Morning Assembly in the Auditorium

The road to Puxiu Academy seemed so long today, as though it lay across the sea.

Fortunately, Li Mo finally arrived...

Once they reached the school, Anna stopped hitting him. She took her schoolbag back and rubbed his ear.

"Damn, ow, ow, ow!" Li Mo thought she was going to pull his ear again and hurriedly begged for mercy. "Miss Anna, we're already at the school gates. Think how this looks!"

Seeing that he had misunderstood her, Anna pinched his ear in displeasure and said angrily:

"I'm making it bigger so you can hear what people say from now on!"

Li Mo hunched his shoulders, feeling bitter.

Wayne and Helen caught up with them from behind.

The gentleman took out his [Professor-brand gold pocket watch], looked at it very deliberately, and said:

"You two, much as I hate to interrupt, it's four minutes to eight. Today's Wednesday, so the whole school has morning assembly in the auditorium. If you don't get your coats into the cloakroom before the doors are locked, the prefect won't go easy on you."

Anna snorted and let go.

She noticed that Li Mo's bow tie had been knocked askew and reached out to straighten it. "Come on."

Li Mo thought, See? Anna is still very good to me. She even knows to straighten my bow tie for me. She's different.

Damn it! What is this, hitting me with a stick and then giving me candy?!

Under Puxiu Academy's rules, on assembly days, students had to go to the communal cloakroom before entering the grand auditorium, take off their coats, and hang up any walking sticks or umbrellas they had brought. They could enter wearing only their school uniforms or formal attire.

It was the peak time for students arriving, and the cloakroom was filled with noise.

A short boy wearing round glasses asked urgently:

"Lawrence, where's the top hat that was on brass hook number fourteen? I just hung it there. How did it disappear?"

Lawrence combed his hair in the mirror and replied without turning around:

"You didn't keep an eye on your hook, so why ask me? With so many people coming and going in the cloakroom, who knows who picked it up by mistake?"

"I clearly saw you and Parker by hook fourteen just now..."

"You saw us? Who can vouch for you? Stop making a fuss!"

"You, you..."

The boy whose hat had been stolen had tears in his eyes.

His name was Perry. His father had died of illness a couple of years ago, and the family now relied on the little money his mother earned working at a textile mill. He could only attend school thanks to a half-tuition scholarship from the academy.

The top hat had belonged to his late father. How could it just disappear like that?

"Give me back my hat!!"

Perry gave Lawrence a hard shove.

Lawrence was stunned. He hadn't expected Perry, who usually put up with everything, to be so bold today.

As soon as he was shoved, three or four people around him immediately gathered.

"Perry, watch your attitude!"

"Look at Perry's coat. The stitches are so crude. I bet the cloth on the cuffs was cut from a cleaning rag, too."

"He even asked me earlier if I'd seen his scarf. Who'd want that cheap, shedding thing?"

"Apologize to Lawrence!"

Everyone chimed in.

Perry's cheeks were flushed red. He clenched his fists and said, "I said, give me back my hat!"

Lawrence suddenly smiled. "So what if I took it? I'll give it back after I borrow it for a couple of days to use as a footstool."

The students changing nearby glanced at the commotion, but they all chose to remain silent, not wanting trouble.

Just then.

Li Mo and his group walked in.

Lawrence saw Li Mo in the mirror, quickly stuffed his horn comb back into his pocket, and turned around with a smile.

"Morning, Li Mo."

The greeting quickly spread.

"Good morning, Mr. Li Mo."

"Morning, Senior Li Mo."

Several second- and first-year students along the way lowered their heads and greeted him.

Li Mo walked over to his hook and hung up his coat.

Then he spoke softly:

"Give him his hat back. You all attend the same academy, so don't bully Perry anymore."

Lawrence hesitated at those words...

But he soon thought of what had happened yesterday, and of Li Mo's current standing at school...

In the end, he gave one of his underlings a look.

The underling clicked his tongue and reluctantly took Perry's hat out of a cupboard.

"Here. We were just joking with you."

Perry hugged the hat tightly and tried to hold back his tears.

Father said a man never cries.

Hold it in! I can't disappoint Father!

He ran over to Li Mo and said, his voice faintly tearful, "Thank you, Mr. Li Mo."

"You're welcome. Go line up. The bell's about to ring."

Perry thanked him and hurried toward the auditorium.

Wayne stepped forward and watched the older students disappear through the door. He shook his head and said:

"Those guys really do bully the weak and fear the strong... Huh? Where did my walking stick go?"

Li Mo helped Wayne find his walking stick.

Wayne took out his pocket watch, looked at it, and said, "Oh no, we're almost out of time. Li Mo, run!"

The tower bell sounded for the eighth time.

At the auditorium entrance, two first-year boys were running inside, panting heavily.

The prefect guarding the door immediately raised the black wooden walking stick in his hand and said:

"The bell has already rung. Stop."

"Sir, the city hall was repairing the road this morning, and the coal wagons blocked the intersection..."

"No excuses. Give me your class and names, then go stand at the very end on the right as punishment. After assembly, report to the academic affairs office and collect ten pages of school rules to copy."

The two late boys hung their heads.

Just then, Li Mo and Wayne came jogging over.

The prefect was about to stop them, but when he looked up and recognized Li Mo, he naturally drew his walking stick back.

His expression softened, and he nodded slightly to Li Mo.

"Morning, Li Mo. Class One's line is in the third column up ahead. Hurry over. The director of academic affairs hasn't gone onstage yet."

"Morning, sir."

The two first-year boys standing at the end as punishment exchanged a glance, then looked at the mild-mannered prefect and silently lowered their heads.

Treating people differently according to who they were was a long-standing tradition among prefects, but everyone approved of this approach to management.

If you wanted respect and privileges, you had to produce results.

There was no such thing as equality for all in this world. The strong preyed on the weak, and the victor was king.

Inside the auditorium, the students had already lined up in columns.

Li Mo's entrance drew many eyes.

A boy near the front of Class Two quickly slipped a note to a student behind him and said:

"Pass it back to Mr. Li Mo in Class One."

The note passed quickly through several hands.

Usually, if someone passed a note along the line during morning assembly,

the people handling it along the way would inevitably open it for a peek, or simply stop passing it along and play a prank.

But as soon as they heard it was for Li Mo, everyone promptly and obediently passed it to the next person.

Before long, Wayne, standing to Li Mo's right, was gently poked twice.

"Wayne, sorry for the trouble, but could you pass this to Mr. Li Mo?"

Wayne passed it to Li Mo and teased him quietly:

"Here, your express mail. I reckon it's faster than the kingdom's trains."