Consider the fight as an apology to Lin Shih-jen.

The matter was not resolved that day.

After collecting the papers, the proctors reported the situation to Chen Mo. Chen Mo was in a physics teaching and research group meeting and couldn't get away, so he told them to come to his office the next morning. Cai Shichen left in a huff.

Lin Shih-jen didn't sleep all night.

Her mind involuntarily replayed the events of the exam, the shame of her bra buttons popping open in public, and the contemptuous look in Cai Shichen's eyes. Her hands, gripping the corner of the blanket, trembled slightly, and a tightness in her chest made her feel suffocated.

The next day, Lin Shih-jen arrived at school early, his dark circles from a sleepless night clearly visible on his face.

Twenty minutes before the bell rang for morning self-study, there weren't many people in the classroom. The boys were laughing and joking while eating their breakfast, and the girls' half-wet long hair left a cool fragrance in the air. She walked straight ahead with her schoolbag on her back until she reached the end of the fourth-floor corridor and stopped at the door of Chen Mo's office.

From inside the half-open door, a woman's irritable voice came out: "Just because you got into Q University through a special admission program, does that give you the right to hit people?"

Lin Shiren's hand froze in mid-air as she knocked on the door. From her angle, she saw three people sitting in the center of the office. The man sat with a refined posture, the woman's lips were pursed, and Cai Shichen sat behind them, his face covered in bruises, his spirits low, and his eyes filled with fear. He was completely different from his arrogant demeanor last night, and he didn't dare to look across at all.

The person who frightened him stood calmly next to Chen Mo, with his back to the door and facing the family of three.

Chen Mo looked over and said, "Mrs. Cai Shichen, the matter hasn't been clarified yet, don't jump to conclusions so quickly."

Student conflicts are frequent on campus, and he handles them with ease. He just never expected that the two of them would be the main characters in this incident.

Zhang Yaping, who had a quick temper, was about to explode when Cai Yong stopped her with a look. He adjusted his glasses and said bluntly, "The two children got into a fight, and both of them are definitely responsible. But we asked Cai Shichen last night, and he didn't know why he was beaten. Moreover, the beating was really serious, and the injuries are all on his face. The child has a strong sense of self-esteem, and he refused to come to school today. We had no choice but to send him here, thinking we could talk to you about it."

The statement was quite technically sophisticated, demonstrating not only a broad understanding but also a clear distinction between the perpetrator and the victim.

Chen Mo didn't believe he would hit someone for no reason, so he turned his head and asked, "Zhou Lin, tell me what happened."

Upon hearing this name, Lin Shiren's heart skipped a beat, followed by tense breathing.

What's Zhou Lin doing here? Why is he fighting with Cai Shichen? She suppressed her questions and silently withdrew her finger from the door.

It was only then that I noticed he was wearing a black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and new wounds had appeared on his scabbed-over wounds, making it look quite shocking.

Zhou Lin's gaze slowly shifted to the opposite side as Chen Mo asked the question, and he said calmly, "Maybe I saw it wrong."

After those few words rang out in the air with a resounding force, Zhang Yaping suddenly stood up, her features contorted with anger: "What do you mean you mistook me for someone else? You beat my son black and blue, and you think you can get away with it by saying you mistook me for someone else? Let me tell you, this isn't over until you give us a reasonable explanation."

Chen Mo also scolded, "Zhou Lin, what kind of time is this to be making jokes like this!"

Zhang Yaping pointed at him and said, "Teacher Chen, the school must discipline him."

Cai Yong pressed on, "You see, this isn't his attitude towards solving problems. Why don't we invite his parents over?"

In front of everyone, Chen Mo couldn't show favoritism, so he could only say in the tone of a loving father reprimanding his rebellious son: "It's not too late for you to explain now. Cai Shichen's parents are reasonable people. If you do something wrong, apologize and then handle it accordingly."

Zhou Lin remained silent throughout, his dark eyes clear and open, ignoring their questions, whether they were scolding him or trying to persuade him earnestly, he remained as still as an old monk in meditation.

