The parent-teacher meeting was scheduled for the second-to-last class of the afternoon, which happened to be gym class. The classroom was left empty for the homeroom teacher to hold the meeting.
Usually, after gym class, You Fu found himself with nothing to do. Most of the other students would gather in small groups to play basketball or soccer, while he would find a corner to fiddle with his phone.
Though the school prohibited phones, You Fu had managed to hide his well enough to avoid getting caught.
The chat window labeled "Brother" showed no new messages.
You Fu opened an app to watch online course videos.
He hadn’t been watching for long when a sudden exclamation made him frown slightly.
"Ah, You Fu, you’re here!"
You Fu turned off his phone screen. It was Xiao Jiaruan standing in front of him.
"What’s up?"
Xiao Jiaruan pointed outside. "A guy was just at the field asking if anyone had seen you. I know you often hang out in this corner, so I came to check. Didn’t expect to actually find you here."
"Thanks." You Fu moved quickly, leaving the corner. From a distance, he spotted a familiar figure standing at the entrance to the field. Despite the dry, cold winter air, he wore a well-tailored suit, revealing a light blue shirt underneath, his ears slightly red from the cold.
Ji An’s features were delicate, with red lips and white teeth, his appearance leaning towards a cool and elegant beauty. His suit made him stand out among the students, lending him an air of refinement and dignity that was hard to ignore.
Students occasionally glanced his way.
As You Fu approached, he called out, "Brother."
This drew a few gasps of surprise.
"He’s really You Fu’s brother? They don’t look much alike."
"But he’s quite handsome."
Ji An ignored the comments around him and extended his hand. "Meal card."
You Fu handed over his meal card and followed Ji An to the cafeteria. "Did you come for the parent-teacher meeting?"
Ji An replied, "Yeah, it was pretty boring, so I left halfway through. I won’t be coming next time."
You Fu stared at his moving feet, lost in thought.
Ji An bought a bowl of beef soup first. You Fu stayed behind to wait for the soup to finish cooking, while Ji An took the meal card upstairs to check out other food options.
Once the beef soup was ready, You Fu added some scallions, cilantro, and chili to suit Ji An’s taste, the red and green floating across the bowl.
Before he could bring the soup to the table, his shoulder suddenly felt heavy.
A powerful force shoved him aside, his back slamming into the wall with a thud, his shoulder blade aching. The scalding soup fell from his hands, splattering everywhere.
"You’re You Fu, right?"
A tall, burly boy with a cigarette in his mouth blocked his path, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his face full of arrogance and malice.
The sneakers were soaked with soup, steaming, and You Fu felt the heat on his feet, uncomfortable. "Who are you?"
The bully introduced himself, "You don’t know me, but you know Yang Jiacai, right? That’s my brother!"
You Fu realized he was dealing with another piece of trash from the same group.
The bully, angered by You Fu’s disdainful look, swung a punch at his face.
You Fu quickly raised his hand to catch it, the fist landing heavily in his palm with a dull thud, a gust of wind lifting a few strands of his hair.
"Damn!" The bully was surprised that You Fu could catch his punch.
Taking advantage of the bully’s momentary shock, You Fu grabbed his hair and swiftly kneed him, pressing his head down.
Just before his knee could connect with the bully’s face, You Fu stopped abruptly and let go.
Everything had happened so fast that by the time the bully realized it, cold sweat was already trickling down his back. He didn’t have time to think about why You Fu had stopped, his shame and anger consumed him. As You Fu reached for a tissue to wipe his shoes, the bully grabbed his collar and swung another punch.
"You dare sneak attack me again? Think you can act tough? Why aren’t you tough now? I’ll beat you to death! Aren’t you the hero? Aren’t you the one showing off in front of girls? Why aren’t you moving now? Chickened out, huh?!"
You Fu’s head buzzed from the blows, but he remained silent, enduring the bully’s outburst and insults.
Screams echoed around them.
You Fu simply looked past the bully’s shoulder from beneath his half-lowered eyelids, watching Ji An recording with his phone from a distance.
He had changed his mind about fighting back because Ji An had silently mouthed "don’t move" to him.
He would follow his brother’s instructions, no matter when, where, or what.
The air in his throat was gradually being cut off. You Fu gripped the bully’s hand, his nails digging into the skin, leaving bloody marks.
