This week, John continued to pick on me now and then, clearly trying to provoke me. He often mocked me in front of the entire class. Several times I wanted to fight back, but I held myself back. What happened last time had already cost me a great deal, and I didn't want to cross him again.
Linda, on the other hand, was still holding a grudge about what happened last week when I accidentally took advantage of her. Every time she saw me, she wore a sour expression, which left me quite frustrated.
Before I knew it, the weekend had arrived again. I stayed at school with Mia, Da Luo, and Xiao Luo instead of going home. On Saturday afternoon, we strolled around the pedestrian street and used our limited money to buy a few small gifts for Harper's birthday.
Harper chose to celebrate her birthday at a KTV called "Nightfall" on Pingjiang Street. The place was quite luxurious, its facade lit with neon lights. Two rows of hostesses in high-slit cheongsams stood by the entrance, giving it an upscale feel.
Before we arrived, Harper had already called to inform me that she had reserved room 401 and told us to head straight there.
When we took the elevator up to Room 401, we realized there were quite a few classmates already there. Harper was well-liked in our class. Other than the ones who had gone home for the weekend, most of the class had come, plus some of her personal friends. The spacious room had around 20 to 30 people.
Harper was clearly dressed up for the occasion, wearing a formal evening gown that revealed her fair shoulders. With light makeup, she looked more mature than usual. She was chatting with a few of her close friends but walked over with a smile when she saw us. "Andrew, you're here."
Mia chimed in, "We were out picking a birthday gift for the great Miss Tang, so we're a little late."
Slightly embarrassed, I handed over my small gift. "Happy birthday." It was a brooch — beautiful in design but quite inexpensive. Mia and the others also handed over their gifts.
"Thanks, everyone!" Harper smiled sweetly, accepting them one by one and inviting us to sit wherever we liked.
I glanced around the room. On the front wall was a giant screen playing music. In front of it was a small dance floor surrounded by glass tables and leather sofas. People sat around in small groups — the girls chatted and sipped drinks, while some boys were playing dice games and drinking beer.
Mia, the Luo brothers, and I found a more secluded spot and each opened a beer while chatting. I glanced around covertly but didn't see John. He probably hadn't arrived yet. However, I did spot Xu Jie. She was wearing a tight dress that showed off her incredibly curvy figure — it dazzled every boy in the room.
Mia had a crush on Xu Jie, so he went over to chat with her. Unfortunately, she didn't seem interested and he returned soon after, dejected, quietly joining us again.
A little while later, John finally showed up, wearing a tracksuit and carrying a bouquet of bright red roses. Behind him were a few hip-hop-looking guys, clearly not from our class — probably his friends.
John walked in loudly wishing Harper a happy birthday and handed her the bouquet. Harper smiled and accepted it with a thank-you.
Everyone knew John was one of Harper's admirers. A classmate named Cen Binyang joked, "Harper, roses mean love! John gave you roses — is he confessing? Are you accepting his love by accepting the flowers?"
The room went quiet as everyone turned their attention to Harper. I stared too, for some reason feeling anxious that she might actually accept John. I just didn't think someone like him deserved her.
John also looked nervous, clearly hopeful.
But Harper just smiled and said, "This isn't a bouquet of roses, it's Chinese roses — 'yueji.' You can tell by the leaves, thorns, and shape. Rose leaves are crinkled with small thorns, but Chinese roses have smooth leaves and no thorns…"
Everyone was confused by her explanation, unsure where this was going, until Harper continued, "Roses symbolize love, but Chinese roses symbolize friendship. So John is wishing me lasting friendship — not love. Don't misunderstand, and we're still students, so let's not talk about early relationships."
She then smiled and invited John and his friends to sit down and asked the staff to bring out the cake.
Seeing John's awkward expression made me secretly happy. Honestly, most roses sold in city shops are actually Chinese roses. Though they can symbolize both friendship and love, everyone got tricked by Harper's clever response.
We sang the birthday song, cut the cake, and after eating, the real party began. The DJ music kicked in, and John's hip-hop friends began breakdancing in the center of the room. They were pretty good, and the girls especially cheered them on.
