Chapter 13 The Gloomy Little Poor Boy of the 1970s
Time ticked by, and more and more parents flocked to the school to find their child's class.
The empty seats that were originally for the students in the classroom were gradually filled by their parents, creating a noisy and bustling atmosphere.
"Zhou Huai, didn't you swear your mom would come? Where is she? It's about to start!"
Chen Ziwei crossed his arms, his face displaying undisguised mockery.
"Could it be that they told such a big lie that they couldn't even find a single extra?"
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Someone who had no mother since childhood would insist on having a mother just to save face.
He always pretended to be so aloof and upright, but he's actually this kind of person behind the scenes! The thought of personally tearing off this cold and aloof academic genius's disguise excited him greatly.
"What nonsense are you talking about! Maybe something just happened on the way and the time hasn't come yet!"
Before Zhou Huai could respond, a classmate who couldn't stand it spoke up first.
Although Zhou Huai has a cold personality, he is not unapproachable. He will help his classmates if they have any problems, so he is quite popular in the class.
Who would dislike a handsome, academically gifted, and helpful classmate?
Zhou Huai's gaze involuntarily drifted back to the stairwell, where one figure after another came up, but none of them were the person he was waiting for.
He subconsciously glanced at his watch; there were less than five minutes left.
"Never mind," he thought. "She's so busy, working day and night to support this family. It's understandable that she doesn't have time. He himself said that if it's inconvenient, then forget it."
He should be understanding of her hardships and the reality that she cannot come.
"The teacher is here!"
The official time had arrived, and the parents' seats in the classroom were already full. The students were crowded in the corridor, just in time to see the homeroom teacher appear at the corner of the stairs with his lesson plan.
"The teachers are all here, where's your mother?"
Chen Ziwei drawled out his words, his malice almost overflowing, "Next time, rehearse before you lie. Not having a mother isn't anything shameful, so why pretend? We won't laugh at you."
He smiled smugly, as if he had finally found a fatal weakness in Zhou Huai and was glad he could find something to dampen Zhou Huai's arrogance.
"that is."
Wang Jie, a former junior high school classmate, also jumped out at this moment, eager to show that he knew the inside story.
"Who doesn't know about your little affair?"
It's embarrassing that Mom ran off with someone, but it's not your fault, and everyone can understand.
But it's wrong of you to lie.
Some people's malice is subtle and to the point, while others are accustomed to kicking someone when they're down, repeatedly exposing others' wounds to highlight their own superiority.
Zhou Huai's fist suddenly clenched.
He can tolerate anything people say about him, but he absolutely cannot tolerate any slander against his mother!
He suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Wang Jie by the collar, and his other fist was already swinging in mid-air! Wang Jie's face instantly turned to terror. No one expected that the usually calm and composed top student would actually make a move in public!
"Zhou Huai! Stop!"
As soon as the homeroom teacher stepped into the corridor, he was met with a scene that made his blood pressure soar: his most valued student was about to lay a hand on a classmate!
What made his vision go black even more was that behind him was a woman with an extraordinary air whom he had just met downstairs, who was said to be Zhou Huai's parent...
At the very moment the teacher reprimanded him, Zhou Huai caught a glimpse of a familiar figure following behind the teacher out of the corner of his eye.
His heart sank!
That's terrible! She saw it!
He hurriedly let go, and even subconsciously tried to smooth out Wang Jie's crumpled collar as if trying to cover up the obvious.
Did she see herself about to hit someone? What would she think? Would she think he was inherently unruly, a bad kid? Just like those people say, born of a mother but without proper upbringing, utterly ill-mannered…
Those harsh words that could no longer pierce his hardened exterior now transformed into ice spikes, accurately piercing the most uneasy part of his heart.
Even if he becomes a villain in the future, he is still a boy at this moment. Zhou Huai lowered his head, not daring to look at him, afraid of seeing even the slightest disappointment in those eyes.
A sensitive person can have countless internal judgments even if the other person hasn't said a word.
However, the expected reprimand did not come.
A familiar, delicate fragrance quietly approached, bringing him a sense of peace. The neatly ironed hem of a gray wool coat caught his eye as he looked down, and crisp, dark trousers and spotless low-heeled shoes stood beside him.
Then, Shen Ci's protective voice came through.
"It was you who bullied my son?"
Shen Ci's gaze swept past the teacher and landed on Wang Jie, whose face had turned pale.
"Hey kid, what's your name? If I find out you're bullying Zhou Huai again, I won't let it go so easily."
Um? !
Zhou Huai was completely stunned.
She...didn't even ask what happened? He was sure that Shen Ci had just reached the stairwell and hadn't heard a thing.
The teacher was also confused and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Ahem, Mr. Zhou, please don't get agitated. There must be some misunderstanding here!"
It's normal for kids to have minor squabbles; we can just teach them a lesson.
"...Intimidating students is probably not appropriate..."
He never expected that Zhou Huai, who seemed intelligent and sensible, would have such a parent who was so protective of his child that he was almost fierce.
"Teacher, you can't say that."
Shen Ci turned to the teacher, her tone earnest yet unyielding.
"Our Zhou Huai is the most sensible and reasonable person. He would never lay a hand on a classmate without a reason."
This classmate must have said or done something particularly offensive that offended him.
As she spoke, her hand naturally rested on Zhou Huai's shoulder, gently pulling him towards her in a protective gesture.
"Isn't it the most important thing in teaching and nurturing students, finding out the truth, and distinguishing right from wrong?"
As parents, we certainly believe in our child, and we urge the teacher to clear Xiao Huai's name.
Zhou Huai is not short. Even though he was malnourished before, he has grown to nearly 1.75 meters tall, which is much taller than Shen Ci.
But at this moment, the warmth and strength from the hand on his shoulder made his nose suddenly sting and his eyes uncontrollably burn.
He was precocious and independent. He learned many principles from books on his own, without anyone teaching him. He had read the word "confidence" but had never truly experienced it.
Until this moment.
Those cold, impersonal Chinese characters suddenly transformed into a living, warm reality, into an arm around his shoulder, into unconditional favoritism towards him.
He stood there, stunned, all his feigned composure and cold defensiveness melting away in that instant.
So this is what it feels like to be protected. You don't have to ask why, and you won't blame your child right away. Instead, you protect him without any reason.
Zhou Huai's fingers twitched, and he silently took hold of Shen Ci's sleeve, like a small boat adrift on the sea, finally reaching the shore.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
