"Don't say anything. This has nothing to do with you," Jiang Boyan abruptly cut her off.
"..." Su Wanqing shuddered in fright, the rest of her words catching in her throat.
Jiang Boyan took a deep breath and turned to the principal, his face bearing a young man's all-or-nothing defiance. "I did it, so I'll take responsibility. I was the one who hit them... it had nothing to do with Su Wanqing. If you want compensation, expulsion, or to call the police and send someone to prison, come at me. What kind of ability does it take to make things difficult for a young girl?"
Looking at his resolute expression, Su Wanqing finally let her tears spill over and ran off crying.
The boys exchanged glances, smug looks appearing on their faces at the same time.
"She's so guilty. She must've been up to something shameful."
"Saintess Su always acts as pure as ice and jade. Who knew she was such a slut?"
"A public bus paired with a yellow-haired punk. Neither gets to call the other dirty..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Their filthy remarks grew increasingly outrageous. Unable to endure it any longer, Jiang Boyan roared and charged forward, smashing a fist into the face of the boy who had been talking most enthusiastically.
"Ah..." Caught off guard, the boy screamed and fell to the floor.
The other boys froze for a moment, then rushed forward together once they recovered.
Although Jiang Boyan fought fiercely, two fists were no match for four hands. They soon pinned him to the floor and beat him.
"Stop! Stop it..." Jiang Guoqiang tried to rush over and pull them apart, but the bodyguards brought by the other parents blocked him.
"Principal, do something!" Li Xiulan stamped her feet in anxiety too.
The principal slowly adjusted his glasses. "Jiang Boyan's parents, you both saw it. Your son struck first, and he committed another act of violence in the principal's office, right in front of all of us. This is an extremely serious offense. Even if they beat him to death, it would still be self-defense."
The other parents looked even more pleased with themselves. "The principal is right! This little thug has violent tendencies. He must be severely punished!"
Watching the chaotic, absurd scene before her, Song Yutang felt a surge of fury shoot straight to the top of her head.
She had been careless.
Although there had been unpleasant incidents at the original owner's school, most of the teachers had been very responsible, and the students had been quite friendly with one another.
Out of respect for teachers and education, she had never even thought of bringing bodyguards when she left home.
At this point, there was certainly no time to summon the bodyguard squad.
Seeing Jiang Boyan being beaten until he screamed repeatedly, she could only step forward herself and forcibly separate the scuffling boys, one in each hand.
"Where did this damned bitch come from? You dare meddle in this young master's business..."
The boys refused to back down and wanted to charge forward again, but when they met Song Yutang's frost-cold eyes, they suddenly froze in place.
The parents were hardly willing to let it go. "A parent dares hit students? Expulsion, compensation, and rotting in prison! Leave out any one of those, and I'll destroy your family!"
The principal's expression darkened too. "What is the meaning of this? Assaulting students right in front of me?"
Song Yutang brushed nonexistent dust off herself and leisurely tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Principal, which eye of yours saw me assaulting students? I was merely stopping six-on-one bullying."
The principal choked on her reply.
Song Yutang turned to the swaggering parents. "Fine. You want compensation and expulsion. We can cooperate with all of that. But as I said earlier, I want evidence. Your words alone prove nothing. Since the principal says there are no surveillance cameras, take me to where it happened. I want to see for myself how my younger brother managed to bully all six of you on his own."
The boys and their parents exchanged glances, seeming somewhat hesitant.
The principal, however, considered it for a moment before finally nodding. "Very well."
Jiang Boyan's parents looked meek and timid, but a school board member had personally recommended them, so they surely had some connections behind them.
Once they had seen the scene and there was no evidence to verify anything, the Jiang Family would have no choice but to swallow this injustice in silence, however dissatisfied they were.
The incident had taken place in the teaching-aid storeroom in the old classroom building.
Sure enough, it was secluded, surrounded by dense tree cover, and rather dim.
The principal led the way and pushed open the half-closed door. Discarded desks, chairs, and sports equipment were piled inside, and the smell of dust filled the air.
The boys grew even more brazen.
"Look, this is where he shoved Wang Hao first."
"Right. This is where he kicked me."
"You've had your look. Ready to give up and pay now? Hurry up and apologize, pay compensation, then obediently get your ass to prison..."
Song Yutang watched coldly, spotting at a glance the unspoken smugness in their exchanged looks.
Especially when they mentioned the old gymnastics mat in the corner, which had clearly been dragged, they even showed a trace of secret glee, as though still savoring it.
Song Yutang more or less had a grasp of things now and turned her attention to checking whether there were any cameras nearby.
The principal grew somewhat impatient. "Well? Have you looked enough? The facts are quite clear now, aren't they?"
Song Yutang lowered her eyes casually and slowly rolled her long sleeves up to her elbows. "Yes, very clear."
"Then..." Thinking she was about to yield, the principal was just about to press his advantage.
"Shut the door and lock it. Turn off the lights and draw the curtains," Song Yutang suddenly said.
Standing by the doorway, Jiang Guoqiang froze for a moment, then reflexively slammed the door shut with a clang and locked it.
Li Xiulan, who was closest to the light switch, moved before she could think.
Jiang Boyan also dashed to the window and swept the thick old curtains shut.
The room instantly plunged into darkness so complete that they could not see their hands before their faces.
"What are you doing?" the principal's shocked, furious voice rang out.
"What are you trying to do? Turn on the lights..." The parents began shrieking one after another too, and those who had brought bodyguards instinctively ordered them forward.
Song Yutang had already gotten her bearings. She snatched up a discarded baseball bat leaning against the wall and delivered a heavy blow to the principal's back.
"Ah..."
"Ow! Who hit me?"
"My leg! My arm!"
"Help! Stop hitting me!"
"Mom, help..."
The baseball bat whistled through the air and landed with precision, targeting only fleshy spots where the blows would not be fatal but would hurt terribly.
She avoided vital areas and made sure everyone received an equal share of her favor.
Screams, cries of pain, sobs, and furious curses instantly filled the dark, cramped storeroom.
"Open the door! Open it!" Hearing that something was wrong inside, the bodyguards outside kicked desperately at the door.
Jiang Guoqiang immediately braced his sturdy body, honed by forty years of tossing a wok, firmly against the door.
Li Xiulan hurried over to help too.
A bodyguard tried to break in through the window. Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Jiang Boyan grabbed a broom handle beside him and jabbed wildly.
Although they did not know exactly what was happening, Song Yutang surely had her reasons for telling them to lock the door and shut the windows.
Jiang Guoqiang and Li Xiulan: listen to their daughter-in-law.
Jiang Boyan: listen to his sister-in-law.