Chapter 12

Chapter 12

By the time Xiang Shenglong arrived at the dormitory, there was hardly anything left for him to handle. Li Rui and his group only admitted their mistakes, neither refuting nor making excuses, confessing to causing trouble for Chen Mo.

As for Chen Mo, the fact that he had acted was undeniable.

Some busybody had posted about this incident on the forum, even exaggerating the description of the brawl.

The title read, "School Bully Cowers Like a Dog, Deep Dive into Who This True Father Is!"

Chen Mo's name had appeared frequently on the campus forum recently.

Most often alongside another person with the surname Yang. From their "mixed-up" relationship, their backgrounds, personalities, and even daily outfits, everything had been pulled out for speculation and comparison.

In summary,

It all boiled down to Chen Mo imitating the other, genuine jealousy.

Now that the post had come out,

The original poster analyzed Chen Mo from various angles, using all sorts of insider information.

They boldly stated: "This father is not just true in blood; he excels in every aspect. According to an anonymous classmate from his former high school, he's a real scholar, motivated and smart. He often skipped classes (allegedly to take on jobs outside), dominated the streets around his old high school, and eyewitnesses claimed he once beat a middle-aged man like a dead dog and left him in an alley (later confirmed by the police that it was his foster father, but this detail is unverified)."

[Furthermore, after entering our school for about a month, the Yang family publicly proclaimed him a "model student." At first glance, this seemed accurate—focused on studies, indifferent to worldly affairs, and showing no reaction when Li Rui and his gang secretly caused trouble. He appeared to be a patient and tolerant student. But considering Yang Shule's continued privilege and the Yang family's recent business troubles, I think this needs further examination.]

"And then! The key point!"

"Whether he wanted to compete with a certain fake young master, voluntarily restrained himself, or was forced by the Yang family's situation to maintain the image of a model student, it seems he has reached his limit. According to incomplete statistics, starting last week, he clashed with the school bully, embarrassed the fake young master's classmates, and today fought four with his bare hands, achieving fame. Clearly, something significant must have happened last week."

"Finally, tremble everyone, the school bully has changed hands, new week, new life!"

There were various responses, quickly stacking up to over a hundred comments, proving how unreliable the school's claim of strict phone restrictions was.

"Who is the poster talking about? If it really got that bad, the school would have intervened. Why haven't I heard anything?"

"I'm from the fifth floor of the boys' dormitory in Area A, and I can confirm this is true. Still, the poster's storytelling skills are impressive; I almost believed it."

"In summary, the poster is delusional!"

"Haha, where does the poster get their dramatic flair? 'Tremble'? Do they think Li Rui is some wolf king who needs to be defeated to take over? Li Rui is just a spoiled rich kid. I still don't understand why he targeted Chen Mo."

"That Li Rui seemed to have fawned over Yang Shule. Wow, conspiracy theories are brewing."

"Li Rui and Yang Shule? I can't imagine any connection between them."

"Don't you know? Yang Shule's good reputation isn't just talk (sarcastic tone). From the wealthy kids in school to the poor students in the slums, he treats everyone equally well. Sometimes I wonder if he's genuinely fake. Looking back now, wow, what a fake indeed!"

No one would have thought that the class representative of the second-year experimental class would pull out her phone during a break and passionately comment.

Qi Lin walked over and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"None of your business!" Sun Xiaoya was furious, pausing for a moment before adding, "Watching a show."

Qi Lin, splashed with her anger, looked innocent but still asked, "Watching a show? Never mind, I was just curious. Are Lao Yan and the others still in Lao Xiang's office?"

"They are." Sun Xiaoya glanced at the empty seats and then at Yang Shule, who seemed distracted, her tone tinged with schadenfreude: "Someone posted this on the forum, and it can't be suppressed."

Qi Lin was speechless: "You actually seem happy."

"Someone unhappy makes me happy."

Sun Xiaoya looked back at her phone.

The post had already accumulated nearly three hundred comments.

The subsequent comments focused on the event itself.

"This incident hasn't leaked much, so what's the point of discussing it here? We haven't even figured out if it's true."

"It must be true; everyone is in the administrative building now."

"Li Rui's family has considerable influence, right? He's gotten away with so many incidents before."

"Influence? That's funny. There's someone surnamed Xi in the administrative office."

"Uh, don't tell me he's also the top student..."

In conclusion,

"Li Rui is finished."

"Scatter his ashes."

"Yes, agreed. The Xi family is low-key, not dead."

Someone reading this found it unbelievable and directly commented, "Can people stop being so ridiculous? It's like a TV drama. Chen Mo was the one fighting. Besides, if Xi Siyan really cared so much, involving the Xi family, could he still be the top student? Wake up, everyone. Don't assume everyone in the same school is equal. With the Xi family's background, even if they're low-key, they won't become ordinary people."

"That's too exaggerated..."

"Exactly. Yang Shule has told many people that he knows Xi Siyan through family connections. Since they're close, helping Chen Mo wouldn't be strange, especially since Chen Mo is the Yang family's biological son."

The commenter quickly replied, "Honest truth, that self-proclaimed childhood friend Yang Shule probably never caught his eye."

"Got it, you're envious of the rich."

"Or maybe you have a grudge against Chen Mo, jealous that he's been recognized by a wealthy family and hoping he gets expelled?"

The previous person immediately became defensive.

