"Is this love..." Chen Ge's blow was very heavy, and Du Ming couldn't get up for a while. He covered the wound on his face, and seemed to have finally calmed down and began to think about Chen Ge's words.

"Your mother is very strict with you, but it seems that she never told you what love is, or she never taught you how to love someone correctly."

“Love is a kind of ability and a kind of responsibility. It is not equivalent to happiness, nor is it just a longing for the person you love. It also includes the attitude towards family, friends and the world.”

“People who know how to love have tenderness in their eyes and light in their hearts. They will not get lost even if they walk in the fog or darkness.”

Du Ming has strict family education, and his mother is very harsh on him. If he continues like this, Du Ming will become an excellent person, but he is destined to lack something in his heart.

The wind from the rooftop blew past. Chen Ge gave Du Ming some time to think, then he squatted in front of Du Ming with his phone in hand.

"Did you spread those rumors in school?"

Chen Ge opened the photo album on his phone. The photos inside had been cleared. There were only two photos in the favorites. One was a secretly taken photo of Zhang Ya, and the other was the back view of Zhang Ya and Chen Ge holding umbrellas and walking out of the school.

"I didn't send it." Du Ming managed to say something after a long while. He raised his swollen face and said, "My mom secretly looked at my phone. She found the photo and asked who that woman was. I said it was our new teacher."

"What does this have to do with rumors?"

"She saw you and the teacher going home under the same umbrella, and felt that such an intern teacher was unqualified, so she talked about it in the parents' group." Du Ming's eyes were full of self-blame and guilt, and he hated himself for being helpless.

"Parents group? When did this happen? Does my dad know about it?"

"On the day you left with your teacher, your dad should have known about this. Someone in the group recognized you from your back, and many people asked your dad to come out and give an explanation. Your dad had been speaking up for you, but later he seemed to have been kicked out of the group. I thought he would tell you about this."

"My dad knew it a long time ago?" Chen Ge calculated the time and realized that he was staying at Zhang Ya's house that day and did not go back.

His father did not blame him, but proved his trust in Chen Ge with his actions.

"Parents felt that such a teacher was simply incapable of teaching students and that her quality was questionable, so they decided to discuss the matter with the school. Some parents even told their own children about this incident, warning them not to do such stupid things." Du Ming knew everything in his heart, but he never said it out loud. No wonder he didn't dare to talk to Chen Ge later, but just put all the homework on the table, as if he wanted to express his apology in this way.

"Zhang Ya ranked first in the interview and written test among all the interns. The school certainly would not fire Zhang Ya just because of a few photos. The two sides were deadlocked for a few days." Du Ming felt even more guilty when he said this: "I am very dissatisfied with my family because of this matter. I have never resisted them before, but I don't want to back down in this matter. However, my resistance was not understood by my family. Instead, she felt that the child she had carefully taught was led astray by the new teacher."

"In other words, your mother blamed Zhang Ya for her failure in education?" Chen Ge realized that he had neglected someone before, that was Du Ming's mother. That woman was the best person in the world to Du Ming, but also the one who hurt him the most.

Chen Ge had never understood why Du Ming, who had excellent academic performance, was so unpopular. He often acted selfishly and indifferently, and never responded to others. Now he finally understood the reason.

"The conflict really broke out because I got terrible test scores a few days ago. My mom thinks my grades have dropped entirely because of Zhang Ya. If this new teacher is allowed to educate me, it is likely that he will ruin me." Du Ming's expression was bitter and painful. He was like a bird locked in a jar. People outside the jar admired his melodious "chirping" and thought that it was all the credit of the bird trainer. She did not consider the bird's inner feelings at all.

"My mother told the class group about my situation that night, and many parents stood up to support her. They could not afford to be careless when it came to their children's education, so they decided to go to the school to discuss it with the school." Du Ming no longer had the energy to continue: "You know what happened next. It was called a 'discussion', but it was actually an argument. My mother is a very strong person."

