Chapter 31

It was rare for Wei Qingyue to take the initiative to visit Wei Zhendong's residential complex.

The little fatty at home was out; his stepmother had taken him to some tutoring class. Since it was a detached villa with a garden, Wei Zhendong was personally pruning branches, looking like a gardener.

His arrival made him seem like a complete uninvited guest.

"Dad." Wei Qingyue walked into the garden and called out.

Wei Zhendong didn't even raise his head. His pair of slender hands were very well-maintained. He looked much younger than his peers, with good looks, and indeed appeared to have an elegant demeanor.

"What is it that couldn't be said over the phone?" Wei Zhendong's tone was impatient. Seeing this, Wei Qingyue didn't realize that he himself was sometimes exactly the same.

"There's something I was wondering if you could help with, Dad?" Wei Qingyue said calmly.

Wei Zhendong laughed, looking at his son with ridicule in his eyes. "When you're asking for a favor, you should act like it. Don't hold your head so high. Anyone who didn't know better would think your old man owes you something."

For a moment, fire blazed in the young man's star-like eyes, but it was replaced by a very humble expression. "I have no one else to ask, only you, Dad. If you don't help me, no one can."

This was quite amusing. Wei Zhendong said, "Did you take the wrong medicine today? Wei Qingyue, tell me, what kind of trouble have you gotten into this time that could make a tough nut like you soften up?"

The matter was simple, explainable in just a few sentences. It's often the way of the world; no matter how tragic, it can be summarized in a few brief words.

"What do you mean, you want your old man to stick his neck out for your little girlfriend and do something illegal?" Wei Zhendong was so angry he laughed. "You haven't even finished puberty and you've already learned how to chase girls? You say she's a classmate, but is she your girlfriend?"

Wei Qingyue knew it would be like this. He was very composed. "I'm not asking you to do anything illegal, Dad. Wang Yong has a criminal record for rape and theft. I suspect he also takes drugs and commits indecent assault. If you investigate a person like that, you're bound to find something."

"Then let the police investigate him. If he broke the law, the police will handle it. Why are you coming to me? If he really takes drugs, a single urine test will show the results. Are you planning to have me find the police to arrest him for a urine test?" Wei Zhendong's gaze turned cold in an instant. "If you think he's a criminal, go to the police station. Don't come to me."

Wei Qingyue bit his lip and looked directly at Wei Zhendong. "I don't have evidence, that's why I'm asking you for help, Dad."

"What's wrong with you? Are you ordering your old man to do things for you?" Wei Zhendong raised his leg and kicked Wei Qingyue. He staggered back a few steps, then steadied himself.

"He has to go to jail, even if it's just for two years," Wei Qingyue said stubbornly. "Dad, you must have a way. Wang Yong is a huge problem. Leaving him in society is a menace. People like him belong in prison."

"Foolish!" Wei Zhendong's face darkened. "I thought you were so promising, yet you don't even understand the most basic principles. Whether a person belongs in prison is decided by the law. How can there be so much of 'what you think'? Instead of studying properly at school, you come running to me with this nonsense. It seems the last lesson wasn't enough for you."

"If he doesn't go to prison, he'll find my classmate again sooner or later. My classmate's family only has two elderly people, they can't possibly withstand that bastard's harassment. Dad, I'm begging you, please help my classmate just this once. Help her solve this problem. She still has to take the university entrance exam. Once she gets into university, she'll be able to leave this city." Seeing that Wei Zhendong had already thrown down his tools and was heading into the house, Wei Qingyue followed him, speaking urgently. "I've never asked you for anything since I was a child. As long as you agree, Dad, I'll do anything you ask."

The words had barely left his mouth when a slap landed on his face. Wei Zhendong was furious. "Useless! Did dating rot your brain? Don't you know to stay away from that kind of criminal? And you dare to cause trouble for me? It's endless. Wei Qingyue, it looks like you won't wake up unless I teach you a lesson today!"

Wei Zhendong kicked the door open, rolling up his shirt sleeves as he walked. He found his horsewhip and started lashing it down on Wei Qingyue.

He didn't dodge, just stood stiffly and let Wei Zhendong hit him. Seeing his stubborn, unyielding appearance, Wei Zhendong grew even angrier and struck harder. With each lash of the whip, Wei Qingyue's body trembled, but he gritted his teeth and made no sound.

"You dare to provoke an anti-social element like Wang Yong, who has a criminal record? Do you have a death wish? You want to be some kind of romantic hero, is that it? I'll beat you to death today." Veins popped on Wei Zhendong's forehead. The whip didn't seem enough to vent his anger, so he tossed it aside and started kicking. It had always been like this; the more he hit, the angrier he got.

From beginning to end, Wei Qingyue didn't make a sound, his face covered in sweat.

Wei Zhendong had to admit the kid had guts. No matter how much it hurt, he wouldn't make a peep.

