One after the other, the two girls emerged from the teaching building and headed towards the administration building. Along the way, Jiang Sixian attracted countless glances.
Almost every student who recognized Jiang Sixian fixed their eyes on her, some with ambiguous curiosity, others with open admiration. Witnessing this, Jiang Yi began to feel like Jiang Sixian was some kind of dazzling superstar.
To avoid being associated with this radiant being, Jiang Yi deliberately lagged a few steps behind. However, wherever Jiang Sixian went, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, creating a path just for her. This made Jiang Yi, trailing behind, look even more like a small, inconspicuous tail attached to a luminous comet.
This excessively Mary Sue-esque school scenario made Jiang Yi feel like a tiny, insignificant broom trailing a brilliant comet, ridiculously eye-catching.
Unable to escape the attention, Jiang Yi simply slung her backpack over one shoulder and followed Jiang Sixian with a deadpan expression to the administration building.
As they waited for the elevator, Song Yi arrived with her entourage.
Enemies meeting on a narrow road. Song Yi swept a glance at Jiang Sixian standing before Jiang Yi and clicked her tongue. “Jiang Sixian? What, are you here to speak up for her too?”
After a pause, Song Yi continued, as if speaking to herself, “Well, it’s not surprising, considering your mother is now…”
Jiang Yi truly hated it when people brought up someone’s mother in arguments. From Song Yi’s words, it was clear she knew quite a bit about Jiang Yi’s family situation.
Finding her utterly annoying, Jiang Yi reached out, pulled the girl in front of her behind her back, and then, without hesitation, kicked Song Yi in the knee.
“Ow!” Song Yi yelped in pain, clutching her knee and hopping on one foot. She glared at Jiang Yi, her eyes filled with both hatred and a flicker of fear. “You dare attack me here?! Aren’t you afraid of going to jail?!”
Too lazy to waste words, Jiang Yi raised her knee menacingly. “Ever seen a real delinquent? Want another kick?”
She lifted her chin, a look of pure arrogance on her face, and took a threatening step forward.
Song Yi instinctively recoiled, taking several steps back. Finally, she could only point at Jiang Yi and spit out empty threats. “Just you wait…”
Jiang Yi gave her a chilling look. “I’m from Chengzhong Village. I’ve got nothing to lose, just this cheap life. Come at me.”
She folded her arms, shielding Jiang Sixian, her posture screaming, “I fear nothing, except you not coming close enough to get kicked.”
Song Yi knew she was serious and that she’d be the one to suffer. She swallowed her anger, deciding to settle the score later.
The elevator arrived shortly, and Jiang Yi and Jiang Sixian stepped inside. Song Yi and her group, unwilling to share the same space, decided to wait for the next one.
Once the doors closed, Jiang Sixian reached out and pressed the button for the disciplinary office’s floor. Jiang Yi stood behind her, gazing at her sleek, black hair, faintly catching a whiff of a sweet, delicate fragrance.
In the confined space, neither of them spoke, the silence thick with awkwardness.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened. Unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, Jiang Yi bolted out like a startled rabbit.
She’d barely taken a few steps when Jiang Sixian emerged from the elevator and called out to her retreating back, “Jiang Yi…”
Jiang Yi turned, feigning annoyance as she retorted, “What?”
Jiang Sixian hesitated, then, meddling like a busybody, said, “Fighting isn’t good… there are many ways to solve problems.”
Jiang Yi ignored her words and turned to leave.
Of course, she knew there were many ways to solve problems. But someone like Song Yi—she deserved a beating. Since Jiang Yi could fight her, why shouldn’t she?
They soon reached the disciplinary office. Faint voices drifted from within. Jiang Yi hesitated, then raised her hand and knocked.
“Come in!”
Jiang Yi pushed open the door and walked in with Jiang Sixian.
Upon entering, Jiang Yi realized Jiang Qionghua and Ning Wenying were also present. They sat on the sofa with the disciplinary director, steaming cups of tea on the coffee table before them. Facing them were three or four richly dressed, bejeweled women.
Tsk, this felt like a proper tribunal.
Jiang Yi entered without a word. Jiang Qionghua, however, turned and looked at her, eyes wide with shock. “Your face… what happened?!”
“How did it get so bad?! Who did this?!”
Jiang Qionghua abruptly stood, strode over to Jiang Yi, grabbed her hand, and demanded angrily, “Where are you hurt? Anywhere else besides your face? Your hands? Legs? Where does it hurt? Your head, did you hit your head?”
At this moment, Jiang Qionghua was the very image of a furious father.
Still gripping Jiang Yi’s hand, she turned her fury on the disciplinary director. “Director Li, you said it was just a minor scuffle, nothing serious. But look at my baby! Look what they did to her! This is bullying! The video clearly shows four or five of them ganging up on her!”
Hearing the words “my baby,” Jiang Yi shuddered involuntarily.
Jiang Qionghua mistook her reaction for pain and quickly released her hand. Turning to the equally astonished wealthy women, she raised her voice. “Mrs. Song, you’ve raised such a fine daughter! Ganging up on and bullying classmates!”
As she spoke, Jiang Qionghua pulled Jiang Yi forward, pushing her towards the group and pointing at her injuries. “Look at what your child did to my good girl!”