He opened his mouth, gasping for air, but all he could taste was the metallic tang of blood, mixed with saliva, trickling from the corner of his mouth.
His vision blurred, on the verge of passing out.
It was class time, so there weren’t many students in the cafeteria.
"Hey! Stop fighting! Go get a teacher!" Several cafeteria workers rushed over to separate them, pinning the bully to the ground.
"Cough, cough… cough…" You Fu clutched his throat, gasping for air, coughing up a mouthful of bloody foam, his eyes bloodshot. An auntie helped him up, gently wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
But he continued to look at Ji An in the distance.
Ji An ended the recording with a smile at the corner of his eyes. No fly should dare touch what he cared for, it was so disgusting.
He hadn’t given anyone the right to lay a finger on You Fu.
It was winter, and flies should be dead.
He switched screens and called You Fu’s homeroom teacher. "Hello? Mr. Li, You Fu has been seriously bullied at school. Please handle it."
…
In the dean’s office, the atmosphere was heavy. Ji An sat in a chair with his legs crossed, You Fu standing by his side, facing off against the two people seated across the desk.
Ji An wore a smile, his features gentle, but the pressure he exuded was suffocating.
The dean and Mr. Li exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of apprehension in each other’s eyes.
Another difficult parent to deal with.
In response to the dean and homeroom teacher’s attempts to mediate, Ji An proposed a single condition: Yang Jiacai and the bully must publicly apologize and withdraw from school.
The dean looked troubled. "We will reprimand the students and ensure this doesn’t happen again."
His words were as empty as air.
Ji An leaned back lazily in his chair, tilting his chin up. "Are you protecting those two students because they bribed you? How much did they give? I’ll pay ten, a hundred times that."
The dean quickly waved his hands, denying any such thing. "Please don’t misunderstand, that’s not the case. It’s just that educating students is no easy task. We should give them a chance, they’re still kids."
"Oh, those two bullies may be bastards, but their grades are decent, and they could get into college. You need them to boost your graduation rate." Ji An understood the dean’s implication.
In recent years, First High School and Experimental Middle School had been fiercely competitive. Last year, Experimental’s graduation rate just surpassed First High’s, and they celebrated with a banner for a month, poaching many top students who would have otherwise enrolled at First High. This was a humiliation for First High, which prided itself on having the best faculty in the city. Since then, the entire staff had been obsessively focused on student grades, determined to maintain their top spot in City C.
Ji An wasn’t one to make things difficult. "If that’s the case, let’s find another solution."
The dean, having been exposed, felt a bit awkward but was relieved to hear Ji An’s words. However, Ji An’s next sentence made him suck back in the breath he had just released.
"Little Fu, let’s transfer schools."
You Fu nodded.
The dean slammed his hand on the desk. "No way!"
Mr. Li, no longer silent, shouted, "Please don’t! You Fu’s guardian, First High is the best school in City C, offering the best educational resources."
You Fu was one of the top three students in the honors class, a promising candidate for a top university in the country. Mr. Li was counting on these promising students to earn bonuses. If they transferred, it would be a disaster for him.
Ji An wagged a finger. "I think you haven’t grasped the situation. Do you really think it’s your faculty’s resources that have led to You Fu’s success? My brother is smart, and if you’re benefiting from his talent, you should show the appropriate attitude. I think Experimental Middle School is quite good. Last year, they were number one in graduation rates, and First High is starting to decline. I think transferring You Fu there is a good choice."
"Isn’t there another way?" The dean’s smile was strained, barely maintaining his composure.
Mr. Li frantically signaled to the dean, nudging him with his hand hidden in his sweater sleeve, urging him to stop talking.
Ji An’s jawline was taut as he lowered his leg and took You Fu’s hand. "My brother is my precious treasure, and I don’t even let him carry a bowl. He has a nanny to remove fish bones for him during meals. I take such care of him, so why should those filthy things touch him? Either You Fu transfers, or those two bullies are expelled. Choose one."
As the teachers struggled in silence, You Fu squeezed Ji An’s hand at the right moment, adding fuel to the fire, and said weakly, "Brother, will they hit me again in the future? I’m so scared, I want to transfer."
He even pretended to shiver a couple of times.
The boy’s face was swollen with bruises, his eyes red, tears glistening, his black hair slightly disheveled on his forehead, looking pitiful and helpless.
