Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Bullying
"Sickly little jerk, this cheap thing actually suits you."
These words, filled with cold mockery, fell clearly into Guan Mi's ears the moment she pushed open the door.
She immediately saw the dusty felt kitten that was stepped on by the girl in black, and Guan Tang sitting on the balcony in the dim sunlight.
The blood rushed to the top of Guan Mi's head with a "buzz". He felt dizzy and his pupils contracted violently.
It's clear what they are doing.
"Sister..." Guan Tang saw her, like a frightened little animal. The needle and wool ball in his hand suddenly fell to the ground, and he stood up in panic.
The girl sitting on Guan Tang's bed was called Shen Xi. A moment of panic flashed across her delicately made-up face. "Who is this?"
The woman in black, Xu Hongting, said nonchalantly, "Who knows?"
The slightly plump girl with short hair was Zhao Xia. She was rather timid and quickly pulled Xu Hongting aside. "Didn't you hear her call me 'Sister'?"
Xu Hongting sneered and glanced at Guan Mi frivolously, "I thought she was calling me."
Guan Mi walked into the dormitory step by step amidst the noisy sounds that were a mixture of malice, guilt and arrogance.
She rudely pushed aside the woman in black who was trying to block her way, rushed to Guan Tang, grasped her wrist with trembling hands, and gently pulled her away from the sunlight.
Her eyes scanned Guan Tang's face anxiously, her voice filled with undisguised panic: "Are you feeling unwell? Are you dizzy? Are you having trouble breathing?"
"Sister, I... I'm fine..." The grievances and fears that Guan Tang had been holding back for too long collapsed in an instant. As tears burst out, her whole body went limp. She let Guan Mi hold her hand, like a lost child who was found, protected by her sister, and stood boldly in front of the three people.
Guan Mi desperately suppressed the immense anger boiling in his chest. His cold gaze swept across the three people in front of him, finally fixing his gaze directly on the face of the woman in black. "Are you bullying my sister?"
Xu Hongting was not tall to begin with, and she looked even shorter in front of Guan Mi.
But she didn't lose her momentum, she folded her arms, leaned lazily on the ladder, and even tilted her head, and calmly forced a fake smile: "Sister, which eye of yours saw me "bullying" your sister?
She paused, glanced at Guan Tang who was hiding behind Guan Mi, and the malicious smile on her lips deepened: "Did I hit her, or scold her?"
Guan Mi's nails dug deep into her palms, and the slight pain kept her sane.
She didn't say anything, but took out her cell phone, pointed the camera at Xu Hongting's foot that was still stepping on the felt kitten, and pressed the record button.
Xu Hongting narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced down, as if she just realized that there was something under her feet.
Instead of moving away, she crushed it with her toes, forcing a lukewarm smile on her face: "Why are you taking pictures? If it's thrown on the ground and no one picks it up, isn't it garbage? What's wrong with me stepping on garbage? The dormitory hygiene regulations don't say you can't step on garbage."
Guan Tang mustered up the courage to stand next to Guan Mi, choking with sobs, "You...you snatched this from me and threw it on the ground!"
"Don't slander me, do you have any evidence?" Xu Hongting looked at her two companions. "Who saw it? Zhao Xia, Chen Xi, did you see me steal her things?"
Zhao Xia didn't dare to say anything, she just joined in the coaxing. When Guan Mi came in, she was frightened by her aura.
Chen Xi raised her eyelids and said coldly: "It was on the ground when we came in."
Guan Mi's face was expressionless. She took a step forward and looked down at Xu Hongting, "Take your foot away."
The smile on Xu Hongting's face froze for a moment.
The look in the woman's eyes was so cold that when she felt it up close, she felt inexplicably uneasy.
She had been spoiled for so long, everyone treated her like a princess at home and abroad. How could anyone dare to speak to her like that? She subconsciously retorted, raising her chin even higher: "So what if I don't take it?"
Guan Mi held up his phone and said, "This is something my sister also wants. From now on, if you step on it for even one second longer, you will be intentionally damaging other people's property."
Zhao Xia's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. This was a tough guy. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Xu Hongting's arm, and whispered, "Tingting, forget it, just give it back to her. It's just a little thing."
