It's just that people will ignore instead of verbally or physically assaulting or replying.

人们只是选择忽视，而不是进行语言、身体攻击或回应。

youdao

Instead of replying, Kendall opened the refrigerator and stared in.

NEWYORKER: Great Experiment

Instead of replying, she exhaled as if she were getting rid of something, and threw her head back, staring up through the dark at the felt lining of the roof.

NEWYORKER: The Swan