Uproarious laughter echoed through the student lounge, as well as the banging of hands on a table.

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had found their friends there during their first break, since it was still too cold to be outside for a long period of time. After explaining what happened with Chief Hu and Mr. Yan, and what became Xue Yang, most of them howled. Meng Yao and Jin Zixuan were the only one who didn't. The former was quietly chuckling as the latter shook his head.

"So, you mean to tell us..." Wen Ning gasped. "...that he actually broke his arm and pinky after falling down the stairs? Are you serious?"

Even though Wei Ying was still in a bad mood, he couldn't help but grin a little. "Yeah. He really did," he replied.

Nie Huaisang was slumped over the table. "This is just too good. If the office hadn't told Chief Hu that, I wouldn't have believed it."

"I call it karma. Xue Yang deserved it for throwing a rock at you. We ought to send Chang Laoshi a thank-you note," Meng Yao snickered.

"Yes, we should," Wen Qing chuckled. "And one for A-Qing. He definitely deserved it when she punched him."

Jin Zixuan huffed in disbelief at those statements, but even he had to agree with her and Meng Yao.

Jiang Cheng sighed after calming down. "It's too bad you Mr. Yan put you two on Disciplinary Probation, though," he said to his brother and Lan Zhan.

"But I would rather it was that than being suspended or kicked out," Wei Ying muttered.

"I hear you. What do you think will Xue Yang's punishment will be?" Nie Huaisang inquired.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Mr. Yan didn't tell us."

"Mn. But since he was the one to throw the rock, he will likely being suspended, unless the dean chooses to expel him. This will not be the first time Xue Yang has caused trouble," Lan Zhan pointed out.

Everyone nodded. It was true. He may not have broken the law for a while, but he had broken a few rules during his time there.

"I'm glad that he didn't hurt your face too much, though," Wen Ning told Wei Ying next. "It could have been worse; he could have hit you somewhere else on your head."

The latter nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for letting us borrow your first-aid kit. I really didn't want to have to go to the nurse's office."

Lan Zhan also bobbed his head at this.

"No problem. I'm sorry it happened, though."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. I just wish that I was able to get a punch in myself after that bastard threw that rock at me."

Wen Ning snorted. "I hear you. If I wasn't doing community service already, and too busy trying to stop Wangji-xiong, I'm sure I would also be on Disciplinary Probation right now."

"So would I," Jiang Cheng piped up.

Wen Qing scowled at them. "No, you wouldn't have, because I would never have let that happen. It's bad enough that he had to stop those two. Do you know how much trouble you would be in if all four of you beat him up?" she demanded.

"I can imagine a lot, but it would have been worth it," Wen Ning remarked.

She shook her head. "Who are you, and what did you do with my brother? Seriously, if I hadn't known what had gotten into you, I'd think you were possessed. You haven't been yourself in days. But I can't say that I actually blame you."

He shrugged.

Lan Zhan checked the time on his phone, then stood. "We have ten minutes before our next class starts. Come on, baobei. I'll walk you to Gu Laoshi's since her class is not far from my second one."

"You don't need to do that," Wei Ying protested. "I can go there myself."

"I know. But I want to make sure to you arrive at her class safely."

He exhaled deeply. "Fine."

Wei Ying left the room with Lan Zhan after the former told the others that he would see them at lunch. They eyed their surroundings constantly; Wei Ying didn't need anyone else to bother or hurt him.

Thankfully, nobody did, but they heard people whispering as they made their way through the halls. What about, they did not know. Neither of them were able to catch a word of what was being said.

When they were outside of Gu Laoshi's room, Lan Zhan pecked Wei Ying on the lips. "I know this your favorite class, so I hope that you enjoy it. I will be here after it is over to go to your third one with you," he stated.

"No, sweetheart. Don't do that; it isn't necessary. You'll risk being late if you walk me to all of my classes. Most of yours aren't near mine. And you can't afford to get into further trouble any more than I can," the latter pointed out.

"I know, baobao. But I do not want to you be harmed again. The reason why I am going with you is for your safety."

"I understand that...but you can get hurt trying to protect me. And you know I don't want that."

Lan Zhan nodded once. "Mn. I do. However, you know that we are given enough time to get to each of our classes in between them. We should be fine."

