Chapter 4 : Elegance''s New School Bully

The buzz about Arthur and Liam''s fight remained high, like an unquenchable wildfire. Arthur couldn''t be bothered to care.

Everyone pretty much understood that if Liam got beaten up like that, it was because he had a big mouth. Besides, Liam didn''t have a great reputation to begin with. He always thought he was hot stuff and even dubbed himself the "Elegance School Bully," which was just an empty title.

Arthur, on the other hand, was cute and delicate-looking, and he gave the students of Elegance a sense of satisfaction by putting Liam in his place. This led many to believe that Arthur was the new "Elegance School Bully."

Zayne, always at the forefront of gossip, said, "Arthur, you''re trending on the forum." He then raised his phone to show Arthur.

Arthur thought it was just a bunch of nonsense, but he still took a glance at the phone.

"Top 1. Leonard and Arthur holding hands."

"Top 2. Leonard and Arthur''s roles."

"Top 3. Arthur, the new Elegance School Bully."

"Top 4. Arthur and Liam''s fight."

"Top 5. Arthur''s beauty."

As the saying goes, fame brings trouble. Arthur was trending in five different categories.

Arthur didn''t care about the rest; he was just annoyed that Leonard''s name was listed before his. It was infuriating.

And as if on cue, Leonard sat down next to Arthur.

"Morning, Big Beauty Vanderbilt."

Hearing Leonard call him a beauty, Arthur reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You bastard, I''m your dad! Can''t you see how handsome I am?"

Lucas, hearing the usually aloof Leonard greet someone, was so shocked he almost bit his tongue. He turned around and looked at Leonard with a resentful expression. "We''ve been classmates for 12 years, and you''ve never said good morning to me."

Leonard squinted at Lucas. "If I said good morning to you, would you dare to respond?"

Lucas shook his head and gave up.

Zayne patted Lucas on the shoulder. "Hey, desk mate, good morning."

In class, the history teacher passionately talked about the wisdom and folly of past kings, while Arthur, sitting next to Leonard, quietly enjoyed his nap.

The history teacher said, "Many ancient emperors lost their thrones and their dynasties collapsed because they were infatuated with beauty."

"Think of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, who cut out Bi Gan''s heart for Kathy and created cruel punishments."

"Or Joseph, who lit beacons to amuse a beauty."

Listening to the teacher, Leonard turned his head to look at Arthur.

Arthur looked so peaceful in his sleep, with his long eyelashes casting shadows and his beautiful eyelids. He really was quite beautiful.

Leonard suddenly thought that maybe doing anything for a beauty was worth it.

Just then, Arthur woke up and saw Leonard staring at him. Thinking Leonard was up to no good, he shouted, "What are you looking at? Are you crazy?"

Leonard was taken aback and whispered, "We''re in class."

Arthur immediately looked up and saw everyone staring at him.

The history teacher walked over. "Arthur, since you have such a loud voice, why don''t you share with the class?"

Arthur thought he was supposed to tell a story, so without thinking, he blurted out, "Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and in that mountain, there was a temple, and in that temple, there was an old monk..."

The entire class was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Arthur didn''t understand why they were laughing. He thought his story wasn''t funny at all.

The history teacher was speechless and quickly waved his hand. "Never mind, just sit down."

As soon as he sat down, Leonard said, "The teacher wanted you to tell a historical story, not a nursery rhyme."

Arthur pinched Leonard''s thigh hard. "You''re dead after class."

Leonard shrugged, "Not scared at all."

Arthur: "..."

As soon as class was over, Arthur tried to grab Leonard''s hands, thinking he could overpower him. But not only did he miss, Leonard turned the tables and pinned Arthur''s hands behind his back. Arthur struggled desperately, suddenly recalling the time in the alley behind the internet cafe when those jerks had restrained him the same way. He couldn''t control himself and started shouting, "Let go of me, let go of me, you bastard!" His eyes began to redden.

Leonard had been playing around, but seeing Arthur''s reaction, he let him go.

Once his hands were free, Arthur ran out and didn''t come back.

Leonard pondered why Arthur had such a strong reaction. Suddenly, he remembered Liam mentioning that Arthur had almost been assaulted once. Could his actions have triggered that painful memory?

Feeling regretful for his rash behavior, Leonard went out to find Arthur.

