stop them, I swear!"

Hua Shi’er nodded. He casually opened Xu Miao’s WeChat and began uploading these videos one by one to her Moments. He also saw that she was in class groups and college entrance exam prep groups, so he simply shared all the videos to those as well.

Xu Miao’s face was drained of all color. She wanted to beg him to stop, but she knew it was impossible—he had come specifically for Hu Xiaodie’s case.

Though Hua Shi’er didn't look at her expression, he seemed to sense her emotions and said coldly, "People must always take responsibility for their actions, don't they?"

Hearing the coldness in his tone, Xu Miao felt a wave of terror.

After finishing the uploads, Hua Shi’er threw the phone back to Xu Miao and said, "I believe the school and the police will come looking for you soon. Just tell them that you felt guilty about my sister and chose to expose the truth. Remember, don’t mention me. Do you understand?"

Hearing that he intended to let her go, Xu Miao felt her heart lighten significantly. She nodded repeatedly, hoping he would leave quickly so she could escape the danger and perhaps still have time to retract the videos.

Unexpectedly, Hua Shi’er seemed to have anticipated this. He took out a pin, poked the phone, and popped out the SIM card, sliding it into his own pocket. Panicked, Xu Miao realized she had no way to stop what had been done.