This attitude completely enraged Zhang Yaping, and her voice became even louder than before: "Zhou Lin, I've always encouraged Cai Shichen to take you as his role model, but I never expected you to be this kind of person. You're just relying on your good grades, aren't you? If Q University knew that you were morally corrupt and beat up your classmates without cause, would they still give you a guaranteed admission spot?"

Be careful what you say.

Chen Mo was somewhat dissatisfied. He had just finished explaining the situation to Zhou Heyu on the phone when he heard this almost threatening remark. He slammed his phone on the table, his action filled with strong emotion: "They're all just kids. If there's a conflict, resolve it. How can you let it affect their future?"

"Teacher Chen, look at his attitude..."

"Zhou Lin's parents will be here soon, you can talk to them in person."

Just as the standoff reached its climax, the office door was pushed open, and Lin Shih-jen walked in, instantly becoming the focus of five pairs of eyes.

Chen Mo glanced at her, composed himself, and said, "Go back to the classroom first. I have some things to take care of here. Come back later."

Lin Shiren did not move.

She glanced at Zhou Lin, who was being attacked by the group in the office. He had injuries on his eye and chin. After making eye contact with her for the first second, he quickly looked away. This action made Lin Shiren's suspicions obvious.

Lin Shiren's chest heaved slightly as he scanned everyone in the office: "Yesterday, Cai Shichen harassed me, and Zhou Lin beat him up as a hero."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Cai Shichen kept repeating "I didn't, I didn't" several times, and Zhang Yaping immediately retorted without hesitation: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Lin Shiren recounted the events of yesterday's examination in their entirety.

Cai Yong got up and closed the office door. When he sat down again, his expression changed: "Young lady, are you lying on purpose to exonerate Zhou Lin?"

Lin Shiren stared into his eyes and said, word by word, "I did not frame him. It was Cai Shichen who deliberately harassed me."

What was he thinking when he said that? His voice trembled, his eyes were red, and he seemed to be holding back his emotions. Zhou Lin slowly raised his eyes and suddenly felt an urge to beat Cai Shichen up again in front of everyone.

"I know about this."

Chen Mo picked up his phone and showed them the WeChat history: "They did have a conflict in the exam room yesterday. The proctor told me. I originally wanted to talk to them this morning, but I didn't expect it to be the same thing as the fight."

Don't blame him for being unfair. As a teacher, favoring students with good grades is ingrained in his nature. Besides, Zhou Lin has never been one to fight or cause trouble, and neither has Lin Shiren. Therefore, he is more inclined to believe that there is another reason why Zhou Lin beat up Cai Shichen.

Suddenly, the rumors from the sports meet came to mind. Could it be that these two are really dating?

On the other end, Zhang Yaping slammed her hand on the armrest and glared at them: "It's just a little squabble between boys and girls. Using the word 'harassment' is too vicious."

Lin Shiren bit down on the soft flesh inside her mouth, listening to her next sentence: "And Cai Shichen didn't hurt you, did he? Zhou Lin seriously injured Cai Shichen. Are your two incidents the same in nature?"

"Harassment and fighting are both egregious acts, so let's not laugh at each other's shortcomings," Chen Mo commented on the matter.

"Teacher Chen, how can these be the same?"

The school bell rang, and seeing that the argument was getting more and more out of control, Chen Mo picked up his coat from the back of his chair and said, "You guys calm down first, I'll find another teacher to switch classes."

Chen Mo left, and although the office was quiet, a tense atmosphere permeated the air with each breath.

Zhang Yaping paced back and forth for a few steps before bursting into a tirade: "I told you to call the police right away, but you insisted on finding the teacher to resolve the issue first. My son's injuries are so severe that they could easily be classified as minor injuries."

She forced a cold laugh from her throat: "You say your bra button is undone? What a joke. You're still wearing your school uniform. It's not like your chest was exposed."

