Chapter 25

Cheng Man followed Tao Zhi closely.

Tao Zhi went to the coffee shop first, took the two children with her, and went home together.

When Cheng Mingcheng saw Cheng Man, he called out, "Aunt."

Cheng Jin also called out: "Gu...Gu..."

Cheng Man rubbed one with each hand: "Good baby."

It was not until the evening when everyone else returned that Tao Zhi had time to interrogate Cheng Man.

Because Cheng Man has been living on campus and only has two days off every month, Tao Zhi feels like she hasn't seen her little daughter for a long time.

Without waiting for Tao Zhi to speak, Cheng Man started telling the story.

"When I first started school, I forgot I was boarding and didn't bring any clothes with me, so I just wore my old school uniform. Then some classmates laughed at me, calling me a country bumpkin, a country bumpkin, and someone who smelled like dirt from the countryside. I knew they were doing it on purpose, but I had just transferred in and was in my third year of high school, so I put my studies first, so I ignored them."

Tao Zhi glanced at Cheng Man. She was indeed dressed very casually, wearing loose sportswear, which had nothing to do with being good-looking. Only her face could save her from this.

"Don't you have a closet full of clothes?"

Cheng Man waved her hands: "Mom, that's not important. People don't like me, and it has nothing to do with what I wear."

Tao Zhi laughed. "Respect the clothes first, then the person." This saying is timeless and has its own logic. If Cheng Man were wearing designer clothes, her classmates would probably think twice before bullying her. However, facing this youthful face, Tao Zhi swallowed her words.

Cheng Man continued, "There were a few classmates who formed a clique and came together to ostracize me. They were just a few harsh words, and they couldn't hurt me. To be frank, who in that school knew me, Cheng Man? So I just ignored them."

"Later, during the first placement test, because the textbook was different and I wasn't familiar enough with some of the knowledge points, my score wasn't very good, and the teacher probably had some complaints. Those classmates saw this and thought I had no support, so they started to behave inappropriately. For example, they blocked my way, slandered me behind my back, falsely spread the teacher's words, deliberately left out my notebook and test paper, and so on and so forth. Of course, you know, Mom, I don't care about these things."

Tao Zhi nodded. Cheng Man had been fighting since she was little. She was quite famous in her previous school. No one had ever dared to provoke her. This must be a new experience for her, right?

"During the second placement test, I came in third in the class. My homeroom teacher's immediate reaction was, 'Did I cheat?' 'Come on, who wants to get into university would cheat to improve their grades? I'm not crazy,' I replied. The teacher's face turned sour, but so what? It's none of my business."

"The teacher's attitude was obvious, and the students weren't stupid either, so they all noticed. Gradually, they distanced themselves from me. Most of the students were focused on their studies, so their rejection wasn't really obvious. It was just a few who became a little arrogant."

"They locked me in the dorm, the bathroom, and the classroom, but I managed to break through each one. Then they tore up my textbooks, my homework, and my test papers. It didn't matter, I'd memorized them. Later, they tried to stop me from getting food, so I went to the canteen to buy food. I'm in my third year of high school, and I don't want to waste my energy, so I put up with them again and again."

"After all, it's a key high school, so they wouldn't dare go too far. I don't know who was so stupid but started a rumor that I was in a premature relationship. To prove it, they invited this guy to appear today."

"This guy was from the previous class, and like me, he got in through connections. I heard his family has some money, and he's a pretty good person. He's got a good reputation. Of course, it's not a good one."

"He probably really thought I was from the slums and gave me a few worthless trinkets, thinking I would agree to be his girlfriend. Don't worry, Mom, I never took them. Even if they were dropped on the street, I wouldn't pick them up. I always patiently told him to get out, but unfortunately he didn't understand and thought I was playing hard to get."

"Regarding the necklace he mentioned, someone must have taken it and then framed me. So today he wanted to hold my hand and put his arm around my shoulder. I guess the next step is to hug my waist and make our relationship official in public."

"It's a really good trick that kills two birds with one stone." Cheng Man sighed, shaking her head.

"Did they beat you?"

Cheng Man sighed: "No, I've been waiting for them to make a move for a long time."

"Why, do you want to fight?"

"Mom, do you think I'm that stupid? What's the point now? It's a watershed in my life. I don't want to ruin my future for someone like that. As the saying goes, revenge is never too late. It's not too late to deal with them after graduation."

Seeing Cheng Man so lucid, Tao Zhi was relieved, but she was also worried: "What if they really do it?"

"Then protect your vitals, use some provocative language, and let them fight. Then, with all these injuries, parade around the campus and go find the teachers, the dean, the principal, and the police. With so many people around, you'll always find someone who can speak up for the people, right?"

Tao Zhi didn't know whether to praise her or scold her. Since she had her own ideas and hadn't really suffered any loss, she should let her solve it herself.