"Adults don't understand children. My mother thinks I should understand her painstaking efforts after doing so much for me. She thinks she quarrels loudly in the office for the sake of the child, but when I hear her sharp voice, I just want to find a place to hide. I know she loves me, but now I am afraid of being called my mother."

Du Ming's mother's education was indeed problematic. Chen Ge felt that he should meet her once: "I think you should have a good communication with your mother. She never admits her mistakes and only uses strict requirements and moral constraints to restrain her children. This is not education."

Du Ming was able to communicate normally. Chen Ge pulled him up from the ground. Both of them had bloodshot eyes. "Listen, there is still a chance to keep Teacher Zhang Ya, but I don't know if you dare to do it."

"I?"

"Yes, take your phone to the office now and tell everyone the truth about the photo. There is nothing shameful between Zhang Ya and me. We were holding an umbrella that day because I forgot to bring one. You know all this, and you can testify. You can debunk those rumors." Chen Ge put the phone back into Du Ming's hands: "The key is whether you dare to do it?"

Holding the phone with a broken screen, Du Ming stood there without saying a word.

"Think it over and tell me." Chen Ge did not force Du Ming. He looked at Du Ming quietly, but the figure of Yu Jian emerged in his mind.

"I..." Du Ming clenched his five fingers together, his eyes red, and after a long while he slowly spoke: "I can't go."

"How did you question me just now? Your pain is obviously no less than mine, why don't you dare to face it? You just want to keep sinking like this, right?" Chen Ge wanted to help Zhang Ya, but he was also helping Du Ming at the same time. If Zhang Ya left like this, Du Ming would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life. This was a knot in his heart that he couldn't untie.

"If I go to clarify all this, my mother will be very angry. After all, she did all these things because of me. This is her love for me." Du Ming put away his phone. Gray gradually appeared in his eyes. His whole face seemed to be lifeless. It was not easy for him to make this decision: "Teacher Zhang still has you, but my mother only has me. My father left when I was very young. She is strict with me because she puts all her expectations on me."

"For your own good, she turned you into a selfish monster? Depriving you of your happiness, depriving you of the ability to love others. Doesn't your mother always like to emphasize how hard it is for her, how hard she works, and how much she has given you?" Chen Ge could understand, but he didn't agree: "Your mother didn't raise you to be yourself, but to be the you she wanted. I don't deny that she loves you, but her love for you should not be based on stifling your personality. Love is mutual. There may be some inequality, but it is generally fair."

Du Ming gritted his teeth after hearing what Chen Ge said.

Chen Ge did not disturb Du Ming. He looked at the little fat man in front of him.

Du Ming has no physical defects, but he also lacks something, something that every human being should have, that is, "love".

"I will go with you and explain everything." Chen Ge grabbed Du Ming's shoulders and said, "I can drop out of school and give up everything, because this is all my fault. I should be punished, not Zhang Ya."

With Chen Ge's continuous efforts, Du Ming finally nodded.

Seeing that Du Ming had changed his mind, Chen Ge breathed a sigh of relief and accompanied Du Ming off the roof.

After knocking on the office door, Chen Ge and the bruised-faced Du Ming walked to Director Shi's desk.

"Are you two in trouble? Who did you fight with?" Director Shi was shocked to see Du Ming like this. After all, Chen Ge did hit him hard. He beat Du Ming until he couldn't stand up before he started to reason with him.

"Director Shi, Teacher Zhang is actually not as rumored. She didn't do anything that violated professional ethics." Du Ming took out his phone. "This was the first photo circulated in the parents' group. The truth was that Chen Ge didn't bring an umbrella that day. Teacher Zhang was worried that he would get wet, so she walked with him under an umbrella. I was right next to him at the time."

"But your mother came over yesterday and said something different. Didn't you tell her that?"