Xu Hongting was pulled by Zhao Xia, and met Guan Mi's cold and creepy gaze again. She pouted and moved her foot away very reluctantly, muttering unwillingly: "Tsk, a broken thing, who wants to step on it?"
Zhao Xia was afraid that this matter would become a big deal, so she picked up the thing with great tact, dusted it off and handed it to Guan Mi, "Sister, sister, we were just joking with Guan Tang——"
"Are you kidding?" Guan Mi laughed angrily. "Letting her go out to sunbathe is a joke? I'm telling you, I'll take Guan Tang to the hospital for a checkup. If there's anything wrong with her, the three of you are murderers!"
Zhao Xia's face turned pale and she looked at Xu Hongting helplessly.
Xu Hongting was not panicked at all, and said in a nonchalant tone: "Go ahead, I recommend you go to the city hospital."
The director of Jiangcheng First People's Hospital is named Xu, her great-uncle.
"You go get checked." Chen Xi stood up. "If Guan Tang has any problems, you can go to Beijing, Shanghai, or abroad for treatment. We will cover all the expenses."
Her tone was calm but with a sense of arrogance and charity, as if this was just a game that could be easily settled with money.
Guan Mi looked at these fearless faces, his voice becoming colder and harder: "I will tell your counselor and school leaders everything that happened today without missing a word."
"Please do as you wish." After saying this, Xu Hongting picked up her bag and walked out as if nothing had happened.
Shen Xi followed closely behind. Zhao Xia didn't leave immediately. She smiled at Guan Mi and said, "Sister, we really didn't do anything to Guan Tang. Look, she's fine now."
Her family is not as powerful as those two young ladies, and she is really afraid that this sister will get to the bottom of it.
"go out."
Guan Mi didn't even look at her, she turned around and held Guan Tang's trembling hand, "It's okay, sister will take you home."
Guan Tang nodded with tears in his eyes.
Guan Mi helped her pack her things, carefully put a wide-brimmed hat on her, and applied more sunscreen on her face before leaving.
She took Guan Tang back in a taxi, got off near the residential complex, went into a dessert shop, and bought a piece of cheesecake.
Guan Mi didn't ask in a hurry. He planned to let Guan Tang eat something sweet to calm down his emotions first.
The sisters sat down on a bench in a nearby park.
Guan Tang only ate one-third of it. She couldn't eat too much sweet food, so she gave the rest to Guan Mi.
Guan Mi naturally took the remaining cake and ate it silently.
At this time, Qiao Qiuying called and asked them where they were and said that they were preparing to have lunch.
After hanging up the phone, Guan Mi didn't get up immediately. He turned his head and asked, "Xiaotang, do you want to go home?"
Guan Tang lowered her long eyelashes and nodded slightly.
At the dinner table, Guan Mi brought up the matter of buying medicine and selling the house. Qiao Qiuying and Guan Da were focused on these two things, and no one noticed Guan Tang's abnormality.
Guan Tang ate the light dishes that Qiao Qiuying had specially prepared for her in the bowl, but her mood was as heavy as if a huge rock was pressing on her.
What she feared most was that Guan Mi would find out about this. Her sister had already given so much for her, and she really didn't want to be an extra burden to her sister.
This morning, when she changed her clothes and was waiting for Guan Mi to come to school, the three men suddenly broke into the dormitory, blocked the door, and did not allow her to touch her mobile phone at all.
She was powerless to resist and could only watch Guan Mi push open the door and witness her most miserable appearance.
At that moment, the idea of world-weariness reached its peak.
She just wanted to disappear.
But when Guan Mi walked towards her firmly, Guan Tang suddenly realized that there was someone in this world who could give her endless courage.
How could she let this man down?
After dinner, the two sisters returned to the room where they had slept together for more than ten years. Guan Mi sat at the desk and Guan Tang sat on the bed.
"Xiaotang, tell your sister what you want to say first. We will go to the hospital in two hours." Guan Mi broke the silence first.
Guan Tang hugged the pillow on his knees and grabbed the pillowcase with his fingers.
Seeing her like this, Guan Mi stood up and sat on the edge of the bed, and asked, "Did they start since the beginning of school?"
Guan Tang nodded slowly.
"Because you don't have to do military training?"