He grew tired from the beating, panting for breath as he pointed at Wei Qingyue's nose. "Don't you dare cause me any more trouble. I don't have time to clean up your messes all day long, you hear me?"

Wei Qingyue's eyes were red from holding back, his lips trembling. "I'm begging you, Dad, help me this once."

"If that Wang Yong really takes drugs, you should stay even further away from him. Drug addicts are insane, they'd even kill their own parents and children. What the hell are you trying to do? Who do you think you are? What business is it of yours? Wei Qingyue, the world doesn't revolve around you. Get the hell back to school and study! If I find out you dare to do this again, I'm telling you, I won't let you go abroad. I'll just beat you to death and be done with it!"

Wei Zhendong roared "Get out" several times in a row.

The entire villa echoed with "Get out." Wei Zhendong's expression was savage. No matter how handsome a person was, at a moment like this, they too could be ugly.

Wei Qingyue's eyes, like black holes, looked at Wei Zhendong. He couldn't control his trembling. His body was covered in whip marks, hurting intensely, and his temples throbbed tightly.

The villa was exquisite and beautiful. Wei Zhendong was dressed to the nines, covered in luxury goods, perfume, and a famous watch, like a mannequin. He thought of Jiang Du's essays, the ones the teacher read aloud as models. Her grandma was always stir-frying watermelon jam or sun-drying radishes. Her grandpa liked to take afternoon naps. The summer sunlight would filter in through the bamboo blinds. When her little friends came looking for her, she would be thinking of how to skip her nap while telling them to be quiet and not wake her grandpa. And how her grandpa would discover the group of children sneaking out like little thieves and tease them with the temptation of money—to come give him a back massage, and afterward, he would reward each of them with money for an ice cream bar. That was her grandpa's way of delaying them, afraid they would get scorched by the harsh afternoon sun.

The teacher said he really liked Jiang Du's essays. Many people disagreed, finding them too mundane, not ornate, and lacking technique. The teacher said that at their age, they were always self-important and didn't yet understand what it meant for simple words to carry deep affection.

Jiang Du was far enough away from him. Wei Qingyue thought sorrowfully, if only he could live with her, in the home of the elderly couple who knew how to stir-fry watermelon jam. He had never eaten watermelon jam, but he needed watermelon jam.

That day, he went to the hospital alone and dejected to see a doctor, got some ointment, and put his long-sleeved shirt back on.

In the blink of an eye, it was June, and the tense atmosphere of the third year of high school reached its peak.

The Liberal Arts Experimental Class's group chat was quiet, but the old one, the original Class Two group, was particularly active. Many people popped up saying they wanted to celebrate Children's Day on June 1st, claiming they were still little babies. This was followed by a string of "shameless" replies, accompanied by various sticker packs.

Lin Haiyang was the most boisterous of all. He fooled around in the group for a long time. When no one was talking anymore, he stared at the grayed-out profile picture of "Ghostwriter" in his friends list and zoned out.

Jiang Du received Lin Haiyang's message just as she was preparing to return to school.

Hey, Happy June 1st.

Jiang Du replied: You too.

Unexpectedly, Lin Haiyang replied instantly, asking her: Is it convenient for me to call you? Do you have a landline at home?

It was as if he assumed that since she only lived with elderly people, they must have a landline.

Jiang Du thought for a moment and replied: I'm resuming classes now.

Really? That's great.

Lin Haiyang sent her a string of welcoming emojis.

The day she resumed classes was Monday, the fourth. This day was chosen because starting from this day, the third-year students would no longer have classes. The first and second-year students would only have class on this day as well, and after school in the afternoon, their classrooms would be set up as Gaokao exam halls.

When she woke up in the morning, her grandma had prepared soy milk and bought soup dumplings, watching Jiang Du eat. Grandma Weng from across the hall had given her a vintage brooch, saying it would look nice on her school uniform. The neighbors upstairs, downstairs, and across the hall had all heard about her situation and had come to visit. However, they would only stand briefly at the doorway and speak a few words, their voices hushed as if deliberately trying to hide it from her. Jiang Du just pretended not to see or hear anything.

"Sweetie, if anyone at school says anything nasty to your face, don't be afraid. Tell the teacher. Don't ever keep it bottled up inside," her grandma reminded her, carefully watching her expression while helping her put on the brooch.

Jiang Du had even bought a new headband, and the edges of her sneakers were scrubbed snow-white.

She nodded, picked up a bag full of materials and test papers, waved goodbye to her grandma, and went with her grandpa to take the bus.

What she didn't know was that not long after she left, Wang Jingjing's mother arrived to talk with her grandma in the house.

"I've been meaning to come visit, but I was afraid of embarrassing Jiang Du, so I didn't dare. It was just right that you mentioned the child went back to school today, so I finally dared to come see you." Wang Jingjing's mother, Li Suhua, brought many nutritional supplements and placed them on the coffee table.