Ji An’s eyes were full of disdain as he gestured for You Fu to bend down, gently caressing his face to comfort him. "Little Fu, be good, don’t be afraid. I’ll handle the transfer procedures for you tomorrow, we’ll go to Experimental. I don’t believe they’d tolerate bullying."
At these words, the dean could hardly stay seated.
Mr. Li, who feared nothing, discreetly kicked the dean to snap him out of it.
Two college students versus one from a top university, the choice was clear.
"We’ll expel those two students." After saying this, he puffed out his chest, wiped his oily nose, and pompously added, "First High has zero tolerance for bullying. You Fu’s guardian, rest assured, your child is in good hands with us."
Ji An’s smile was subtle. "I’m really reassured. If this happens again, I’ll immediately transfer You Fu."
Just as he finished speaking, a commotion erupted outside the door, accompanied by rough, angry voices.
"Why should he get to say whatever he wants?!"
The office door slammed against the wall, and a burly middle-aged man stormed in, his few white hairs trembling at his temples.
The dean put on a sycophantic smile and approached him. "Ah, you’re here."
It was the bully’s father.
Ji An spun halfway around in his chair, meeting the man’s gaze, and said leisurely, "Where did this mad dog come from?"
The middle-aged man, hearing this, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes wide with anger, lunged forward to grab him.
You Fu stepped in front of Ji An, but Ji An pushed him aside, calmly dodging the man’s calloused hand, and displayed the video of You Fu being beaten.
The man halted, his murky eyes momentarily brightening before dimming again, trembling.
"What do you think will happen if I report this to the police?" Ji An’s smile faded as he listened to the nauseating sounds in the video. "You’re a father, I’m a brother. You can’t tolerate your child being expelled, and I can’t tolerate my brother being beaten. Why? Because your son is a bullying brute!"
Mr. Li and the dean wiped the sweat from their foreheads, never expecting Ji An had recorded the incident. First High’s tuition was high, and its faculty was excellent. Besides top students, many children of influential figures attended the school.
Ji An hadn’t even joined the parent group and rarely contacted the homeroom teacher, having only appeared twice in three years, shrouded in mystery. Moreover, You Fu’s attire was always expensive, so no one dared to gamble on whether Ji An had any backing.
If this escalated, it would certainly affect the school’s reputation.
The man scratched his head in frustration. He was just a laborer working long hours on construction sites, his family having been poor for generations. Finally, they had a prospective college student, and he was unwilling to give up. "What do you want?"
"It’s simple, compensate my brother for medical expenses and emotional distress."
"You want my kid expelled and compensation?!"
"That’s unfortunate." Ji An looked the plainly dressed man up and down, his tone dripping with contempt. "Judging by your shabby attire, your family’s financial situation isn’t great. Your son is an adult, right? I have plenty of time and money to slowly drag this out until he’s in jail."
The usually peacekeeping teachers didn’t dare intervene, only weakly suggesting, "Calm down."
The man’s face grew increasingly grim.
Ji An leaned over, and You Fu extended his arm to help him up.
Ji An whispered in the man’s ear, "How many guts do you have to go against me? How much skin do you have for me to peel?"
He felt the man’s body stiffen, then pulled away, brushing off nonexistent dust, wary of the man dirtying his clothes.
Ji An didn’t actually have those connections. He was just a worker who had clawed his way up, clinging to clients for dear life.
He was merely bluffing, posturing.
He was betting on the man’s cowardice.
If the man didn’t fall for it, Ji An would have to accept his bad luck.
The man unconsciously took a half-step back.
Ji An, dressed impeccably, exuded the aura of someone from the upper echelons, every move elegant. The man’s hard-earned monthly wage from the construction site might not even be enough to buy Ji An a pair of shoes.
After years of hard work and submission, the man’s sharpness had been dulled, oppressed by the powerful for decades, enduring so much hardship, only to find himself lacking the courage to confront the person before him.
Those living at the bottom of society were destined never to gaze upon the light.
His fists clenched and unclenched, and finally, his tone softened. "I’m sorry, Mr. Ji, I apologize on behalf of my son. We’ll cover all your brother’s medical and emotional distress expenses. My son is young and foolish, please don’t hold it against him."
Ji An, wearing a pair of high-end counterfeit shoes and dressed in knock-off designer clothes, clapped his hands. "Then it’s settled. I still need to take my brother to the hospital. Do as you please."