"Not unless someone else tries to crack my head open," Wei Ying grumbled.

He frowned. "Which will not happen again if it can be helped."

With another sigh, Wei Ying kissed him back. "I'll be all right from here. You should hurry if you still want to make it to your own class."

"Mn. I will see you soon."

"Okay."

The room was buzzing with hushed conversations, but immediately quieted as Wei Ying came in. He felt his face heat up as everyone turned to stare at him. Even Gu Laoshi was looking at him from where she stood in front of the whiteboard.

He could tell from their expressions that they knew what happened to him. Many of them appeared to be judging him, while the rest had looks of pity, which was just as bad. Only a few of his didn't seem to be doing either, but what did he know? He may be wrong.

Damn Wang Lingjiao's big mouth, he thought to himself.

After a prolonged silence, Gu Laoshi finally smiled at him. Her eyes were as kind and warm as always; she clearly didn't have any judgements. "Hello, Mr. Wei," she greeted.

Wei Ying nodded. "Good morning," he returned.

Then he sat down at his usual table.

He spent the class keeping his own eyes on the board, the computer, and his notebook. Nevertheless, it was hard to concentrate when he still felt almost everybody gazing at him. Either that, or they were staring at the bandage of his face. He wanted to put his hood over his head, but he knew that Gu Laoshi would ask him to take it off.

Right before the lecture ended, she handed back their graded assignments from Friday. Wei Ying brightened a little when he saw that he had full marks on it. That made him feel somewhat better.

However, a note on the second page caused his mood to plummet again. It was brief, but to the point.

Outstanding job as always, dear. Excellent.

And remember what I told you on Friday. You can talk to me if you ever feel need to, but I will understand if you do not feel comfortable with that. And do not forget that you may also go to the crisis center if necessary. I hope everything gets better, dear.

Well, at least Wei Ying had to admit that this was more preferable than being asked to stay behind. Gu Laoshi obviously thought so too. Perhaps she knew that his classmates would have a good idea of why if she did that.

But that didn't stop him from being one of the first ones to leave when she dismissed them. He wanted to escape in case she changed her mind.

Wei Ying considered going to his third class without Lan Zhan, but he knew that he would not be happy about that. The latter's second class was not far from his, of course, so he'd only have to wait a few minutes.

Lan Zhan approached him as he came to this conclusion. He looked relieved, as if he thought that Wei Ying wouldn't be there.

"How was class, baobao?" he inquired.

"It was fine," Wei Ying replied, shrugging.

He nodded as they headed for the entrance. "Good. No one bothered you, did they?"

"No. Everybody stared at me when I first came in, but none of my classmates said anything to me."

"Mmm. A few of mine did."

Which had been a surprise to Lan Zhan. His classmates rarely did unless it was for a group activity, or the off chance that one of them needed a pen, and no one else had one.

Even Wei Ying was taken aback. "Really?"

"Mn. Suffice it to say that while a couple of them were genuinely concerned about your well-being, the others only asked of it mockingly. It was clear that they did not think that what happened, happened."

This was not unexpected for Wei Ying, but his spirits still sank even further. However, he knew that not everyone would believe what Wen Chao had done to him. But at least some appeared to, and honestly cared if he was all right or not.

When they arrived at this third class, he asked Lan Zhan not to meet him there after. He would see him at lunch. From the look that he gave him, though, he could tell that he would pay no heed to this. It annoyed him, he couldn't blame him for being protective.

The same thing that happened in Gu Laoshi's class did during this one. A number of the students began whispering as Wei Ying entered the room. Some kept glancing at him during the lecture. And unlike Gu Laoshi, his professor looked less welcoming than usual. Then again, he never seemed to like him much anyway. He just barely tolerated him because he was one of his best students as far as grades went.

He knew that it would only be worse at lunch. There would be more people to stare at him, which was going to irritate him further.

And Wei Ying was right. All eyes definitely seemed to be on him when he was in the cafeteria. He would have asked Lan Zhan to eat in the courtyard with him if it wasn't freezing outside. Not that he was hungry, in any case. It felt like it had been years since he truly had an appetite.

Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng, and his friends were watching him too. However, it was because he was stabbing the food he could bear to eat as if it were the people sitting near their table. They felt sympathetic, knowing that he was having a rough day.

"Do you want to go home early, baobei?" Lan Zhan queried in a low voice. "I can find a way to arrange it for you."

Wei Ying said no. "There's only two more classes left. I might as well stay and get the afternoon over with."

"Are you sure? You do not look as if you mean that."

"You're right, I don't. Not really," he admitted. He desired nothing more than to leave.

Wen Ning took in his surroundings. "I wouldn't mean it, either. If half of the school was glaring at me like they are now, I'd want to be out of here."

"Me too," Nie Huaisang added.

"Explain to your last two professors that you feel sick. They'll understand," Jiang Cheng remarked.

Shaking his head, Wei Ying mumbled, "I don't want to do that. I was already out for four days last week. Plus, I already had to miss my first class. The last thing I need is to not make any more unless I really had to. I don't feel like trying to come up with other excuses for to go home either. And I don't want to get in more trouble with Mr. Yan."

He was about to resume eating when A-Qing appeared at their table. She looked worried.

"Hi Wei Wuxian. I just came over to see if you are all right. I apologize on that fucker's behalf. I would have stopped him if I knew he was planning to do that," she stated, meaning Xue Yang.

"No need to be sorry. It's not your fault. And I'm okay. Thank you for asking," Wei Ying said. He honestly appreciated her concern.

A-Qing nodded. "Good. Otherwise, I would have gone to the hospital after classes to punch him again, and I wouldn't have cared who saw it."

"I'd pay to see that. I wanted to give you a thank-you note the first time you did," Wen Qing smirked.

"And I would have sent a "You're welcome" one back."

Even Wei Ying and Lan Zhan chuckled along with everyone else at this. They had to.

"Well, I'm glad that he didn't hurt you too much. I hope you recover well," A-Qing told the former with a meaningful look after they settled down.

He smiled a little, having understood it. "Thank you," he repeated.

She nodded and returned to where she had been sitting.

After lunch, Wei Ying left the cafeteria by himself. He asked Lan Zhan not to go with him since their fourth classes were in different buildings. Seeing that he would be late if he did, the latter obliged, but requested that he wait for him outside of Dai Laoshi's room at three o' clock. He also told him to call or text him if he had any emergencies on the way.

Wei Ying's fourth class went by smoothly in comparison to the other three. No one paid him that much attention due to the quiz they were given. That was a huge relief. He was tired of everyone gazing at him.

He was optimistic when nothing bothersome or terrible happened after he arrived at Dai Laoshi's class either. This was surprising considering that nearly all of his classmates were there. He exchanged greetings with the professor and sat in the back of the room.

Unfortunately, everything went downhill from there.

Class began normally at first. The attendance sheet was passed around as always so that each student could sign it. Wei Ying put his own name on it when it was given to him, then held it out to To Shitai, who was in front of him.

However, he didn't move. Thinking that he was simply distracted, Wei Ying tapped him with it. Still nothing.

"Aiyah. I'm trying to give you the attendance sheet," he hissed.

To Shitai glared hatefully at that moment then before looking away. From his expression, it was obvious that he had no plans on taking it.

Wei Ying scowled. What the hell was his problem?

"What is wrong over there?" Dai Laoshi abruptly inquired. He noticed that something was from how quiet it had gotten. Plus, many of the students were watching them.

Turning to him, Wei Ying smirked. "Nothing serious. To Shitai is just absent, that's all," he replied sarcastically as he gave the attendance sheet to his classmate on his left instead.

"Dude, just take the paper! What's the matter with you?" the latter demanded, thrusting it at him after signing it.

He refused to listen to him also. He just ripped a sheet out of his notebook and wrote his name on that.

Wei Ying realized what this was all about then; To Shitai didn't want to touch the sheet simply because he had. Because of what had happened to him.

He clenched his hand, wanting to slam his face into his desk for his pettiness. He was lucky that he couldn't since was on Disciplinary Probation. Otherwise, he would have. Fucking asshole cunt. It was not as if he was dirty or had a contagious illness.

Then again, that was likely what To Shitai did believe.