She nodded, then shook her head.
The cause of the incident was indeed that they found out that Guan Tang did not have to participate in military training. After checking privately, they found out that she was sick. At this time, they just made a few cold remarks to her.
The real turning point came from senior Qin Shen from the Computer Science Department.
This elegant and handsome senior once noticed Guan Tang sitting alone in the stands while running at night on the playground. The pure longing in her eyes as she looked at the crowd of people doing military training on the playground made him very curious.
Everyone else is looking forward to military training, why does she want to go so much?
To his surprise, this seemingly weak girl was not only defenseless against him, but also responded to his questions in a soft voice.
After that, every night after running, he would naturally sit next to her, and the two gradually became familiar with each other.
Xu Hongting saw all of this.
She had shown her affection to Qin Shen before but was rejected outright. Now, seeing him being so gentle to the sick Guan Tang, she felt extremely resentful.
The bullying started with people spreading rumors that Guan Tang's disease was contagious, and some people in the department who couldn't distinguish right from wrong began to isolate her.
Xu Hongting would also have people go to Guan Tang's dormitory every day to disturb her rest and ask her to poke the wool felt while she was sleeping. If they were not satisfied with the finished product, they would throw it on the ground and step on it.
The most vicious thing they did was to force her to go out in the sun. Guan Tang would apply a thick layer of sunscreen every morning, fearing that they would force her to go out in the sun at any time.
It’s not that Guan Tang didn’t resist. When she realized she was being bullied, she went to tell the counselor, but it was useless. The counselor just tried to smooth things over, thinking it was just an ordinary dormitory conflict and that an apology would be enough.
She was unwilling to give up, so she mustered up the courage to go find her head teacher.
The head teacher's attitude was more concerned. He listened to her story patiently, but when she mentioned Xu Hongting's name, he showed an embarrassment.
In the end, the head teacher just sighed and asked her to be patient, saying that he would work with the counselor to find a way to transfer them to other dormitory buildings.
This promise fell on deaf ears and there has been no response to date.
Her roommate who was also bullied told her that Xu Hongting's family had a strong background, and even if the matter was brought to the attention of the school leaders, the school would only choose to keep quiet.
After hearing this, Guan Mi was so angry that she was shaking. She gritted her teeth and restrained herself.
At the same time, a strong sense of self-blame gripped her. She had clearly noticed Guan Tang's abnormality several times, so why didn't she ask more questions or show more concern?
She recorded all of Guan Tang's words on her mobile phone, and then called a lawyer she knew in Beijing for consultation.
After Guan Tang calmed down, Guan Mi took her to the hospital for a comprehensive examination. The full examination report would not be available until tomorrow, but she could already see that Guan Tang's psychological trauma was far more serious than her physical one.
After sending Guan Tang home to settle him with Qiao Qiuying, Guan Mi returned to school alone.
She didn't care whether it was the weekend or not, it was getting dark soon, she wanted to see the school official immediately.
This matter must be resolved today.
Guan Mi knew that the counselor was not taking any action, so he went directly to the college office building, found the phone number of the on-duty leader on the duty roster, and called him directly.
As soon as the phone was connected, she stated her purpose straight away.
When the leader heard this, he immediately asked her to go upstairs.
At this time, Guan Tang sent her a recording, which she had secretly recorded yesterday when Xu Hongting and others asked her to poke wool felt in the sun.
Guan Mi stopped listening for half a minute and couldn't continue. These things should be listened to by those who should hear them.
She held back her tears and walked quickly into the school leader's office.
The person on duty was Secretary Liu from the college's Party Committee. Seeing Guan Mi walk in expressionlessly, he adjusted his glasses and stood up. Just as he was about to speak with a smile, the young woman before him thrust her phone screen directly in his face.
Guan Mi clicked to play.
Soon, Xu Hongting's mocking voice, Zhao Xia's booing voice and Guan Tang's suppressed sobbing sounded in the quiet office.
The smile on Secretary Liu's face disappeared instantly, his hands froze in mid-air, and the more he listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.
After listening, Guan Mi put away his phone and said, "Secretary Liu, this recording was made by my sister yesterday. However, Xu Hongting, Shen Xi, and Zhao Xia have been bullying my sister since the beginning of the school year. I have reported this to the counselor and the class teacher, but to no avail."