He found him hiding in the bathroom.

Arthur was crouched there, his hair slightly damp, hugging his shoulders, looking very uneasy. His eyes were still a bit red, as if he had just been crying.

Leonard''s heart ached. He slowly walked over and crouched in front of Arthur. "Are you okay? I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to."

Arthur pushed Leonard away, agitated. "Get lost, I don''t want to see you, I don''t want to see any of you."

Seeing Arthur''s distressed expression, Leonard picked him up and headed to the nurse''s office. Arthur struggled and kicked, "Damn it, let go of me, let go of me." Tears streamed down his face.

Leonard quickened his pace.

Outside the bathroom, a crowd had gathered. "Whoa, is there a fight?"

"The school bully is crying??"

"Wow, the pretty boy is carrying the school bully."

As they left, the school forum buzzed with activity again.

"Leonard princess-carrying Arthur."

Until the grade director, Mr. Williams, arrived. "What''s going on, crowding around the boys'' bathroom?"

The crowd quickly dispersed.

When the math teacher came to class, he felt something was off. He looked around the classroom and realized his star student Leonard was missing! Along with his tough desk mate.

He quickly notified Alex to find them.

Alex asked around and found out they were in the nurse''s office.

Feeling uneasy, Alex hurried to the nurse''s office.

Inside the nurse''s office.

The young school nurse looked at the familiar faces. It had only been a few days, and they were back again.

This time, in a new position, the tall, aloof boy was carrying the big-eyed, pretty boy.

"What happened this time?"

"He''s a bit agitated. I think he needs a sedative."

Leonard gently placed Arthur on the bed. Arthur didn''t say a word.

The nurse asked again, "Did you have a fight? Why is he crying?"

Leonard had no answers. The nurse told him to wait outside to avoid further agitation.

When Alex arrived, he found Leonard standing at the door. "What happened? Tell me."

After hearing the whole story, Alex understood. Leonard''s actions had reminded Arthur of his near-assault experience.

She hesitated whether to tell Leonard. Leonard was a good kid and wouldn''t spread it around. Besides, with his support, Arthur might get better.

"Leonard, you know Arthur is my nephew, right?"

"Yes."

"What I''m about to tell you, can you promise not to tell anyone else?"

Leonard was surprised by Alex''s trust and quickly nodded.

"That incident that was spreading like wildfire among you students recently, the one where Arthur took on five people, is true. But Arthur fought because those guys drugged his drink and tried to assault him. Of course, they didn''t succeed, and as you know, those kids ended up in the hospital."

Leonard''s eyebrows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, a flicker of an unreadable emotion passing through his clear eyes.

Leonard asked, "Is Arthur an omega?"

Alex replied, "You''ll have your medical check-up next week, so we don''t know yet. Arthur just happens to be very good-looking."

Leonard recalled the scene in the restroom earlier, where Arthur''s eyes were slightly red, and he was trembling all over. Indeed, he looked beautiful, though Leonard meant no harm.

"Leonard, remember to keep this a secret. I hope you can help Arthur. I think you two could be great friends."

Leonard nodded.

Alex told Leonard to go back to class while she stayed behind.

Leonard knew his presence might make Arthur uncomfortable, so he left.

When Arthur woke up, he found Alex sitting beside him.

He slowly sat up and softly called, "Auntie."

Alex didn''t say anything, just hugged Arthur and gently patted his back to comfort him.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"Leonard told me the reason earlier. He asked me to apologize to you."

Arthur thought about how Leonard had also apologized to him in the restroom earlier, but he knew it wasn''t Leonard''s fault. "It''s not his fault."

Alex said, "I know. Arthur, you''re a good kid, and so is Leonard."

Arthur let go of Alex, his beautiful eyes blinking. "Don''t tell my dad."

Alex nodded. "Arthur, I explained everything to Leonard, and he promised not to say anything."

"He probably already guessed."

Alex agreed. When she had explained earlier, Leonard''s face showed no surprise, only calmness.

Arthur continued, "It''s fine. It''s not like I did anything wrong."

Alex nodded. "You don''t need to go to class later. Let me take you to get something to eat, and then I''ll take you home."

Arthur agreed, thinking, "Damn, Leonard carrying me out earlier is probably going to cause a stir on the forums again. Whatever, food is the most important thing."