Lin Shiren stared at her toes, her long eyelashes drooping, concealing all her emotions. She bit her lower lip, leaving a white mark: "If the school punishes Zhou Lin, it should also punish Cai Shichen. If you call the police, I will call the police too. I will tell the police that Cai Shichen sexually harassed me."

In other words, no matter what crime they want to pin on Zhou Lin, Cai Shichen will suffer the same backlash.

Lin Shih-ren has always had a gentle personality, and Zhou Lin was surprised that she could say such a thing. Once the word "sexual harassment" is used, a girl's reputation will be damaged, and a boy, no matter what the final outcome is, has already suffered social death.

Even Cai Shichen couldn't sit still anymore. His eyes turned red as he glared at her, looking so fierce he wanted to tear her apart: "You're disgusting. I just messed with you a couple of times, and you accuse me of sexual harassment. Do you have any evidence?"

Zhou Lin blocked her way, grabbed her by the collar in one swift motion, his eyes sharp and cold: "Try saying another word to her."

This was the first time Lin Shiren had seen him lose his temper so directly; he looked like a wolf that had been lying in wait for a long time, staring at its prey.

Cai Shichen seemed terrified, clutching his head and trembling: "I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't hit me."

Cai Yong instantly imagined his son being beaten, raising his fist to tell him to let go. Zhang Yaping hysterically shouted, "Call the police! Call the police right now!"

The scene was chaotic. Lin Shiren's fingers trembled as he searched for Xin Xiaomei's name in his contacts. The moment the call connected, tears fell to the ground.

With a sob in her voice, she said, "Mom, can you come to the school?"

...

Chen Mo didn't understand how the battle had escalated in the short time he had been away.

Xin Xiaomei pinched her waist with her right hand, her eyes flashing coldly as she looked at people: "I work in a hospital, so it's easy for me to get medical examinations and call the police. Whether you live or die or go to jail is none of our business. It would be best if your futures were ruined and you had two fewer competitors."

Xin Xiaomei's volcanic voice was even more powerful than Zhang Yaping's, and the content of her speech shocked everyone into silence.

Lin Shiren was no stranger to this kind of scene; she had experienced it too many times in the past. In the past, she always disliked Xin Xiaomei for being so shameful, but today, with such complicated gazes falling on her again, she only felt a lump in her throat.

Xin Xiaomei remained ready to fight, a sneer curling at the corner of her mouth: "I've worked in the hospital for twenty years, I've seen all sorts of big shots. Today I'm going all out, I'll use all the connections I've never had before. Whether you contact the head of the Public Security Bureau or the mayor of Huaicheng City, I'll take you on no matter how big a fuss you want to make!"

Zhou Heyu had rushed back from a business trip, looking exhausted. He hadn't dared to confront his two mothers the entire time, because he knew that no matter what, Zhou Lin was the one in the wrong. So he could only drink water in silence. In less than five minutes, he already needed to go to the toilet.

Zhang Yaping fell silent, and Cai Yong finally smoothed things over: "It's not that serious. It's just that the children had a disagreement. They can talk it out and it'll be over soon."

Xin Xiaomei: "You've all put it all out there, but I still have questions."

Chen Mo finally interjected, "Mother Lin Shiren, do you have any other requests?"

Xin Xiaomei finally sat down on the swivel chair next to her and tossed her hair. "Zhou Lin's father, I need to trouble you with something."

Zhou Heyu stood up as if he had been called on by a teacher: "What is it?"

Xin Xiaomei pointed at Zhang Yaping and said, "Untie her bra strap."

Zhou Heyu was still stunned when Zhang Yaping was so angry she almost coughed up blood: "Are you crazy?"

"What are you afraid of? There aren't many people in the office, and you're wearing clothes on, so we can't see your chest." Xin Xiaomei retorted with the same words she had used before.

Lin Shiren quietly watched as Xin Xiaomei confronted Cai Shichen and his family of three until their faces turned pale.

"Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering. Your son was beaten for a reason; consider it an apology to Lin Shih-jen."

-----------------------

Author's note: 50 red envelopes!