Chapter 8 – The humiliation in the Cafeteria

I’m very lucky because old man Zhang likes to come to class late, he also keeps us in class late. After he slowly dismisses our class it’ll already be past noon and will be lunchtime.

Very few people bring their own lunches, most people either eat at the cafeteria, buy bread at the snack counter, or eat outside of the school.

I belong to the vast group that eats in the cafeteria, this is mainly due to convenience. It’s already 12:15, the pig slop served in the cafeteria should almost be gone.

The class leader Shu Sha is still staring over here, not to stir up trouble with me but to invite Xiao Qin to eat lunch with them. God is on my side, I don’t know why but old man Zhang stopped her and said a bunch of stuff to her in the hallway.

Xiao Qin moved towards my direction.

“Ye Lin classmate, do you want to eat lunch with me?” both hands grasped in front of her chest with a face full of expectation.

I instantly bolted away.

Look at my speed that can run 100m in 13.5 s! Although I have short legs I’m not inferior to the school track and field team!

I dashed down the hallway completely ignoring Xiao Qin’s shouts.

I’m not listening, I’m not listening, I’m not listening! As long as I surpass the speed of sound I can’t hear what you’re shouting anymore!

The classmates in the hallways avoid me one after another.

Someone on the student council just said “No running in the hallways”, but after seeing it was me, they instantly shut their mouth.

Actually, during the time of Xiao Qin’s ‘Little Tyrant’ period, she ran really fast (a pair of long legs).

On more than one occasion, she easily caught up to me from behind and then pressed my head into the mud.

At that time the neighborhood roads were in terrible condition, there was mud everywhere anytime it rained.

She would always laugh at one side saying: “Let me help you wash your hair!” or “Even a wild donkey needs to take care of personal hygiene!”

Ah, I’m recollecting about past unbearable things again! I must be getting old…

Xiao Qin fell on her butt pretty hard in class, is that why she hasn’t caught up yet?

Or is it that she will never be able to run as fast as before?

Why do I have an inexplicable feeling of sadness?

After my mad dash to the cafeteria, unsurprisingly most of the fighting was already over. Cups and dishes were strewn everywhere, along with a lifeless cleaning auntie that was somberly wiping the tables.

Although there wasn’t much food left that was orderable, Xiao Qin shouldn’t appear here, right?

Since she didn’t buy the uniform yet, she probably doesn’t have her meal card either, right?

Our 28 Middle School’s cafeteria is only open to students and teachers, not open to the public and doesn’t accept cash (No shit who would want to come in and eat this shit).

Even if you act cute and pretend to pitiful to get me to use my meal card, I will still refuse without hesitating!

I don’t even want to spend a cent on you! Even if I don’t have much lunch money, I won’t give you the funds that I donate to Jet Li either!

If you don’t want to be hungry go buy some bread! Or else go eat outside, a subway stop further away even has a Mcdonald’s lunch! Auntie Ren is an MMA champion, a celebrity in the world of martial arts, she likely gave you quite a bit of allowance, right?

I ordered a serving of string beans and meat, which has no meat at all. As well as a serving of julienned potatoes, which seems like it was stir-fried yesterday.

The cafeteria lady that was scooping rice for me also looked constipated.

It’s seriously depressing! What kind of service attitude is this? Also, this cooking level is even worse than my dads’! I’m not bragging, but the egg fried rice that I make is X times more delicious than this!

To comfort myself I went into the cold drinks area to get a cup of Coke.

“3 dollars? So expensive!” I complained looking at the price tag. (ED: 1 USD is approx 6 CNY)

“It’s not expensive at all! It’s 7 dollars at McDonald’s!” an uncle with a scraggly beard replied.

Buddy, that’s a large cup alright? Also, how can you compare this nasty ass cafeteria to the international brand of McDonald’s?

Carefully balancing my tray with the Coke, I planned to find a relatively clean table to sit at.

There were some people scattered about the cafeteria, it was mostly teachers with a few students.

Out of all the people here I collided with a female spilling some of my Coke onto her clothes.

“I’m really sorry classmate…” I hurriedly apologized. Although I may look terrifying I’m not an unreasonable person.

“No problem.” Ren Xiao Qin cheerfully replied.

When the hell did you get here! Your face isn’t red and you’re not out of breath! You even got your food already! Do you know teleportation! Also, you already have your meal card! You didn’t get your uniform first but the meal card! Didn’t know you were such a foodie!

“Let’s sit here, Ye Lin classmate.” Xiao Qin pointed to a desk in front of her. I guess this is one of the cleanest here.

She put down her tray and sat down. The coke on her shoulder stands out.

This set of Western-style clothing is pretty expensive, right? If she wore this on her first day she must like this set a lot, right? She mentioned last time she would get scolded if she dirtied her jeans, this time she dirtied her clothes, she probably also wouldn’t have it any better when she gets home.

“Ye Lin classmate, sit across from me?” seeing me eye the coke stain on her shoulders she pursed her lips and laughed.