Her grandma poured her some water, cut some watermelon, and said, "It's so hot, we've made you run all this way, Auntie."

"It's what I should do." Li Suhua didn't know that a rift had formed between Wang Jingjing and Jiang Du. She only knew that they were no longer in the same class and didn't interact as much as before. After hearing about the incident, she told Wang Jingjing not to rashly ask Jiang Du anything. She didn't know what kind of expression Wang Jingjing had at the time; the girl was acting strangely, saying she understood before turning around and hiding in her room, refusing to come out.

"You see, we didn't dare ask what really happened. Society is chaotic these days, there are all sorts of people out there. It must have terrified that child, Jiang Du. You have to guide her, tell her not to take it to heart. She should do what she needs to do. Studying hard for the university entrance exam is what's important." Li Suhua sighed as she spoke, the way women do when they don't know what else to say and just sigh along with someone.

Her grandma wiped her eyes and said, "It's been hard on this child, Jiang Du. In all her years growing up, we two old folks never let her suffer the slightest grievance. I was thinking of transferring her to another school, but the child is unwilling. So I thought, let her go back to school and see first. If there are no rumors, and she can continue, then she will. If not, we'll still have to transfer her."

Li Suhua slapped her thigh, her eyebrows shooting up in anger. "Transfer for what? That man should be in jail! With no prior grudge, he beat up our child. I'm telling you, don't be afraid of the trouble. Just sue him, make him pay and go to jail. Why should our child have to transfer schools? Is there no justice? That son of a bitch, you don't know how my heart ached when I heard about this. That bastard, send him to jail!"

Her grandma's tears streamed down her face. She said nothing. She had a bellyful of bitterness with nowhere to voice it, and just kept crying amidst the old acquaintance's righteous indignation.

With one grade level gone, the school felt much emptier. When Jiang Du reached the school gate, her grandpa stood in place. She told him to go back, but her grandpa said, "It's fine, I'll watch you go in."

Even the security guards recognized Jiang Du. At the school gate, students occasionally walked by. Jiang Du felt as if the entire world's eyes were on her, like thorns on her back.

'It can't be, not that many people know me,' she pinched the palm of her hand and walked onto the campus.

Turning her head, she saw her grandpa, dressed neatly, still standing there. A sour feeling rose in Jiang Du's nose, and she turned her head back and walked quickly towards the academic building.

Along the way, because the morning reading session wasn't over yet, most people were still in their classrooms studying. There were very few people on campus.

When she entered the classroom, the class teacher was there. The moment everyone saw her, the sound of reading stopped abruptly, but it quickly returned to normal.

"You're back, Jiang Du?" The class teacher smiled and pointed to her seat. "Hurry and get to your reading."

Zhu Yulong watched her approach with her head down and said lightly, "I've wiped the desk and chair."

"Thank you." Jiang Du hadn't expected this. Zhu Yulong seemed very distant, but was actually a good person. She didn't quite dare to look the other girl in the eye, quickly taking out her English book and starting to flip through it.

Zhu Yulong reached out and turned a few pages for her. "We've studied up to here. You can copy my notes."

"Thank you." Jiang Du gave her a quick, grateful look and began to bury her head in her English book.

Throughout the morning, Jiang Du didn't leave her seat. She was either copying notes or going over handouts. Besides Zhu Yulong, the class president came over to ask if she needed help, but the other students acted the same as always, with no abnormalities. Jiang Du wasn't very talkative to begin with.

When school let out at noon, everyone was gone. Jiang Du was the last to leave.

She was hesitating about how to go to the cafeteria. Before Zhu Yulong left, she had asked if Jiang Du wanted her to bring back food, but she refused. On the first day, many things were difficult to take the first step on. Once she got over it, it would be fine. She couldn't be an ostrich.

Just as she stood up, a figure flashed in the doorway. Jiang Du shuddered.

It was Wang Jingjing.

Wang Jingjing's ponytail was tied high. She had gotten her hair done over the weekend, straightening it so it looked especially smooth, and she seemed very energetic.

"Jiang Du, you haven't left yet? Um, let's go to the cafeteria together?" the girl said a bit unnaturally. For the first time, Jiang Du found her restrained appearance a little unfamiliar.

"Okay." Jiang Du smiled. As she walked out, Wang Jingjing kept glancing at her, with a look that wanted to size her up but couldn't stare too intently.

"The cafeteria opened a new window, selling some kind of Shanxi fried pancake. I tried it once, it wasn't that great," Wang Jingjing tried to grumble like she used to. "Do you want fried chicken? I feel like having fried chicken."

"Thank you," Jiang Du said softly.

Wang Jingjing gave a dry laugh. "What for? Are you crazy, why are you saying thank you?"