"Mr. To, please remain after class," Dai Laoshi said in a stern voice, unimpressed with his behavior as well.

"Fine," he snapped.

"And I want you to apologize to Mr. Wei."

"No...because I'm not sorry. But I am sorry that he's a liar. I used to think he was cool. It's a shame that he isn't the person I thought he was."

Wei Ying leaned forward as everyone else gasped in shock and disbelief. "You...!"

Dai Laoshi rose his hand. "Enough. Please sit back, Mr. Wei. We will not have any arguments or fights here. And again, Mr. To, we will discuss this when class is over. Now, the rest of you, please sign the attendance sheet so that we may begin," he announced.

Wei Ying seethed with rage during the lecture. He tried to focus on his work as much as he could, but he was unable to. What he wouldn't give to have a "discussion" with To Shitai with his fist. That would serve him right.

How could he call him a liar when what he only knew of what happened came from gossip? He wasn't him; he wasn't the one who was forced to go through what Wen Chao had done to him.

And Wei Ying would never wish that on him, or anybody else. As furious as he was with To Shitai, he didn't want him to experience that pain. How much it hurt, both physically and emotionally.

Wei Ying stormed out of the room when it was finally three o'clock. Forgetting that he was supposed to meet Lan Zhan there, he headed to the parking lot and waited by the car instead.

Dai Laoshi must have told him that he had already left, though, because he appeared shortly after. He was frowning with concern as he walked up to him.

"What happened, baobei? Your teacher said that you had a disagreement with one of your classmates," Lan Zhan remarked.

Wei Ying gave a humorless snort. "That's putting it lightly, but I don't want to talk about it. Just get me away from this stinking place," he fumed.

"...All right. I spoke to Nie Huaisang a moment ago as well. We agreed that he will drive you home and stay there with you until I return from work on Tuesdays and Fridays for the time being. But if there comes a day where he is unable to one reason or another, Shijie will pick you up. I arranged this with her too."

"Okay. That's fine. Where's A-Yao? Aren't we dropping him off?"

"No. Nie Huaisang is. They planned this at lunch."

"Oh."

Lan Zhan kept a vigilant eye as they made their way home. Nothing happened, which was a relief. The both of them had enough trouble for one day.

Wei Ying went up to the study as soon as he took his coat and shoes off. Lan Zhan followed after him once he did too, watching as he moodily threw his book bag down next to his desk.

He sighed to himself. He wished that the day had gone better for his sake.

"Baobao...are you sure that you don't want to talk about what happened?" he queried.

"Yes, I'm sure," Wei Ying replied as he turned on his laptop. It sounded stupid to just thinking about it. To Shitai called him a liar, but of course, he wasn't one. He knew the truth, and so did Lan Zhan. What was the point of discussing the situation?

Just as he turned to leave so that he could use the bathroom, Lan Zhan stopped him.

"Come here, baobao," he murmured.

When he did, Lan Zhan pulled him into a loving embrace, swaying back and forth a little.

"I love you," he whispered as he rubbed his back.

Wei Ying buried his face in his shoulder as he returned it. He honestly needed a hug and those words after everything that had transpired earlier. "I love you too, sweetheart."

Lan Zhan eventually moved back to kiss him deeply, then brushed his hair out of his face. "Are you feeling better now?"

He nodded with a tiny smile. "Yeah, somewhat."

"Mn."

He went downstairs after embracing him again so that he could make their tea. He could see that Wei Ying really had to go to the bathroom. However, he was taken back when he appeared in the kitchen a moment after.

"Did you want your tea sooner? The water still needs to heat up," he pointed out.

"No, I don't want any. Maybe later," Wei Ying said. He opened the refrigerator and took out a couple bottles of Emperor's Smile. He needed a strong drink.

If Lan Zhan didn't quite approve of his choice of beverage, he never said so. He understood why he picked it, though he wasn't sure if it would improve his mood. "Mn. All right."

Wei Ying spent the rest of the afternoon completing his homework and other assignments he was given. Lan Zhan did the same while preparing for tomorrow's shift at his job. The study was almost entirely quiet since neither of them spoke much. The only thing that could be heard was the tapping of fingers on their laptops' keyboards and the occasional sips of their tea or wine.