“No worries, as long as you eat lunch with me, I won’t – get – mad?” she said as she made a victory sign with her hands.

My eyes! Me eyes received 5000 points of damage! You think you’re in a toothpaste commercial? Why are you smiling so sweetly!

While I was placing my tray on the table, I maintained a posture where I can sit or leave at any time.

Because my appearance and height are pretty eye-catching, regardless of student or teacher, they try to keep their distance and sit as far away from me as possible.

As if there’s an indiscriminate kill zone surrounding me. Only Ren Xiao Qin can survive in this zone.

Isn’t this clearly showing that I have a special relationship with her?

The rumors from this morning should be spread by now, right? The whole school thinks I’m chasing after her, right?

Hey, hey, hey. The auntie that’s wearing glasses and an owl wig. Aren’t you the head of teaching?

The school prohibits premature relationships! Didn’t you once take a picture of two classmates kissing with your cell phone and then sent it to their parents? Don’t you have no remorse even after you caused them to end up wanting to die? Why aren’t you breaking us up, eh?

I feel like there’s someone else staring at us.

Especially those two females that just walked in, aren’t they class leader Shu Sha’s eternal tag-alongs? You two gossip the most! During language class it was you two that slandered me of reaching my arm into Xiao Qin’s skirt, right?

When they saw me and Xiao Qin together, they froze for a second and without even getting any food, stood at the door secretively whispering about something.

Go get your damn food! Apparently, females can sate their hunger with gossip alone! If their embellished stories make it into the classroom, I won’t ever be able to clear my name!

Why should I happily eat lunch with you when you treated me so ruthlessly before?

In a moment, I raised that cup of coke and poured it all over Xiao Qin’s head.

It’s as if I was possessed, my appearance was like that of a ghost.

The two tag-alongs were dumbfounded by my actions and covered their mouths.

What I did also exceeded Xiao Qin’s expectations, causing her to be dumbstruck. The translucent coke swiftly flowed down her hair, some spilling onto her clothes with the majority flowing inside her collar. Xiao Qin uncontrollably shivered.

She wasn’t even able to completely put down her victory sign before a large part of her rice colored clothes were soiled. Some coke even got into her shoes.

She was covered literally from head to toe and completely humiliated by me!

In a split second tears were already forming in her eyes.

However, she quickly wiped it away with her sleeves. She set down her lunch and quickly walked towards the cafeteria’s washroom.

Her pace was very rushed with her canvas shoes creating Ta, ta, ta sounds over the cafeteria’s marble floors.

I slightly regretted it.

I wanted to go over, stop her, and tell her that it wasn’t intentional. I only did this because I was too angry to think straight…

I saw those two tag-alongs also follow her into the washroom. They probably wanted to help Xiao Qin clean up, and then perhaps gather some more gossip?

“How violent…how could you treat a female this way…”

“I heard that girl just transferred today and was bullied cruelly all day…”

“Isn’t it fine if she just agrees to go out with Ye Lin? Otherwise, she would have to transfer schools again…”

Everyone was avoiding me and quietly whispering to each other.

The head instructor saw the whole thing happen in front of her eyes, but she didn’t move whatsoever and continued with her meal.

Don’t you always strictly admonish with a sense of justice? That was clearly bullying, right? You had the ability to almost cause two students to die from cutting their own wrists, yet you’re afraid to control me? Because I was rumored to have stabbed someone and also sold drugs, even if I toyed with a female student and publicly humiliated her, you’re going to pretend to be blind?

Also, all you students that are discussing at a safe distance, aren’t there famous upper year female students? The 28 Middle talented and good looking Madonna? Don’t you vigorously participate in student organization debates? Why aren’t you reprimanding me! Am I that scary?

Class leader Shu Sha, you justice devil, and also number 1 loyal dog glasses bro, why aren’t you guys here!

Anyone, please scold me, that way I can take that opportunity to apologize to Xiao Qin!

No one was willing to denounce me. I suppressed my anger, sat down and slowly started to eat the unpalatable food.Xiao Qin’s garlic shoots fried with eggs looked like it was becoming colder and colder.

Xiao Qin didn’t come back by the time I lost my appetite.

I originally planned to wait across from Xiao Qin’s cold food, at this moment some guy not afraid to die hit me on the back, it hurt too.

I thought that Xiao Qin had come back, but when I turned I only saw one of the tag-along, a fat girl nicknamed ‘Loud Mouth’.

“Stop waiting, Xiao Qin already went back to the classroom. Tell her whatever you want to say when you go back!”

I stood up in a daze and walked towards the door, ‘Loud Mouth’ shouted at me with ample volume:

“Make sure to properly apologize! Honestly! If you like someone, don’t use such an intense method!”

I guess not everyone was scared of me. Even if I treated Xiao Qin like this, does she still like me?

Don’t tell me I was wrong? I was wrong right from the get-go?