Chapter 10: Adolescent Education has to be Put on the Agenda

When Fang Xiangxiang was telling the story, the parents kept wanting to interrupt. But once DuYan gave them a cold look, those people stopped talking.

Fang Xiangxiang’s words made the director and Teacher Chen pay more attention to it. After all, campus bullying was more important than puppy love.

"What is the name of the students who bullied you?" The director asked.

Fang Xiangxiang looked up at HeJin, "I..."

"Say it. What are you afraid of." HeJin’s words succinctly expressed his thoughts. He knew that this kind of thing could not be solved by evading it.

Perhaps HeJin's previous enmity was too full blown. The moment he opened his mouth, the parents who were suppressed by DuYan’s pressure were as if they had just woken up from a dream.

They started fighting to protect their children, "This little girl. You’re at such a young age, how can you not have any self respect. It’s fine that you fell in love early, but you can’t lie for your boyfriend.”

Fang Xiangxiang didn’t utter another word and opened her school bag she was holding in her arms, and poured the contents out onto the table.

A pile of torn books and some broken pens fell to the ground. It was impossible for a good student like Fang Xiangxiang to tear up her textbooks and notebooks that were extremely important to her.

"This is the proof that they bullied me."

"That doesn't prove that it has anything to do with our children. Right now we’re talking about Hejin, that little hooligan…”

DuYan interrupted softly, "Who did you call a little hooligan?”

The parent choked and swallowed those words back, "Right now we are talking about HeJin beating other people. This is not the same as the bullying of your family’s miss.”

Fang Xiangxiang's face turned red, but there was nothing she could do to these unreasonable parents.

DuYan spoke, "Student Fang Xiangxiang, I think these things should be told to your parents."

Fang Xiangxiang shook her head, "I was admitted through the county-level examination. My mother is very busy at work. I don't want to make her run around because of this."

DuYan recalled Fang Xiangxiang's family situation in the movie. Her father ran a red light while drunk and died in a car accident. Her mother sold the house in Nancheng, paid a large amount of civil compensation, and returned to her hometown with Fang Xiangxiang.

DuYan's tone softened again, "A lot of things can't be solved by evading. If you don't mind, I can act as your guardian today."

Fang Xiangxiang nodded and whispered out several names. They were all the girls who often bullied her during this period of time.

After taking down the names, Teacher Chen left the office to confront those girls.

"I remember that there is monitoring in the school." DuYan looked at the director, "Open it and see if what Fang Xiangxiang said is true."

Of course the director knew that there was monitoring. It’s just that the way the school handled these things had always blurred the lines between right and wrong. In addition, HeJin had too many previous records, and he didn’t only cause one or two problems. Anyway, the Zhou family had money. No matter what HeJin did, the Zhou family just gave money to appease the beaten students.

The director thought it would also be like that this time. HeJin’s guardian would give some money to pacify the parents and everything would be fine. He had gotten Teacher Chen to call HeJin’s guardian, because it was their routine to do so. He just didn’t expect that HeJin’s guardian would actually come.

Moreover, this new guardian had a completely different way of doing things unlike the Zhou Family. As soon as he appeared, he didn’t even mention compensation. He was unwilling to give up until everything was clarified.

When DuYan said this, the director was directly placed in the fire, "This… of course there is monitoring."

"If it was HeJin's fault, then we will compensate. We will not evade responsibility.”

After the girls who bullied Fang Xiangxiang arrived in the office as well as the surveillance video, everything became clear.

DuYan pondered for a moment, and then said, "These female students bullied student Fang Xiangxiang, and in order to help her, HeJin was attacked by these students. Thus we can deduce whether or not HeJin was bullied on school grounds. Being bullied and resisting is a very legitimate thing.”

It can also be like this? You are really a logical genius, but for some reason it sounded really reasonable.

There were still some parents who wanted to give dying kicks, “However you put it, he is not injured, but my family’s child is injured…” DuYan looked at him coldly, and that parent's voice suddenly dropped. No matter how one looked, the parent seemed to have a guilty conscience, "Your family’s child beat my family’s child. You as the guardian should be giving an explanation.”

"Explanation?" DuYan's voice didn't deviate, "Four children surrounded HeJin, and they lost. What else do I need to explain?”

DuYan took a step forward, and the parents stepped back, "You… What do you want?"

DuYan ignored him, just looked at the child behind her, whose mouth was a little bruised, "I think--that this is disgraceful. Student, what do you think?”

"What if--what if they got an internal injury?"

"Mom! Stop talking!"

Being looked at by the emotionless DuYan caused people to feel despised. The young and energetic high school student finally couldn't help it.

