Self-Criticism

Zhou En felt an urgent need to know the truth. If the school was truly twisting the facts under Li Hui's influence, he would blow the matter wide open. He refused to believe the school would throw all pretense of decency out the window.

Not long after, a female teacher walked up to Teacher Zhang with a student.

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

"Thank you, Teacher Li."

Teacher Li nodded and then gracefully walked away.

Zhou En saw that the person following her was the glasses girl who had helped him to the infirmary yesterday.

Zhou En had always had a good memory for faces.

No, it was more accurate to say he had a good memory for most male animals.

A white shirt, slightly yellowed jeans, and thick black frames.

But when he saw the glasses girl's apologetic gaze, a sense of unease stirred within Zhou En.

"Sun Peiyu, is it? I asked your counselor to call you here to confirm a few things," Teacher Zhang said, looking at the glasses girl standing before him.

"Zhou En, is this the witness you mentioned? She's quite pretty," Chubby said, leering at the girl with a lascivious look.

However, Chubby only said this in a low voice. If Teacher Zhang had heard him, he might have skinned him alive.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang," the girl said.

The girl bowed to Teacher Zhang.

This instantly diffused a large portion of Teacher Zhang's anger.

"Student Sun Peiyu, please recount what you saw yesterday," Teacher Zhang said kindly.

The speed of his mood change made Zhou En, standing nearby, click his tongue in amazement.

"Mhm," the girl agreed.

"Yesterday afternoon, I was planning to go to the classroom for self-study, but on the way, I encountered these two students fighting," the girl said, pointing her finger at Zhou En and Chubby.

This left Zhou En and Chubby stunned, frozen in place, unable to react.

"Then, student Zhou En knocked Chubby to the ground. I was quite startled at the time and was about to turn and leave."

"Student Zhou En called out to me and asked me to help him to the infirmary. I told him I couldn't carry him and asked if he could get someone else."

"Zhou En snatched all the books from me. During that time, he also touched me inappropriately and threatened me, saying that if he didn't see someone, he would make me pay."

Hearing this, Zhou En finally reacted and shouted, "I didn't!"

His voice was so loud that even people on the floor above could hear him.

"Zhou En!" Teacher Zhang's beard trembled with anger as he pointed a shaky finger at Zhou En.

"Didn't I teach you not to interrupt when others are speaking?"

Seeing Zhou En's outburst, the glasses girl flinched and dared not utter another word.

Teacher Zhang turned to the glasses girl and smiled gently, "Please continue. The school will ensure justice for you."

These words were a huge irony to Zhou En.

The glasses girl nodded and continued, "I could only call the infirmary doctor for treatment, but then I remembered Chubby was still lying on the ground."

"I couldn't bear it, so I ended up asking the doctor to bring a stretcher."

"And that's how everything ended," the glasses girl said, lowering her head, her thoughts unreadable.

After the glasses girl finished speaking, Teacher Zhang turned to Zhou En and Chubby, his eyes sharp.

"Do you two have anything else to say?"

Zhou En finally understood what shamelessness was. He was rendered speechless.

Chubby was still defiant and argued, "Teacher, she's lying! Don't believe her."

Teacher Zhang sneered, no longer willing to waste his breath.

"Wang Rui, for fighting at school, you will receive a demerit. Zhou En, for lying and making excuses, you will receive a major demerit."

These words struck Zhou En like a heavy blow.

"Each of you will write a 1000-word self-criticism and read it aloud in front of the entire school during the flag-raising ceremony tomorrow."

Teacher Zhang stood with his hands behind his back, looking dismissively at Zhou En and Chubby.

"Do you two understand?"

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

Zhou En now knew that anything he said would be useless.

Zhou En never expected Li Hui to be so capable.

He could twist black into white.

"Understood," Zhou En gritted out, speaking each word deliberately.

Teacher Zhang nodded, too tired to deal with these two problem students anymore. He turned to the glasses girl with a gentle smile.

"Alright, let's head back to evening study hall."

"Mhm," the girl replied, then scampered off.

"You two go to study hall too," Teacher Zhang said, turning to Zhou En and Chubby.

"Mhm," Zhou En and Chubby both agreed.

Teacher Zhang turned and hurried away, seeing these two problem students made him furious.

Damn it, there goes my bonus this month.

"Zhou En, why did you pull me aside just now?"

Chubby's tone clearly showed how angry he was.

He'd accepted being held up in the grove and beaten up because of Zhou En before, but now he was being wrongly accused.

He really couldn't take it anymore.

Seeing his usually calm brother so furious, Zhou En couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Fatty, can't you tell? Li Hui obviously bribed that glasses girl."

"If she won't talk, we'll force her," Chubby said, still fuming.

"Force her? How?" Zhou En retorted without hesitation.

"Beat her until she talks." Chubby's reason had been completely consumed; he was even saying things like that.

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

"Fatty, let's just take advantage of evening study hall to write our self-criticisms. Otherwise, we won't even be able to sleep tonight."

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

The moment they stepped into the classroom, Zhou En noticed numerous eyes fixed on him and Chubby.

This not only embarrassed Zhou En, but he lowered his head and quickly found his seat.

As the saying goes, for every policy, there's a counter-measure.

Zhou En and Chubby weren't going to be foolish enough to actually write self-criticisms.

Zhou En took out his iPhone 4s, found a self-criticism online, and began writing furiously.

Beside him, Chubby had already decided to sleep on his desk. He'd figured it out.

He'd just go to a print shop after school and get one printed. As for what to say if the teacher asked tomorrow, he'd claim he wrote it himself.

There was no evidence to prove he'd copied it, anyway.

The evening study hall passed quickly.

The next morning at seven.

No matter what school, whether in the south or the north, the flag-raising ceremony seemed to happen around the same time.

It would always drag you out of your sleep.

"The gentle spring breeze dispels the winter's chill, and all things renew, nurturing the hope of a new day. The cycle of seasons brings us the passing of years and the changing of semesters. After the winter break, we face the rising sun, filled with new hopes, welcoming a new day."