Jiang Qian stared at the ink blot on her paper, created when she had zoned out earlier. She picked up her pen and returned to solving problems.
Xu Si leaned back in his chair, playing a match-3 game on his phone. His fingers glided smoothly over matching colored blocks. As “great” flashed on the screen with just a few moves left, he paused.
“That girl… what happened with her?”
Xu Si turned to look at her, his tone carrying a hint of amusement: “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to know?”
“Never mind then.”
This good student had quite the temper. Xu Si dropped his playful expression and said: “Liu Xingfa.”
Surprise flickered in Jiang Qian’s eyes. “So that’s why you beat him up?”
Xu Si made a sound of agreement.
“Why didn’t you explain yourself? You just let them talk badly about you behind your back?”
“Whether I explain or not doesn’t matter to me,” Xu Si replied calmly. “What they say has nothing to do with me. I don’t care.”
“But… who likes being misunderstood?”
Xu Si looked at her and smiled slightly: “If you don’t care, you won’t mind what they say.”
True enough – if you don’t care, why would you mind what others say?
Jiang Qian glanced at the match-3 game on his phone: “Match those few.”
“You like playing this too?”
“I don’t play games.”
“Then what do you do besides studying?” Xu Si asked.
Jiang Qian thought for a moment before answering: “Dance and read.”
Xu Si couldn’t imagine what this well-behaved girl would look like on stage, though her reading habit didn’t surprise him at all – typical of a proper, good student.
Following her suggestion, he cleared the level and said to her: “Thanks, classmate.”
Meanwhile, the rumors in Class 7 were less pleasant.
“Why was Xingfa called away too?” Yao Feng’an asked angrily. “Why else? Must be because Xu Si bullied him.”
“What’s really going on with Qin Lu? She was usually such a cheerful girl, why would she suddenly… become so desperate?”
“Must be Xu Si. He doesn’t look like a good person. He must have done something terrible.”
“Why are you spreading rumors without evidence? You keep going on about Xu Si this and that. If you’re so fond of talking, why don’t you say it to his face instead of gossiping here?”
The speaker was a male student named Yu Xiao. He used to hate those who got into fights, but after his friend was bullied by students from another school and was saved by these so-called delinquents, his opinion of them changed.
“You’re defending Xu Si so much, are you on his side?”
Yu Xiao gave a cold laugh: “I’m just stating facts, which is better than someone making baseless accusations.”
“Who are you calling a liar?”
“If the shoe fits… You’re spreading rumors without any evidence.”
Yao Feng’an swung his fist in anger, but Yu Xiao caught his wrist. The two began fighting, neither backing down. Though Yao Feng’an was taller, he was mostly skin and bones – no match for Yu Xiao’s strength.
The fight grew more intense. Yu Xiao pushed Yao Feng’an into a desk, sending books scattering across the floor. The desks behind them were knocked askew. Girls sitting nearby backed away in fear.
Several male classmates tried to break up the fight while others ran to get their homeroom teacher. When Teacher Li Jie arrived, the two had been separated but were still glaring at each other.
“Exams are coming up and you’re not focusing on studying. What’s all this fuss about? Come with me to the office.” She dragged the two boys away like baby chicks.
“Whew, Sister Li is scary,” the class collectively drew in a sharp breath.
In the office, Li Jie looked at the two boys standing before her with lowered heads: “Speak up. You were fighting so fiercely just now. Tell me why.”
Yao Feng’an spoke first: “He said I was making things up!”
Li Jie narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Yu Xiao: “Is that true? Why did you suddenly say that?”
“That’s not how it started. Liu Xingfa was called away by the police today, along with Xu Si from Class 17. With everything that happened, everyone was talking. Yao Feng’an insisted that Xu Si must have bullied Liu Xingfa and driven Qin Lu to attempt suicide. We’ve all had nine years of compulsory education – how can you spread such unfounded rumors without any evidence? Don’t you know how much trouble this can cause others?”
Li Jie nodded: “You’re right.”
Yao Feng’an protested: “But teacher, Xu Si isn’t a good person! He beat up Xingfa for no reason, and the other day he even dumped a food tray on Xingfa’s head. Isn’t that clearly bullying?”
Li Jie tapped her fingers on the desk: “I think you might have misunderstood this situation. Liu will soon be expelled from school.”
Yao Feng’an’s pupils contracted: “Expelled? Why is Xingfa being expelled? He’s the victim! Why? Teacher, is it because Xu Si’s family is rich, so he can do whatever he wants at school?”
Li Jie’s expression turned serious: “This was a unanimous school decision. Liu not only violated school rules, but his actions also broke the law. His influence was terrible, and the school won’t accept such students. The notice will soon be distributed to all classes. You’re old enough to understand the impact of public opinion. Don’t spread rumors without evidence – it has a very negative impact. Xu Si actually handled this situation very well.”
“Xu Si? How is that possible?”
Li Jie gave him a look: “These are the facts. Liu Xingfa attempted to sexually assault a female student. If Xu Si hadn’t arrived in time, he might have ruined her life. He’s been taken away by the police and probably won’t be out for several years. Qin Lu was secretly dating Liu Xingfa, and he had been emotionally abusing her. She was deeply affected by this and other matters, which led to her suicide attempt. It had nothing to do with Xu Si – it was all because of Liu Xingfa.”
“Sexual assault? That’s impossible. Xingfa isn’t… that kind of person. And why didn’t Xu Si explain why he beat up Liu Xingfa in the first place?”
Li Jie smiled slightly: “You can’t judge a book by its cover. Or are you saying you don’t believe the police? Xu Si didn’t explain because he wanted to protect that girl. If this got out, how could that traumatized girl continue living?”
Yao Feng’an fell silent, realizing he had been completely manipulated by Liu Xingfa.
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