When Secretary Liu heard the name "Xu Hongting", the muscles on his face tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
Guan Mi took in his subtle reactions and became even more assertive, pressing harder. "I don't need any apologies or empty promises right now. I demand that the school initiate a formal investigation tonight. As far as I know, my sister isn't the only one being bullied by them."
She paused and continued, "If I don't see any concrete action tonight, tomorrow morning, this recording and my real-name report will appear simultaneously in the mailboxes of the Municipal Education Bureau and all the mainstream media in Jiangcheng. I think the school knows that Guan Tang suffers from SLE. Letting her sunbathe is no different than murder. If you do nothing, you're aiding and abetting the evil!"
Secretary Liu's forehead was covered with sweat. He immediately picked up the phone to give instructions. He walked outside to make the last call, which lasted almost half an hour.
Guan Mi heard him calling the other person "cousin" from inside.
She frowned. It turned out that Xu Hongting also had someone to protect her in school?
While he was on the phone, her phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Shen Yanfeng. He had sent several messages and called her during the day, but she had no time to care at that time.
[Why don’t you answer the phone?]
Where are you?
[Answering the phone]
[OK, Guan Mi, you are really good.]
[You're not going back to Beijing?]
[I'm in Jiangcheng now. Should I go to your house to find you?]
[Which floor?]
[I'm ready to knock on the door]
She saw the last message, her heart tightened, and she began typing rapidly: [I've been out on business all day, and just checked my phone.]
Chen Yanfeng: [Who are you with?]
Guan Ya: [Myself. Really.]
Chen Yanfeng: [Positioning]
She sighed: "Can you wait for me at the hotel? I'll come find you when I'm done."
Chen Yanfeng: [Positioning]
Soon, the person in charge of the Student Affairs Office and the department counselor arrived.
As soon as they entered the door, they sincerely apologized to Guan Mi and promised to deal with the matter seriously.
Guan Mi glanced coldly at the counselor: "Guan Tang was the first one to ask you for help. If you were unable to handle it, why didn't you report it immediately? Or just let them continue bullying?"
The counselor's face turned red, and he lowered his head in shame, not daring to respond.
The head of the Student Affairs Office quickly tried to smooth things over: "Ms. Guan, please calm down. The school will definitely take this matter very seriously. The most important thing right now is to calm Guan Tang down and get her medically checked."
Guan Mi would not be nice to any of them, and she didn't want to waste any more time talking. She simply opened all the recordings and videos for them to listen and watch for themselves.
Half an hour later, a woman with exquisite clothes and a cold and arrogant temperament walked into the office.
She is Xu Hongting's mother.
After listening to the recording, her face remained calm. She only glanced at Guan Mi coldly and said, "It's not good for anyone to make this matter worse. Name a price. How do you want us to compensate you?"
Guan Mi was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of a black figure suddenly appearing at the door.
Several people in the room looked over at the same time.
Chen Yanfeng was already holding his breath. After Guan Mi sent him the location of the school, he only said that it was in the office building. He asked at least five or six people with a sullen face along the way before he finally found this office.
As a result, I saw three men and a middle-aged woman sitting on one side, while Guan Mi was sitting alone on the other side, his posture tense, like a lone goose trapped but still with its back straight.
He didn't know what was happening, but in his eyes, this was clearly an unequal siege.
He walked straight in, stood beside Guan Mi, and looked down at the four people opposite him coldly, "What's going on?"
"Uh..." Secretary Liu was startled by the sudden intruder and the strong aura of superiority he exuded. He subconsciously stood up and asked cautiously, "Excuse me, who are you?"
Guan Mi felt a little headache, "It's not important——"
Shen Yanfeng: "Brother-in-law Guan Tang."
Guan Mi's appearance here is nothing but Guan Tang's business.
Secretary Liu glanced at Guan Mi. He didn't expect that she had asked someone to come over, and this man looked no ordinary person.
He extended his hand. "Hello, I'm the Party Secretary of the college. My last name is Liu."
Shen Yanfeng ignored his hand, sat down and looked at Guan Mi, "How did the talk go?"
Secretary Liu withdrew his hand awkwardly.