"I told her, but she didn't believe me." Du Ming placed his cell phone on Director Shi's desk.

"So it was a misunderstanding. What's going on? Call your mother right away and ask her to come over so we can talk it out." Director Shi wanted to solve the problem. Zhang Ya was the best teacher he had ever interviewed. It was unacceptable to fire her because of a misunderstanding.

Du Ming called his mother, who came over soon. Director Shi also called Zhang Ya, but the call didn't go through.

"Is anything wrong with Teacher Zhang?" Chen Ge wanted to go to Zhang Ya's house to take a look, but Director Shi would not let him go, saying that he was also one of the parties involved and had to be present to testify for Zhang Ya.

After waiting for about half an hour, footsteps were heard outside the door. There was no knock on the door. The office door was pushed open directly and a middle-aged woman walked in.

There was impatience on her face, but when she saw Du Ming's miserable appearance, her expression changed instantly and she trotted over to Du Ming.

"What happened? Who beat him? Was it him?" The woman glared at Chen Ge. "I told you a long time ago not to associate with this kind of person. He is a bad boy, so do you want to follow him? It just so happens that I came here today. Director Shi, how about you consider changing my son's seat?"

"I called you here today because I want to talk to you about the previous incident. You wronged Teacher Zhang." Director Shi took out Du Ming's phone and said, "Teacher Zhang didn't do anything out of line with the students. They held an umbrella together because Chen Ge didn't bring one."

"Who told you that?" The middle-aged woman's face suddenly darkened.

"Du Ming told me. If you don't believe what Teacher Zhang said, don't you believe your own son?" Director Shi thought he could easily convince Du Ming's mother, but he didn't expect that the other party was determined to make Zhang Ya leave.

"Impossible! Someone must have forced him to lie!" The middle-aged woman looked at Chen Ge: "Where did my son get the injuries? Did you force him to give false testimony for you?"

Du Ming's mother's voice became louder and louder like an enraged lion.

The quarrel attracted the attention of all the teachers in the office. Du Ming lowered his head, but Du Ming's mother seemed not to care at all, and her voice became louder and louder.

"Mother Du Ming, calm down first. I interviewed Teacher Zhang. She is a really good girl and will never do what you said."

"How can you guarantee that?" The middle-aged woman threw her bag on the table. "She doesn't look like a good teacher. I sent my son to you because I trusted you. Is this your attitude towards me?"

"You are being unreasonable." Director Shi was also in a dilemma. He said all the nice things he could but couldn't change the middle-aged woman's mind. He could only look at Du Ming and said, "Du Ming, tell the teacher the truth. Was that what Chen Ge forced you to say?"

With his head lowered, Du Ming grabbed his clothes with both hands, his face pale.

"Du Ming, tell us how Chen Ge forced you to say that!" The middle-aged woman almost commanded.

The office fell silent. Du Ming remained silent. His mother's expression became more and more impatient. Just when she was about to explode, Du Ming spoke.

“No one forced me.”

Director Shi and Chen Ge both breathed a sigh of relief, but Du Ming's mother couldn't accept it. She grabbed Du Ming's shoulders and said, "Don't be afraid. Tell me the truth. Are you threatened by him?"

"I'm telling the truth. Teacher Zhang didn't do anything shameful with Chen Ge. You just saw Teacher Zhang's photo on my phone and were afraid that Teacher Zhang would affect my academic performance, so you tried every means to get rid of Teacher Zhang!" Du Ming had been holding it in for a long time, and this time he said everything he wanted to say in one breath.

"Du Ming?" The middle-aged woman's face was filled with gloom, her teeth were clenched, and she was breathing heavily. She seemed to have never thought that Du Ming would say that. The feeling of anger and betrayal instantly surged over her head: "Isn't it for your own good? Why don't you understand!"

Du Ming did not dare to answer. At this time, the bell for the end of get out of class rang and many students ran out of the classroom and came to the corridor.