"Stop imagining things. I'm not envious of the rich; my family has some assets. I just can't stand how some of you preach world peace with a smug face while hiding your own admiration for power and materialism. Chen Mo is merely an unfavored son of the Yang family. Anyone with real background wouldn't even spare him a glance. The current Yang family isn't even worth mentioning in front of the Xi family, let alone Chen Mo. What kind of nonsense is this, suggesting I'm jealous?"

These words sparked outrage.

Not because of Chen Mo, but due to the arrogance and superiority oozing from every word, and it was an indiscriminate attack.

With this person's appearance, many onlookers actually hoped that this incident would quietly fade away.

Ideally, Li Rui should be sent home, leaving Chen Mo unscathed.

In fact, half an hour later.

The campus broadcast suddenly came on.

— "We have an announcement. This afternoon, a serious fight broke out in the second year, causing a very negative impact. Here are the results of the disciplinary actions:

— Chen Mo from Class 1, Grade 2, based on his minor misconduct and non-leading role, will receive a school-wide reprimand and deliver a five-hundred-word oral apology at the flag-raising ceremony next Monday. Li Rui from Class 9, Grade 2, who has repeatedly violated school rules, will receive a major demerit and be suspended for one week to be educated by his parents. Huang Sheng from Class 6, Grade 2, and Ma Xiong from Class 7, Grade 2... will receive warnings and submit a thousand-word written reflection... Our school is not a place for lawlessness. We do not tolerate any misconduct. We hope all students take this as a warning and focus on their studies. This announcement concludes."

The various speculations about using backgrounds and family connections to settle scores were instantly proven wrong.

The announcement seemed to say: "What were you thinking? Parents are involved!"

Shortly after the announcement ended, someone noticed that the forum posts had been deleted.

In the Academic Affairs Office.

Xiang Shenglong asked the student standing before him, "Do you have any objections to this outcome?"

Chen Mo nodded: "It's good, fair."

"I'll coordinate with the school regarding Li Rui's dormitory. You can settle in without worry."

"Mm-hm."

"Next time you encounter such a situation, don't... act impulsively. Do you think you're invincible?"

"Mm-hm."

"What's most important in the experimental class is studying hard, it's..."

"Mm-hm."

"What are you looking at?"

Chen Mo leaned against the corridor, basking in the lazy afternoon sun.

Coincidentally, someone downstairs also looked up.

Xiang Shenglong followed his gaze, his eyes behind his glasses narrowing slightly, and asked, "Before I arrived, did Xi really do nothing?"

Chen Mo replied, "What could he do?"

"Better not." Xiang Shenglong dropped the topic, adding vaguely, "Li Rui almost needed a stretcher. Do you think I'm blind?"

Chen Mo pretended not to hear.

As they descended the stairs, Xiang Shenglong shouted, "No more fighting, got it?!"

Chen Mo turned at the stairwell, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "I actually don't like fighting, really."

Unfortunately, he couldn't master the skill of silently making someone speechless like Xi Siyan.

After descending the stairs, Chen Mo approached the group from the experimental class.

"Are you okay?"

"Did Lao Xiang scold you?"

"You should have beaten Li Rui harder."

Gou Yiyang put his arm around Chen Mo's shoulder, steering the conversation. After this incident, Chen Mo seemed to have truly become closer to this class. Each of their faces began to appear more specific and vivid, full of passion and sincerity.

Chen Mo chatted with them briefly, his gaze drifting to someone slightly behind.

"Thanks." Chen Mo called out, "Class President."

Xi Siyan's gaze passed through several people, landing on him, speaking calmly, "Thank Director Lai. He stood firm in protecting you."

Chen Mo shrugged, "I know, but thanks for stepping in."

Xi Siyan looked at him, a slight tug at the corner of his mouth. "Your lip is bleeding, yet you still talk so much."

Chen Mo subconsciously touched his lip with his tongue.

Immediately, pain creased his brow.

That evening, the atmosphere in Room 613 could only be described as tense.

A certain individual, labeled the new school bully on the forum, scared the two model students in the dormitory into silence, moving cautiously during their evening routines.

Before Chen Mo arrived, this dormitory housed only three people, including Li Rui.

The other two were Sun Qi, who seemed timid, and Tang Suishan, a liberal arts student with thick glasses and a slow reaction.

That night, Chen Mo sat at the desk flipping through his phone.

Yang Zhi somehow learned about the incident at school and messaged him, asking if he had caused trouble.

Chen Mo didn't reply. When he tossed his phone aside, the thud made Sun Qi, who had been sitting on the opposite bed, suddenly stand up.

"Mo, Mo Ge." The other person asked nervously, "Should I get you some foot-washing water?"

Chen Mo was genuinely stunned for a few seconds. "Did Li Rui make you get him foot-washing water before?"

Sun Qi nodded, softly: "Yes."

"Tell him to get lost."

"Huh?"

"From now on, if anyone asks you to get them foot-washing water, tell them to get lost."

Ten minutes later, Sun Qi looked at the basin of murky yellowish-black foot-washing water under Chen Mo's feet. Then he glanced at the person leaning against the table, eyes closed, with a slight red tinge on his face from the fumes.

Gathering his courage, "Mo Ge, what did you put in there?"

"Hmm?" The person lazily looked over, his eyes slightly dazed as if half-asleep, then responded, "Oh, Chinese herbs."

Sun Qi silently withdrew his gaze.

Hmm... This school bully seems different from what I've heard.