A Reckoning

Zhou En felt an urgent need to know the truth—whether the school had really twisted right and wrong under Li Hui's influence.

If that was the case, he would make a huge fuss over this matter. He refused to believe the school would throw away even its last shred of dignity.

Before long, a female teacher brought a student before Teacher Zhang.

"Teacher Zhang, I've brought the person here."

"Thank you, Teacher Li."

Teacher Li nodded, then left with graceful composure.

Zhou En took one look and recognized the Glasses girl following behind her—the one who had helped him to the infirmary yesterday.

Zhou En had always had an excellent memory when it came to girls.

No, he should say that was true for most male animals.

A white shirt, slightly yellowed jeans, and large black-rimmed glasses.

But when he saw the apologetic look in the Glasses girl's eyes, a vague sense of unease rose in his heart.

"Sun Peiyu, right? I asked your counselor to call you here because there are some things I need to confirm."

Teacher Zhang looked at the Glasses girl standing before him and spoke.

"Zhou En, this is the witness you mentioned, right? She's quite pretty." Chubby leered at the girl before him.

However, Chubby only muttered it under his breath. If Teacher Zhang heard him, he would likely be stripped of a layer of skin.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang."

The Glasses girl bowed deeply to Teacher Zhang.

That instantly cut Teacher Zhang's anger in half.

"Sun Peiyu, please tell us again what you saw yesterday." Teacher Zhang spoke kindly.

The speed with which he changed faces secretly left Zhou En clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Mm."

The Glasses girl acknowledged him.

"Yesterday afternoon, I was planning to go to the classroom for self-study, but on the way, I ran into these two students fighting."

As she spoke, the Glasses girl pointed at Zhou En and Chubby.

That left the two of them completely stunned. They stood there like fools, utterly dumbfounded and unable to react.

"Afterward, this student Zhou En knocked Chubby to the ground. I was badly frightened at the time, and just as I was about to turn and leave—"

"Student Zhou En stopped me and asked me to help him to the infirmary. I told him I couldn't carry him and asked whether I could call someone else."

"Zhou En snatched away all the books I was carrying. He even touched me indecently and threatened me, saying that if I didn't find someone, he would make me pay."

Zhou En finally came to his senses when he heard this and shouted, "I didn't!"

His voice was so loud that even the people upstairs heard him.

"Zhou En." Teacher Zhang's beard trembled with rage as he pointed at Zhou En with a shaking hand.

"Didn't I teach you not to interrupt when someone else is speaking?"

Seeing how furious Zhou En was, the Glasses girl shrank her neck. For a moment, she did not dare say anything.

Teacher Zhang turned to the Glasses girl and smiled gently. "Go on. The school will see that justice is done."

To Zhou En, those words were nothing short of enormous mockery.

The Glasses girl nodded and continued, "I could only call a doctor from the infirmary to treat him, but then I remembered that Chubby was still lying on the ground."

"I couldn't bear to leave him there, so in the end, I asked the doctor to bring a stretcher."

"That's everything that happened." The Glass girl lowered her head, making it impossible for anyone to tell what she was thinking.

After the Glasses girl finished, Teacher Zhang turned to Zhou En and Chubby, his eyes filled with icy severity.

"Do the two of you have anything to say for yourselves?"

Zhou En finally understood what shamelessness truly meant. At this point, he could not say anything.

Chubby was still unwilling to accept it and argued, "Teacher, she's lying. Don't believe her."

Teacher Zhang merely sneered. He could not be bothered to say anything more.

"Wang Rui, for fighting on school grounds, you'll receive one minor demerit. Zhou En, for lying and making excuses, you'll receive one major demerit."

Those words struck Zhou En's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Each of you will write a thousand-word self-criticism and read it aloud in front of the entire faculty and student body at tomorrow's flag-raising ceremony."

Teacher Zhang clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Zhou En and Chubby with disdain.

"Do you two understand?"

Chubby was about to say something, but Zhou En grabbed him and shook his head.

Zhou En understood now. Nothing he said would make any difference.

He had never imagined that Li Hui's influence could be so great.

He could turn black into white.

"Understood." Zhou En ground his teeth and forced the words out one by one.

Teacher Zhang nodded. He could not be bothered to deal with these two troublesome students anymore, so he turned and smiled gently at the Glasses girl.

"All right. Go back and attend evening self-study."

"Mm." The Glasses girl acknowledged him and trotted away.

"You two go to self-study as well." Teacher Zhang turned to Zhou En and Chubby.

"Mm." Zhou En and Chubby answered in unison.

Teacher Zhang turned and hurried away. Just looking at these two troublesome students made him angry.

Damn it, was he going to lose his bonus for this month?

"Zhou En, why did you stop me just now?"

The anger in Chubby's voice was obvious.

He had accepted being trapped in the woods and beaten half to death because of Zhou En. But now he had been falsely accused as well.

He really could not take it anymore.

Seeing his usually mild-tempered brother become this furious, Zhou En could only give a bitter laugh.

"Fatty, can't you see it? Li Hui has obviously bought off that Glasses girl."

"If she won't talk, we'll force her to." Chubby was in the heat of his anger.

"Force her? How?" Zhou En asked bluntly.

"Beat her until she talks." Chubby's reason had already been swallowed by his rage. He was even capable of saying something like that.

"Ugh." Zhou En shook his head and sighed.

"Fatty, let's use tonight's self-study period to finish writing our self-criticisms. Otherwise, we won't even be able to sleep tonight."

As he spoke, Zhou En pulled Chubby back to the classroom.

The instant he stepped into the classroom, Zhou En found countless eyes fixed on him and Chubby.

This made Zhou En feel utterly humiliated. He lowered his head and quickly found his seat.

As the saying went, where there were policies from above, there were countermeasures below.

Zhou En and Chubby would never foolishly write their self-criticisms themselves.

Zhou En took out his iPhone 4s, casually searched online for a self-criticism, and immediately began copying it with his pen.

The Chubby beside him simply sprawled across the desk and went to sleep. He had already made up his mind.

After school, he would go straight to a print shop and print out a copy. As for tomorrow, if the teacher asked, he would say that he had written it himself.

After all, there was no evidence proving that he had copied it.

The night passed quickly.

Seven o'clock the next morning.

No matter what school it was, and whether it was in the south or the north, the time for the flag-raising ceremony seemed to be about the same.

It always woke people from their dreams.

"The surging breath of spring dispels winter's cold, while all things renew themselves and nurture hope for a new day. The turning of the seasons brings us growing older and the changing of semesters. After resting and recuperating during winter break, we welcome the morning sun with renewed hope and greet a brand-new day."