Face

The instant Shen Mo turned and jumped, Zhou Yi, who had been poised to act, lunged forward. His powerful arm shot out, and he caught the boy's hand with barely a moment to spare.

The violent downward pull dragged Zhou Yi's entire upper body over the edge of the rooftop. Fortunately, he reacted fast, grabbing the angle iron along the wall with his other hand and steadying himself in time.

At the sight of this terrifying scene, the teachers and students below cried out in alarm.

"Hold on tight to my hand, Shen Mo. With me here, you have nothing to fear!"

A steel reinforcing bar protruding from the concrete tore a deep gash in Zhou Yi's arm.

Blood trickled down his arm and dripped onto the boy's face, each drop sinking deep into his heart as well.

Zhou Yi, you must have been sent from heaven to save me!

Then from this day on, you're my light, my faith!

I'll do anything for you, even if it costs me my life!

The boy smiled through his tears. His other hand, which had been hanging at his side, reached up to grasp the man's wrist.

Just then, a gap suddenly opened in the dark clouds, and a shaft of sunlight pierced the thick cloud cover to fall upon the school rooftop.

At some point, the rain had stopped.

With Liu Zhi's help, Zhou Yi successfully hauled Shen Mo back up.

After being rescued, Shen Mo was unusually calm. He followed close behind Zhou Yi, as though there was no one else in his eyes.

The teachers and students gathered below Teaching Building Two had dispersed. As the bell rang again, the second final exam of the semester was about to begin.

In a small conference room, Principal Sun Qifa expressed his sincerest thanks to Zhou Yi and the other officers on behalf of all the teachers and students at Second Middle School.

Zhou Yi modestly replied that he had once been a student at Second Middle School, and doing what little he could for his alma mater was hardly worth mentioning.

Besides, it was his duty.

Then he bluntly asked a question that concerned him deeply.

"Principal Sun, I'd like to ask how the school intends to handle what happened today."

Sun Qifa seemed to have already made his decision, so his answer was equally direct. "Shen Mo is a withdrawn, obstinate child. He caused quite a commotion this time, with some negative repercussions, and he should have been severely reprimanded. However... considering his excellent grades and good conduct, his suicide attempt was probably an impulsive act. So Vice Principal Yang and the rest of us discussed it just now and decided not to take disciplinary action."

"I think you misunderstood me, Principal Sun."

Zhou Yi shook his head and said seriously, "What I wanted to ask was how the school intends to deal with the girls who insulted and beat Shen Mo, and who have been bullying him all this time."

Sun Qifa froze.

The other vice principals and the director of student affairs froze too.

With that single question from Zhou Yi, the previously harmonious atmosphere underwent a subtle shift.

"Captain Zhou, aren't you exaggerating? Those were just minor disagreements and squabbles between students. How could you call that bullying?" Li Xiugui, the director of student affairs, said with a hollow smile.

Zhou Yi glanced at the fat, big-eared man.

If he remembered correctly, and if he had not changed the course of Shen Mo's life, this scumbag who had molested Shen Mo would have disappeared a few years later. His buried corpse would not be discovered until 2016.

That had been Shen Mo's revenge. In his previous life, Director of Student Affairs Li Xiugui had not been the first, nor had he been the last.

"Minor disagreements? Squabbles?"

Zhou Yi repeated those words, a mocking smile crossing his face. "Then may I ask you, Director Li, who was the girl who shouted those vicious words from downstairs just as I had almost persuaded Shen Mo not to take his own life?"

"Captain Zhou, what are you implying?" Li Xiugui's expression changed, and he demanded an answer, his puffy eyes glaring.

Of course he knew who it was, but he certainly would not tell Zhou Yi.

"Wasn't I clear enough? A serious case of school bullying occurred, yet you brush it off as minor disagreements and squabbles between students. I'd like to ask what you're implying." Zhou Yi fired the question straight back at him without a trace of courtesy.

"Do you know the facts? Do you have evidence? Can you reach a conclusion based solely on Shen Mo's side of the story?" Li Xiugui hurled three questions at him, bristling with aggression.

"Guo Dongmei is my mother, and Shen Mo is a student in her class. You tell me whether I know the facts. As for evidence, and whether this is merely Shen Mo's side of the story..."

At that point, Zhou Yi gave a cold smile. "Suppose I told you that the Public Security Management Brigade has already accepted a report from the person involved, and that, in accordance with the relevant procedures, we require the students involved-and you, Director Li-to come to the brigade for questioning. That would be perfectly reasonable, wouldn't it?"

Li Xiugui's face instantly turned a dark, livid red.

Breathing heavily, he was about to say more, but Vice Principal Yang Mei quietly tugged at him from beside him.

"Captain Zhou, please calm down. That's just Li's rotten temper. Don't stoop to his level," Yang Mei said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

"Do you have any suggestions on how to handle this, Captain Zhou?" Principal Sun was deeply displeased, but his face remained wreathed in smiles.

An old fox like him knew at least that much about keeping his composure.

"Since you asked, Principal Sun, I'll offer a few thoughts."

Zhou Yi returned to his modest, polite manner and offered a helpful suggestion. "Have those students apologize to Shen Mo publicly and promise never to do it again. Then issue a schoolwide notice criticizing their conduct and give them a major demerit. Well, Principal Sun, Vice Principal Yang, what do you think?"

What did they think?

Not much of it.

Vice Principal Gao Yongsheng shook his head and said tactfully, "Captain Zhou, you may not be entirely familiar with those students' family backgrounds..."

"Director Zhu Xiangmin of the Education Bureau, Director Jin Min of the county government office, and Deputy Director Tao Guozheng of the county Organization Department. Correct?"

Zhou Yi's tone was utterly level, as though the three names he had uttered were of no consequence whatsoever.

His sharp gaze swept over the school administrators present as he challenged them in an almost mocking tone. "So that's why the school stands by and does nothing, turning a blind eye to wrongdoing?"

At those words, everyone looked visibly embarrassed.

"It's not that the school is doing nothing. We have to choose the right approach and consider everything carefully," Principal Sun explained patiently.

"Exactly. Second Middle School's development depends on the county's support. We can't act without considering the county leaders' face," Director of Student Affairs Li Xiugui piped up again in protest.

"So some people's face matters far more than the humiliation and harm inflicted on a boy. Is that what you mean?"

Zhou Yi glanced at the scumbag in disgust and asked coldly.

Li Xiugui fell silent again.

In his view, the county leaders' face was obviously more important, but that was not something he could say in public!

Naturally, Sun Qifa, Gao Yongsheng, and the others could not say it either.

"Captain Zhou..." Yang Mei tried to smooth things over again, but Zhou Yi raised a hand to stop her.

"Since you brought up face, I'd like to ask all of you something..."

Captain Zhou slowly rose to his feet and pointed to the police cap on his head. His eyes flashed with a chilling light that none of them could meet as he enunciated almost every word. "Doesn't our Public Security Management Brigade have face to protect too?"