"Dai Zhiqiang, stop this at once!"
Li Caiyi shouted as she rushed forward. She quickly tried to pull his hand away from Lu Ruan. "If you keep this on, she'll die!"
Her voice made him flinch. His foggy state of mind immediately cleared up when his gaze fell on Li Caiyi's imploring face.
But why would she defend the girl who schemed against her? Based on their conversation before, it seemed Lu Ruan also harassed her at her house. Dai Zhiqiang's heart sank when he discovered how much she had suffered without him knowing.
"Caiyi, this girl is evil. If I don't do this, she'll come back someday and harass you again someday."
"That doesn't mean you can do this! Let go of her this instant! If you continue this, you'll be blamed for what happened to her. It won't be mere self-defense anymore!"
Dai Zhiqiang honestly didn't care whatever happened to him. As long as he could prevent her from getting hurt.
However, his heart softened when he saw Li Caiyi on the verge of crying. What he did must have shocked her. He only showed her the tame side of him all this time. What if she becomes afraid of him after this?
He slowly lost the strength in his hand, leaving an opportunity for Li Caiyi to pry his hand off Lu Ruan. The latter coughed violently once she could breathe again. She looked like a mess, with tears and drool dripping from her eyes and mouth.
Li Caiyi had no obligation to care for or help her. Still, she wouldn't like it if this incident implicated Dai Zhiqiang.
Shifting her gaze to the young man, she found him looking at the ground, looking extremely dispirited.
She was so engrossed in her conversation; that she forgot he could hear everything. He must have been upset and disappointed at her for not telling him the whole story.
His interference was something Li Caiyi couldn't predict. She had overestimated Lu Ruan's ability to think clearly.
But if he didn't intervene, Li Caiyi probably would have been hurt badly by Lu Ruan.
"Zhiqiang, I—"
"Caiyi, there's no time for that!"
Suddenly, from behind the bushes, Feng Nian jumped out with an urgent look on her face. "I have called for some help. You should chase him away for now!"
Li Caiyi quickly understood the situation, while Lu Ruan was surprised by Feng Nian's appearance. In her daze, she muttered, "What is happening here?"
Li Caiyi paid her no mind and forced Dai Zhiqiang to stand up. "Sorry, but you have to go first. I promise I will tell you everything later. If you are here, things will get messier."
Dai Zhiqiang gazed at Li Caiyi profoundly. He looked like he had something to say, but in the end, he only nodded and left. But not without leaving the last warning, look at Lu Ruan, making the girl tremble in fear.
"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!!"
They turned their heads simultaneously at the voice source and found Teacher Shi running over, with Zhou Ya following closely behind.
Li Caiyi glanced in the direction Dai Zhiqiang had left and sighed in relief to find him gone.
"I heard of someone reporting a fight here. Someone explain this situation to me!" Teacher Shi commanded with a stern tone. She crouched beside Lu Ruan to check on her before looking up at Li Caiyi.
"Uhm, Teacher Shi? It was me who asked Ya Ya to call you here." Feng Nian raised her hand as she stepped between Li Caiyi and Teacher Shi. "I can explain everything that happened here."
"You are… Student Feng Nian? Alright, please explain it to me."
As Feng Nian slowly filled Teacher Shi in on the situation, Zhou Ya moved closer to her with a worried look. "Are you okay?"
Li Caiyi nodded while smiling. "Yeah, thanks."
"I was worried Lu Ruan might do something to you, but Lu Ruan seems to fare much worse than you. Just what kind of move did you use to make her look like that?"
Li Caiyi glanced at Lu Ruan, and as Zhou Ya said, she seemed like she just had witnessed the worst nightmare she had ever had. Her whole body shook while she choked on her sob. She hadn't said a word ever since Dai Zhiqiang left.
Lu Ruan was the one who made the first move, so Li Caiyi had no sympathy for her. Though she understood why one would be traumatized after receiving Dai Zhiqiang's wrath.
'Zhi, I hope he is alright. He had that brooding look on his face again when he left.'
***
In the end, Li Caiyi and Lu Ruan were dragged into the teacher's office.
Teacher Shi made them drop by the infirmary before taking them there. The young teacher was relieved knowing the two students didn't sustain any severe injury.
However, Teacher Shi didn't plan to let them off the hook just like that. She had called their guardian beforehand and had them sit tightly on the teacher's office's lounge. Crossing her arms, she alternately looked at the state they were in.
"Lu Ruan is a regular in making trouble, but I would never expect a quiet student like you to be involved in this Li Caiyi. Although I had heard the gist of it from Feng Nian. I haven't heard the reason why you fought. Since we still have some time before your guardian comes here, I want to hear both stories."
Li Caiyi discreetly stoled a look at Lu Ruan. She still hadn't uttered a word. She didn't even react when Teacher Shi announced she would call their guardian to pick them up.
"What's wrong? Is it something you find difficult to say? Unfortunately, you guys don't have a choice here."
Li Caiyi returned her gaze to Teacher Shi. "I was the one who called her out first. I have received a series of harassment, and I have evidence to prove Lu Ruan is the one behind everything."
Teacher Shi looked alarmed. "Harassment? What do you mean?"
"I don't want to explain it twice, so would it be okay to wait until our guardian arrives?" Li Caiyi feigned a tired expression. "The past month hasn't been easy on me."
Teacher Shi was a popular teacher who cared about her students, so looking at Li Caiyi's distressed look, she felt pity for her. The problem between them must be pretty serious if it could silence Lu Ruan like this.
"I get it. Let's wait for them to arrive."
After waiting for half an hour, the door was barged open. A couple in their 40s who seemed to be Lu Ruan's guardians entered with panicked faces.
The furious-looking woman immediately strode towards Lu Ruan once she found her and smacked her head hard, causing a painful, loud sound.
"How many times has it been? Didn't we tell you to behave yourself?! What kind of mess did you make this time?!" The woman harshly berated Lu Ruan in front of everyone, making even Teacher Shi freeze in shock.
Li Caiyi, who stood beside her, was astonished. This woman didn't even bother to ask Lu Ruan what happened and immediately punished her. It didn't take a genius to realize how she treated Lu Ruan.
"Ma'am, I understand your feeling, but please calm down. We haven't heard their stories yet," Teacher Shi said while giving Lu Ruan an unsure look.
"Teacher, this kid is a troublemaker. I don't need to listen to know she must have made trouble again. My husband and I have given up on her behavior."
"But, don't you think we should at least listen to what she had to say?"
"No need. Everything that comes out of her mouth is all lies, anyway. We are very busy, so let's end this meeting quickly." The woman impatiently said.
Li Caiyi wasn't unfamiliar with that dismissive attitude.
After meeting Lu Ruan's guardian, Li Caiyi felt like she could finally understand a little how Lu Ruan became the person that she was. Who would have thought the school bullies and her victim had something in common?
"Xiaoyi!"
They turned their head to the door again. This time, Su Suyin and Li Junjie entered the room together with polar opposite air around them. The former was particularly agitated, while the other was as calm as a winter lake.
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