Cen Jin arrived at the school early in the morning.
It was truly unexpected that she, a graduate of the old Affiliated High School with no connection to Yi Middle School, would visit this school three times in half a month. Anyone who didn’t know better might think she worked here.
During morning reading time, everywhere she passed echoed with the sound of students reciting.
In the crisp morning air, Cen Jin walked briskly with her hands in her pockets. When she reached the second-year teachers’ office, it was already crowded inside and out.
The three young “offenders” involved in the fight stood in a line against the wall, one of them being hers.
He stood with his hands behind his back, head slightly tilted, maintaining that ever-unperturbed appearance as if nothing in the world could disturb him. The other two were either looking up at the ceiling or glancing around, their faces bearing various degrees of injury. What had happened was self-evident.
Cen Jin looked at him from afar, pressed her lips together, and called out: “Li Wu.”
The youth turned toward her voice. His gaze was clear, but his face was no longer unblemished—there was bruising on his cheekbone and small scabs at the corner of his mouth. Perhaps noticing Cen Jin’s fixed stare, he quickly looked away.
The other two glanced over as well, surprise flashing in their eyes.
Cen Jin’s temples throbbed faintly. She stopped looking at Li Wu and entered the office.
The woman was dressed all in black, wearing a waist-fitted coat and knee-high boots, her expression severe, like a black-robed nun who had just returned from preaching at a cemetery.
The other two female parents, intimidated by her presence, moved aside on their own.
The head teacher was talking with those two when Cen Jin arrived, and quickly said: “Ah, Miss Cen, you’re here.”
“Yes, Teacher Zhang, I’m here again.” Cen Jin forced a curve to her lips: “Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
“Just dormitory conflicts,” Teacher Zhang sighed helplessly: “I really didn’t expect it would come to blows, fortunately, they’re only minor injuries, nothing serious happened.”
Cen Jin asked: “What kind of conflict?”
“Just children’s roughhousing.” One of the middle-aged women wearing frameless glasses sized her up, responding without hesitation.
Cen Jin turned to look at her, coldly: “Did I ask you?”
Provoked by this unprovoked jab, the middle-aged woman’s temper flared, raising her voice: “Whether you asked me or not, I have to say it. Before your child came to this dorm, I saw everyone getting along just fine, not a single problem. How come as soon as he arrived, trouble started?”
“Oh really, your children are so friendly, so good at getting along,” Cen Jin mocked: “Then why did this four-person dorm only have three students living in it before?”
The short-haired woman who had been gauging the situation finally couldn’t hold back: “What are you implying? Wasn’t that the school’s arrangement?”
Cen Jin looked at her: “Then Li Wu living in this dorm was also the school’s arrangement, what are you talking so much for?”
“Hey, you―”
Before the children’s issue was resolved, the three adults had already started arguing.
The head teacher’s head hurt, and he spoke up to stop them: “Parents! Let’s stick to the matter at hand! Don’t bring up other irrelevant things.”
The three women fell silent together.
Teacher Zhang took a sip of tea, speaking meaningfully: “From what I know, yesterday’s fight was started by Ran Feichi and Lin Honglang, Li Wu was only defending himself. That’s what the other boy in their dorm said, he’s still in the morning reading right now, I can call him over.”
Cen Jin’s shoulders twitched slightly, the mockery at her lips evident.
The other parents frowned, shooting her hateful glances.
“Furthermore,” Teacher Zhang chose to selectively ignore their confrontational gestures, his gaze slowly sweeping across the three faces: “I also asked around among the students this morning. Your children have been bullying… well, I don’t really want to use the word ‘bullying,’ it’s too severe, let’s say teasing—they’ve been teasing Li Wu for some time now, including some of the boys in class who are friends with those two, they’ve all been involved.”
Cen Jin’s head buzzed: “When did it start?”
Teacher Zhang pondered: “Almost half a month now.”
She had known nothing about it? Cen Jin glanced out the window, from this angle she could only see a small part of Li Wu’s black hair at the back of his head, unable to get any response from his eyes. Cen Jin could only give up and turn back: “He never told me anything, not a single word.”
“That can’t be right,” the short-haired woman looked confused: “How could my Feichi bully anyone? He’s not that kind of kid. Although he can be naughty and mischievous sometimes, he would never do such terrible things. Every weekend when he comes home and talks about which boys he played with, he’s always incredibly happy, getting along so well with everyone.”
She implied: “Besides, if it were just one or two people having conflicts that would be one thing, but how come a whole group of people would target just one student? Why aren’t other students being targeted?”
Lin Honglang’s mother immediately agreed: “Yes, yes, Teacher Zhang, I suggest you investigate this thoroughly. We’re still not sure what the real cause is.”
Cen Jin took a deep breath: “So bullying someone is justified now?”
With other parents backing her up, Ran Feichi’s mother stood firm, her voice growing louder: “How has that been determined? Is it wrong for us to want the truth? Look, even you knew nothing about it from start to finish, what’s wrong with us other parents asking for an explanation?”
Lin Honglang’s mother looked at Cen Jin again, having disliked her since she entered: “Who are you anyway, Li Wu’s sister? How old are you, do you even have children, do you understand these things? Where are his parents? Why not have the parents come to school? We just want to talk to his parents face to face, what’s the point of sending someone so young?”
“Ah… well,” Teacher Zhang knew the situation and said diplomatically: “Li Wu’s circumstances are rather special.”
Hearing this, Ran’s mother grew even more emboldened: “Parents can’t look after him? That makes more sense then—when family education isn’t complete, who knows how a child’s character develops? How can just listening to a few students’ one-sided words prove anything?”
Cen Jin laughed lightly: “You’ve educated them so well that in less than three months since Li Wu transferred to the class, his roommates and classmates are all speaking up for him and testifying on his behalf, instead of siding with your perfectly parent-ed, flawless good children.”
Lin’s mother snapped: “How can you be so sharp-tongued and unreasonable?”
“Who’s being unreasonable? Who started the personal attacks? Can someone choose their family background?” Their back-and-forth had already made Cen Jin furious, her eyes involuntarily welling up: “Using this to attack a seventeen-year-old child—are you worthy of being mothers? Worthy of being parents?”
“Stop fighting, stop fighting! Did I call you here to argue?” Teacher Zhang grew anxious, standing up to mediate: “The children are still outside!”
At his words, Cen Jin seemed to wake up. She suddenly turned and rushed outside, walking forcefully toward Li Wu, grabbing his arm: “Come with me.”
All three youths were stunned.
Li Wu’s gaze froze, and before he could react, he was already being pulled away by the woman’s force, only able to follow her steps without looking back.
Teacher Zhang ran out of the office, with the two parents hurrying after them.
Cen Jin passed through the long corridor, looking up to scan the class numbers they passed, finally finding Class 2(10).