"I am both your father and mother. Is it easy to raise you? Do you know how much I have suffered?" The middle-aged woman gritted her teeth and said, "I put all my hopes on you, and this is how you respond to me?"

Du Ming's mother's voice was so loud that the students in the corridor could hear it clearly. They gradually gathered around and lay down beside the window to peek.

"I'm talking to you! What on earth are you thinking about every day? You don't even listen to me because of Teacher Zhang? What kind of drug did she give you?" The middle-aged woman grabbed the clothes on Du Ming's shoulders and said, "After your father abandoned us, I was the best person in the world to you. Everything I did was for you. As long as you are well, I am also very happy. Why don't you understand?"

"I am the only one in this world who truly treats you well! Du Ming! You disappoint me so much!"

Every word tore at Du Ming's heart, and the wound opened wide, filled with blood stained in the name of love.

He was breathing heavily, twisting his clothes with his hands so tightly that his knuckles were cracking.

The noise of the argument was so loud that it could be heard clearly outside the corridor. Students' faces were pressed against the windows and strange glances fell on everyone in the room.

Du Ming felt as if he was stripped naked and placed on the stage. He desperately covered his private parts, trying to find a place to hide.

"Du Ming's mother is here again?"

“I heard the sound when I was in class.”

"Du Ming's mother has a really bad temper."

"Come and see! They are quarreling again."

"Does Du Ming come from a single-parent family? Did his father abandon them?"

"No wonder he is so withdrawn and self-deprecating, and even stutters when speaking in class..."

Every word that reached Du Ming's ears tortured every nerve in his body, and the last bit of self-esteem that he tried so hard to maintain was crushed to pieces.

His chest heaved violently and he wanted to cover his ears and escape from this place.

His pupils moved restlessly as he could hear his mother's scolding and questioning. The strange looks and discussions in the corridor also flooded into his mind.

"Stop talking, stop talking, please don't say anything more..." His mouth opened unconsciously, his body trembled, and he slowly backed away until he reached the windowsill.

His unconscious fingers pressed on the edge of the windowsill. Du Ming, gasping heavily, seemed like a drowning man who had finally found the exit to leave the water cellar. He suddenly opened the window.

His legs crossed over the windowsill, his body seemed to become lighter, the wind blew in his face, and just when his world was about to turn upside down, a pair of hands grabbed him.

"Are you crazy?!"

What Du Ming saw was Chen Ge's slightly unreal face: "Death can't solve any problems!"

Chen Ge used all his strength to pull Du Ming back.

He had just noticed that Du Ming was in a bad mood, so he stood by his side.

Everyone in the room was shocked. They didn't expect Du Ming to do such a thing, including his mother.

All the teachers in the office looked at Du Ming. The students who were watching did not dare to speak anymore. It was as if the world had suddenly stopped.

"Why do you do this?" Du Ming's mother spoke after a long time, but her voice was obviously different from before, as if another person's words came out of her mouth.

"Why would you rather die than listen to me? I am obviously the best person in this world who treats you well. I am the one who truly understands and loves you."

Black spots appeared on the middle-aged woman's face, and the world behind the door, which was almost the same as the real world, began to change. Fine black threads emerged in the corners, and a pungent stench came from all around.

The overcast sky loomed overhead, and heavy rain poured down, washing away the town's false disguise.

Black sky, red rain, grey buildings, and countless intertwined curses.

"You and I are the same person. I am the only one in this world who can understand you and I am the only one who is sincerely helping you. But why would you rather die than become the same as me?" The middle-aged woman raised her head, and the black curse dissipated around, revealing the face of a baby.

Ghost fetus!!

When this face appeared, Du Ming's body was also slowly changing. His fat body was like a cage woven with a curse, with a skinny boy locked inside.

Du Ming's phone also fell to the ground. The woman in the background of the screen was no longer Zhang Ya, but another strange woman wearing glasses.