Jiang Qionghua was truly enraged. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she addressed Jiang Yi. “Tell these aunties how their children bullied you!”
Jiang Yi was utterly dumbfounded, staring at the agitated Jiang Qionghua, her mind filled with snark, too stunned to even continue her act.
Ning Wenying, however, remained calm. Sighing, she rose and came to Jiang Yi’s side. She and Jiang Qionghua stood flanking Jiang Yi, each placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ning Wenying spoke softly, “Qionghua, don’t get so worked up… Let Xiao Yi explain slowly…”
Director Li, dabbing the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief, nodded frantically. “Yes, yes, yes, since Jiang Yi is here, let her explain…”
The wealthy women on the sofa also nodded in agreement. The most extravagantly dressed among them, Mrs. Song, lifted her chin haughtily. “Yes, since you’re here, tell us quickly what our Song Yi did to you that warranted you kicking her first.”
Jiang Yi looked at the speaker and chuckled. “You must be Mrs. Song…”
Mrs. Song nodded, her eyes sharp. “Indeed! Our Song Yi is very well-behaved at home. How is it that she comes to school and immediately gets into a conflict with an ill-mannered child like you?! Explain yourself!”
Jiang Yi clicked her tongue, finding both mother and daughter equally obnoxious.
Just as Jiang Yi was about to speak, the office door burst open. Song Yi stormed in, followed by her entourage.
Upon seeing their children, the wealthy women on the sofa erupted, especially Mrs. Song, who shrieked upon seeing the graze on Song Yi’s forehead. “Yi Yi! Yi Yi! What happened to you?!”
Seeing her mother, Song Yi immediately rushed over, burying her face in her mother’s lap and launching into a dramatic, tearful account. “Mom… Mom… she hit me… she bruised my face…”
Squeezing out a few tears, Song Yi pointed at Jiang Yi, her eyes brimming. “It was her… she kept kicking me at school. My knee is swollen, I think it might be broken… Mom, you have to protect me…”
Jiang Yi was astounded by her blatant shamelessness. It was truly a sight to behold.
Jiang Yi, with the most visible injuries, hadn’t shed a single tear, yet Song Yi, with a mere scratch on her forehead, was wailing like a banshee. What a joke!
Jiang Yi clicked her tongue. “As if you didn’t hit me. Four of you ganged up on me.”
Song Yi, still clinging to her mother’s leg, turned to argue with Jiang Yi. “You hit me first! They only tried to pull you off, and you hit them too! You’re just using your martial arts to bully us!”
Jiang Yi scoffed. “Have you ever seen anyone ‘pull someone off’ by slapping them? Have you ever seen anyone ‘pull someone off’ by pulling their hair? Have you ever seen anyone ‘pull someone off’ by holding them down for a group beating?”
Her rapid-fire questions left Song Yi speechless.
Mrs. Song’s face darkened. Jiang Yi pressed on. “You say I hit you first, but what about you dumping your leftovers on my tray? What about you insulting me?”
“I didn’t even finish my lunch! Who’s going to compensate me for that?!”
Her barrage of accusations left everyone reeling. Jiang Qionghua, initially about to defend her, heard about the dumped leftovers and her anger flared anew, glaring at Mrs. Song.
Jiang Qionghua was about to explode when Ning Wenying quickly pulled her back, urging her to restrain herself and let Jiang Yi speak.
Mrs. Song was also furious. She glared at Jiang Yi. “Even if Yi Yi did something foolish, you shouldn’t resort to violence.”
Song Yi chimed in, “Exactly!”
Mrs. Song turned to Director Li. “I know Jiang Yi is from Chengzhong Village and lacks proper upbringing, but resorting to violence over a minor disagreement clearly indicates violent tendencies.”
“Our school is dedicated to cultivating young ladies. Having such an emotionally unstable individual poses a significant risk. I suggest the school expel Jiang Yi.”
Director Li turned to Jiang Qionghua, sweating profusely. “This… this… expulsion is…”
Jiang Qionghua glared at Mrs. Song, her eyes blazing. “Mrs. Song, you’re quite powerful, aren’t you? Truly befitting a school board member. So, in this school, there’s no one your daughter can’t bully, is there? Everyone sends their children here to be subjected to having leftovers dumped on them, drinks splashed on them, and tests ripped up, is that right?”
“It seems we need to reconsider sending our children here to suffer.”
Mrs. Song’s face hardened. “That’s not what I meant. Our Yi Yi was wrong, but Jiang Yi’s violence was excessive.”
Jiang Yi took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, “Your daughter deserved it!”
“She insulted my mother! She called me a bastard!”
To emphasize her point, Jiang Yi repeated, “She called me a motherless bastard! That’s why I hit her.”
“No child would stand idly by while their mother is insulted.”
Instantly, all eyes in the room turned to Jiang Yi.
Especially Jiang Qionghua, who, looking at Jiang Yi’s bandaged face, seemed like a dormant volcano about to erupt.
Jiang Yi looked at Mrs. Song and said calmly, “Whether I have violent tendencies or not requires a proper assessment. But the fact that your child is ill-mannered is common knowledge. Even though I’m new here, I know how unpopular your daughter is at school, what a disgusting, obnoxious brat she is!”
As Jiang Yi spoke, Jiang Sixian’s gaze remained fixed on her, never wavering.
