In early September, several heavy rains in a row, coupled with the start of the school season, dampened everyone's spirits.
Passersby hurried past, but a tall boy holding a black umbrella stood motionless by the streetlight, attracting many people to turn around and look at him.
Ding Kemeng said goodbye to her parents, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and went out the door. She walked downstairs and soon saw the person she wanted to see.
"Ziyin!"
The black umbrella was lifted, revealing Lu Ziyin's face, who smiled and said, "Cute baby."
Ding Kemeng walked under the umbrella and said, "Why are you here so early today?"
"It's raining." Lu Ziyin took Ding Kemeng's schoolbag and smiled gently. "Besides, today is the first day of school, and we need to move to a new classroom." Lu Ziyin didn't want Ding Kemeng to move the classroom alone, so of course she needed to come and help in advance.
"Okay, let's go to school now!"
The senior students moved to a different building, and the students in Class 10 moved to a different classroom. Tang Zhizhou and the others had already reserved their seats, so Lu Ziyin and Ding Kemeng could just go directly to the classroom when they arrived.
Tang Zhizhou and Lin Changmao were chatting, but Xie Sichen was not there; he must have been late.
After Ding Kemeng and Lu Ziyin sat down, they also joined the conversation.
They chatted and laughed for a while, during which Zhao Qian came over and held a class meeting. After it ended, he left. The classroom quickly became noisy again, and since the class monitor, Huang Jiji, couldn't control it anyway, she simply joined in the chatter.
Less than half an hour later, Xie Sichen came in through the back door, walking with a limp and a wound on his lip. Although he tried his best to hide it, he was still discovered.
Lu Ziyin stepped forward, pushed Xie Sichen's hand away, and glanced at it. The corner of his mouth was cut and swollen.
"He hit you again?"
Xie Sichen brushed Lu Ziyin's hand away and said calmly, "Since you know, then don't ask."
Tang Zhizhou noticed it too, and quickly rummaged through his bag for a band-aid, handing it to Xie Sichen and saying with concern, "Chen'er, put this on, so you don't leave a scar."
Ding Kemeng didn't know what had happened, but seeing that their expressions weren't good, she knew it couldn't be anything good.
Although Xie Sichen didn't like sports much, he wasn't the kind of person who would accept being beaten. Besides, he was the young master of the Xie family, so who would dare to hit him?
So, this injury...
"If things continue like this, something bad will happen sooner or later." Lu Ziyin frowned, her tone not very pleasant.
Xie Sichen smiled, but his lips were pulled and he hissed in pain. "He's just taking advantage of the fact that I'm underage and using that person to suppress me. He won't be arrogant for long."
"Make your own decisions about your own affairs, but if you encounter any difficulties, remember to tell us and don't keep it to yourself." Lu Ziyin didn't want to see Xie Sichen in a difficult position, but he really couldn't interfere in Xie Sichen's affairs, so he could only offer some verbal help.
"I know, don't worry." Xie Sichen put away the band-aid and stood up. "I'm going to wash my face, I'll be back in a bit."
"good."
Although Xie Sichen was smiling, Lu Ziyin and the others knew that he was not happy.
"Has the Xie family just let Xie Xu treat Chen'er like this all along?" Tang Zhizhou felt uncomfortable thinking about the Xie family; that family was disgusting!
“Xie Xu has Chen’er’s mother in his hands, and Chen’er can’t get rid of him now.” Lu Ziyin was also disgusted by what the Xie family did; they were extremely hypocritical!
Ding Kemeng squeezed Lu Ziyin's hand and asked softly, "Is Xie Sichen having any difficulties?" After asking, she felt a little awkward and quickly said, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to see if I could help a little."
Tang Zhizhou leaned back in his chair, sighed, looked at Ding Kemeng, and said, "Sister Meng, there's nothing we can do to help. Chen'er's parents are both willing to give and receive, so there's nothing we can do to help."
Lu Ziyin also sighed, rubbed Ding Kemeng's face, and said, "I did resist, but his mother was too weak. Even if we intervened, it wouldn't make much of a difference. If this continues, I will give up hope."
Even the most upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. If Xie Sichen's mother is unwilling, even if they were willing to help her, it wouldn't make any difference!
Xie Sichen understood this, so he had no choice but to accept Xie Xu's actions.
Ding Kemeng was unaware of the truth and could not empathize with Xie Sichen's situation. Apart from feeling sad, she could not offer any help.
So she stopped asking.
When Ding Kemeng returned home in the evening, she went to the study, which was unusual for her. Her mother was working there and was somewhat surprised to see her daughter come in.
"What's wrong, baby?"
"Mom, I have a friend who's had some trouble at home. Can I talk to you about it?" Ding Kemeng sat down next to her mother and asked softly.
Ding's mother is a lawyer, and in Ding Kemeng's eyes, her mother has always been strong and perfect!
Ding's mother put down the documents in her hand, intrigued. "Then tell your mother about it." Her daughter had always been introverted and didn't like talking to people much as a child, having very few friends. But since high school, not only had she made many friends, but her personality had even changed considerably. She was actually willing to proactively talk to her mother about her school life!
...
"You mean, his father might have frequently been physically abusive towards him and his mother, and he wanted to fight back, but his mother always stopped him and continued to side with his father?"
After listening to Ding Kemeng's account, Ding's mother's expression turned sour. She had handled similar cases before, though those were from several years ago.
The woman in that house loved her husband so much that she could forgive him countless times, even when he physically and verbally abused her. She could even persuade the children not to resent their father when he beat them.
This abnormal life continued for many years. If the man's violence hadn't been witnessed by a neighbor, the matter would never have come to light. She was the woman's defense attorney at the time, appearing in court, but even so, the woman repeatedly begged her privately not to sue her husband.
This twisted love made her feel nauseous for a long time after she finished the case!
She thought she would never encounter something like this again, but now...
"Mom, is there anything you can do to help in this situation?" Ding Kemeng was also a little unsure of herself when she saw that her mother looked unwell.
Ding's mother rubbed her daughter's head, sighed, and smiled helplessly: "Mengmeng, there's nothing Mom can do."
She really had no choice. In this situation, either there is strong evidence or the person involved is willing to testify; otherwise, they have no recourse!
"Is that so..." Ding Kemeng lowered her head, her expression darkening, and she looked somewhat sad.
Not wanting to see her daughter upset, Ding's mother could only comfort her, saying, "Mengmeng, don't worry, your friend will get through this."
"Really?" Ding Kemeng was still a little worried when she thought of the injury on Xie Sichen's lip.
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