To Apologize or Not to Apologize

People who deserve a beating shouldn't be let off easily. It only makes them more brazen and unrestrained.

Zuri stood up and walked slowly, step by step, towards the boy who had just spewed obscenities, now engrossed in discussing how to deal with her. Noticing someone approaching, he turned his head, barely registering who it was before the table in front of him was kicked over with a loud crash, books scattering everywhere.

The boy was too stunned to speak.

"I'm standing right here. Want to try?" Zuri sneered, looking down at him.

The boy swallowed hard and shook his head.

The scene happened so fast that everyone was left in shock.

Zuri stepped over him and walked toward the group of girls who had been mocking her, calling her filthy and accusing her of being a prostitute, among other slanders.

"I'll give you one chance to apologize," Zuri said calmly, her eyes scanning the group.

Nyla laughed outright, "Apologize? To you? Dream on."

"Is she daydreaming?" someone sneered.

"She's living in a fantasy world."

Their unrestrained laughter echoed.

Shaina provocatively said, "We won't apologize. What can you do about it?"

Without a word, Zuri...

*Slap*...

A resounding slap echoed in everyone's ears.

Shaina was stunned.

Zuri grabbed Shaina's chin, and as Shaina tried to struggle, she found the grip unbreakable.

Zuri held her firmly, asking nonchalantly, "Satisfied with this answer?"

Fear crept into Shaina's eyes as she looked at the icy-cold girl in front of her.

Seeing her cower and unable to meet her gaze, Zuri slowly turned to look at Nyla and the others, her smile calm and serene.

No words were needed—they understood what she meant.

Nyla and the others looked grim, but seeing Shaina, they dared not say anything.

They never expected Zuri to be this tough.

They had bullied others before, but no one had ever fought back like this.

"Zuri, aren't you afraid of the academy's punishment?" Nyla asked, trying to sound composed.

Zuri took out her phone and tossed it in front of her. "Go ahead."

Nyla and her friends were dumbfounded!

Some girls silently prayed for the teachers to come quickly. Once they did, they wouldn't have to slap themselves.

Nyla tried to stall.

Zuri, smirking, raised her hand and began counting down. "I'll count to three. After that, you'll meet the same fate as her."

Zuri gave them no chance to speak, starting the countdown immediately.

"One."

Nyla and the others exchanged panicked looks, unsure what to do.

 "Two."

 Their faces showed growing fear, eyes darting to the door, hoping for a savior who never appeared.

 As she counted "three," a loud slap was heard, and Nyla couldn't hold back, slapping herself first. The others followed suit.

 After slapping themselves, Nyla's eyes filled with humiliated tears. "Is this enough for you?"

 Zuri's lips curled into a smile. "Continue."

Nyla's eyes widened in shock, her tears halting. "Don't go too far."

They had already conceded. What more did she want?

"Too far?" Zuri's eyes, cold and smiling, looked at them. "Was it not too far when you said those things? We had no enmity, no interaction. Yet you provoked me. If you dare to speak, be prepared to be slapped."

"You..."

Several boys, who had always admired Nyla, stepped up to protect her.

"Zuri, that's enough. Do you have to be so aggressive?"

Zuri looked at the boy who spoke—it was the class monitor, He Youming. He was a top student with a good family background, not as prestigious as the Lin family, but still notable in Oceanic City.

"Aggressive?" Zuri laughed, her eyes mocking. "Was it not aggressive when they bullied me? You're only allowing the privileged to oppress, not the oppressed to fight back."

He Youming's face darkened. "We're all classmates. Is it necessary to be so petty?"

"Classmates? I wouldn't dare claim such a title." Zuri chuckled, "When they were humiliating and slandering me, did they remember I was their classmate? When you righteously speak out, did you remember I was your classmate?"

"You never thought of it, so why should I?"

"You..." He Youming was so angry he turned red.

"Don't impose on others what you don't want yourself. The knife isn't stabbing you, so you can speak righteously about tolerance. Wait until you can endure it, then demand it from others. Otherwise, shut your mouth filled with so-called virtue."

"You, you, you..."

He Youming was left speechless by her retort.

Just then, the homeroom teacher Jason hurried in with a student. Entering the classroom, he saw the tense standoff, overturned desks, and the tearful Nyla and her friends.

At the center stood a slender girl, her back straight and unyielding like a sturdy pine.

Jason was surprised, scanning the class. "What's going on?"

Nyla, seeing the teacher as her savior, cried out, "Mr. Dou, Zuri hit us. She just arrived and is already causing trouble. She must be severely punished."

The surrounding students nodded in agreement.

"Teacher, look at my face," Shaina said, covering her cheek with tears streaming down, as pitiful as could be.

Kyle added, "Teacher, she kicked over my desk."

Facing their accusations, Zuri remained silent.

Jason looked at Zuri, "What do you say?"

He found it hard to believe that the gentle girl before him could be so violent.

"They bullied me, so I bullied back. It's that simple. As for their red faces, maybe they felt guilty about their excessive words and realized their mistakes, slapping themselves out of self-reproach."

Her simple explanation left Nyla and the others fuming.

"How can you be so shameless?" Nyla glared at her.

"Didn't you slap yourself?" Zuri asked innocently, her expression infuriatingly smug.

The classmates shared her sentiment, wanting to punch her.