Not long after, all the boys gathered in the counselor’s office.
Though the young men in front of her were each a head taller, Yang Yan didn’t show a hint of fear. Her eyes swept over the group as she took a sip of water.
“What are you all standing around for? Speak.”
A university is its own small society, and dealing with students from all walks of life is no easier than navigating complicated workplace politics. Yang Yan’s serious tone immediately intimidated Zhao Si and the other roommates.
If it weren’t for Gu Zhe giving them a heads-up beforehand, some of them would’ve probably confessed everything right then and there.
Thankfully, Gu Zhe had warned them. So while they still felt a little unsure, they didn’t panic.
“Teacher Yang, you’re joking,” Gu Zhe said confidently. “You called us here. If you don’t tell us what’s going on, how would we know anything happened?”
The calm and natural way Gu Zhe said this made Zhao Si’s jaw tighten with admiration. Since when did this guy get such good acting chops? Did he secretly go train at a drama school?
Yang Yan’s sharp gaze swept across Gu Zhe like a spotlight. But he remained unfazed, calm and collected, showing no guilt at all.
Duan Mingdong, on the other hand, forgot to keep up his pitiful act. He pointed at Gu Zhe and cursed, “You fake bastard, stop pretending to be innocent!”
“I don’t even have any beef with your roommates!”
“You were the one who instigated them to beat me! You’re the mastermind! The one behind it all!”
Right now, Duan Mingdong looked like a yappy little dog barking around its owner’s feet.
Yang Yan leaned forward in mock anger.
“Gu Zhe, your attitude makes a big difference. Voluntarily admitting your mistake is very different from being caught!”
“If you keep being stubborn like this, even I can’t protect you. Not even the dean could!”
The relationship between a counselor and a student was less like teacher-student and more like manager-employee. Most of the time, the counselor’s tough stance was more about pressure tactics than real consequences—because if things escalated too far, it would be her own job on the line too.
Zhao Si was starting to crack and wanted to step up and take the blame. After all, he was the one who suggested confronting Duan Mingdong in the first place.
If anyone was the “mastermind,” it was him. Gu Zhe had been uninvolved from the beginning.
But Gu Zhe seemed to anticipate this. He stepped in front of Zhao Si and subtly pushed him back, then put on a look of exaggerated shock and anger.
“Teacher Yang, how can you make a judgment based only on Duan Mingdong’s words?”
“My roommates and I are all model students. How could we possibly get involved in violence?”
Yang Yan had finally had enough.
“Your classmate—same major, same college—got beaten like this because of you!”
“And you still dare to stand there, joking and being slippery-tongued? I’m beyond disappointed!”
Yang Yan was genuinely angry now.
Because she couldn’t see even the slightest bit of fear in Gu Zhe.
Compared to Zhao Si behind him, Gu Zhe felt like he was on an entirely different level, like there was an invisible wall separating them. He clearly didn’t blend in.
He was like a street-smart veteran hiding behind the youthful skin of a college boy!
Even Yang Yan, the university’s top-rated counselor, was starting to feel pressure.
Gu Zhe maintained his puzzled expression. “Teacher Yang, why do you keep saying things I don’t understand?”
“The injuries on Duan Mingdong? They were from an attack by a group of thugs on Puchang Street!”
“What does that have to do with me or my roommates?”
Yang Yan froze. “Puchang Street?”
Puchang Street was infamous in Jiangzhou for its bathhouses and adult entertainment. Despite occasional police crackdowns, that kind of business was never really wiped out.
Every now and then, some “diligent students” and “hard-working part-timers” would get escorted out in silver bracelets during police raids.
In fact, not long ago, there had been a major sweep on Puchang Street. Rumor had it even some college students got caught. Since the situation wasn’t too serious, and for the sake of their future, the school kept it under wraps.
Still, the gossip had spread through all the universities in Jiangzhou.
Yang Yan suspiciously glanced at Duan Mingdong. His injuries looked fresh. Even the rips in his clothes and frayed threads were clearly torn just today.
If she blamed Puchang Street for this, no doctor would even be needed—her own eyes told her the timelines didn’t match up.
Yang Yan slammed her hand on the desk.
“Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!”
“Gu Zhe, I’m telling you plainly. This matter can be handled lightly or seriously. It all depends on your attitude.”
Facing this ultimatum, Gu Zhe didn’t back down. He matched her intensity word for word.
“Teacher Yang, we young people of the new era aren’t afraid of taking responsibility.”
“But we also won’t let ourselves be bullied into submission!”
“I agree—we should let the police handle it! Let them pull up the records and see what exactly happened to Duan Mingdong during the sixth week of this semester!”
He raised his voice intentionally toward the end of that sentence.
He wanted that scumbag to hear it loud and clear.
Gu Zhe was absolutely certain—Duan Mingdong would rather suffer in silence than let this go to the police.
Especially when he heard the words “pull up the records,” Duan Mingdong’s knees nearly gave out just thinking about it.
Zhao Si and the other roommates were dumbfounded.
What the hell?
This was Gu Zhe? The same guy who used to go soft whenever a girl said a word?
Now, post-awakening, he was suddenly this hard?
What kind of medicine did he take? They needed some too!
Feeling the overwhelming force in Gu Zhe’s aura, even Yang Yan was momentarily stunned. She felt like she was in over her head.
She had dealt with thousands of students over the years, but never anything like this.
Never a student like Gu Zhe.
Gritting her teeth, she picked up her phone.
“You’re all adults now. You’ll have to bear the consequences of your actions.”
“Since you insist, Gu Zhe, let’s bring in the police to enforce justice!”
Hearing this, Duan Mingdong broke into a cold sweat.
“Teacher Yang… justice doesn’t have to be… enforced every time…”