Guan Mi looked at him and saw that he was pretending to understand.
She cooperated smoothly and said, "Not very good..."
Xu's mother interrupted coldly: "Why not..."
Shen Yanfeng interrupted Xu's mother: "Why are you in such a hurry? Can you let her finish?"
Secretary Liu quickly responded, "It's like this. Xu Hongting's mother is willing to apologize and cover all of Guan Tang's medical expenses, as well as compensation for emotional distress."
Guan Ya: "And then? How do we deal with the bullies?"
Hearing this, Shen Yanfeng's eyebrows jumped fiercely.
"Well..." Secretary Liu glanced at Xu's mother, whose expression was icy, and carefully considered his words. "The college will set up an investigation team on Monday. After verifying the situation, they will definitely require Xu Hongting and other students to conduct a thorough written self-reflection and publicly apologize to Guan Tang in the entire class."
Guan Mi looked at Xu's mother and said, "By the way, I will officially report this to the police. They knew my sister's condition and deliberately let her go out in the sun. This is suspected of intentional injury. We will definitely pursue criminal responsibility to the end."
"Don't push your luck!" Mother Xu stood up suddenly, her well-maintained hand almost poking at Guan Mi, her voice shrill, "Your sister came home fine this morning, how could she have been hurt? I think you're just trying to extort money! If you don't want your parents' work to be affected, try calling the police!"
Shen Yanfeng stood up suddenly, his tall figure exuding a strong sense of oppression. "Is this your school's attitude towards handling this matter? Allowing the family to threaten the victim's family in front of the school leaders?"
After saying that, he turned his gaze to Xu's mother, his eyes devoid of any warmth: "Put your hands down."
Xu's mother's face turned pale, and she forced a cold smile: "Who do you think you are?"
Shen Yanfeng was not angered. He took out his mobile phone, dialed the number, and pressed the hands-free key.
A respectful male voice soon came from the receiver: "Mr. Shen?"
Guan Mi recognized that the person on the phone was Lawyer Xiao, whom she had consulted today.
Chen Yanfeng said calmly, "Lawyer Xiao, prepare two lawyer's letters. One to the Jiangcheng University Party Committee, reporting the poor handling of the bullying incident; the other to Xu Hongting's guardian, informing them that their daughter is suspected of intentional injury. If they threaten the victim and her family again, they will be held legally responsible immediately."
Lawyer Xiao was stunned for a moment. Why did this sound so familiar? He immediately responded swiftly, "I understand."
The office suddenly became quiet.
Mother Xu's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Shen Yanfeng with a frown.
Secretary Liu broke out in a cold sweat on his back.
He said this person is not simple!
Walking out of the office building, the night breeze was cool, and Guan Mi's heavy mood relaxed a little.
She hugged her arms tightly, her thoughts still lingering on criminal responsibility and tomorrow's injury assessment.
At this moment, a black coat with body temperature was draped over her shoulders.
She turned her head, looked at Shen Yanfeng who was only wearing a white shirt, and said softly: "Thank you for just now."
Shen Yanfeng put one hand in his trouser pocket and said, "I didn't do anything."
He reached out and gently pulled her to his side, "You should have told me earlier."
Guan Mi glanced at the hand on his shoulder before saying, "I should be able to handle this myself, so I didn't want to trouble you."
"You didn't intend to trouble me at all, did you?" He turned his head to look at her, "How is your sister?"
"She's in relatively stable condition. We'll have to wait for the results tomorrow." Guan Mi paused, "She will attend the consultation tomorrow morning on time."
After saying this, she fell silent.
She was afraid that after she dealt with all this and returned to Beijing, Guan Tang would face this shadow alone and retreat into his shell again.
Shen Yanfeng said: "Leave the rest to me, you stay with Guan Tang, and go back to work after this matter is completely resolved."
Guan Mi turned his head and was about to open his mouth when he was pulled into his arms.
Shen Yanfeng rested his chin on the top of her head, "I haven't seen you for a day, and I miss you so much."
The campus path is very quiet at night, with only the subtle sound of wind blowing through the leaves.
Guan Mi fluttered her eyelashes, raised her hands hanging by her side, and hugged Shen Yanfeng's waist.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