It wasn't long before the Emperor's Smile took effect. Wei Ying gradually calmed down, and he even started to feel a little happy. His mind buzzed, but not enough to distract him from his work.

Unfortunately, this was only short-lived. Madam Yu called him around five, when he was in the middle of reading something for his Dynamics class. He froze when he saw her name on the screen. No doubt she and Uncle Jiang had received the letter from Mr. Yan. He couldn't even answer the phone properly before he had to hold it away from his ear.

"WEI WUXIAN! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS I HEAR ABOUT YOU AND WANGJI BEING PUT ON DISCIPLINARY PROBATION?! YOU HAD BETTER START TALKING RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" she bellowed.

Even Lan Zhan jumped slightly.

"I'm not entirely to blame, Madam Yu," Wei Ying protested. "I don't know if it says in the letter, but Xue Yang is the reason why are in the first place."

"And what is the actual reason?!"

"He threw a rock at me and hit me in the face."

"But why did he do it?! Were you bothering him?!"

Wei Ying pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. He just came out of nowhere and threw it at me. Apparently, he did it because I'm a liar who caused an "innocent" man to go to jail. I didn't know he was going to do that, though."

"So, why is he not in trouble too? It says here that you and Wangji attempted to fight him! You - and him especially - know better than to do that on campus!"

"Yes, but that was not until after he threw it at me. We wouldn't be on probation if he had left me alone otherwise. Besides, Mr. Yan said that he would deal with Xue Yang."

"And did he?"

"He probably will after he gets out of the hospital."

"What do you mean? Why is Xue Yang there?"

Unable to stop himself from smirking a bit, Wei Ying replied, "He fell down the stairs leading to the gym and broke his left arm. And his pinky was crushed when Chang Laoshi ran over it after that. Lan Zhan and I didn't find out about that until we were in the security office, though."

Madam Yu harrumphed. "Well, that was an odd occurrence. And this was after you two tried to fight him?"

"Yes. He ran inside the college while everyone was trying to stop us from beating him up. This happened before classes started. We decided that it was better to go to the security office and report him."

She was quiet for a while, clearly thinking over what she had told him. Then she said, "At least that shows you remember that you do have a brain in your damn heads. I better not hear of anything like this happening again. Because if I do - and I don't care who's fault it is - I will whip you senseless for the simple fact that you know better. And I will suggest to Lan Qiren that he deal with Wangji also. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Madam Yu."

"Good. Was your face injured badly? Did he hit you anywhere serious?"

"No. There's just a cut on my cheek, but it's only a superficial one."

"Good. Remember to take care of it."

And she hung up without another word.

Wei Ying went to one of the spare rooms once he put his phone on the desk. After a call like that, he needed a cigarette or two. But he had to admit that he was relieved that Madam Yu seemed to take his side, even though it surprised him as well.

Lan Qiren himself spoke to Lan Zhan not long after dinner. He was no more pleased than Madam Yu was that his nephew was on Disciplinary Probation. And while he understood the reasoning behind them trying to kick Xue Yang's ass, he still gave him a lecture on why settling matters with fights were wrong.

Lan Xichen was both concerned and appalled; his uncle and Meng Yao told him everything. He was upset that Wei Ying was hurt and felt satisfied that Xue Yang had gotten what came to him. Of course, he wasn't exactly happy that he was injured on account of it too. Still, he hoped it would be a wake-up call for him.

He also felt worried when Lan Zhan told him that Wei Ying refused to discuss what happened between him and his classmate. He asked him to let him know if he did, but he would understand if he chose not to tell him.

"I am just glad that neither of you were expelled, didi," he remarked. After that, he sighed. "It seems like trouble is following you all over. You are not even able to school without it catching you there."

"Yes. It appears so." I can only hope that everything settles down, Xiongzhang. Especially for Wei Ying. He has been through more than enough," Lan Zhan murmured.

"I agree."

However, considering the events of the day, they both knew that it wouldn't. Not anytime soon.

Author's note: Poor Wei Ying. He can't get a break. I just want to join Lan Zhan in giving him a big, warm hug.

Let me know what all of you thought of everything, and I hope to see you soon.

Also: To Shitai has the name I gave him for a reason...