Two weeks later, the family received a call saying that Cheng Man had gotten into a fight at school and wanted her parents to come over and deal with it.

There was no one at home at the time, so Tao Zhi had to go out by herself, hailed a car and went to the No. 3 Middle School of the city.

After identifying herself to the security guard, Tao Zhi was led to the office on the third floor.

She looked around and found that there was only one female teacher in the office. The teacher was sitting, Cheng Man was standing, and there was no one else.

Tao Zhi called out, "Manman," and walked in.

The female teacher looked up and glanced: "Are you Cheng Man's parent?"

Tao Zhi had deliberately chosen not to change her clothes or even take off her jewelry before going out. The cotton and linen suit she had worn for half a day was now wrinkled and creased, like the deep wrinkles on dry earth.

The female teacher seemed to see a bunch of dried pickles. She lowered her head and curled her lips, thinking it was old-fashioned.

Cheng Man called out, "Mom, this is my homeroom teacher, Ms. Xu Chengyu."

Tao Zhi understood immediately, and with a smile on her face, she said, "Hello, Teacher Xu, what happened?"

Xu Chengyu said calmly, "Cheng Man hit a classmate and refused to apologize. The other parent wouldn't give up. We had no choice but to call the parents."

"May I ask who started it first?"

Xu Chengyu snorted: "Need I say more? Of course it's Cheng Man."

"What about the other students?"

"I went to the hospital for a checkup."

Tao Zhi pulled Cheng Man over and pressed her into a chair, caressing her bruised eyes, bleeding lips, and the scratches on her arms, which were stained with blood.

"Why didn't Cheng Man go to the hospital?"

Xu Chengyu was impatient: "You want to go to the hospital after hitting someone? You are not allowed to go anywhere until the matter is resolved."

Tao Zhi's tone began to stiffen: "Teacher Xu, how do you want to solve this?"

"You have to apologize and pay for the medical expenses."

"Did you see Cheng Man hitting someone with your own eyes?"

Teacher Xu stood up suddenly, put his hands on the table, leaned forward and stared at Tao Zhi: "What do you mean, are you questioning me?"

"I'm just asking reasonable questions."

"Everyone is blaming Cheng Man, saying she was the first to hit someone. What's going on? Are they all lying?"

"Everyone, do you mean a class, a grade, or the entire school?"

Cheng Man explained, "It was the people who testified against each other that they were beaten."

Xu Chengyu was furious. "Don't worry about how many people there are. The problem now is that Cheng Man took action. For this reason alone, she must apologize."

Tao Zhi asked Cheng Man, "Man Man, is what the teacher said true?"

Cheng Man shook her head: "Mom, I never hit anyone."

Xu Chengyu was furious: "Cheng Man, stop lying. Those classmates all had bruises on their faces, and you still say you didn't hit anyone?"

Cheng Man was very calm: "I was just defending myself."

Xu Chengyu turned to Tao Zhi and said, "Look, even with irrefutable evidence, Cheng Man flatly denies it. I can't teach this student anymore."

Tao Zhi asked, "As for the so-called irrefutable evidence, besides what these students said, does Teacher Xu have any other evidence?"

Xu Chengyu was very firm: "No need. I've been teaching this class for two years. I know every student, if not everything, at least a basic understanding. If they all say the same thing, then it's almost certain."

"Teacher Xu, I'm sorry to disagree with your point of view. Unless you can give me more evidence, my mother and I will not acknowledge this matter."

Xu Chengyu felt humiliated. "Mother Cheng Man, you're not helping your child by protecting her like this. You're harming her. She's so ruthless at such a young age. I'm afraid she'll be even more ruthless when she grows up."

"Then I'd like to ask the head teacher and I to call all the students who were present at the time so we can sort this out face to face. Is that okay with you?"

"Impossible. We're already in our third year of high school. My classmates' time is precious. I won't allow you to disturb them casually."

Tao Zhi was really angry now. It was obvious that the other party was biased. Her daughter was studying in his class. What could she do to him?

Tao Zhi didn't bother to talk nonsense. She lowered her head and asked Cheng Man, "Is there a school clinic in the school?"

Cheng Man nodded.

"Then you take Mom with you."

Cheng Man stood up, and Xu Chengyu's face turned pale: "I said, you are not going anywhere until the matter is resolved."

Tao Zhi approached her and stared at her coldly: "If my daughter's injury becomes more serious because she doesn't get timely treatment, will you take full responsibility for it?"

Xu Chengyu was speechless.

Cheng Man walked out of the office first, and Tao Zhi followed behind her, guarding against someone.

The school doctor examined the wound and prescribed an ointment: "It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious."

In fact, Tao Zhi also saw it, otherwise she would not be so patient and chat with Xu Chengyu about this and that.

She said to Cheng Xing, "Wait here for me. I'll make a phone call."