Jiang Du pursed her lips.

Walking on the path, there were noticeably more stares. Jiang Du felt as if her intestines were filled with lead, making it hard to walk. She tried her best to appear calm, asking Wang Jingjing trivial, unimportant questions.

"Is the science track hard?"

"Are you adjusting well? You won't switch back to the arts track, right?"

"Did you get your hair straightened?"

There were even more people in the cafeteria, a dense, dark crowd.

The two of them lined up at the fried chicken window. After buying their food, they found that the place was packed, with only a few scattered empty seats, none of them together.

"Why don't we check the second floor for seats?" Wang Jingjing suggested.

Jiang Du agreed. As she turned, her tray bumped into someone. The person subconsciously dodged, but upon seeing it was Jiang Du, they curled their lip. "This shirt is ruined."

"I'm so sorry..." Jiang Du then realized it was Chen Huiming. Her face flushed red. "I didn't do it on purpose. Did I get it on you? I have a tissue here."

As she spoke, she freed a hand to pull a tissue from the pocket of her short-sleeved top.

"Don't bother. I'm taking this shirt off and throwing it away when I get back. Such bad luck, so dirty," Chen Huiming said irritably.

Jiang Du immediately understood the meaning behind her words and stiffly lowered her hand.

Wang Jingjing watched from the side without saying a word.

Jiang Du was so ashamed she wished she could just disappear on the spot. She stammered for a long time, feeling that nothing she could say would be of any use.

"It's not the first time I've had to throw something away, anyway," Chen Huiming stared at Jiang Du. "Don't you know how perverted and disgusting your dad is? He's just waiting to molest girls every day. I've already told my dad. My dad said if this happens again, he'll beat him up every time he sees him." She turned her head and complained to the companions she came with, "Seriously, weren't there rumors she was transferring schools? Why is she still here? Doesn't she know everyone is annoyed, having to be on guard against a pervert?"

The girls had secretive expressions on their faces and pulled Chen Huiming away, gesturing for her to stay far away from Jiang Du.

"Some women are just cheap. They get raped and still give birth to the rapist's child. How cheap can you get?" Chen Huiming shot a look back with a strange, drawn-out tone. "Such bad luck."

Jiang Du's hands trembled, and the tray fell to the ground, scattering rice and food everywhere.

Many people looked over. Chen Huiming jumped back, moving even further away, and yelled at Jiang Du, "Jiang Du, are you crazy?"

"Let's go," Wang Jingjing tugged on Jiang Du's arm. "Let's not eat."

"Wang Jingjing, you're still hanging out with her?" Chen Huiming didn't finish her sentence, giving Wang Jingjing a roundabout look.

More and more people gathered, forming a circle as if watching a spectacle.

For a moment, Jiang Du felt sounds coming from all directions. Panic and helplessness warred repeatedly with her frail body. She stared blankly at the gazes directed at her, wanting to make a sound, but it was caught in her throat as if a ball of cotton had been stuffed inside.

"Jiang Du, last time your dad stood right up against me and got something dirty all over me. The boys all know what it is. Don't look at me with that wronged expression. My dad is already being polite by not settling the score with your family," Chen Huiming continued righteously. "I won't hold it against you, so you don't need to act pitiful."

"Are you done talking?" A cold voice came from the crowd.

Wei Qingyue reached out and pushed aside the girls blocking his view. The moment he appeared, the crowd did something magical, parting immediately to create a path, like Moses parting the Red Sea in The Bible.

The boy had a long scar running from the end of his eyebrow to his cheek, which was particularly eye-catching.

Everyone was wearing the summer school uniform, but he was the only one still in long sleeves.

"If you're done, then shut up and get lost. If there's a next time." Wei Qingyue's gaze swept over the girls next to Chen Huiming one by one—he didn't recognize any of them, but they all recognized him. He said with a blank expression, "I have no problem hitting girls. If any of you dare to buzz around Jiang Du like flies again, I'll dare to slap every single one of you."

The girls stared at Wei Qingyue in utter astonishment.

In the crowd, everyone else was also looking at him with complicated expressions. Wei Qingyue impatiently scanned the area, raising his eyebrows high.

"What are you looking at? That day, weren't you all just standing there, watching your own classmate get beaten to death by a bastard without moving a muscle? Haven't you seen enough?"

"Let's go, Chen Huiming. Jiang Du has a boyfriend to back her up now. How can we compare?" Chen Huiming's deskmate tugged on her arm, glancing at the pale-faced Jiang Du with complete disgust.

Wei Qingyue frowned at the girl who spoke and said, "Watch your mouth. Jiang Du from the Liberal Arts Experimental Class and I have a perfectly innocent relationship. I don't like people spreading rumors about me. If you dare to do it again, I'll tear your mouth apart."

At this, the onlookers were completely dumbfounded.