"We made a move first. However you punish us, we’ll accept it!”

The surveillance evidence was there, and their own children had already resigned themselves, so several parents had nothing to say. Those parents that had stood unreasonably before DuYan felt that they were pressed back three points. Not to mention, they were also the unreasonable party.

As for the school, they decided to write an investigation report and then discuss it during the regular meetings of the school management. Afterwards, they would decide the results of those students.

In any case, a self reflection and warning was certainly necessary.

By the time these things were done, it was already time for school to end.

Several parents brought back their children who were beaten up. It was expected that they would discipline the children when they went back. Their departure was awkward and hurried.

DuYan looked at the sky outside, and directly asked HeJin, "Are you going home with me, or do you have something?”

HeJin replied, "Otherwise? School has already ended. If I don’t go home, what is there to do at school?”

DuYan felt a little strange hearing this. HeJin had fought for Fang Xiangxiang, so they should be enlightened now. Why was he still such a straight steel man (1).

No matter how low DuYan’s EQ was, he knew that this was the time to talk with Fang Xiangxiang about life and ideals. And feel thankful for the timid and shy girl for coming forward and helping him.

At this emotional route’s critical moment, this bear child HeJin was only thinking about going home and eating dinner.

"Uncle?" HeJin walked to the door, noticed that no one was following him, so he turned around and called out for him.

Teacher Chen stopped DuYan, "Mr. Xie, can I talk to you alone?"

DuYan originally wanted HeJin to go home first, but HeJin refused, saying that he would wait for him at the school gate.

In Teacher Chen's office, DuYan’s heart hung high in the air because of the milk package from last time, but it finally fell back to the stomach.

HeJin and Fang Xiangxiang's emotional journey in high school did not seem to have been affected.

Teacher Chen said, "Actually, student HeJin performed quite well during this period. He has been attending class quite seriously. He hasn’t skipped classes or left classes early.”

DuYan felt a little relieved. It seemed that his own existence was still useful. Compared with the movie, HeJin’s enlightenment and decision to work hard was pushed forward.

If this was the case, the confession during the college entrance examination should be very smooth.

Teacher Chen took out a few test papers from the office, "In these last few in-class exams, his grades have been steadily rising. Although his foundation is poor, but I can tell that he is working hard.”

DuYan nodded, "Boys usually become sensible a bit later. It seems that he has straightened out now.”

"In fact, I feel that these positive influences have something to do with student Fang Xiangxiang."

Teacher Chen was a very open-minded teacher, and would not interfere too much as long as the male and female students communicated within a reasonable range.

She said that during this period, she often saw HeJin and Fang Xiangxiang stay together. She even saw the two children in the dessert shop outside the school several times.

She had always felt that HeJin was a child with great potential. Throughout the three years in junior high school, this child HeJin had never attended class seriously. Besides that time at the end of those three years when his grades suddenly got better, was he then finally able to barely pass the entrance exam to Nanwai Senior High School.

Such a good seedling, if one cultivated his interest in learning, the results would come very quickly.

Teacher Chen thought of this, and said, "The times are different now. We, as teachers and parents, do not have to interfere too much in the exchanges between children of the opposite sex. After all, children nowadays have their own ideas. If we meddle too much, it will only cause a greater backlash, right?"

DuYan was surprised. Did he look like such a prim guardian? It was as if Teacher Chen was trying to persuade him to not split up the mandarin ducks (2)?

This Teacher Chen was really too worried. If they had to talk about the relationship between Fang Xiangxiang and HeJin, the happiest person would be DuYan.

However, with regards to dating, DuYan felt that certain aspects of HeJin's education still had to be put on the agenda.

After dinner, DuYan called HeJin to the study.

"Sit."

HeJin originally wanted to find a chance to explain to DuYan because of the things that happened during the day. He didn’t say any nonsense, and said, “Was old Chen telling you that Fang Xiangxiang and I are in love."

DuYan nodded, "Teacher Chen did tell me about you and Fang Xiangxiang."

He saw HeJin frown, wanting to explain something, but DuYan didn't give the other party a chance to speak, "As your guardian, I am not against your association with Fang Xiangxiang."

"You are sixteen years old. It is the age when you begin to be curious about a lot of things in the adult world. It's just that there needs to be a limit to contact."

HeJin didn’t understand DuYan's meaning for a while, "What limit? Are we still talking about dating or limits?”

When DuYan heard him, he knew that the euphemism was a bit difficult for HeJin to understand, so he simply said, "Before you become an adult, don't go to bed."

"..." HeJin stood up abruptly, "You--you adults have such dirty thoughts!”