Harper, being more reserved, didn't join the dancing and instead came over to chat with us. I whispered to her, "That was pretty savage."
Harper frowned cutely. "Why would you say that?"
I replied, "Chinese roses can also represent love, right?"
Harper quickly shushed me. "Keep it down! Don't get me in trouble."
We drank for a bit longer. Mia drank the most. Normally timid, he became bolder with each drink — like Qiao Feng from *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*. The more he drank, the braver he got.
Suddenly, Mia cursed loudly, "Damn it!"
Startled, I followed his gaze and saw one of the hip-hop guys, wearing an earring, chatting with Xu Jie by the dance floor. They looked quite cozy.
Mia seemed jealous and said, "You guys play, I'm going to the bathroom."
We didn't think much of it and kept drinking. But just two minutes later, chaos erupted near the dance floor — a fight had broken out.
Turns out Mia, driven by drunken jealousy, had smashed a beer bottle over the earring guy's head.
John and his crew weren't having it. They knocked Mia down and started kicking him brutally.
"We have to help Mia!" I shouted and rushed forward.
Da Luo and Xiao Luo hesitated, but seeing me charge in, they followed. Over the past weeks, we had grown closer. Even though they normally avoided fights, they didn't want to leave Mia hanging.
John had been provoking me for days, and I was already angry. I'd come to realize he wasn't better than me because he was tougher — just because he had more allies. If I wanted to have real support too, I had to stand by my friends. Helping Mia wasn't just about loyalty — it was strategic.
I remembered what the gangster boss at the hospital told me: *When you face a bully, be tougher than him. If someone's hard to deal with, go all the way.*
"Stop! I said STOP!"
I grabbed one of the hip-hop guys and punched him in the jaw, sending him flying.
"I told you to stop — didn't you hear me?!" I yelled, landing another knee to someone's stomach. He crumpled, clutching his gut.
Da Luo and Xiao Luo each knocked someone down too. Mia finally got up and tackled the earring guy, pummeling him with a flurry of fists.
Harper was furious, shouting, "Mia! Stop it now!"
Mia finally released the guy. John helped his friend up and barked, "Mia! You dare touch my bro? Are you looking to get kicked out of school?"
Mia had sobered up halfway. Facing John, he was clearly scared but tried to act tough. "He was using his breakdancing to trick girls!"
"Trick your sister!" John slapped Mia hard. "Do you even know who my bro is?!"
My heart skipped. These guys might have serious backing.
Mia snapped, "Who cares who he is?!"
John sneered and pointed at the guy Mia had beaten. "That's my boss Ba-ge's cousin — Wei Shengjin!"
We all gasped. Shit — we'd messed with the younger cousin of *Ba-ge*, the boss of the sophomore year.
In our eyes, Ba-ge was a big deal. When Mia heard this, his legs went weak, and panic washed over his face.
John wouldn't let it go. "Mia, I'm giving you two choices: One — wait for Ba-ge to come take his revenge. Two — kneel right now, apologize to my bro, and let him punch you back. Your call."
All eyes turned to Mia. Now fully sober, sweat pouring down his face, he stayed silent for a while. Then he glanced at Xu Jie and said, "I'll take the beating, but I won't kneel!"
Wei Shengjin stood up, glaring. "You'll kneel whether you want to or not. I need to settle this tonight. Fatty, Black Dog — help him out!"
Two hip-hop guys stepped forward to force Mia to his knees. I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved them aside and shouted, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
John looked at me coldly. "Andrew, what's your problem?"
I met his gaze, no longer afraid. "Nothing. I threw punches too — want me to kneel and apologize too?"
Mia stared at me in shock. He couldn't believe I was standing up for him — the same me who used to be terrified of John. On the first day of school, I got into trouble just by tripping John, and when I got beaten later, Mia was too scared to step in. Even recently, when I was being mocked, he stayed silent.
He never imagined that when it was his turn to be bullied, I'd rise without hesitation — and tears welled up in his eyes.