Chapter 21 You Should Be Ashamed of Yourselves
At the gate of the town’s No. 1 Middle School, a middle-aged man in plain clothes and with a casual look and a young man arrived at the school gate one after another.
The guard stopped the two men. The young man took out his ID. The guard examined it carefully for a moment, then immediately became respectful and warm. "Leader, please sit here for a moment. I'll notify the principal."
The middle-aged man waved his hand. "It's not official business, it's just a private visit. It's purely a personal matter, so I chose the time at noon when it won't disturb the students' studies and there's no need to alert the principal."
As they spoke, the two of them walked into the school. When the guards saw someone entering, one of them immediately ran in to find the principal.
It would be a disaster if we didn’t tell the principal that such a high-ranking leader was coming to inspect.
Wen Zhu's voice continued to be heard on the radio.
"I read the letter of apology you wrote to me. However, I do not accept your apology."
"Because I feel like you're insulting my intelligence."
"First, your content is ambiguous, making it easy for people to misunderstand my innocence. What do you mean by 'the traffickers did something bad to you that you don't want to talk about?' What do you mean? Is there anything I don't want to talk about? I believe my heroic deeds can be openly shared and used as a positive example of self-help."
When Xu Niannian heard Wen Zhu questioning her like this, she was nervous at first, then she saw that there was no one around and music was playing outside, so she said, "I think the human traffickers may have beaten and scolded you. Don't think too much about it. I didn't mean anything else." She absolutely could not admit that she did mean to imply that she had been abused. She couldn't leave any handle.
"So, you're referring to me being beaten and scolded by the traffickers, right? Are you trying to imply that I was insulted?"
Xu Niannian quickly explained, "How could that be?"
"It was completely false, but I don't need to explain it to people who have nothing to do with it."
"Secondly, after Zhang Erya found your apology letter, why didn't you immediately take it back? I don't believe she was spreading rumors so loudly, jumping up and down and telling everyone she met. Could you have heard it? Did you just want her to spread rumors everywhere?"
Xu Niannian clutched the corner of her clothes, a little flustered, but pretended to be calm, "I...I...I was planning to come back, but I forgot about it because of the fight she got into yesterday."
"Then why didn't you go and get it this morning? Didn't you write it to me? Why didn't you go and get it back and give it to me?"
"That's because... because she spread rumors. She said all of them. I didn't mean that, and I didn't dare ask for it. I was afraid she would be punished for the letter I wrote, and would... would beat me."
Wen Zhu stood up from his chair, his voice loud and resounding, approaching Xu Niannian and looking down at her, making Xu Niannian's already weak aura even lower.
"Then do you know that your words "you didn't mean it" and "you're scared" have caused my classmates, who don't understand the situation, to gossip about me everywhere. Some even think that my character is too low to be worthy of studying in No. 1 Middle School and are jointly demanding that the school expel me? Then what did I do wrong? I did nothing wrong!"
Xu Niannian was frightened by Wen Zhu's aura. She was already feeling guilty about something she had done wrong, and this feeling was magnified infinitely. Her face turned pale as paper.
I could only whisper back, “I, I didn’t.”
Wen Zhu ignored her and continued with what he had not finished saying.
"So, I, Wen Zhu, was not insulted by the traffickers, nor did I behave improperly. I simply paid the price for Xu Niannian's ignorant behavior. You wanted to be kind and save people, but you ended up getting me captured by the traffickers.
But I fought tooth and nail to escape from the traffickers. I fought tooth and nail to stay alive. I consider myself brave and remarkable. Not only did I escape, I also helped the police rescue seven other abducted children, saving seven families from being torn apart.
I don't need to prove my innocence to anyone, but, classmates, this is a school, a place for learning and knowledge, a sacred place that so many children long for but never have the opportunity to enter. This is supposed to be a pure land, isn't it?
To those of you who gossip about me behind my back, would you dare say it to my face? You wouldn't dare! You only know how to gossip about others behind their backs. It's as if you gain a sense of accomplishment by trampling others into the mud. Then you say, "See, she's just as bad as we said she was," and then you justify your rumor-mongering with a clear conscience.
Human traffickers are certainly despicable, they're the parasites of society. But even if I've been insulted, even if I've been bullied, so what? Even so, I still have the right to choose to live in this world! You don't blame the traffickers, but instead you're causing secondary psychological trauma to me, the victim. Isn't this a classic case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
We chant slogans like "Women hold up half the sky" and "Gender equality" every day, but when women are persecuted and burdened with unwarranted stigma, you forget those slogans completely. And I lived up to those slogans. I didn't give up on myself. I saved myself from danger! I, too, hold up half the sky.
You know, it’s not easy for girls to study, and a woman’s innocence is not hidden under her skirt!
You self-proclaimed intellectuals, are you truly worthy of the education you've received? Your future should be spent as journalists using your pens as weapons to speak out for abducted children, as doctors and nurses saving lives and healing the wounded, as scientists serving our country, not as you parrot the crowd, lashing out at a classmate who refused to abandon you, refused to give up, and fought tooth and nail to save you from danger.
Three people make a tiger, you should be ashamed of yourselves!"
The students who had originally just been there to join in the fun were all blushing. They had all heard about and participated in the discussion about Wen Zhu to some extent. At the time, they were just curious, and since everyone else was talking, they just followed the crowd. Now, after being made to blush by Wen Zhu's words, they all lowered their heads unconsciously, feeling ashamed.
Xu Niannian was speechless after being confronted by Wen Zhu and didn't want to continue to argue with her, "Are you done? Then can you tell me what my brother said to you?"
Wen Zhu turned off the speaker and said calmly, "He said he was going to the police station to report the case and have the culprit who caused his abduction arrested and sent to prison."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the broadcasting room was slammed open by brute force from the outside. Zhang Erya rushed over with a burly figure and beat Xu Niannian violently.
Wen Zhu moved aside and reminded, "If the equipment breaks down, you have to pay for it."
Zhang Erya looked at Wen Zhu in surprise, turned around awkwardly, moved her mouth, and wanted to say something, but after holding back for a long time, she still didn't say a word. Then she pulled Xu Niannian out.
The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, quietly standing in front of the teaching building, listening attentively, nodding his head continuously, and after the girl's resounding words stopped, he seemed to be thinking about something.
Principal Sun trotted over, sweating profusely, and stood in front of the middle-aged man with a smile on his face.
"Mayor Yu, I'm Sun Aidang, the principal of No. 1 Middle School. Why didn't you notify us ahead of time about your visit so we could prepare? I'm truly sorry for not welcoming you!"
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