Chapter 421: Chapter 410: The Best Teacher
Little Yu’s father, holding Xiao Yu’s mother, silently turned his head away. A man doesn’t shed tears lightly, they say, just not when their heart is yet to be broken. How could he not feel heartbroken over his carefully nurtured daughter being bullied? Looking at his tightly clenched fists, one could guess he was harboring murderous thoughts.
Perhaps since the floodgates had opened, Xiao Yu no longer felt as tense and embarrassed, and continued to speak slowly, "They also locked me in the bathroom, slandered me for cheating during exams, poured water and garbage on my bed in the dormitory, and they forbade me to tell teachers or parents. They said their families were very powerful and threatened that they wouldn’t spare even my parents."
"How could you be so foolish?" Xiao Yu’s mother burst into tears, "No matter how powerful they are, can they be more powerful than the law? If I hadn’t found out you were injured, would you have continued to hide it?"
"I’m sorry, Mom, I know I was wrong," Xiao Yu held her mother tightly, "Please don’t cry, I’m okay now, and I know how to stand up to them. No one will bully me anymore."
Looking at Xiao Yu, her mother felt a mixture of heartache and helplessness, which finally culminated in a deep sigh.
The interview lasted over two hours, and after Ye Qiu put away his recording pen, he handed a postcard to Little Yu’s father, "The experiences you’ve shared with Xiao Yu will be recorded in my book, which might be published in the future. If one day it gets on TV, would you be willing to share this experience publicly?"
Ye Qiu’s request made them hesitate. After all, an interview is one thing as it doesn’t reveal real names and faces, but appearing on TV is quite another matter.
"I am willing." Before her parents could make up their minds, Xiao Yu bravely stood up, "I don’t want others to go through what I did. I want those classmates to know that bullying is wrong, and that when you’re bullied, you must bravely speak out and not be afraid."
"Thank you!" Ye Qiu smiled appreciatively at Xiao Yu, then said to Little Yu’s parents, "If there really comes a day when you go on the program, you won’t necessarily have to show your true faces. Anyway, thank you for today. If you have any questions or requests, feel free to call me anytime. I’ll send you a copy once the book is published."
Little Yu’s father and Ye Qiu shook hands, "We will consider the TV appearance carefully, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Ye."
"It’s no trouble at all. Goodbye, Xiao Yu. Remember, I teach mathematics, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime!"
"Goodbye, Mr. Ye. Thank you for the little monkey, I really like it."
Upon leaving Xiao Yu’s house, Ye Qiu traveled overnight to a prison, where a man who had once bullied his classmates was detained. Unlike most students who bully their peers, his offense was more serious, and since he was already over sixteen, he was locked up in prison.
"Hello, Liu Zhou," Ye Qiu greeted him. The man had grown tall, and the harshness once seen between his brows seemed to have been eroded away by prison life, making him appear somewhat dejected and stooping.
Liu Zhou greeted him uncomfortably, "Hello, Mr. Ye."
"I’m glad you agreed to meet me even after knowing my intention. Can you tell me about your original reason for bullying your classmates?"
Liu Zhou hung his head, and when he looked up at Ye Qiu again, he smirked sarcastically, "What original reason? It was just for fun at the time, feeling that bullying others made me look good, and everyone else cheered me on, so I just went along with it."
"Just because of that?"
"Mostly, yes."
"Why did you choose to bully that particular classmate?"
"Because he gets good grades, has money, and doesn’t tattle,"
"Were you scared after stabbing him? Do you regret it now?"
Liu Zhou fell silent for a moment, then seriously said, "Scared, regretful."
"Is your regret for ending up in prison or for causing pain to that classmate?"
"Both," Liu Zhou moved slightly, then promptly sat up straight again under the guard’s warning, "Looking back, I was really foolish. Due to a moment of impulse, I harmed him, myself, and my family."
"If you are released from prison, would you apologize to him?"
"I would!" Liu Zhou asserted decisively.
Ye Qiu could see that Liu Zhou was sincere, but offenders who are punished and show regret like him are few. Most perpetrators maintain a fearless attitude, some even deliberately inflict harm knowing they are under fourteen and that the law will protect them; they believe that even if they kill someone, there won’t be any consequences.
But what about the victims? To whom can they express their suffering? Should they just silently endure oppression and harm?
This winter break, Ye Qiu visited no less than thirty families of victims and offenders. Some were unwilling to face the past, some had moved beyond their shadows, and some have yet to recognize their wrongs even now.
Ye Qiu organized these materials one by one, then recorded each story with a fair and impartial attitude—he even invited professional lawyers and experienced teachers for assessment. He is determined to publish this book to raise awareness about the severity of school bullying.
But Rome wasn’t built in a day. He’s also planning related TV programs. As he’s busy beyond belief, the winter break quickly passes, and school starts again.
"San San, this school is so big and beautiful!" Li Manyu, carrying her backpack, spun around on the spot, exclaiming in awe.
"It is huge! Xiao Man, I heard they have the cooking classes you like here!" Zhao Shanshan’s round, happy face beamed with delight.
Li Manyu, moved, clasped Zhao Shanshan’s hand, "San San, thank you for transferring schools with me."
"It’s nothing, you did well on your tests. Here you can learn even more, and my dad is rich anyway—the tuition is nothing to him," Zhao Shanshan said with a grin, the two best friends hugged each other, then excitedly went to try the snacks in the cafeteria.
Since accepting Liu Tong last year and him winning several awards at the provincial level, Diou Royal Noble Academy gained some reputation. Tasting success, the board of directors decided to admit a number of students with excellent academic achievement for free, provided they maintain their top rankings. Otherwise, should their performance significantly decline, they would have to pay the same expensive tuition as other students. Li Manyu is one of the students recruited this year.
Her grades have always been excellent, so she entered the school with full confidence. Ye Qiu only found out that she was assigned to his class upon seeing the list, similar to what happened in his previous life.
This is actually a world of a novel, where the female protagonist is Li Manyu and the male lead is Xuanyuan Junrui. Initially, Xuanyuan Junrui was quite rude to Li Manyu since she was a commoner student. But due to the incident involving Liu Tong, Li Manyu suffered less bullying, and she also possessed an indomitable spirit. Ultimately, it was this very spirit that touched Xuanyuan Junrui.
In this life, with Liu Tong under his protection and unharmed, Ye Qiu wonders whether that will alter the trajectory of this couple’s relationship.